Fr. Mike Schmitz
Appearances
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 29: Moses Returns to Egypt (2025)
Why is that so important? One of the reasons it's so important is because in the ancient world, they had a deeper appreciation for proper names. We've kind of lost that a little bit where you can reveal your name to anybody because we like, oh, that's who I am. That's my name. But in ancient world, to know someone's name was understood as being in a relationship with them.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 29: Moses Returns to Egypt (2025)
It was understood as now there's a certain vulnerability in knowing another person's name and their name being revealed to you. And here is God who is distant, God who is omnipotent, God who's omnipresent, all these things. who's making himself intimate. He's making himself personal. I mean, he's always been personal, but he's revealing himself in a personal way. And he says, this is my name.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 29: Moses Returns to Egypt (2025)
When you call upon my name, you're calling upon me as a personal God. And so this personal God now is called this person, Moses, to go to Pharaoh. And it's interesting to see how here's Moses, who has seen a miracle. He's seen a And he's still unconvinced of the fact that the Lord God will be with him, that this personal God will be enough.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 29: Moses Returns to Egypt (2025)
The Lord said to him, what is that in your hand? He said, a rod. And he said, cast it on the ground. So he cast it on the ground and it became a serpent and Moses fled from it. But the Lord said to Moses, put out your hand and take it by the tail.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 29: Moses Returns to Egypt (2025)
And so he says, he defers and says, well, let my brother Aaron speak instead because he can speak well and I don't speak well. Even though God has just given him two miracles, right? The miracle of the rod. turning into a serpent, where I love the fact that Moses sees this rod become a serpent and runs away, because I'm like, yep, that's what I would do too.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 29: Moses Returns to Egypt (2025)
But then he grabs it by his tail, becomes a rod again. And the same thing with his hand, putting it into his bosom and it becoming leprous and then putting it there again and having it become clean, that there is this reality that God is saying, listen, Moses, you don't actually know me yet. I revealed my name to you, but you don't know the depth to which you can trust me.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 29: Moses Returns to Egypt (2025)
And that's why he keeps saying, I am the God of your fathers. That again, I'm largely unknown to you. And this is what have been the case that the Lord God would be largely unknown to Moses. I mean, the family of Israel has been living in slavery and they've held on to the stories of the Lord God revealing himself to Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 29: Moses Returns to Egypt (2025)
But you can imagine the degree to which he would still be largely unknown to them. And so when God does call Moses and to do this dangerous thing, you can understand how Moses would be hesitant. Not only that, he has reason to be hesitant, right? You have Pharaoh who could destroy his life with a snap of his fingers, but you also have the people of Israel.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 29: Moses Returns to Egypt (2025)
And this is one of the more difficult moments of, well, it's a lot of, and amongst a lot of difficult moments, here's a very difficult moment for the people of Israel. When Moses and Aaron come along and they say, the Lord God wants to set you free. And Pharaoh says, oh, really? You want to go and worship me? That's, and also keep this in mind.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 29: Moses Returns to Egypt (2025)
We've mentioned it before, but it's really important to note. It's why do we want to be set free to go and serve the Lord? That word to serve is actually the word to worship. So keep that in mind. Always keep that in mind. The goal of freedom is not just simply freedom for freedom's sake, not just simply freedom from, but freedom for. And freedom for what?
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 29: Moses Returns to Egypt (2025)
Freedom for worship, to be able to worship the Lord God. And so Pharaoh says, oh, really? You have all this time you want to take off and worship? If you have that much time that you want to devote to other things other than work, then I'll give you more work. And it's interesting to note this.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 29: Moses Returns to Egypt (2025)
One is the fact that that would be the anger of the people of Israel towards Moses and Aaron saying, you just interrupted our lives is so interesting because you're like, wait, I've interrupted what kind of life? I've made it more difficult for you to be a slave. You'd rather just be left alone as a slave as opposed to having your life more difficult because I'm actually trying to set you free.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 29: Moses Returns to Egypt (2025)
There's something that this weird paradox, this weird tension here in this moment. But also there's something really remarkable that we can apply to our lives. And that is this. That is, here's Pharaoh who says, already that you have time to worship. Well, I'm going to give you more work. So you don't have time to think about worship. You don't have time to think about your God. Many of us.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 29: Moses Returns to Egypt (2025)
So he put out his hand and caught it, and it became a rod in his hand, that they may believe that the Lord, the God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob has appeared to you. Again, the Lord said to him, Put your hand into your bosom. And he put his hand into the bosom. But when he took it out, behold, his hand was leprous. as white as snow.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 29: Moses Returns to Egypt (2025)
We are Pharaohs to ourselves, meaning we make ourselves so busy that we don't have time to think about God. We make ourselves so busy. We do it to ourselves. We have made ourselves into slaves by saying, I have to do this. I have to do that. All these other things. I've, I've set up a pace of life for myself that is unmanageable.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 29: Moses Returns to Egypt (2025)
If I even take a break, I've set up a pace for my life that is necessitates demands that I cannot stop going. And so we don't have time in our lives for worship and we're no more than slaves, but we have made ourselves into slaves. So many of us.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 29: Moses Returns to Egypt (2025)
And one of the things that the Lord God reveals today is that his people are never meant to be slaves, not a slave to Pharaoh and definitely not a slave to the Pharaoh that lives inside of us. but we're meant to be free so that we can truly belong to him, so that we can truly be his, so that we can truly worship. So keep this in mind as we move forward into this day. Let's worship.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 29: Moses Returns to Egypt (2025)
Let's find a time in our lives to worship, to not be a slave master to yourself, but to allow ourselves to have that freedom to be able to stop. to seek the Lord's voice, to be still and know that he is God and to pray for each other. I'm praying for you as we go on this journey. So please pray for me. Let's pray for each other. We cannot do it alone. My name is Father Mike.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 29: Moses Returns to Egypt (2025)
And if you're interested in getting more information, updates about this, what we're doing, this Bible in a year, you can just text the word Catholic Bible to 33777. But I cannot wait to see you tomorrow. God bless.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 29: Moses Returns to Egypt (2025)
Then God said, Put your hand back into your bosom. So he put his hand back into his bosom, and when he took it out, behold, it was restored like the rest of his flesh. If they will not believe you, God said, or heed the first sign, they may believe the latter sign.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 29: Moses Returns to Egypt (2025)
using the great adventure bible timeline we'll read all the way from genesis to revelation discovering how the story of salvation unfolds and how we fit into that story today this is day 29 and we are reading from exodus chapter 4 and chapter 5 from leviticus chapter 4 and from psalm 46 as always i'm reading from the revised standard version the catholic edition um specifically the great adventure bible um from ascension and if you want to follow along not only with your ears but also with your eyes
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 29: Moses Returns to Egypt (2025)
If they will not believe even these two signs or heed your voice, you shall take some water from the Nile and pour it on the dry ground, and the water which you take from the Nile will become blood upon the dry ground. But Moses said to the Lord, O my Lord, I am not eloquent, either heretofore or since you have spoken to your servant, but I am slow of speech and of tongue.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 29: Moses Returns to Egypt (2025)
Then the Lord said to him, Who has made man's mouth? Who makes him mute or deaf or seeing or blind? Is it not I, the Lord? Now therefore go, and I will be with your mouth, and teach you what you shall speak. But he said, O my Lord, send, I pray, some other person. Then the anger of the Lord was kindled against Moses, and he said, Is there not Aaron your brother, the Levite?
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 29: Moses Returns to Egypt (2025)
I know that he can speak well, and behold, he is coming out to meet you, and when he sees you, he will be glad in his heart. And you shall speak to him and put the words in his mouth. And I will be with your mouth and with his mouth and will teach you what you shall do. He shall speak for you to the people and he shall be a mouth for you and you shall be to him as God.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 29: Moses Returns to Egypt (2025)
And you shall take in your hand this rod with which you shall do the signs. Moses went back to Jethro, his father-in-law, and said to him, Let me go back, I beg, to my kinsmen in Egypt and see whether they are still alive. And Jethro said to Moses, Go in peace. And the Lord said to Moses and Midian, Go back to Egypt, for all the men who were seeking your life are dead.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 29: Moses Returns to Egypt (2025)
So Moses took his wife and his sons and set them on a donkey and went back to the land of Egypt. And in his hand Moses took the rod of God. And the Lord said to Moses, When you go back to Egypt, see that you do before Pharaoh all the miracles which I have put in your power, but I will harden his heart, so that he will not let the people go.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 29: Moses Returns to Egypt (2025)
And you shall say to Pharaoh, Thus says the Lord, Israel is my firstborn son. And I say to you, Let my son go, that he may serve me. If you refuse to let him go, behold, I will slay your firstborn son. At a lodging place on the way, the Lord met him and sought to kill him.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 29: Moses Returns to Egypt (2025)
Then Zipporah took a flint and cut off her son's foreskin and touched Moses' feet with it and said, surely you are a bridegroom of blood to me. So he let him alone. Then it was that she said, you are a bridegroom of blood because of the circumcision. The Lord said to Aaron, Go into the wilderness to meet Moses. So he went and met him at the mountain of God and kissed him.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 29: Moses Returns to Egypt (2025)
And Moses told Aaron all the words of the Lord which he had been sent to him and all the signs which he had charged him to do. Then Moses and Aaron went and gathered together all the elders of the sons of Israel. And Aaron spoke all the words which the Lord had spoken to Moses and did the signs in the sight of the people. And the people believed.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 29: Moses Returns to Egypt (2025)
And when they heard that the Lord had visited the sons of Israel and that he had seen their affliction, they bowed their heads and worshiped. Afterward, Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and said, Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, Let my people go, that they may hold a feast to me in the wilderness. But Pharaoh said, Who is the Lord, that I should heed his voice and let Israel go?
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 29: Moses Returns to Egypt (2025)
I do not know the Lord, and moreover, I will not let Israel go. Then they said, The God of the Hebrews has met with us. Let us go, we beg, a three days journey into the wilderness and sacrifice to the Lord our God, lest he fall upon us with pestilence or with the sword. But the king of Egypt said to them, Moses and Aaron, why do you take the people away from their work? Get to your burdens.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 29: Moses Returns to Egypt (2025)
And Pharaoh said, Behold, the people of the land are now many. And you make them rest from their burdens? The same day Pharaoh commanded the taskmasters of the people and their foremen, You shall no longer give the people straw to make bricks, as heretofore. Let them go and gather straw for themselves. But the number of bricks which they have made heretofore you shall lay upon them.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 29: Moses Returns to Egypt (2025)
Hi, my name is Father Mike Schmitz, and you're listening to the Bible in a Year podcast, where we encounter God's voice and live life through the lens of Scripture. The Bible in a Year podcast is brought to you by Ascension.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 29: Moses Returns to Egypt (2025)
You shall by no means lessen it, for they are idle. Therefore they cry, Let us go and offer sacrifice to our God.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 29: Moses Returns to Egypt (2025)
let heavier work be laid upon the men that they may labor at it and pay no regard to lying words so the taskmasters and the foremen of the people went out and said to the people thus says pharaoh i will not give you straw go yourselves get your straw wherever you can find it but your work will not be lessened in the least
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 29: Moses Returns to Egypt (2025)
You can download your Bible in a Year reading plan by visiting ascensionpress.com slash Bible in a Year. Really simple. Just type in your email, I believe, and it will give you access to that Bible in a Year reading plan. And be sure also to subscribe to this podcast in whatever app you are using to listen to the Word of God. So good.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 29: Moses Returns to Egypt (2025)
So the people were scattered abroad throughout all the land of Egypt to gather stubble for straw. The taskmasters were urgent, saying, Complete your work, your daily task, as when there was straw. And the foremen of the sons of Israel, whom Pharaoh's taskmasters had set over them, were beaten and were asked, Why have you not done all your task of making bricks today as before?
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 29: Moses Returns to Egypt (2025)
Then the foreman of the sons of Israel came and cried to Pharaoh, Why do you deal thus with your servants? No straw is given to your servants, yet they say to us, Make bricks. And behold, your servants are beaten, but the fault is with your own people. But he said, You are idle. You are idle, therefore you say, Let us go and sacrifice to the Lord.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 29: Moses Returns to Egypt (2025)
Go now and work, for no straw shall be given you, yet you shall deliver the same number of bricks. The foreman of the sons of Israel saw that they were in an evil plight when they said, you shall by no means lessen your daily number of bricks. They met Moses and Aaron who were waiting for them as they came forth from Pharaoh.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 29: Moses Returns to Egypt (2025)
And they said to them, the Lord look upon you and judge because you have made us offensive in the sight of Pharaoh and his servants and have put a sword in their hand to kill us. Then Moses turned again to the Lord and said, O Lord, why have you done evil to this people? Why did you ever send me?
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 29: Moses Returns to Egypt (2025)
For since I came to Pharaoh to speak in your name, he has done evil to this people, and you have not delivered your people at all.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 29: Moses Returns to Egypt (2025)
And the Lord said to Moses, Say to the sons of Israel, If anyone sins unwittingly in any of the things which the Lord has commanded not to be done, and does any one of them, if it is the anointed priest who sins, thus bringing guilt on the people, then let him offer for the sin which he has committed a young bull without blemish to the Lord for a sin offering.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 29: Moses Returns to Egypt (2025)
He shall bring the bull to the door of the tent of meeting before the Lord and lay his hand on the head of the bull and kill the bull before the Lord.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 29: Moses Returns to Egypt (2025)
and the anointed priest shall take some of the blood of the bull and bring it to the tent of meeting and the priest shall dip his finger in the blood and sprinkle part of the blood seven times before the lord in front of the veil of the sanctuary and the priest shall put some of the blood on the horns of the altar of the fragrant incense before the lord which is in the tent of meeting and the rest of the blood of the bull he shall pour out at the base of the altar of burnt offering
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 29: Moses Returns to Egypt (2025)
Just as these are taken from the ox of the sacrifice of the peace offerings. and the priest shall burn them upon the altar of burnt offering.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 29: Moses Returns to Egypt (2025)
But the skin of the bull, and all its flesh, with its head, its legs, its entrails, and its dung, the whole bull he shall carry forth outside the camp to a clean place, where the ashes are poured out, and shall burn it on a fire of wood, where the ashes are poured out, it shall be burned.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 29: Moses Returns to Egypt (2025)
What a great gift to be able to be together and to listen to journey with the people of God, with the holy people of Israel. with God's chosen people as covenantal people ourselves, as people who have been brought into the covenant, to be able to see the many ways in which God has heard the cries of his people and has come to meet them.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 29: Moses Returns to Egypt (2025)
If the whole congregation of Israel commits a sin unwittingly, and the thing is hidden from the eyes of the assembly, and they do any of the things which the Lord has commanded not to be done, and are guilty,
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 29: Moses Returns to Egypt (2025)
when the sin which they have committed becomes known the assembly shall offer a young bull for a sin offering and bring it before the tent of meeting and the elders of the congregation shall lay their hands on the head of the bull before the lord and the bull shall be killed before the lord then the anointed priest shall bring some of the blood of the bull to the tent of the meeting
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 29: Moses Returns to Egypt (2025)
And the priest shall dip his finger in the blood and sprinkle it seven times before the Lord in front of the veil. And he shall put some of the blood on the horns of the altar, which is in the tent of meeting before the Lord. And the rest of the blood he shall pour out at the base of the altar of burnt offering, which is at the door of the tent of meeting.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 29: Moses Returns to Egypt (2025)
And all its fat he shall take from it and burn upon the altar. Thus shall he do with the bull as he did with the bull of the sin offering. So shall he do with this, and the priests shall make atonement for them, and they shall be forgiven. And he shall carry forth the bull outside the camp and burn it as he burned the first bull. It is the sin offering for the assembly.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 29: Moses Returns to Egypt (2025)
When a ruler sins, doing unwittingly any one of all the things which the Lord his God has commanded not to be done and is guilty, if the sin which he has committed is made known to him, he shall bring as his offering a goat and a male without blemish, and shall lay his hand upon the head of the goat and kill it in the place where they killed the burnt offering before the Lord.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 29: Moses Returns to Egypt (2025)
It is a sin offering. Then the priest shall take some of the blood of the sin offering with his finger and put it on the horns of the altar of burnt offering and pour out the rest of its blood at the base of the altar of burnt offering.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 29: Moses Returns to Egypt (2025)
If any one of the common people sins unwittingly in doing any one of the things which the Lord has commanded not to be done and is guilty, when the sin which he has committed is made known to him, he shall bring for his offering a goat, a female without blemish. for his sin which he has committed.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 29: Moses Returns to Egypt (2025)
And he shall lay his hand on the head of the sin offering and kill the sin offering in the place of burnt offering. And the priest shall take some of its blood with his finger and put it on the horns of the altar of burnt offering and pour out the rest of its blood at the base of the altar. And all its fat he shall remove as the fat is removed from the peace offerings.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 29: Moses Returns to Egypt (2025)
And the priest shall burn it upon the altar for a pleasing odor to the Lord. And the priest shall make atonement for him and he shall be forgiven. If he brings a lamb as his offering for a sin offering, he should bring a female without blemish and lay his hand upon the head of the sin offering and kill it for a sin offering in place where they kill the burnt offering.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 29: Moses Returns to Egypt (2025)
Then the priest shall take some of the blood of the sin offering with his finger and put it on the horns of the altar of burnt offering and pour out the rest of its blood at the base of the altar. And all its fat he shall remove as the fat of the lamb is removed from the sacrifice of peace offerings. And the priest shall burn it on the altar upon the offerings by fire to the Lord.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 29: Moses Returns to Egypt (2025)
Because we also raise up our cries to the Lord, asking that he meets us. Today, I go once again, reading from Exodus chapter 4 and 5, from Leviticus chapter 4, and from Psalm verse 46. Exodus chapter four and chapter five. Then Moses answered, but behold, they will not believe me or listen to my voice for they will say, the Lord did not appear to you.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 29: Moses Returns to Egypt (2025)
And the priest shall make atonement for him for the sin which he has committed.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 29: Moses Returns to Egypt (2025)
Psalm 46, God's defense of his city and people. To the choir master, a psalm of the sons of Korah, according to Alamoth, a song. God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore, we will not fear, though the earth should change, though the mountains shake in the heart of the sea, though its waters roar in foam, though the mountains tremble with its tumult.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 29: Moses Returns to Egypt (2025)
There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy habitation of the Most High. God is in the midst of her. She shall not be moved. God will help her when morning dawns. The nations rage. The kingdoms totter. He utters his voice. The earth melts. The Lord of hosts is with us. The God of Jacob is our refuge.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 29: Moses Returns to Egypt (2025)
Come, behold the works of the Lord, how he has wrought desolations in the earth. He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth. He breaks the bow and shatters the spear. He burns the chariots with fire. Be still and know that I am God. I am exalted among the nations. I am exalted in the earth. The Lord of hosts is with us.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 29: Moses Returns to Egypt (2025)
We give you praise and glory for who you are. You are the one God. Living and true, you are the one who has come and visited your people. You are with us right now. God, you are in our midst. You are in our midst. And so what you invite us to do is to be still and to know, to be still and to know that you are in our midst, to be still and know you, to be still and know that you are our God.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 29: Moses Returns to Egypt (2025)
So help us, help us to stay in the midst of our busyness, to be still in the midst of our tumult, in the midst of our slavery, in the midst of our redemption, in the midst of our being set free, our liberation, in the midst of our vocation. Help us to take this time to be still. and to know that you are God.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 29: Moses Returns to Egypt (2025)
We make this prayer in Jesus's mighty name, in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Wow. What a gift. What a gift to be able to be together once again and to hear like, gosh, this reality of here's God calling Moses. He revealed his name, the sacred name of God to Moses, right?
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 29: Moses Returns to Egypt (2025)
And so whenever we see in the scriptures, wherever it says the Lord, particularly the Lord God, or especially when a lot of times the font changes. So it's a capital L, capital O, capital R, capital D. That is a reverent way to indicate that originally the word wasn't simply Lord, which is Adonai, the word Elohim, you know, the word was originally the sacred name of God.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 29: Moses Returns to Egypt (2025)
I am who I am, which is also known in fancy terms, the Tetragrammaton, which is the YHWH, what we typically refer to as the holy name of God or Yahweh. Whenever we see that capitalized L-O-R-D, that is the Lord God being referred to by his proper name, the name that he had revealed to Moses before this. Now here is the personal God. And then why is that so important? A quick question.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 22: Go to Joseph (2025)
Who gave him charge over the earth, and who laid on him the whole world? If he should take back his spirit to himself and gather to himself his breath, all flesh would perish together, and man would return to dust. If you have understanding, hear this. Listen to what I say. Shall one who hates justice govern?
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 22: Go to Joseph (2025)
And behold, seven other cows, gaunt and thin, came up out of the Nile after them, and then stood by the other cows on the bank of the Nile. And the gaunt and thin cows ate up the seven sleek and fat cows. And Pharaoh awoke, and he fell asleep and dreamed a second time. And behold, seven ears of grain, plump and good, were growing on one stalk.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 22: Go to Joseph (2025)
Will you condemn him who is righteous and mighty, who says to a king, worthless one, and to nobles, wicked man, who shows no partiality to princes, nor regards the rich more than the poor, for they are all the work of his hands? In a moment they die. At midnight the people are shaken and pass away, and the mighty are taken away by no human hand.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 22: Go to Joseph (2025)
For his eyes are upon the ways of a man, and he sees all his steps. There is no gloom or deep darkness where evildoers may hide themselves, for he has not appointed a time for any man to go before God in judgment. He shatters the mighty without investigation and sets others in their place. Thus, knowing their works, he overturns them in the night, and they are crushed.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 22: Go to Joseph (2025)
He strikes them for their wickedness in the sight of men." because they turn aside from following him, and had no regard for any of his ways, so that they caused the cry of the poor to come to him, and he heard the cry of the afflicted. When he is quiet, who can condemn him? When he hides his face, who can behold him, whether it be a nation or a man?
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 22: Go to Joseph (2025)
That a godless man should not reign, that he should not ensnare the people. For as anyone said to God, I have borne chastisement, I will not offend anymore. Teach me what I do not see. If I have done iniquity, I will do it no more. Will he then make repayment to suit you because you reject it? For you must choose and not I. Therefore, declare what you know.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 22: Go to Joseph (2025)
Men of understanding will say to me and the wise man who hears me will say, Job speaks without knowledge. His words are without insight. Would that Job were judged to the end because he answers like wicked men. For he adds rebellion to his sin and claps his hands among us and multiplies his words against God. Proverbs chapter four, verses one through nine.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 22: Go to Joseph (2025)
Hear, O sons, a father's instruction and be attentive that you may gain insight. For I give you good precepts. Do not forsake my teaching. When I was a son with my father, tender, the only one in the sight of my mother, he taught me and said to me, let your heart hold fast to my words. Keep my commandments and live. Do not forget and do not turn away from the words of my mouth. Get wisdom.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 22: Go to Joseph (2025)
Get insight. Do not forsake her and she will keep you. Love her and she will guard you. The beginning of wisdom is this. Get wisdom. And whatever you get, get insight. Prize her highly and she will exalt you. She will honor you if you embrace her. She will place on your head a fair garland. She will bestow on you a beautiful crown. Father in heaven, we thank you for your word.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 22: Go to Joseph (2025)
We thank you for your gift. We thank you for revealing your heart to us as you reveal yourself to us always, constantly through this journey of this Bible in a year. We ask that you continue to lift up our minds and hearts to you as you reveal your mind and your heart to us. In Jesus' name we pray, amen. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Man, oh man.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 22: Go to Joseph (2025)
And behold, after them sprouted seven ears, thin and blighted by the east wind. And the thin ears swallowed up the seven plump and full ears. And Pharaoh awoke, and behold, it was a dream. So in the morning his spirit was troubled, and he sent and called for all the magicians of Egypt and all its wise men. And Pharaoh told them his dream, but there was none who could interpret it to Pharaoh.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 22: Go to Joseph (2025)
One of the words in the Old Testament in the book of Genesis is go to Joseph. It's three words. Go to Joseph. Ite ad Joseph in Latin. And it becomes a marker, in fact, for many of those people who have a devotion to St. Joseph. In so many ways, what do we do? When we go to Our Lady, when we go to Mary, she points us to Jesus. So we approach Mary and say, Mary, bring me to your son.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 22: Go to Joseph (2025)
There are so many ways in which the Lord God has given us this foster father of Jesus as well, St. Joseph in the New Covenant, in the New Testament, to be the one that we can go to, the one who took care of the food, the bread from heaven, the one who guarded the bread from heaven to be able to be distributed to people who were dying of hunger. That's us.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 22: Go to Joseph (2025)
That's Jesus in the Eucharist, and that's us who are dying for him. And so what we do is we can have a devotion to St. Joseph. In fact, there's this remarkable consecration to St. Joseph done by Father Calloway. And it is a remarkable journey of 30 or so days to get to know Joseph better, the one who's silent in the New Testament, silent in the Bible. but to have a heart like his.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 22: Go to Joseph (2025)
We realize the Old Testament Joseph had a heart as well, a heart like God's. Because why? Because he was faithful. We talked about this yesterday, but how Joseph, God was with him, but also Joseph fought for God to be with him.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 22: Go to Joseph (2025)
Joseph had opportunities, Old Testament Joseph had opportunities to rebel, he had opportunities to sin, but he fought to stay faithful to the Lord, and he was faithful to the Lord. No matter what we're going through today, we also are invited to do the same, to fight to be faithful.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 22: Go to Joseph (2025)
to go to Joseph and let him take us through his intercession, the New Testament Joseph, but his intercession to take us to his foster child, but his Lord, our God, Jesus Christ. Keep praying for each other as we continue this journey with each other. We are now launched into the fourth week. You know, it's day 22 today and you're trucking along. So keep it up. Don't don't give up.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 22: Go to Joseph (2025)
We're almost to the end of Genesis and we're almost to the end of the book of Job. But we have just started. So let's keep each other in prayer. My name is Father Mike, and I cannot wait to see you tomorrow. God bless.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 22: Go to Joseph (2025)
then the chief butler said to pharaoh i remember my faults to-day when pharaoh was angry with his servants and put me and the chief banker in custody in the house of the captain of the guard we dreamed on the same night he and i each having a dream with its own meaning a young hebrew was there with us a servant of the captain of the guard.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 22: Go to Joseph (2025)
And when we told him, he interpreted our dreams to us, giving an interpretation to each man according to his dream. And as he interpreted to us, so it came to pass. I was restored to my office and the baker was hanged. Then Pharaoh sent and called Joseph and they brought him hastily out of the dungeon. And when he had shaved himself and changed his clothes, he came in before Pharaoh.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 22: Go to Joseph (2025)
And Pharaoh said to Joseph, I have had a dream and there is no one who can interpret it. And I have heard it said of you that when you hear a dream, you can interpret it. Joseph answered Pharaoh, it is not in me.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 22: Go to Joseph (2025)
god will give pharaoh a favorable answer then pharaoh said to joseph behold in my dream i was standing on the banks of the nile and seven cows fat and sleek came up out of the nile and fed in the reed grass and seven other cows came up after them poor and very gaunt and thin such as i have never seen in all the land of egypt And the thin and gaunt cows ate up the first seven fat cows.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 22: Go to Joseph (2025)
This is day 22. Let us get started and keep on rolling. We are going to be reading from Genesis chapter 41 and 42. Going to continue following our new friend, Joseph. We are also going to be walking with our old friend, Job, in chapters 33 and 34. And we'll be reading from the fourth chapter of Proverbs, verses 1 through 9.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 22: Go to Joseph (2025)
But when they had eaten them, no one would have known that they had eaten them, for they were still as gaunt as at the beginning. Then I awoke. I also saw in my dream seven ears growing on one stalk, full and good. And seven ears withered, thin and blighted by the east wind, sprouted after them. And the thin ears swallowed up the seven good ears.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 22: Go to Joseph (2025)
And I told it to the magicians, but there was no one who could explain it to me. Then Joseph said to Pharaoh, The dream of Pharaoh is one. God has revealed to Pharaoh what he is about to do. The seven good cows are seven years, and the seven good ears are seven years. The dream is one.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 22: Go to Joseph (2025)
The seven lean and gaunt cows that came up after them are seven years, and the seven empty ears blighted by the east wind are also seven years of famine. It is as I told Pharaoh. God has shown to Pharaoh what he is about to do. There will come seven years of great plenty throughout all the land of Egypt.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 22: Go to Joseph (2025)
But after them, there will arise seven years of famine, and all the plenty will be forgotten in the land of Egypt.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 22: Go to Joseph (2025)
the famine will consume the land and the plenty will be unknown in the land by reason of that famine which will follow for it will be very grievous and the doubling of pharaoh's dream means that the thing is fixed by god and god will shortly bring it to pass now therefore let pharaoh select a man discreet and wise and set him over the land of egypt let pharaoh proceed to appoint overseers over the land and take the fifth part of the produce of the land of egypt during the seven plenteous years
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 22: Go to Joseph (2025)
and let them gather all the food of these good years that are coming and lay up grain under the authority of pharaoh for food in the cities and let them keep it that food shall be a reserve for the land against the seven years of famine which are to befall the land of egypt so that the land may not perish through the famine The proposal seemed good to Pharaoh and to all his servants.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 22: Go to Joseph (2025)
And Pharaoh said to his servants, can we find such a man as this? In whom is the spirit of God? So Pharaoh said to Joseph, since God has shown you all this, there is none so discreet and wise as you are. You shall be over my house and all my people shall order themselves as you command. Only as regards the throne will I be greater than you.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 22: Go to Joseph (2025)
And Pharaoh said to Joseph, behold, I have set you over all the land of Egypt and then pharaoh took his signet-ring from his hand and put it on joseph's hand and arrayed him in garments of fine linen and put a gold chain around his neck and he made him to ride in his second chariot and they cried before him bow the knee thus he set him over all the land of egypt
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 22: Go to Joseph (2025)
Moreover, Pharaoh said to Joseph, I am Pharaoh, and without your consent, no man shall lift up hand or foot in all the land of Egypt. And Pharaoh called Joseph's name Zephanath-Paniah, and gave him in marriage Asenath, the daughter of Potipharah, priest of On. So Joseph went out over the land of Egypt. Joseph was 30 years old when he entered the service of Pharaoh, king of Egypt.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 22: Go to Joseph (2025)
Hi, I'm Father Mike Schmitz, and you're listening to the Bible in a Year podcast, where we encounter God's voice and live life through the lens of Scripture. The Bible in a Year podcast is brought to you by Ascension. Using the Great Adventure Bible timeline, we'll read all the way from Genesis to Revelation, discovering how the story of salvation unfolds and how we fit into that story today.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 22: Go to Joseph (2025)
And Joseph went out from the presence of Pharaoh and went through all the land of Egypt. During the seven plenteous years, the earth brought forth abundantly and he gathered up all the food of the seven years when there was plenty in the land of Egypt and stored up food in the cities. He stored up in every city, the food from the fields around it.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 22: Go to Joseph (2025)
And Joseph stored up grain in great abundance, like the sand of the sea until he ceased to measure it for it could not be measured. Before the year of famine came, Joseph had two sons, whom Asenath, the daughter of Potipharah, priest of On, bore to him. Joseph called the name of the firstborn Manasseh, for he said, God has made me forget all my hardship in all my father's house.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 22: Go to Joseph (2025)
If you want to have your own Bible in a Year reading plan, so you can follow along and see this, you can go to ascensionpress.com slash Bible in a Year. You can download that, and it's free. accessible, super simple. We're also reading from the Bible translation called the Revised Standard Version, Catholic Edition.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 22: Go to Joseph (2025)
The name of the second he called Ephraim, for God has made me fruitful in the land of my affliction. The seven years of plenty that prevailed in the land of Egypt came to an end, and the seven years of famine began to come, as Joseph had said. There was famine in all the lands, but in the land of Egypt there was bread.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 22: Go to Joseph (2025)
When all the land of Egypt was famished, the people cried to Pharaoh for bread, and Pharaoh said to all the Egyptians, Go to Joseph. What he says to you, do. So when the famine had spread over all the land, Joseph opened all the storehouses and sold to the Egyptians for the famine was severe in the land of Egypt.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 22: Go to Joseph (2025)
Moreover, all the earth came to Egypt to Joseph to buy grain because the famine was severe over all the earth. When Jacob learned that there was grain in Egypt, he said to his sons, Why do you look at one another? And he said, Behold, I have heard that there is grain in Egypt. Go down and buy grain for us there, that we may live and not die.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 22: Go to Joseph (2025)
So ten of Joseph's brothers went down to buy grain in Egypt. But Jacob did not send Benjamin, Joseph's brother, with his brothers, for he feared that harm might befall him. Thus the sons of Israel came to buy among the others who came. for the famine was in the land of Canaan. Now Joseph was governor over the land. He it was who sold to all the people of the land.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 22: Go to Joseph (2025)
And Joseph's brothers came and bowed themselves before him with their faces to the ground. Joseph saw his brothers and knew them. But he treated them like strangers and spoke roughly to them. Where do you come from? He said. They said from the land of Canaan to buy food. Thus Joseph knew his brothers, but they did not know him. And Joseph remembered the dreams which he had dreamed of them.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 22: Go to Joseph (2025)
And he said to them, you are spies. You have come to see the weakness of the land. They said to him, no, my Lord, but to buy food, have your servants come.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 22: Go to Joseph (2025)
we are all sons of one man we are honest men your servants are not spies he said to them no it is the weakness of the land that you have come to see and they said we your servants are twelve brothers the sons of one man in the land of canaan and behold the youngest is this day with our father And one is no more. But Joseph said to them, It is as I said to you, you are spies.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 22: Go to Joseph (2025)
By this you shall be tested. By the life of Pharaoh you shall not go from this place unless your youngest brother comes here. Send one of you. and let him bring your brother while you remain in prison, that your words may be tested whether there is truth in you, or else, by the life of Pharaoh, surely you are spies. And he put them all together in prison for three days.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 22: Go to Joseph (2025)
On the third day, Joseph said to them, do this and you will live. For I fear God. If you are honest men, let one of your brothers remain confined in your prison and let the rest go and carry grain for the famine of your households and bring your youngest brother to me so that your words will be verified and you shall not die. And they did so.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 22: Go to Joseph (2025)
And I'm using the Great Adventure Bible from Ascension, which is super helpful because it has the eras, you know, the stages of the timeline that are built into, like color-coded into the Bible. Really, really helpful, as well as some notes that can help us as we follow along. You also, I want to invite you to subscribe to this podcast app. So every time we have an update, you get updated.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 22: Go to Joseph (2025)
Then they said to one another, in truth, we are guilty concerning our brother in that we saw the distress of his soul when he begged us and we would not listen. Therefore, this distress has come upon us. And Reuben answered them, did I not tell you not to sin against the lad? But you would not listen. So now there comes a reckoning for his blood.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 22: Go to Joseph (2025)
They did not know that Joseph understood them for there was an interpreter between them. Then Joseph turned away from them and wept. And he returned to them and spoke to them. And he took Simeon from them and bound him before their eyes. And Joseph gave orders to fill their bags with grain and to replace every man's money in his sack and to give them provisions for the journey.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 22: Go to Joseph (2025)
This was done for them. then they loaded their donkeys with their grain and departed and as one of them opened his sack to give his donkey food at the lodging place he saw his money in the mouth of the sack and he said to his brothers my money has been put back here it is in the mouth of my sack at this their hearts failed them and they turned trembling to one another saying
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 22: Go to Joseph (2025)
What is this that God has done to us? When they came to Jacob their father in the land of Canaan, they told him all that had befallen them, saying, The man, the lord of the land, spoke roughly to us, and took us to be spies of the land. But we said to him, We are honest men, we are not spies, we are twelve brothers, sons of our father.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 22: Go to Joseph (2025)
One is no more, and the youngest is this day with our father in the land of Canaan. Then the man, the lord of the land, said to us, By this I shall know that you are honest men. Leave one of your brothers with me, and take grain for your famine to your households, and go your way.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 22: Go to Joseph (2025)
Bring your youngest brother to me, then I shall know that you are not spies, but honest men, and I will deliver to you your brother, and you shall trade in the land. As they emptied their sacks, behold, every man's bundle of money was in his sack. And when they and their father saw the bundles of money, they were dismayed. And Jacob, their father said to them, you have bereaved me of my children.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 22: Go to Joseph (2025)
Joseph is no more. Simeon is no more. And now you would take Benjamin. All this has come upon me. Then Reuben said to his father, slay my two sons if I do not bring him back to you. Put him in my hands and I will bring him back to you. But he said, my son shall not go down with you for his brother is dead and he only is left.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 22: Go to Joseph (2025)
If harm should befall him on the journey that you are about to make, you would bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to Sheol. The book of Job chapter 33 and 34. Elihu addresses Job. But now hear my speech, O Job, and listen to all my words. Behold, I open my mouth, the tongue in my mouth speaks. My words declare the uprightness of my heart, and what my lips know they speak sincerely.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 22: Go to Joseph (2025)
The Spirit of God has made me, and the breath of the Almighty gives me life. Answer me if you can. Set your words in order before me. Take your stand. Behold, I am toward God as you are. I too was formed from a piece of clay. Behold, no fear of me need terrify you. My pressure will not be heavy upon you. Surely you have spoken in my hearing, and I have heard the sound of your words.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 22: Go to Joseph (2025)
Here we go. We're And 42, following our young friend, our new friend, Joseph. Genesis chapter 41 and 42. After two whole years, Pharaoh dreamed that he was standing by the Nile, and behold, there came up out of the Nile seven cows, sleek and fat, and they fed in the reed grass.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 22: Go to Joseph (2025)
You say, I am clean without transgression. I am pure, and there is no iniquity in me. behold he finds occasions against me he counts me as his enemy he puts my feet in the stocks and watches all my paths behold in this you are not right i will answer you god is greater than man why do you contend against him saying he will answer none of my words
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 22: Go to Joseph (2025)
For God speaks in one way and in two, though man does not perceive it. In a dream, in a vision of the night, when deep sleep falls upon men while they slumber on their beds, then he opens the ears of men and terrifies them with warnings that he may turn man aside from his deed and cut off pride from the man. He heaps back his soul from the pit, his life from perishing by the sword.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 22: Go to Joseph (2025)
Man is also chastened with pain upon his bed, and with continual strife in his bones, so that his life loathes bread and his appetite dainty food. His flesh is so wasted away that it cannot be seen, and his bones, which were not seen, stick out. His soul draws near the pit, and his life to those who bring death.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 22: Go to Joseph (2025)
if there be for him an angel a mediator one of the thousand to declare to man what is right for him and he is gracious to him and says deliver him from going down to the pit i have found a ransom Let his flesh become fresh with youth and let him return to the days of his youthful vigor. Then man prays to God and he accepts him. He comes into his presence with joy.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 22: Go to Joseph (2025)
He recounts to men his salvation and he sings before men and says, I have sinned and perverted what was right and it was not repaid to me. He has redeemed my soul from going down into the pit and my life shall see the light. Behold, God does all these things twice, three times with a man to bring back his soul from the pit that he might see the light of life. Give heed, O Job, listen to me.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 22: Go to Joseph (2025)
Be silent and I will speak. If you have anything to say, answer me, speak, for I desire to justify you. If not, listen to me. Be silent and I will teach you wisdom. Then Elihu said, Hear my words, you wise men. Give ear to me, you who know. For the ear tests words as the palate tests food. Let us choose what is right. Let us determine among ourselves what is good.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 22: Go to Joseph (2025)
For Job has said, I am innocent, and God has taken away my right. In spite of my right, I am counted a liar. My wound is incurable, though I am without transgression. What man is like Job, who drinks up scoffing like water, who goes in company with evildoers and walks with wicked men? For he has said, it profits a man nothing that he should take delight in God.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 22: Go to Joseph (2025)
Therefore, hear me, you men of understanding, far be it from God that he should do wickedness and from the Almighty that he should do wrong. For according to the work of a man he will repay him, and according to his ways he will make him befall him. Of a truth God will not do wickedly, and the Almighty will not pervert justice.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 353: Sharing the Gospel (2024)
You do it with gentleness and reverence, not with a sledgehammer, not with any power tools, not with just this kind of club that you want to beat people over the head with, but do it with gentleness and reverence and keep your conscience clear so that when you're abused, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame. That's so important.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 353: Sharing the Gospel (2024)
Now, next is in the same chapter three, just a couple lines down, Peter talks about the days of Noah, right? And how God saved the people of Noah, eight people in all, through water. In verse 21, he says, baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you. And this is one of the places where we get the doctrine that baptism does something. Baptism actually saves us.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 353: Sharing the Gospel (2024)
And you are now her children if you do right and let nothing terrify you. Likewise, you husbands. Live considerately with your wives, bestowing honor on the woman as the weaker sex, since you are joint heirs of the grace of life, in order that your prayers may not be hindered. Suffering for doing right.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 353: Sharing the Gospel (2024)
It's not simply a sign of a preexisting condition. It actually does something. In fact, all the sacraments, we believe, All the sacraments do something. And here is Peter making it absolutely clear that baptism saves you. That isn't just a kind of a sign of your salvation, but it actually does save you. Just like living in an ark in the middle of a flood isn't a sign of your salvation.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 353: Sharing the Gospel (2024)
It's actually what's saving you. So that's kind of a kind of slightly important little piece there, both explaining the faith and be able to defend it in gentleness and reverence. as well as the fact that baptism saves us now. Peter is incredibly, incredibly eager to remind Christians that we have to, absolutely have to be on guard.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 353: Sharing the Gospel (2024)
He talks about in chapter four, verse seven, he says, "'The end of all things is at hand. "'Therefore keep sane and sober for your prayers. "'Above all, hold unfailing your love for one another, "'since love covers a multitude of sins. "'Practice hospitality ungrudgingly to one another.'" As each has received a gift, employ it for one another as good stewards of God's very grace.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 353: Sharing the Gospel (2024)
And then he goes on to talk about the different gifts people can have, whether they're speaking or having strength to serve or whatever it is, that do everything so that God may be glorified. But he does talk about how we have to be prepared. And he does make it absolutely clear that our battle is not with flesh and blood, just like St. Paul had said. He says, ah, this is so important.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 353: Sharing the Gospel (2024)
Chapter five, verse six, humble yourselves. Therefore, under the mighty hand of God, that in due time, he may exalt you. Verse seven, cast all your anxieties on him for he cares about you. Another translation is cast all your cares on him for he cares for you. I like that one too, because you know. Care and care. Verse eight, be sober, be watchful.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 353: Sharing the Gospel (2024)
Your adversary, the devil prowls around like a roaring lion seeking someone to devour. Resist him firm in your faith. This is so incredibly important for every one of us to acknowledge, to understand and to engage and to accept is that yes, our battle, once again, not with principalities and powers, but with the evil one. or sorry, I battle is with principalities and powers with the evil one.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 353: Sharing the Gospel (2024)
And we have to be sober. We have to be alert. We have to resist him firm in our faith, but also knowing you're not alone. St. Peter says, knowing that the same experience of suffering is required of your brotherhood throughout the whole world. And that suffering is not to an empty end. It's to a very powerful end.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 353: Sharing the Gospel (2024)
Verse 10, and after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, establish, and strengthen you. To him be dominion forever and ever. It's so good. Wow. That's the conclusion of St. Peter's first letter. Tomorrow, we're going to be able to hear a second letter.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 353: Sharing the Gospel (2024)
And I'm just, I'm so grateful because it's, we're actually going to hear the entire second letter tomorrow. It's just three chapters, one through three. Today, we're also introduced to the Thessalonians and Paul. And one thing to know about the Thessalonians, Paul loves them. You're talking about someone's favorites? Okay, I think the Thessalonians might be Paul's favorites.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 353: Sharing the Gospel (2024)
Using the Great Adventure Bible timeline, we'll read all the way from Genesis to Revelation, discovering how the story of salvation unfolds and how we fit into that story today. It is day 353, once again, a palindrome day. I don't know why I have to point that out every time, but we are reading the second half of 1 Peter 3, 4, and 5. We're also starting St.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 353: Sharing the Gospel (2024)
Finally, all of you, have unity of spirit, sympathy, love of the brethren, a tender heart, and a humble mind. Do not return evil for evil, or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless. For to this you have been called, that you may obtain a blessing. For he that would love life and see good days, let him keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking guile.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 353: Sharing the Gospel (2024)
He's just talking about, I love you, I love you, you're great, you encourage me. In fact, with all the struggles he had with the Corinthians, I mean, gosh, think about that, or the Galatians, or even the Ephesians. The Thessalonians, he is just, I can't wait to see you. You're my favorites. Why? Because you received God's word. You're saying yes to it.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 353: Sharing the Gospel (2024)
Now, I know so many of us, we might be God's favorites because we need his love more than anyone else does. We might be God's favorites because he pours his love on us because we need it more. But in this case, St. Paul, he is just so encouraged. He is so encouraged by the faith of the Thessalonians that it just, you can't walk away from this reading without kind of a smile on your face.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 353: Sharing the Gospel (2024)
One of the pieces that marks St. Paul's letter here that we just heard is he says, you know, you know that when we came among you, we were not only willing to share with you the gospel of God, but also our very selves. This is chapter two, verse eight. He says, so being affectionately desirous of you, we're ready to share with you not only the gospel of God, but also our very selves.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 353: Sharing the Gospel (2024)
And that is, you know, we have missionaries on our campus. They're focused missionaries. It stands for Fellowship of Catholic University Students. And That is how they live. It is incredible. They not only run Bible studies, they don't just do like discipleship. They don't just put on events. They truly get into the lives of our college students and they just, yeah, they share themselves.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 353: Sharing the Gospel (2024)
They don't just share the gospel. They share their very lives. and share their very selves. And this is the way in which every single missionary has to live. And the fact that if you're a baptized Christian, that means you're a missionary. You're a missionary disciple.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 353: Sharing the Gospel (2024)
And we are called to follow Jesus and then to bring as many people to him as we possibly can, which means that the way we do that is the way that St. Paul describes how he was among the Thessalonians. To not just share the gospel of God, not just share the teaching, but also to share our very lives.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 353: Sharing the Gospel (2024)
One of the things I've said and I will say again and again is I believe that the gospel in our culture, that Christ in our culture, the gospel will not be advanced from a stage or from necessarily a podcast or from anyone on any kind of screen or any kind of internet platform. but the gospel will be truly advanced through families and through friendships. I just, I'm so convinced of this.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 353: Sharing the Gospel (2024)
The gospel will advance, yeah, in some other ways, because these tools are awesome. Like this podcast, I'm so grateful to be part of this community. But truly, the way in which this is spread is through families and through friendships. That's why so many of you, I know, when you listen to this podcast, you then talk about it with your family or you talk about it with your friends.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 353: Sharing the Gospel (2024)
And it's like, I just think right now on day 353, all of the ways, all the friendships over the last 353 days that have been strengthened, all the family members who I just, I can't, I hear about this again and again, that, um, They say, yeah, I text my brother about the Bible reading for today, or I text this group of friends I have about the reading for this week.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 353: Sharing the Gospel (2024)
And I just think that is remarkable. That's incredible. That is the way the gospel will advance, not just sharing the gospel of God, but also sharing our very selves. And I'm so proud of so many of you. I just get to stand here and I get to read the word of God. But you get to share it with the people in your lives. And you do share it. And you get to share your lives with them too.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 353: Sharing the Gospel (2024)
And you do share that. And that's incredible. And I'm so grateful. And I'm so proud of you. And I'm so proud to belong to this community of people and this Bible in the air. And please, please know this. Please believe me. I am praying for you. And please pray for me. My name is Father Mike. I cannot wait to see you tomorrow. God bless.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 353: Sharing the Gospel (2024)
Let him turn away from evil and do right. Let him seek peace and pursue it. For the eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous and his ears are open to their prayer. But the face of the Lord is against those that do evil. Now, who is there to harm you if you are zealous for what is right? But even if you do suffer for righteousness' sake, you will be blessed.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 353: Sharing the Gospel (2024)
Have no fear of them, nor be troubled, but in your hearts reverence Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to make a defense to anyone who calls you to account for the hope that is in you. Yet do it with gentleness and reverence, and keep your conscience clear so that when you are abused, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 353: Sharing the Gospel (2024)
For it is better to suffer for doing right, if that should be God's will, than for doing wrong.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 353: Sharing the Gospel (2024)
For Christ also died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit, in which he went and preached to the spirits in prison who formerly did not obey, when God's patience waited in the days of Noah during the building of the ark, in which a few, that is, eight persons were saved through water.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 353: Sharing the Gospel (2024)
Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body, but as an appeal to God for a clear conscience through the resurrection of Jesus Christ who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God with angels, authorities, and powers subject to him. Chapter 4 Good Stewards of God's Grace
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 353: Sharing the Gospel (2024)
Since therefore Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves with the same thought. For whoever has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, so as to live for the rest of the time in the flesh no longer by human passions, but by the will of God.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 353: Sharing the Gospel (2024)
Let the time that is past suffice for doing what the Gentiles like to do, living in licentiousness, passions, drunkenness, revels, carousing, and lawless idolatry. They are surprised that you do not now join them in the same wild debauchery, and they abuse you. but they will give account to him who is ready to judge the living and the dead.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 353: Sharing the Gospel (2024)
For this is why the gospel was preached even to the dead, that though judged in the flesh like men, they might live in the spirit like God. The end of all things is at hand. Therefore, keep sane and sober for your prayers. Above all, hold unfailing to your love for one another, since love covers a multitude of sins. Practice hospitality ungrudgingly to one another.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 353: Sharing the Gospel (2024)
Paul's first letter to the Thessalonians chapters 1, 2, and 3. So six chapters today, including Proverbs chapter 30, verses 15 and 16. As always, the Bible translation I'm reading from is the Revised Standard Version, Second Catholic Edition. I'm using the Great Adventure Bible from Ascension.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 353: Sharing the Gospel (2024)
As each has received a gift, employ it for one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace. Whoever speaks as one who utters oracles of God, whoever renders service as one who renders it by the strength which God supplies, in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. Suffering as a Christian
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 353: Sharing the Gospel (2024)
Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal which comes upon you to prove you as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you share Christ's sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed. If you are reproached for the name of Christ, you are blessed because the spirit of glory and of God rests upon you.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 353: Sharing the Gospel (2024)
But let none of you suffer as a murderer or a thief or a wrongdoer or a mischief-maker. Yet, if one suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but under that name, let him glorify God. For the time has come for judgment to begin with the household of God. And if it begins with us, what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God?
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 353: Sharing the Gospel (2024)
And if the righteous man is scarcely saved, where will the impious and sinner appear? Therefore, let those who suffer according to God's will do right and entrust their souls to a faithful creator. Chapter 5. Tending the Flock of Christ.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 353: Sharing the Gospel (2024)
So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ as well as a partaker in the glory that is to be revealed, tend the flock of God that is your charge, not by constraint, but willingly, not for shameful gain, but eagerly, not as domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 353: Sharing the Gospel (2024)
And when the chief shepherd is manifested, you will obtain the unfading crown of glory. Likewise, you that are younger, be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another. For God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble. Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, that in due time he may exalt you.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 353: Sharing the Gospel (2024)
Hi, my name is Father Mike Schmitz, and you're listening to the Bible in a Year podcast, where we encounter God's voice and live life through the lens of scripture. The Bible in a Year podcast is brought to you by Ascension.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 353: Sharing the Gospel (2024)
If you want to download your own Bible in a Year reading plan, you can visit ascensionpress.com slash Bible in a Year. You can also subscribe to this podcast for these last couple weeks. Receive daily episodes and daily updates, and you won't have to go hunting and pecking for each episode every single day.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 353: Sharing the Gospel (2024)
Cast all your anxieties on him, for he cares about you. Be sober, be watchful. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experience of suffering is required of your brotherhood throughout the world.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 353: Sharing the Gospel (2024)
And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ will himself restore, establish, and strengthen you. To him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen. Final greeting and benediction. By Silvanus, a faithful brother as I regard him, I have written briefly to you, exhorting and declaring that this is the true grace of God.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 353: Sharing the Gospel (2024)
Stand fast in it. She who is at Babylon, who is likewise chosen, sends you greetings, and so does my son Mark. Greet one another with the kiss of love.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 353: Sharing the Gospel (2024)
Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy, to the church of the Thessalonians and God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, grace to you and peace. The Thessalonians, faith and example. We give thanks to God always for you all, constantly mentioning you in our prayers, remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 353: Sharing the Gospel (2024)
For we know, brethren, beloved by God, that he has chosen you. For our gospel came to you not only in word, but also in power, and in the Holy Spirit, and with full conviction. You know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 353: Sharing the Gospel (2024)
And you became imitators of us and of the Lord, for you received the word in much affliction, with joy inspired by the Holy Spirit, so that you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia." For not only has the word of the Lord sounded forth from you in Macedonia and Achaia, but your faith in God has gone forth everywhere, so that we need not say anything.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 353: Sharing the Gospel (2024)
For they themselves report concerning us what a welcome we had among you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve a living and true God, and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus, who delivers us from the wrath to come. Chapter 2 Paul's Ministry in Thessalonica For you yourselves know, brethren, that our visit to you was not in vain.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 353: Sharing the Gospel (2024)
You know, because today is day 353, and we're reading 1 Peter 3, 4, and 5, 1 Thessalonians 1, 2, and 3, as well as Proverbs 30, verses 15 and 16. The first letter of Peter, chapter 3, Wives and Husbands.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 353: Sharing the Gospel (2024)
But though we had already suffered and been shamefully treated at Philippi, as you know, we had courage in our God to declare to you the gospel of God in the face of great opposition. For our appeal does not spring from error or uncleanness, nor is it made with guile. Thank you for watching. but we were gentle among you, like a nurse taking care of her children.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 353: Sharing the Gospel (2024)
So being affectionately desirous of you, we were ready to share with you not only the gospel of God, but also our own selves, because you had become very dear to us. For you remember our labor and toil, brethren. We worked night and day that we might not burden any of you while we preached to you the gospel of God.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 353: Sharing the Gospel (2024)
You are witnesses, and God also, how holy and righteous and blameless was our behavior to you believers. For you know how, like a father with his children, we exhorted each one of you and encouraged you and charged you to walk in a manner worthy of God, who calls you into his own kingdom and glory.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 353: Sharing the Gospel (2024)
And we also thank God constantly for this, that when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it, not as the word of men, but as what it really is, the word of God, which is at work in you believers. For you, brethren, became imitators of the churches of God in Christ Jesus which are in Judea.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 353: Sharing the Gospel (2024)
For you suffered the same things from your own countrymen as they did from the Jews, who killed both the Lord Jesus and the prophets, and drove us out, and displeased God and opposed all men by hindering us from speaking to the Gentiles that they may be saved, so as always to fill up the measure of their sins. But God's wrath has come upon them at last.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 353: Sharing the Gospel (2024)
Paul's desire to visit the Thessalonians again. But since we were deprived of you, brethren, for a short time, in person, not in heart, we endeavored the more eagerly and with great desire to see you face to face, because we wanted to come to you, I, Paul, again and again, but Satan hindered us. For what is our hope or joy or crown of boasting before our Lord Jesus at his coming? Is it not you?
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 353: Sharing the Gospel (2024)
For you are our glory and joy. Chapter three. Therefore, when we could bear it no longer, we were willing to be left behind at Athens alone. And we sent Timothy, our brother and God's servant in the gospel of Christ to establish you in your faith and to exhort you that no one be moved by these afflictions.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 353: Sharing the Gospel (2024)
Likewise, you wives, be submissive to your husbands, so that some, though they do not obey the word, may be won without a word by the behavior of their wives when they see irreverent and chaste behavior.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 353: Sharing the Gospel (2024)
you yourselves know that this is to be our lot for when we were with you we told you beforehand that we were to suffer affliction just as it has come to pass and as you know for this reason when i could bear it no longer i sent that i might know your faith for fear that somehow the tempter had tempted you and that our labor would be in vain Timothy's good report.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 353: Sharing the Gospel (2024)
But now that Timothy has come to us from you and has brought us the good news of your faith and love and reported that you always remember us kindly and long to see us as we long to see you. For this reason, brethren, in all our distress and affliction, we have been comforted about you through your faith. For now we live if you stand fast in the Lord.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 353: Sharing the Gospel (2024)
For what thanksgiving can we render to God for you, for all the joy which we feel for your sake before our God, praying earnestly night and day that we may see you face to face and supply what is lacking in your faith. Now, may our God and Father himself and our Lord Jesus direct our way to you.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 353: Sharing the Gospel (2024)
And may the Lord make you increase and abound in love to one another and to all men as we do to you, so that he may establish your hearts unblameable in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his saints.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 353: Sharing the Gospel (2024)
The leech has two daughters. Give, give, they cry. Three things are never satisfied. Four never say enough. Sheol, the barren womb, the earth ever thirsty for water, and the fire which never says enough.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 353: Sharing the Gospel (2024)
Let not yours be the outward adorning with braiding of hair, decoration of gold, and wearing of robes, but let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the imperishable jewel of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God's sight is very precious. So once the holy women who hoped in God used to adorn themselves and were submissive to their husbands, as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him Lord.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 353: Sharing the Gospel (2024)
Thank you for Peter once again today. Thank you for Paul. Thank you for your Holy Spirit that has reached out to us and continues to speak to us through your word that you have given to us for so many years. Lord God, we ask you to please continue to shape our hearts, continue to change our hearts, make them more like you.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 353: Sharing the Gospel (2024)
Help us to imitate Jesus Christ, whose spirit you have given to us to give us wisdom, to give us strength, to give us courage. And in this moment right now, Lord, to give us hope, especially in the midst of suffering. for doing what's right also, Lord God. We know that many of us not only suffer for doing what's right.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 353: Sharing the Gospel (2024)
We also, many of us suffer because of the consequences of our own actions that we've chosen wrong in our day. We've chosen wrong at some points in our lives. And now we're experiencing the burden of that choice. We're experiencing the reality of that choice. And we ask you, Lord God, come and meet us in our need. Come and meet us in our weakness. Come and meet us in our brokenness.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 353: Sharing the Gospel (2024)
Without you, we can do nothing. Whether this is our own making or whether this was a trouble that has come upon us, even in the midst of virtue. Regardless, Lord, we ask you to be with us because we need you. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. So I had that prayer because, you know, St.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 353: Sharing the Gospel (2024)
Peter in 1 Peter chapter 3, he says, talks about suffering for doing what's right. And he says, basically, there's some words that he has that are, you know, If you're suffering for doing what's wrong, that's fine, whatever. But he says, ah, you want to suffer for doing what's right. That's actually a good thing. And I find myself saying, well, sometimes I suffer for doing what's right.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 353: Sharing the Gospel (2024)
Also, I find myself suffering the consequences of my own choices too often. I said that thing I shouldn't have said. I didn't do the thing I should have done. You know what I'm saying? And so I just need the Lord's grace to meet me in all situations and in all times. One of the things that is so important and powerful for me personally in 1 Peter 3 is beginning with verse 15.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 353: Sharing the Gospel (2024)
This is a verse that defined and charted the course of much of my life. I mean, truly, Peter says, always be prepared to make a defense to anyone who calls you to account for the hope that is within you. Yet do it with gentleness and reverence and keep your conscience clear. There's something about that that just, so always be ready to give a reason for the faith that's within you.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 353: Sharing the Gospel (2024)
I mean, different translations word it slightly differently. Here in the RSV, Second Catholic Edition says, always be prepared to make a defense to anyone who calls you to account for the hope that is in you. I've heard years ago, it was always ready to give a reason for the hope or reason for the faith that's within you. When I was in high school, this line just struck me so powerfully.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 353: Sharing the Gospel (2024)
In fact, it's the reason why when I went to college, I studied theology. I said, that's what I want to do. I want to be able to study scripture. I want to be able to study God's word. I want to be able to study philosophy. I want to know. I want to be able to give a reason for why I believe what I believe. It was, as I said, it was the guiding principle, the guiding scripture.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 353: Sharing the Gospel (2024)
for so much of my life. And I'm so grateful to the Lord that he has allowed me to proclaim that word today. And I'm so grateful to the Lord that he's allowed us all to hear that word today. Always be ready, always prepared to give a reason for the faith that's within you. But also I like how Peter says it. He says, yet do it with gentleness and reverence.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 15: Leah Feels Unloved (2025)
amen in the name of the father and of the son and of the holy spirit amen so gosh our friend job we're not going to talk about him today too much but just we can see what's going on that job has these three friends if you've lost the context a little bit job has these three friends there's going to be a fourth who shows up later on but these three they know that job must have done you know they quote unquote know that job must have done something wrong and so every time they speak what they're saying is essentially now job you be honest with us now tell us for real what
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 15: Leah Feels Unloved (2025)
As he looked, he saw a well in the field, and behold, three flocks of sheep lying beside it, for out of that well the flocks were watered. The stone on the well's mouth was large, and when all the flocks were gathered there, the shepherds would roll the stone from the mouth of the well and water the sheep, and put the stone back in its place upon the mouth of the well. Jacob said to them,
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 15: Leah Feels Unloved (2025)
um, you either think you're righteous, but you're not, um, or you, uh, have rebelled against God and you're, you're hiding it from us. And Job is like, I, I don't know what to tell you. I, it seems like God is my enemy. It seems like God is not on my side. It seems like I served him and now he doesn't care about me. We're getting more deeply and deeply into that.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 15: Leah Feels Unloved (2025)
Um, we're coming out of it at some point, not anytime soon. Well, yeah, pretty soon, but Just to know that what happens with Job is he is honest. He is honest. Now, his friends are doing their best to be honest, but God's going to have some words for his friends that they did not represent him in the way that they should have to our friend Job. So that's coming.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 15: Leah Feels Unloved (2025)
But today, before we conclude this time together in God's word, it is so important to highlight what is happening with Jacob and Leah and Rachel and Laban and this whole family. It is a mess upon a mess. And this is like, this is so good for us to understand that here is the family of God. This is the family from which Jesus came. There's all these messes, all this dirtiness, all this brokenness.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 15: Leah Feels Unloved (2025)
Here's Laban who like Yeah, you can have all these sheep, all these goats, and then he takes them all away. And so then Jacob's like, well, in that case, I'm going to make sure that the ones I want are the ones I get. But even worse is you have this deception happening from Laban with his two daughters, Leah and Rachel. As we noted, sorry, my gosh, did I say Rachel? I meant to say Rebecca.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 15: Leah Feels Unloved (2025)
No, I meant to say Rachel. Rebecca is Jacob's mom. Okay, going back to this. Leah and Rachel. Scripture says that Leah had weak eyes. Maybe to say that she wasn't so easy on the eyes is one of the ways people can interpret that. But Rachel was very beautiful. And Rachel is the one who had Jacob's heart. but you see how sometimes the Bible shows us instead of tells us some things.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 15: Leah Feels Unloved (2025)
Here's the first thing. One is that Laban, who tricks Jacob into marrying his daughter Leah, says that it is not right in our land. I don't know how it works where you came from, Jacob, but in our land, it is not right to give the younger children what belongs to the older and just remind, rewind a couple of pairs, a couple of chapters.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 15: Leah Feels Unloved (2025)
And we see what happened was the younger Jacob took what belonged to the older Esau. And so here's this, this way in which the scripture again shows us, and it doesn't necessarily tell us, but it shows us like, okay, Jacob is the deceiver. Jacob is the one who grasps. Jacob is, is the one who's getting, you know, he's used to kind of getting what he wants.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 15: Leah Feels Unloved (2025)
And here is Laban, his uncle who is getting what he wants. He's kind of Pulling a Jacob, you might want to say. That's an interesting thing. And it's an interesting thing that God is revealing to Jacob and to us. But there's a painful thing that happens. And the painful thing is I want to highlight Leah. You imagine Rachel is the one who was loved by her husband.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 15: Leah Feels Unloved (2025)
Leah is the one who was tolerated by her husband. And this is one of the wounds that so many people have, whether it be with their spouse or with their parents or by their children or by life. Sometimes the people in our lives that we think they should love us and they don't, they just tolerate us.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 15: Leah Feels Unloved (2025)
In fact, this is sometimes what a lot of people envision God does with them is just simply tolerates them as opposed to God truly loves you. God truly loves you. And so here is in chapter 29, beginning with verse 31. It says, when the Lord saw that Leah was hated, he opened her womb. Rachel was barren and she conceived and bore a son and named his name Reuben.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 15: Leah Feels Unloved (2025)
Because she said, because the Lord has looked upon my affliction, surely now my husband will love me. And this is the refrain, right? The next child was Simeon. And she says, because the Lord has heard that I'm hated, he's given me this son also. And then the third son is going to be Levi. And she says that, um,
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 15: Leah Feels Unloved (2025)
Now this is the time my husband will be joined to me because I have born him three sons. See, every son, she thought, now my husband will love me. Now my husband will be joined to me. Now my husband will stop hating me. She thought what she could do would make herself more lovely, make herself more lovable. That's this trap that so many of us fall into.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 15: Leah Feels Unloved (2025)
If I can do this, it'll make myself more lovable. And at one point, with the birth of her fourth son, Judah, Leah has given up trying to make her husband love her. And she says, she conceived and bore a son and said, this time I will praise the Lord. Therefore, she called his name Judah. That's what Judah means, praise, praise the Lord. Instead of the others, which is, this will make him love me.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 15: Leah Feels Unloved (2025)
This will make him be my spouse. This will make him stop hating me. Now, of course, that doesn't end because even she and Rachel trade some mandrakes in order to have access to their husband's bed. And just, again, brokenness. And yet God works through all of this brokenness. God will continue to work through all this brokenness. Being unloved, being hated, trading, even handmaids.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 15: Leah Feels Unloved (2025)
It's all so much of a mess. And yet, so are our lives. It is really rare that anyone has a completely clean life where everything is super simple, everything's super clear, everything's super easy. Even those who are being used by God to build his kingdom, it's incredibly rare that you find a person who doesn't have a mess. In fact, it's so rare that I would say it doesn't exist.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 15: Leah Feels Unloved (2025)
And that's one of the reasons why we keep coming back to the Bible. That's one of the reasons why we keep being part of this community is because we know that our lives kind of mirror the lives of these people in the Bible.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 15: Leah Feels Unloved (2025)
And so if they're going to mirror the lives of the people in the Bible at the end of the story where there's glory and where there's honor being given to God and there's holiness, then it's sometimes okay. to recognize that right now, though, right now there is some brokenness that God can still use. And that's the thing. He can still use it. So let's keep praying for each other.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 15: Leah Feels Unloved (2025)
Please pray for me. I'll be praying for you and pray for each other. This community of people going through the Bible. We're going to be doing this for the next 365 days or, you know, minus 15. And it is going to be phenomenal. I'm continuing to pray for you. And please know that you're not alone. You're not alone in your brokenness. You're not alone in your grief. You're not alone in your sorrow.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 15: Leah Feels Unloved (2025)
Water the sheep and go, pasture them. But they said, We cannot, until all the flocks are gathered together and the stone is rolled from the mouth of the well, then we water the sheep. While he was still speaking with them, Rachel came with her father's sheep, for she kept them.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 15: Leah Feels Unloved (2025)
You're not alone when you feel unloved. Because you are loved. My name is Father Mike. God bless you and I'll see you tomorrow.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 15: Leah Feels Unloved (2025)
Now when Jacob saw Rachel, the daughter of Laban his mother's brother, and the sheep of Laban his mother's brother, Jacob went up and rolled the stone from the well's mouth and watered the flock of Laban his mother's brother. Then Jacob kissed Rachel and wept aloud. And Jacob told Rachel that he was her father's kinsman and that he was Rebecca's son. And she ran and told her father.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 15: Leah Feels Unloved (2025)
When Laban heard the tidings of Jacob, his sister's son, he ran to meet him and embraced him and kissed him and brought him to the house. Jacob told Laban all these things. And Laban said to him, surely you are my bone and my flesh. And he stayed with him a month. Then Laban said to Jacob, Because you are my kinsman, should you therefore serve me for nothing? Tell me, what shall your wages be?
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 15: Leah Feels Unloved (2025)
Now Laban had two daughters. The name of the older was Leah, and the name of the younger was Rachel. Leah's eyes were weak, but Rachel was beautiful and lovely. Jacob loved Rachel, and he said, I will serve you seven years for your younger daughter Rachel. Laban said, "'It is better that I give her to you than that I should give her to any other man. Stay with me.'
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 15: Leah Feels Unloved (2025)
So Jacob served seven years for Rachel, and they seemed at him but a few days because of the love he had for her. Then Jacob said to Laban, "'Give me my wife, that I may go into her, for my time is completed.' So Laban gathered together all the men of the place and made a feast. But in the evening he took his daughter Leah and brought her to Jacob, and he went into her.'
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 15: Leah Feels Unloved (2025)
This is day 15, so let's get started. We are reading today, day 15 from Genesis chapter 29 and 30. We're also reading from the book of Job, our friend Job in chapters 19 and 20, and then also continuing on chapter three of Proverbs chapter three, verses five through eight.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 15: Leah Feels Unloved (2025)
Laban gave his maid Zilpah to his daughter Leah to be her maid. And in the morning, behold, it was Leah. And Jacob said to Laban, What is this you have done to me? Did I not serve with you for Rachel? Why then have you deceived me? Laban said, It is not so done in our country to give the younger before the firstborn.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 15: Leah Feels Unloved (2025)
Complete the week of this one, and we will give you the other also in return for serving me another seven years. Jacob did so and completed her week, and Laban gave him his daughter Rachel to wife. Laban gave his maid Bilhah to his daughter Rachel to be her maid. So Jacob went into Rachel also, and he loved Rachel more than Leah, and served Laban for another seven years."
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 15: Leah Feels Unloved (2025)
When the Lord saw that Leah was hated, he opened her womb, but Rachel was barren. And Leah conceived and bore a son, and she called him Reuben. For she said, Because the Lord has looked upon my affliction, surely now my husband will love me. She conceived again and bore a son and said, Because the Lord has heard that I am hated, he has given me this son also. And she called his name Simeon.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 15: Leah Feels Unloved (2025)
Again she conceived and bore a son and said, Now this time my husband will be joined to me because I have borne him three sons. Therefore his name was called Levi. And she conceived again and bore a son and said, This time I will praise the Lord. Therefore she called his name Judah. Then she ceased bearing.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 15: Leah Feels Unloved (2025)
When Rachel saw that she bore Jacob no children, she envied her sister, and she said to Jacob, Give me children or I shall die. Jacob's anger was kindled against Rachel, and he said, Am I in the place of God who has withheld from you the fruit of the womb? Then she said, Here is my maid Bilhah. Go into her, that she may bear upon my knees, and even I may have children through her.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 15: Leah Feels Unloved (2025)
So she gave him her maid Bilhah as a wife, and Jacob went into her. And Bilhah conceived and bore Jacob a son. Then Rachel said, God has judged me and has also heard my voice and given me a son. Therefore she called his name Dan. Rachel's maid Bilhah conceived again and bore Jacob a second son. Then Rachel said, with mighty wrestlings I have wrestled with my sister and have prevailed.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 15: Leah Feels Unloved (2025)
So she called his name Naphtali. When Leah saw that she had ceased bearing children, she took her maid Zilpah and gave her to Jacob as a wife. Then Leah's maid Zilpah bore Jacob a son, and Leah said, Good fortune. So she called his name Gad. Leah's maid Zilpah bore Jacob a second son, and Leah said, Blessed am I, for the women will call me blessed. So she called his name Asher.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 15: Leah Feels Unloved (2025)
Hi, I'm Father Mike Schmitz, and you're listening to the Bible in a Year podcast, where we encounter God's voice and live life through the lens of scripture. The Bible in a Year podcast is brought to you by Ascension. Using the Great Adventure Bible timeline, we'll read all the way from Genesis to Revelation, discovering how the story of salvation unfolds and how we fit into that story today.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 15: Leah Feels Unloved (2025)
If you want this Bible reading plan, you can go to ascensionpress.com slash Bible in a year, and you can get that reading plan just in front of you right now. You don't have to let me announce it to you. You can know what we're reading. Also, the translation that I'm using is the revised standard version, Catholic edition. I'm using the Great Adventure Bible from Ascension.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 15: Leah Feels Unloved (2025)
In the days of the wheat harvest, Reuben went and found mandrakes in the field and brought them to his mother Leah. Then Rachel said to Leah, Give me, I pray, some of your son's mandrakes. But she said to her, Is it a small matter that you have taken away my husband? Would you take away my son's mandrakes also? Rachel said, Then he may lie with you tonight for your son's mandrakes.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 15: Leah Feels Unloved (2025)
When Jacob came in from the field that evening, Leah went out to meet him and said, So he lay with her that night. And God hearkened to Leah, and she conceived and bore Jacob a fifth son. Leah said, So she called his name Issachar. And Leah conceived again, and she bore Jacob a sixth son. Then Leah said, God has endowed me with a good dowry.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 15: Leah Feels Unloved (2025)
Now my husband will honor me because I have born him six sons. So she called his name Zebulun. Afterwards, she bore a daughter and called her name Dinah. Then God remembered Rachel and God hearkened to her and opened her womb. She conceived and bore a son and said, God has taken away my reproach. And she called his name Joseph saying, may the Lord add to me another son.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 15: Leah Feels Unloved (2025)
When Rachel had born Joseph, Jacob said to Laban, Send me away, that I may go to my own home and country. Give me my wives and my children for whom I have served you, and let me go, for you know the service which I have given you. But Laban said to him, If you will allow me to say so, I have learned by divination that the Lord has blessed me because of you. Name your wages and I will give it.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 15: Leah Feels Unloved (2025)
Jacob said, You yourself know how I have served you and how your cattle have fared with me. For you had little before I came and it has increased abundantly and the Lord has blessed you wherever I turned. But now, when shall I provide for my own house also? He said, What shall I give you? Jacob said, You shall not give me anything.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 15: Leah Feels Unloved (2025)
If you will do this for me, I will again feed your flock and keep it. Let me pass through all your flock today, removing from it every speckled and spotted sheep and every black lamb and the spotted and speckled among the goats, and such shall be my wages. So my honesty will answer for me later when you come to look into my wages with you.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 15: Leah Feels Unloved (2025)
Everyone that is not speckled and spotted among the goats and black among the lambs, if found with me, shall be counted stolen. Laban said, Good, let it be as you have said. But that day Laban removed the he goats that were striped and spotted and all the she goats that were speckled and spotted, every one that had white on it and every lamb that was black and put them in charge of his sons.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 15: Leah Feels Unloved (2025)
And he set a distance of three days journey between himself and Jacob. And Jacob fed the rest of Laban's flock. Then Jacob took fresh rods of poplar and almond and plain and peeled white streaks in them, exposing the white of the rods. He set the rods which he had peeled in front of the flocks in the runnels, that is, in the watering troughs, where the flocks came to drink.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 15: Leah Feels Unloved (2025)
And since they bred when they came to drink, the flocks bred in front of the rods, and so the flocks brought forth striped, speckled, and spotted. And Jacob separated the lambs, and set the faces of the flocks toward the striped and all the black in the flock of Laban, and he put his own droves apart, and did not put them with Laban's flock.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 15: Leah Feels Unloved (2025)
to proclaim this word today to you all with us all. Man, oh man. If you want to, please subscribe to this podcast app or in your app so that you can get the updates every time we drop a new episode, which is every single day for the entire year, 365 days in a row. You also can sign up for our email list by texting the word CatholicBible to 33777. Those are some of the announcements.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 15: Leah Feels Unloved (2025)
Whenever the stronger of the flock were breeding, Jacob laid the rods and the runnels before the eyes of the flock, that they might breed among the rods. But for the feebler of the flock, he did not lay them there. So the feebler were Laban's, and the stronger Jacob's. Thus the man grew exceedingly rich, and had large flocks, maidservants and menservants, and camels and donkeys.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 15: Leah Feels Unloved (2025)
Job answers, I know that my Redeemer lives. Then Job answered, How long will you torment me and break me in pieces with words? These ten times you have cast reproach upon me. Are you not ashamed to wrong me? And even if it be true that I have erred, my error remains with myself.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 15: Leah Feels Unloved (2025)
If indeed you magnify yourselves against me and make my humiliation an argument against me, know then that God has put me in the wrong and closed his net about me. Behold, I cry out violence, but I am not answered. I call aloud, but there is no justice. He has walled up my way so that I cannot pass, and he has set darkness upon my paths.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 15: Leah Feels Unloved (2025)
He has stripped from me my glory and taken the crown from my head. He breaks me down on every side, and I am gone, and my hope has he pulled up like a tree. He has kindled his wrath against me. He counts me as his adversary. His troops come together. They have cast up siege works against me and encamp round about my tent.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 15: Leah Feels Unloved (2025)
He has put my brethren far from me and my acquaintances are wholly estranged from me. My kinsfolk and my close friends have failed me. The guests in my house have forgotten me. My maidservants count me as a stranger. I have become an alien in their eyes. I call to my servant, but he gives me no answer. I must beseech him with my mouth.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 15: Leah Feels Unloved (2025)
I am repulsive to my wife, loathsome to the sons of my own mother. Even young children despise me. When I rise, they talk against me. All my intimate friends abhor me, and those whom I loved have turned against me. My bones cling to my skin and to my flesh, and I have escaped by the skin of my teeth. Have pity on me. Have pity on me, O you my friends, for the hand of God has touched me.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 15: Leah Feels Unloved (2025)
Why do you, like God, pursue me? Why are you not satisfied with my flesh? O that my words were written! O that they were inscribed in a book! Oh, that I had an iron pen and lead, they were graven in rock forever. For I know that my Redeemer lives, and at last he will stand upon the earth. And after my skin has been thus destroyed, then from my flesh I shall see God, whom I shall see on my side.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 15: Leah Feels Unloved (2025)
And my eyes shall behold, and not another. My heart faints within me. If you say how we will pursue him and the root of the matter is found in him, be afraid of the sword. For wrath brings the judgment of the sword that you may know there is a judgment. Then Zophar the Namathite answered, Therefore my thoughts answer me, because of my haste within me.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 15: Leah Feels Unloved (2025)
I hear censure which insults me, and out of my understanding a spirit answers me. Do you not know, this from of old, since man was placed on the earth, that the exulting of the wicked is short, and the joy of the godless but for a moment? Though his height mount up to the heavens, and his head reach to the clouds, he will perish forever like his own dung.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 15: Leah Feels Unloved (2025)
Those who have seen him will say, Where is he? He will fly away like a dream and not be found. He will be chased away like a vision of the night. The eye which saw him will see him no more, nor will his place any more behold him. His children will seek the favor of the poor, and his hands will give back his wealth. His bones are full of youthful vigor, but it will lie down with him in the dust.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 15: Leah Feels Unloved (2025)
I am so grateful for you being here as we just read through today's walk through, get proclaimed to by God's very word. So let's begin. Once again, we're reading Genesis chapter 29 and 30. Then Jacob went on his journey and came to the land of the people of the east.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 15: Leah Feels Unloved (2025)
The wickedness is sweet in his mouth, though he hides it under his tongue, though he is loathe to let it go and holds it in his mouth, yet his food is turned in his stomach. It is the gall of asps within him. He swallows down riches and vomits them up again. God casts them out of his belly. He will suck the poison of asps. The tongue of the viper will kill him.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 15: Leah Feels Unloved (2025)
He will not look upon the rivers, the streams flowing with honey and curds. He will give back the fruit of his toil and will not swallow it down from the profit of his trading. He will get no enjoyment. For he has crushed and abandoned the poor. He has seized a house which he did not build.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 15: Leah Feels Unloved (2025)
because his greed knew no rest he will not save anything in which he delights there was nothing left after he had eaten therefore his prosperity will not endure in the fullness of his sufficiency he will be in straits all the force of misery will come upon him To fill his belly to the full, God will send his fierce anger into him and rain it upon him as his food. He will flee from an iron weapon.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 15: Leah Feels Unloved (2025)
A bronze arrow will strike him through. It's drawn forth and comes out of his body. The glittering point comes out of his gall. Terrors come upon him. Utter darkness is laid up for his treasures. A fire not blown upon will devour him. What is left in his tent will be consumed. The heavens will reveal his iniquity and the earth will rise up against him.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 15: Leah Feels Unloved (2025)
The possessions of his house will be carried away, dragged off in the day of God's wrath.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 15: Leah Feels Unloved (2025)
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not rely on your own insight. In all your ways acknowledge him and he will make straight your paths. Be not wise in your own eyes. Fear the Lord and turn away from evil. It will be healing to your flesh and refreshment to your bones. Father in heaven, we give you praise for your word. We thank you for speaking to us once again this day.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 15: Leah Feels Unloved (2025)
We thank you for the group of people who are journeying with us, this team of people, this family of God who seek after your word. We listen to it attentively. And we ask you to make yourself known even more fully, not merely through your word, but also through the spirit that works and animates in your word. May it also animate our hearts. May it also illuminate our minds.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 15: Leah Feels Unloved (2025)
as we come back again and again to your word, as you reveal it, as you reveal yourself to us in this sacred scripture. We give you praise for revealing your heart to us. Help us to not be afraid to reveal our hearts to you. In Jesus' name we pray.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 346: Fruits of the Spirit (2024)
Paul concludes this letter in the end of chapter 5, at least, is the works of flesh and the fruit of the Spirit. And it's really interesting to take a moment really and recognize St. Paul has a list. And sometimes when we have these lists, they're just words that go in one ear and out the other. Lists of immorality, right?
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 346: Fruits of the Spirit (2024)
And when he had come, the Jews who had gone down from Jerusalem stood about him, bringing against him many serious charges which they could not prove. Paul said in his defense, Neither against the law of the Jews, nor against the temple, nor against Caesar have I offended at all.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 346: Fruits of the Spirit (2024)
Or lists of works of the flesh are immorality and impurity, licentiousness, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, anger, selfishness, dissension, party spirit. That's the divisions they had amongst them. Like I belong to Apollos. I belong to Paul. Envy, drunkenness, carousing and the like. All of those things.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 346: Fruits of the Spirit (2024)
All of those things are things that separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus. Every single one of them take away our heart. They're the works of the flesh that destroy us and keep us slaves. But he also says, but the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Okay, let's highlight this.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 346: Fruits of the Spirit (2024)
This will be the last thing we say, maybe. These are the fruits of the Spirit. What that means is this is the fruit of a life lived in God. They are a byproduct, you might say. They're an outgrowth of walking with God, walking in the Holy Spirit, walking in Christ, remaining, living, growing in God's will automatically will come about.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 346: Fruits of the Spirit (2024)
If you're an orange tree, you don't have to really work to grow oranges. You just grow oranges. If you're an apple tree, you don't have to work to grow apples. You just grow apples. So here, the fruits of the spirit, if you're living in the spirit, here's what's going to happen. These are the fruits, love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 346: Fruits of the Spirit (2024)
These are the fruits of a life lived in the spirit. So if I have them in my life, okay, good. That's a good indication. That's a good sign that you are walking in the spirit. And if they're not in my life, that's a good sign that I might not quite be walking in the spirit. In chapter 6, verse 7, St. Paul makes a very big point, and that is, do not be deceived. God is not mocked.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 346: Fruits of the Spirit (2024)
For whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. Basically, if you plant corn, you're going to get corn. If you plant orange trees, you're going to get orange trees. What is it you want to get? Do I want to get love and peace and patience and kindness and gentleness and goodness and faithfulness and self-control? If I do, then I need to... plant those seeds. I need to actually invest those things.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 346: Fruits of the Spirit (2024)
But Festus, wishing to do the Jews a favor, said to Paul, Do you wish to go up to Jerusalem, and there be tried in these charges before me? But Paul said, I am standing before Caesar's tribunal, where I ought to be tried. To the Jews I have done no wrong, as you know very well. If then I am a wrongdoer, and I have committed anything for which I deserve to die, I do not seek to escape death.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 346: Fruits of the Spirit (2024)
It doesn't make any sense to plant rice and then be surprised that rice is growing. It doesn't make any sense to say, I want potatoes, but instead I'm going to plant beans. Does that make sense? I'm mixing my metaphors here, but it's so important. St. Paul says at the very end here, well, close to the very end, he says, Let us not grow weary in well-doing.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 346: Fruits of the Spirit (2024)
For in due season, we shall reap if we do not lose heart. So my brothers and sisters, my friends, in due season, we shall reap if we do not lose heart. So don't lose heart. Praying for you. He says, far be it from me to glory, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me and I to the world. The last words of St.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 346: Fruits of the Spirit (2024)
Paul in this letter, he says, henceforth, let no man trouble me, for I bear on my body the marks of Jesus. that's led some people to wonder if St. Paul had the stigmata, right? The actual wounds of Jesus and his hands on his feet and his sides, like St. Padre Pio did, and some others have had this, but St. Francis of Assisi had that.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 346: Fruits of the Spirit (2024)
But it's possible that he would bear for the rest of his life on his body, the marks of Jesus, that stigmata, it's possible. But do not lose heart. Even if we find ourselves full of fruits of licentiousness and fruits of the works of the flesh, begin planting the works of the Spirit. Begin planting love and peace and joy and patience and kindness and gentleness and self-control.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 346: Fruits of the Spirit (2024)
And by God's grace, we'll be given those fruits of the Spirit. I'm praying for you. Please, please pray for me. My name is Father Mike. I cannot wait to see you tomorrow. God bless.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 346: Fruits of the Spirit (2024)
But if there is nothing in their charges against me, no one can give me up to them. I appeal to Caesar. Then Festus, when he had conferred with his council, answered, You have appealed to Caesar. To Caesar you shall go. Festus consults King Agrippa. Now, when some days had passed, Agrippa the king and Bernice arrived at Caesarea to welcome Festus.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 346: Fruits of the Spirit (2024)
And as they stayed there many days, Festus laid Paul's case before the king, saying, There is a man left prisoner by Felix. And when I was at Jerusalem, the chief priests and the elders of the Jews gave information about him, asking for sentence against him.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 346: Fruits of the Spirit (2024)
Discovering how the story of salvation unfolds and how we fit into that story today. It is day 346. We're reading Acts of the Apostles, chapter 25. Only four chapters to go, including chapter 25, as well as Galatians, St. Paul's letter to the Galatians, chapters 4, 5, and 6. The conclusion only in two parts. So we get Galatians 1 through 3 yesterday and 4, 5, and 6 today.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 346: Fruits of the Spirit (2024)
I answered them that it was not the custom of the Romans to give up anyone before the accused met the accusers face to face, and had opportunity to make his defense concerning the charges laid against him. When therefore they came together here, I made no delay, but on the next day took my seat on the tribunal and ordered the man to be brought in.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 346: Fruits of the Spirit (2024)
When the accusers stood up, they brought no charge in his case of such evils as I supposed, but they had certain points of dispute with him about their own superstition and about one Jesus who was dead, but whom Paul asserted to be alive." Being at a loss how to investigate these questions, I asked whether he wished to go to Jerusalem and be tried there regarding them.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 346: Fruits of the Spirit (2024)
But when Paul had appealed to be kept in custody for the decision of the emperor, I commanded him to be held until I could send him to Caesar. And Agrippa said to Festus, I should like to hear the man myself. Tomorrow, said he, you shall hear him. Paul is brought before Agrippa.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 346: Fruits of the Spirit (2024)
So the next day, Agrippa and Bernice came with great pomp, and they entered the audience hall with the military tribunes and the prominent men of the city. Then by command of Festus, Paul was brought in.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 346: Fruits of the Spirit (2024)
And Festus said, King Agrippa, and all who are present with us, you see this man about whom the whole Jewish people petitioned me both at Jerusalem and here, shouting that he ought not to live any longer. But I found that he had done nothing deserving death, and as he himself appealed to the emperor, I decided to send him. But I have nothing definite to write to my lord about him.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 346: Fruits of the Spirit (2024)
Therefore, I have brought him before you, and especially before you, King Agrippa, that after we have examined him, I may have something to write. For it seems to me unreasonable in sending a prisoner not to indicate the charges against him.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 346: Fruits of the Spirit (2024)
The Letter of St. Paul to the Galatians, Chapter 4
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 346: Fruits of the Spirit (2024)
i mean that the heir as long as he is a child is no better than a slave though he is the owner of all the estate but he is under guardians and trustees until the date set by the father so with us when we were children we were slaves to the elemental spirits of the universe
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 346: Fruits of the Spirit (2024)
But when the time had fully come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who are under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, Abba, Father. So, through God, you are no longer a slave, but a son. And if a son, then an heir. Paul reproves the Galatians.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 346: Fruits of the Spirit (2024)
Formerly, when you did not know God, you were in bondage to beings that by nature are no gods. But now that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, how can you turn back again to those weak and beggarly elemental spirits whose slaves you want to be once more? You observe days and months and seasons and years. I am afraid I have labored over you in vain.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 346: Fruits of the Spirit (2024)
And we're also reading Proverbs chapter 29, verses 15 through 17. As always, the Bible translation I'm reading from is the Revised Standard Version, the Second Catholic Edition. I'm using the Great Adventure Bible from Ascension. If you want to download your own Bible in a year reading plan for this home stretch, you can visit ascensionpress.com slash Bible in a Year.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 346: Fruits of the Spirit (2024)
Brethren, I beg you, become as I am, for I also have become as you are." You did me no wrong. You know it was because of a bodily ailment that I preached the gospel to you at first, and though my condition was a trial to you, you did not scorn or despise me, but received me as an angel of God, as Christ Jesus. What has become of the satisfaction you felt?
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 346: Fruits of the Spirit (2024)
For I bear you witness that, if possible, you would have plucked out your eyes and given them to me. Have I then become your enemy by telling you the truth? They make much of you, but for no good purpose. They want to shut you out that you may make much of them. For a good purpose, it is always good to be made much of, and not only when I am present with you.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 346: Fruits of the Spirit (2024)
My little children, with whom I am again in travail until Christ be formed in you, I could wish to be present with you now and to change my tone, for I am perplexed about you. the allegory of Hagar and Sarah. Tell me, you who desire to be under the law, do you not hear the law? For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by a slave and one by a free woman.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 346: Fruits of the Spirit (2024)
Hi, my name is Father Mike Schmitz, and you're listening to the Bible in a Year podcast, where we encounter God's voice and live life through the lens of Scripture. The Bible in a Year podcast is brought to you by Ascension. Using the Great Adventure Bible timeline, we'll read all the way from Genesis to Revelation.
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Day 346: Fruits of the Spirit (2024)
But the son of the slave was born according to the flesh, the son of the free woman through the promise. Now this is an allegory. These women are two covenants. One is from Mount Sinai, bearing children for slavery. She is Hagar. Now Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia. She corresponds to the present Jerusalem for she is in slavery with her children.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 346: Fruits of the Spirit (2024)
But the Jerusalem above is free and she is our mother. For it is written, Rejoice, O barren one who does not bear. Break forth and shout, you who are not with labor pains. For the desolate has more children than she who has a husband. Now we, brethren, like Isaac, are children of promise.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 346: Fruits of the Spirit (2024)
But as at the time he who was born according to the flesh persecuted him who was born according to the spirit, so it is now. But what does the scripture say? Cast out the slave and her son, for the son of the slave shall not inherit with the son of the free woman. So, brethren, we are not children of the slave, but of the free woman. Chapter 5 Christian Freedom for freedom Christ has set us free.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 346: Fruits of the Spirit (2024)
Stand fast, therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery. Now I, Paul, say to you that if you receive circumcision, Christ will be of no advantage to you. I testify again to every man who receives circumcision that he is bound to keep the whole law. You are severed from Christ, you who would be justified by the law. You have fallen away from grace.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 346: Fruits of the Spirit (2024)
You can also subscribe to this podcast and receive daily episodes and daily updates. That is today, day 346, Acts 25, Galatians 4, 5, and 6, and Proverbs chapter 29, verses 15 through 17. The Acts of the Apostles, chapter 25. Paul appeals to Caesar. Now, when Festus had come into his province, after three days, he went up to Jerusalem from Caesarea.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 346: Fruits of the Spirit (2024)
For through the Spirit, by faith, we wait for the hope of righteousness. For in Christ Jesus, neither circumcision nor uncircumcision is of any avail, but faith working through love. You were running well. Who hindered you from obeying the truth? This persuasion is not from him who called you. A little leaven leavens all the dough.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 346: Fruits of the Spirit (2024)
I have confidence in the Lord that you will take no other view than mine. And he who is troubling you will bear his judgment, whoever he is. But if I, brethren, still preach circumcision, why am I still persecuted? In that case, the stumbling block of the cross has been removed. I wish those who unsettle you would mutilate themselves. For you are called to freedom, brethren.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 346: Fruits of the Spirit (2024)
Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love be servants of one another. For the whole law is fulfilled in one word, you shall love your neighbor as yourself. But if you bite and devour one another, take heed that you are not consumed by one another. The works of the flesh and the fruit of the spirit.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 346: Fruits of the Spirit (2024)
But I say, walk by the Spirit, and do not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh. For these are opposed to each other, to prevent you from doing what you would. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 346: Fruits of the Spirit (2024)
Now, the works of the flesh are plain, immorality, impurity, licentiousness, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, anger, selfishness, dissension, party spirit, envy, drunkenness, carousing, and the like. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 346: Fruits of the Spirit (2024)
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit. Let us have no self-conceit, no provoking of one another, no envy of one another. Chapter 6.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 346: Fruits of the Spirit (2024)
Bear One Another's Burdens Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Look to yourself, lest you too be tempted. Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. For if anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 346: Fruits of the Spirit (2024)
But let each one test his own work, and then his reason to boast will be in himself alone and not in his neighbor. For each man will have to bear his own load. Let him who is taught the word share all good things with him who teaches. Do not be deceived. God is not mocked. For whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 346: Fruits of the Spirit (2024)
But he who sows to the spirit will from the spirit reap eternal life. And let us not grow weary in well-doing, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart. So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all men and especially to those who are of the household of faith. Final Admonitions and Benediction See with what large letters I am writing to you in my own hand.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 346: Fruits of the Spirit (2024)
It is those who want to make a good showing in the flesh that would compel you to be circumcised and only in order that they may not be persecuted for the cross of Christ. For even those who receive circumcision do not themselves keep the law, but they desire to have you circumcised that they may glory in your flesh.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 346: Fruits of the Spirit (2024)
And the chief priests and the principal men of the Jews informed him against Paul, and they urged him, asking as a favor, to have the man sent to Jerusalem, planning an ambush to kill him on the way. Festus replied that Paul was being kept at Caesarea and that he himself intended to go there shortly.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 346: Fruits of the Spirit (2024)
But far be it from me to glory except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me and I to the world. For neither circumcision counts for anything nor uncircumcision, but a new creation. Peace and mercy be upon all who walk by this rule, upon the Israel of God. Henceforth, let no man trouble me, for I bear on my body the marks of Jesus.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 346: Fruits of the Spirit (2024)
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit, brethren.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 346: Fruits of the Spirit (2024)
Amen. The book of Proverbs chapter 29 verses 15 through 17.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 346: Fruits of the Spirit (2024)
The rod and reproof give wisdom, but a child left to himself brings shame to his mother. When the wicked are in authority, transgression increases, but the righteous will look upon their downfall. Discipline your son and he will give you rest.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 346: Fruits of the Spirit (2024)
He will give delight to your heart. Father in heaven, we give you praise and glory. We thank you for this day.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 346: Fruits of the Spirit (2024)
We thank you for the gift of all that St. Paul went through, his imprisonment and persecution, his afflictions, not only his afflictions and doing this out of love for you and in service to the gospel so that we can have him as an example, but also, Father, Thank you for giving him a spirit of joy in the midst of all this. Joy in the midst of affliction.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 346: Fruits of the Spirit (2024)
We ask you to please give us joy in the midst of affliction. Abba, Father, Dad in heaven, give us joy in the midst of affliction. In the midst of persecution, help us to trust in you more than anything else. When we cannot trust in ourselves or even in the people who love us and claim to love us, help us to always trust in you. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 346: Fruits of the Spirit (2024)
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. So here we are in Acts of the Apostles, chapter 25. We have Paul appealing to Caesar. He already kind of threw that out there that he was going to, you know, he's a Roman citizen and he was going to appeal to Caesar. So he does this and he's brought before the king, King Agrippa. And tomorrow we're going to hear about how St.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 346: Fruits of the Spirit (2024)
Paul testified and gave his witness, his testimony to King Agrippa and Bernice and was able to basically tell the truth, tell the gospel, share the gospel with the King Agrippa. But when it comes to St. Paul's letter to the Galatians, the second half, right? Yesterday we read chapters 1, 2, and 3. Today is chapters 4, 5, and 6. And we concluded the letter of St. Paul to the Galatians.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 346: Fruits of the Spirit (2024)
We remember the context for his letter. The context is the Judaizers, right? Those people who came in and were basically telling the Christians, the new Christians that... Yeah, you need to be circumcised. You need to follow the law in order to have the fullness of God's spirit, the fullness of the new covenant. And here's Paul and he is ticked off. St. Paul is, he is upset.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 346: Fruits of the Spirit (2024)
So said he, Let the men of authority among you go down with me, and if there is anything wrong about the man, let them accuse him. When he had stayed among them not more than eight or ten days, he went down to Caesarea, and the next day he took his seat on the tribunal and ordered Paul to be brought.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 346: Fruits of the Spirit (2024)
I love this in chapter 24. He makes very, very clear. He says, when the time had fully come, God sent forth his son, born of woman, born under the law to redeem those who were under the law so that we might receive adoption as sons. And because your sons, God has sent the spirit of his son into our hearts, crying, Abba, Father. So through God, you are no longer a slave, but a son.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 346: Fruits of the Spirit (2024)
And if a son, then an heir. Basically back in the day, before all of this stuff, before Jesus, those under the law, right? The Jewish people were unable to keep the law. We heard this in Romans. We heard this in Corinthians. And then before this too, you Gentiles, you never even knew that there was a God who loved you. And so you failed to keep the law.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 346: Fruits of the Spirit (2024)
But now, but now you've been made into God's sons and daughters. Why would you want to go back? Why? Why would you, that's what he even asked in verse nine. He says, how can you turn back again to those weak and beggarly elemental spirits whose slaves you want to be once more?
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 346: Fruits of the Spirit (2024)
And this is the truth for how many of us, every single one of us, we're tempted to go back to our former bosses, our former little tiny tyrants, those little lords, those idols that take and take and take and never give anything back. And yet here is St. Paul who reminds us, you have a father who loves you, who just wants to give. So what is going on? And so St.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 346: Fruits of the Spirit (2024)
Paul goes on to talk about the allegory of Hagar and Sarah. Hagar, the concubine, essentially the servant of Sarah and Abraham had relations with her and they had conceived a son, Ishmael. That was the child of slavery, essentially. And then Sarah, who had the freeborn child, who is Isaac, that through that child is the blessing. And here is St.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 346: Fruits of the Spirit (2024)
Paul making this allegory here, saying that you're of the free. You are set free by God in Christ Jesus. And then the first line of chapter five, for freedom, Christ has set us free. Stand fast, therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery. I would tell you, I probably highlighted a couple all-time verses, all-time favorite verses.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 346: Fruits of the Spirit (2024)
One of them is this verse, chapter 5 of Galatians, verse 1. Also, Romans chapter 12, verse 1. Some of those later on, Revelation chapter 12, verse 1, or Hebrews chapter 12, verse 1. There's a lot of good verses in there. But for freedom, Christ has set us free. Stand fast, therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery. One of the things that St.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 8: The Surrender of Abraham (2025)
We all know that God only punishes people who have done something wrong. So just admit the fact that you've done something wrong and you can move on. And Job is like, I haven't, I don't know what it was. If I have done anything wrong, let God tell me, I would tell you this. And also, why aren't you better friends?
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 8: The Surrender of Abraham (2025)
And that's a truth for us too, is so often we are not known, even by the ones who love us the most. Sometimes the people who love us the most understand us the least. And that's what's happening right now with Job and his friends. They have answers for him, but he doesn't want their answers. He wants them in his grief.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 8: The Surrender of Abraham (2025)
And I think that sometimes, again, the lesson that God is giving to us today as he speaks to us is sometimes the people in our lives don't need our answers as much as they just want us to be present. I think sometimes that's true when it comes to God too. I want God to give me an answer. But if I really think about it, maybe I just want God to be with me in my confusion and in my pain.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 8: The Surrender of Abraham (2025)
So after Abram had dwelt 10 years in the land of Canaan, Sarai, Abram's wife, took Hagar, the Egyptian, her maid, and gave her to Abram, her husband, as a wife. And he went into Hagar, and she conceived. And when she saw that she had conceived, she looked with contempt on her mistress. And Sarai said to Abram, May the wrong done to me be on you. I gave my maid to your embrace.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 8: The Surrender of Abraham (2025)
That's what we're praying about this day. And that's what we'll be praying about as we continue to move forward with our father in faith, Abraham, and his wife, Sarah, as well as our friend and our brother, Job. We continue our prayer and we continue to pray with you. Also, please just know, please know that this is such a great opportunity to walk with you as we begin this year.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 8: The Surrender of Abraham (2025)
And any time of day, any time of year, whenever you started listening to this Catholic Bible in a Year podcast, we're so grateful that So grateful. If you want to download your own Catholic Bible in your reading plan, you can visit ascensionpress.com slash Bible in a year.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 8: The Surrender of Abraham (2025)
You can also subscribe in your podcast app so that you get the alert every time we have a new podcast that comes up, you will get the alert. And you can also sign up for our email list by texting the word Catholic Bible, all one word Catholic Bible to 33777. Again, I'm using the Great Adventure Bible from Ascension. It's so helpful and such a great resource because it has the notes and it has
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 8: The Surrender of Abraham (2025)
the story, you know, that the narrative books, these 14 narrative books that we're following right now in the middle of Genesis, and also shows where those narrative books and the other books, like something like Job or Proverbs, also fits in. So if you want to check that out, you can as well. But I'm grateful for you. Thank you so much. I am praying for you. Please pray for me.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 8: The Surrender of Abraham (2025)
My name's Father Mike. God bless.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 8: The Surrender of Abraham (2025)
And when she saw that she had conceived, she looked on me with contempt. May the Lord judge between you and me. But Abram said to Sarai, Behold, your maid is in your power. Do to her as you please. Then Sarai dealt harshly with her, and she fled from her.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 8: The Surrender of Abraham (2025)
The angel of the Lord found her by a spring of water in the wilderness the spring on the way to Shur, and he said, Hagar, maid of Sarai, where have you come from, and where are you going? She said, I am fleeing from my mistress Sarai. The angel of the Lord said to her, return to your mistress and submit to her.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 8: The Surrender of Abraham (2025)
The angel of the Lord also said to her, I will so greatly multiply your descendants that they cannot be numbered for multitude. And the angel of the Lord said to her, behold, you are with child and shall bear a son. You shall call his name Ishmael because the Lord has given heed to your affliction. He shall be a wild donkey of a man, his hand against every man and every man's hand against him.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 8: The Surrender of Abraham (2025)
And he shall dwell over against all his kinsmen. So she called the name of the Lord who spoke to her. You are a God of seeing. For she said, have I really seen God and remained alive after seeing him? Therefore, the well was called Bir Lahai Royi. It lies between Kadesh and Bered. And Hagar bore Abram a son. And Abram called the name of his son whom Hagar bore Ishmael.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 8: The Surrender of Abraham (2025)
Abram was eighty-six years old when Hagar bore Ishmael to Abram. When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to Abram and said to him, I am God Almighty. Walk before me and be blameless, and I will make my covenant between me and you and will multiply you exceedingly. Then Abram fell on his face, and God said to him, Behold, my covenant is with you.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 8: The Surrender of Abraham (2025)
This is day eight, so let's get started. We are continuing to read Genesis, Genesis chapter 16 and chapter 17. We're also taking those next steps in the life of the tragic...
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 8: The Surrender of Abraham (2025)
You shall be the father of a multitude of nations who No longer shall your name be Abram, but your name shall be Abraham. For I have made you the father of a multitude of nations. I will make you exceedingly fruitful and I will make nations of you and kings shall come forth from you.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 8: The Surrender of Abraham (2025)
And I will establish my covenant between me and you and your descendants after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant. And God said to Abraham, As for you, you shall keep my covenant, you and your descendants after you throughout their generations. This is my covenant, which you shall keep between me and you and your descendants after you.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 8: The Surrender of Abraham (2025)
Every male among you shall be circumcised. You shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskins, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and you. He that is eight days old among you shall be circumcised, every male throughout your generations, whether born in your house or bought with your money from any foreigner who is not of your offspring.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 8: The Surrender of Abraham (2025)
Both he that is born in your house and he that is bought with your money shall be circumcised. So shall my covenant be in your flesh, an everlasting covenant. Any uncircumcised male who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin shall be cut off from his people. He has broken my covenant. And God said to Abraham, as for Sarai, your wife,
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 8: The Surrender of Abraham (2025)
you shall not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall be her name. I will bless her. And moreover, I will give you a son by her. I will bless her and she shall be a mother of nations. Kings of peoples shall come from her. Then Abraham fell on his face and laughed and said to himself, shall a child be born to a man who is a hundred years old? Shall Sarah, who is 90 years old, bear a child?
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 8: The Surrender of Abraham (2025)
uh suffering man job reading job chapter 5 and chapter 6 and also continuing our reading of the wisdom literature by reading proverbs chapter 1 verses 20 through 33. as always the translation that i'm using for these podcasts is revised standard version catholic edition i'm using the great adventure bible from ascension the bible reading plan that we're following you can follow as well by downloading your catholic bible in a year reading plan
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 8: The Surrender of Abraham (2025)
And Abraham said to God, O that Ishmael might live in your sight. God said, No, but Sarah, your wife, shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac. I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his descendants after him. As for Ishmael, I have heard you. Behold, I will bless him and make him fruitful and multiply him exceedingly.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 8: The Surrender of Abraham (2025)
He shall be the father of twelve princes, and I will make him a great nation. But I will establish my covenant with Isaac, whom Sarah shall bear to you at this season next year. When he had finished talking with him, God went up from Abraham.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 8: The Surrender of Abraham (2025)
Then Abraham took Ishmael his son and all the slaves born in his house, or bought with his money every male among the men of Abraham's house, and he circumcised the flesh of their foreskins that very day, as God had said to him. Abraham was ninety-nine years old when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 8: The Surrender of Abraham (2025)
Hi, I'm Father Mike Schmitz, and you're listening to the Bible in a Year podcast, where we encounter God's voice and live life through the lens of Scripture. The Bible in a Year podcast is brought to you by Ascension. Using the Great Adventure Bible timeline, we'll read all the way from Genesis to Revelation, discovering how the story of salvation unfolds and how we fit into that story today.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 8: The Surrender of Abraham (2025)
And Ishmael, his son, was 13 years old when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin. That very day, Abraham and his son Ishmael were circumcised, and all the men of his house, those born in the house and those bought with money from a foreigner, were circumcised with him.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 8: The Surrender of Abraham (2025)
Call now, is there anyone who will answer you? To which of the holy ones will you turn? Surely vexation kills the fool and jealousy slays the simple. I have seen the fool taking root, but suddenly I cursed his dwelling. His sons are far from safety. They are crushed at the gate and there is no one to deliver them.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 8: The Surrender of Abraham (2025)
his harvest the hungry eat and he takes it even out of thorns and the thirsty pant after his wealth for affliction does not come from the dust nor does trouble sprout from the ground but man is born to trouble as the sparks fly upward as for me i would seek god and to god would i commit my cause who does great things and unsearchable marvelous things without number
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 8: The Surrender of Abraham (2025)
he gives rain upon the earth and sends water upon the fields he sets on high those who are lowly and those who mourn are lifted to safety he frustrates the devices of the crafty so that their hands achieve no success he takes the wise in their own craftiness and the schemes of the wily are brought to a quick end
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 8: The Surrender of Abraham (2025)
they meet with darkness in the daytime and grow up at noonday as in the night but he saves the fatherless from their mouth the needy from the hand of the mighty so the poor have hope and injustice shuts her mouth behold happy is the man whom god reproves therefore despise not the chastening of the almighty for he wounds but he binds up he strikes but his hands heal
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 8: The Surrender of Abraham (2025)
He will deliver you from six troubles. In seven, there shall no evil touch you. In famine, he will redeem you from death and in war from the power of the sword. You shall be hidden from the scourge of the tongue and shall not fear destruction when it comes. At destruction and famine, you shall laugh. You shall not fear the beasts of the earth.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 8: The Surrender of Abraham (2025)
For you shall be in league with the stones of the field and the beasts of the field shall be at peace with you. You shall know that your tent is safe and you shall inspect your fold and miss nothing. You shall know also that your descendants shall be many and your offspring as the grass of the earth.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 8: The Surrender of Abraham (2025)
You shall come to your grave in ripe old age as a shock of grain comes up to the threshing floor in its season. Behold, this we have searched out. It is true. Hear and know it for your good. Then Job answered, O that my vexation were weighed and all my calamity laid in the balances, for then it would be heavier than the sand of the sea.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 8: The Surrender of Abraham (2025)
by visiting ascensionpress.com slash bible in a year. You can also subscribe in the podcast app. Just click subscribe and these podcasts will pop up for the next 365 days. You can also sign up for our email list by texting the word Catholic Bible, all one word, Catholic Bible, to 33777.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 8: The Surrender of Abraham (2025)
Therefore my words have been rash, for the arrows of the Almighty are in me. My spirit drinks their poison, the terrors of God are arrayed against me. Does the wild donkey bray when he has grass, or the ox low over his fodder? Can that which is tasteless be eaten without salt, or is there any taste in the slime of the purslane? My appetite refuses to touch them.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 8: The Surrender of Abraham (2025)
They are as food that is loathsome to me. All that I might have my request, and that God would grant my desire, that it would please God to crush me, that he would let loose his hand and cut me off. This would be my consolation. I would even exult in pain unsparing, for I have not denied the words of the Holy One. What is my strength that I should wait? And what is my end that I should be patient?
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 8: The Surrender of Abraham (2025)
Is my strength the strength of stones? Or is my flesh bronze? In truth, I have no help in me, and any resource is driven from me. He who withholds kindness from a friend forsakes the fear of the Almighty. My brethren are treacherous as a torrent bed, as freshets that pass away, which are dark with ice and where snow hides itself. In time of heat, they disappear.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 8: The Surrender of Abraham (2025)
When it is hot, they vanish from their place. The caravans turn aside from their course. They go up into the waste and perish. The caravans of Tema look. The travelers of Sheba hope. They are disappointed because they were confident. They come there and are confounded. Such you have now become to me. You see my calamity and are afraid.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 8: The Surrender of Abraham (2025)
Have I said make me a gift or from your wealth offer a bribe for me or deliver me from the adversary's hand or rescue me from the hand of oppressors? Teach me, and I will be silent. Make me understand how I have erred, how forceful are honest words, but what does reproof from you reprove? Do you think that you can reprove words when the speech of a despairing man is wind?
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 8: The Surrender of Abraham (2025)
You would even cast lots over the fatherless and bargain over your friend. But now be pleased to look at me, for I will not lie to your face. Turn, I beg, let no wrong be done. Turn now, my vindication is at stake. Is there any wrong on my tongue?
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 8: The Surrender of Abraham (2025)
Wisdom cries aloud in the street. In the markets she raises her voice. At the top of the walls she cries out. At the entrance of the gates she speaks. How long, oh simple ones, will you love being simple? How long will scoffers delight in their scoffing and fools hate knowledge? Give heed to my reproof. Behold, I will pour out my thoughts to you.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 8: The Surrender of Abraham (2025)
Without any further delay, let's get started cracking open the word of God and letting that shape the way that we think,
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 8: The Surrender of Abraham (2025)
I will make my words known to you because I have called and you refuse to listen, have stretched out my hand and no one has heeded and you have ignored all my counsel and would have none of my reproof. I also will laugh at your calamity. I will mock when panic strikes you, when panic strikes you like a storm and your calamity comes like a whirlwind, when distress and anguish come upon you.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 8: The Surrender of Abraham (2025)
Then they will call upon me, but I will not answer. They will seek me diligently, but will not find me. Because they hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the Lord, would have none of my counsel and despised all my reproof. Therefore they shall eat the fruit of their way and be sated with their own devices.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 8: The Surrender of Abraham (2025)
For the simple are killed by their turning away, and the complacence of fools destroys them. But he who listens to me will dwell secure and will be at ease without dread of evil. Lord God, you are good. And we know that you love us. We know that we can trust you. We know that you reveal your heart to us in your word. And we thank you for revealing your heart to us. Thank you for your word.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 8: The Surrender of Abraham (2025)
we act and we love once again today we are reading from the book of genesis chapter 16 and chapter 17. let's get started now sarai abram's wife bore him no children she had an egyptian maid whose name was hagar and sarai said to abram behold now the lord has prevented me from bearing children go into my maid it may be that i shall obtain children by her And Abram listened to the voice of Sarai.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 8: The Surrender of Abraham (2025)
We ask that you please, in the midst of confusion, Lord, we ask that you give us your truth. In the midst of suffering, We sometimes don't want answers as much as we want you, Lord God. And so please just give us yourself. Give us your peace.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 8: The Surrender of Abraham (2025)
And to all those who are suffering in this moment and also all those who are suffering as they hear these words, your words proclaimed, Lord God, I ask that you please give them a confidence in you. Give them a trust in you. Give them a faith in you that above all things, you are faithful. Your love is unstoppable and your love is true.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 8: The Surrender of Abraham (2025)
sufficient you are good we praise you in jesus name amen in the name of the father son holy spirit amen wow um gosh so here we have the couple of different stories right we're following abram now abraham and sarai now sarah which is going to be way much more fun to say from now on Because I always think of Abraham, not just Abram, and Sarah, not just Sarai, because there's a difference.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 8: The Surrender of Abraham (2025)
There's a change, right? There is a change between Abram and Abraham and Sarai and Sarah. And that change makes up the bulk of their life, that here is Abram who is walking in faith and Sarai who's walking in faith. But there is a change when they're brought into relationship, when they're brought into covenant with the Lord God. And that sign of the covenant, obviously being circumcision.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 8: The Surrender of Abraham (2025)
Why circumcision? And the answer is, I don't know. But what could it be? Well, in so many ways, what do we want to do with our lives? We want to control our lives. And in so many ways, what does God want to do with our lives? He wants to bless our lives. He wants to let himself be the Lord. That means he has dominion.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 8: The Surrender of Abraham (2025)
And so here's a story of Sarai and Abram and Hagar trying to take control of the situation. That here is God who has promised that from Abram would be a vast dynasty. And he's 100 years old. So that's not happening anytime soon, right? So why not take Hagar? We see, though, that when we take measures into our own hands, nothing good comes of it.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 8: The Surrender of Abraham (2025)
In the space of five verses, Sarai has the idea to hand over Hagar to her husband so she can be another wife to him. And like five verses later, she's yelling at him for doing what she told him to do. causes problems. And yet that sense of, okay, I'm going to place myself in your hands, Lord. That's what the sign of circumcision in so many ways is. It's that step of surrender.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 8: The Surrender of Abraham (2025)
It's that step of saying, okay, Lord, I am no longer in control. So here's Abraham who gets circumcised at 100 years old and Ishmael, his son, who's circumcised at 13 years old and all the men in Abraham's, essentially in his posse in his family, whether they were raised in his family or whether they were purchased in a simply work for him.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 8: The Surrender of Abraham (2025)
But that whole tribe essentially is now under the dominion of the Lord God. And that's one of the invitations that God has for us today as well. is to place ourselves under his dominion, even when we don't know what he's doing. And that's the story of Job, right? We have Eliphaz who says, okay, Job, here's the deal. We all know this.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 36: Manna from Heaven (2025)
So even to old age and gray hairs, O God, do not forsake me, till I proclaim your might to all the generations to come. Your power and your righteousness, O God, reach the high heavens. You who have done great things, O God, who is like you? You who have made me see many sore troubles will revive me again. From the depths of the earth, you will bring me up again.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 36: Manna from Heaven (2025)
You will increase my honor and comfort me again. I will also praise you with the harp for your faithfulness, O my God. I will sing praises to you with the lyre, O holy one of Israel. My lips will shout for joy when I sing praises to you. My soul also which you have rescued. And my tongue will talk of your righteous help all the day long.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 36: Manna from Heaven (2025)
We thank you for the gift of your revealing your heart to us through scripture. And we ask that you please let your scripture, let your word, let your grace conform our minds to your mind, that we see things as you see them, conform our hearts to your heart, that we can love things as you love them. Help us to turn away from what kills us. and help us turn towards you who give us life.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 36: Manna from Heaven (2025)
In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. So today we have in the book of Exodus this food that the Lord gives. We're going to hear this story a couple more times in the book of Numbers, for example. But you have the people who are murmuring against the Lord and Moses and Aaron.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 36: Manna from Heaven (2025)
And even, you know, you have Moses and Aaron saying a couple times, like, listen, why are you murmuring against us? It's kind of like pawning off the blame to God. God's the one who did this. But God is also the one who's going to give you the food that you long for. It's so remarkable, isn't it?
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 36: Manna from Heaven (2025)
That here it's just been a few weeks now that the Lord God has miraculously delivered these people, his people from slavery and has led them through the Red Sea. when they're murmuring against God saying, why didn't we just die back in Egypt? This is going to be one of the refrains. Would it have been better if we had just died as slaves?
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 36: Manna from Heaven (2025)
Wouldn't it be better if we had just died as people who were abandoned by the Lord rather than being led by the Lord through dangerous places, uncomfortable places? And yet, this is what the Lord God is doing for his people, his people of Israel. It's interesting because we note this. Not only is God feeding his people, but he's also asking something of them. He's training them.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 36: Manna from Heaven (2025)
Pharaoh's chariots and his host he cast into the sea, and his picked officers are sunk in the Red Sea. The floods cover them. They went down into the depths like a stone. Your right hand, O Lord, glorious in power, your right hand, O Lord, shatters the enemy. In the greatness of your majesty, you overthrow your adversaries. You send forth your fury. It consumes them like stubble.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 36: Manna from Heaven (2025)
He's not just feeding them. He's not just caring for them. He's training them. And this is going to be one of the themes throughout the book of Exodus and the book of Numbers. We're going to see this again and again, how God is taking care, he's fighting for, but he's also trying to teach his people who he is and the degree to which they can trust him. So here's the example of manna, right?
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 36: Manna from Heaven (2025)
The Hebrew, what is it, is translated as the word manna. And people see this manna on the ground and Moses says, gather an omer of this and it will spoil. So only gather enough for one day.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 36: Manna from Heaven (2025)
and if they kept it overnight it would spoil had worms in it that's gross but on the sixth day gather twice as much so that you can keep a sabbath day that seventh day being shabbat right that seventh day being a day where you're gonna rest but also it's a day of trust and this is the remarkable thing god has demonstrated that if you keep the manna overnight it spoils and you don't have any food or the food you gathered the day before is useless because it's now gross right
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 36: Manna from Heaven (2025)
And yet, if you honor my Sabbath day and do not work and do not gather that food that you gathered, I will preserve it. And so here's God. Again, what is he doing? He's not just providing for his people. He's not just feeding his people. He's also training them. He's training them in the act of trust. He's training them to walk in faith.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 36: Manna from Heaven (2025)
He's training them who he is, his heart, his love for them, his faithfulness for them, his fidelity to them, and that he's near to them. And they have to learn this. And so do we. We have to learn how to trust the Lord. And that's one of the reasons why God gives us certain commandments. Sometimes for our good. Sometimes they're to keep us out of harm.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 36: Manna from Heaven (2025)
And I imagine sometimes God gives us commandments not just to keep us out of harm and not just because it's oriented towards human flourishing, but also because it teaches us and trains us to be like him. God is faithful and he wants us to be faithful. He is faithful to us. He's faithful to himself. He's faithful to his promises.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 36: Manna from Heaven (2025)
And so God is inviting us to learn how to be faithful to him and be faithful to his promises and faithful to our own promises. In order to do that, we need his grace. We can't do it on our own. So we need to pray. We need to pray with each other for each other. And especially on this journey, as we're now in the wilderness, the wilderness of our own lives, we need each other.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 36: Manna from Heaven (2025)
None of us can do this on our own. We can't do life on our own. We can't do this Bible in a year on our own. And so please, as part of this community, I invite you, encourage you, continue to pray for each other. You might not know each other by name, but we do know each other as brothers and sisters in the Lord. I am praying for you. And please pray for me. My name is Father Mike.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 36: Manna from Heaven (2025)
I cannot wait to see you tomorrow. God bless.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 36: Manna from Heaven (2025)
At the blast of your nostrils, the waters piled up. The floods stood up like a heap. The deeps congealed in the heart of the sea. The enemy said, I will pursue, I will overtake, I will divide the spoil, my desire shall have its fill of them, I will draw my sword, my hand shall destroy them. You blew with your wind, the sea covered them, they sank as lead in the mighty waters.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 36: Manna from Heaven (2025)
Using the Great Adventure Bible timeline, we'll read all the way from Genesis to Revelation, discovering how the story of salvation unfolds and how we fit into that story today. This is day 36. Let's keep on going. We'll be reading today from Exodus chapter 15 and 16, as well as Leviticus chapter 11, and then finally Psalm 71.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 36: Manna from Heaven (2025)
Who is like you, O Lord, among the gods? Who is like you, majestic in holiness, terrible in glorious deeds, doing wonders? you stretched out your right hand the earth swallowed them you have led in your merciful love the people whom you have redeemed you have guided them by your strength to your holy abode the peoples have heard they tremble pangs have seized on the inhabitants of philistia
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 36: Manna from Heaven (2025)
Now are the chiefs of Edom dismayed, the leaders of Moab trembling seizes them. All the inhabitants of Canaan have melted away. Terror and dread fall upon them because of the greatness of your arm. They are still as a stone. Till your people, O Lord, pass by. Till the people pass by whom you have purchased.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 36: Manna from Heaven (2025)
You will bring them in and plant them on your holy mountain, the place, O Lord, which you have made for your abode, the sanctuary, O Lord, which your hands have established. The Lord will reign forever and ever. For when the horses of Pharaoh with his chariots and his horsemen went into the sea, the Lord brought back the waters of the sea upon them.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 36: Manna from Heaven (2025)
But the sons of Israel walked on dry ground in the midst of the sea. then miriam the prophetess the sister of aaron took a timbrel in her hand and all the women went out after her with timbrels and dancing and miriam sang to them sing to the lord for he has triumphed gloriously the horse and his rider he has thrown into the sea
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 36: Manna from Heaven (2025)
Then Moses led Israel onward from the Red Sea and they went into the wilderness of Shur. They went three days in the wilderness and found no water. And when they came to Marah, they could not drink the water of Marah because it was bitter. Therefore it was called Marah. And the people murmured against Moses saying, what shall we drink?
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 36: Manna from Heaven (2025)
And he cried to the Lord and the Lord showed him a tree and he threw it into the water and the water became sweet.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 36: Manna from Heaven (2025)
There the Lord made for them a statute and an ordinance, and there he tested them, saying, If you will diligently listen to the voice of the Lord your God, and do that which is right in his eyes, and give heed to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, I will put none of the diseases upon you which I put upon the Egyptians, for I am the Lord, your healer.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 36: Manna from Heaven (2025)
Then they came to Elim, where there were twelve springs of water and seventy palm trees, and they encamped there by the water. They set out from Elim, and all the congregation of the sons of Israel came into the wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after they had departed from the land of Egypt.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 36: Manna from Heaven (2025)
And the whole congregation of the sons of Israel murmured against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness and said to them, Would that we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the flesh pots and ate bread to the full, for you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 36: Manna from Heaven (2025)
Then the Lord said to Moses, Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you, and the people shall go out and gather a day's portion every day that I may test them, whether they will walk in my law or not.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 36: Manna from Heaven (2025)
As always, I am reading from the revised standard version, the Catholic edition. In fact, I'm using the Great Adventure Bible from Ascension. You can get that Bible at ascensionpress.com or you can get the Bible at amazon.com, which is taking over the entire world. Just kidding. Side comment, I guess. But you can go to ascensionpress.com slash Bible in a year as well.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 36: Manna from Heaven (2025)
on the sixth day when they prepare that which they bring in it will be twice as much as they gather daily so moses and aaron said to all the sons of israel at evening you shall know that it was the lord who brought you out of the land of egypt and in the morning you shall see the glory of the lord because he has heard your murmurings against the lord For what are we, that you murmur against us?
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 36: Manna from Heaven (2025)
And Moses said, When the Lord gives you in the evening flesh to eat, and in the morning bread to the full, because the Lord has heard your murmurings, would you murmur against him? What are we? Your murmurings are not against us, but against the Lord. And Moses said to Aaron, Say to the whole congregation of the sons of Israel, Come near before the Lord, for he has heard your murmurings.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 36: Manna from Heaven (2025)
And as Aaron spoke to the whole congregation of the sons of Israel, they looked toward the wilderness, and behold, the glory of the Lord appeared in the cloud. And the Lord said to Moses, I have heard the murmurings of the sons of Israel. Say to them, At twilight you shall eat flesh, and in the morning you shall be filled with bread. Then you shall know that I am the Lord your God.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 36: Manna from Heaven (2025)
In the evening, quails came up and covered the camp. And in the morning, dew lay around the camp. And when the dew had gone up, there was on the face of the wilderness a fine flake-like thing, fine as hoarfrost on the ground. When the sons of Israel saw it, they said to one another, What is it? For they did not know what it was.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 36: Manna from Heaven (2025)
Hi, my name is Father Mike Schmitz, and you're listening to the Bible in a Year podcast, where we encounter God's voice and live life through the lens of scripture. The Bible in a Year podcast is brought to you by Ascension.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 36: Manna from Heaven (2025)
And Moses said to them, It is the bread which the Lord has given you to eat. This is what the Lord has commanded. Gather of it, every man of you, as much as he can eat. You shall take an omer apiece, according to the number of the persons whom each of you has in his tent. And the sons of Israel did so. They gathered some more, some less.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 36: Manna from Heaven (2025)
But when they measured it with an omer, he that gathered much had nothing over, and he that gathered little had no lack. Each gathered according to what he could eat. And Moses said to them, Let no man leave any of it until the morning. But they did not listen to Moses. Some left part of it till the morning, and it bred worms and became foul. And Moses was angry with them.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 36: Manna from Heaven (2025)
Morning by morning they gathered it, each as much as he could eat. But when the sun grew hot, it melted. On the sixth day, they gathered twice as much bread, two omers apiece. And when all the leaders of the congregation came and told Moses, he said to them, this is what the Lord has commanded. Tomorrow is a day of solemn rest, a holy Sabbath to the Lord.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 36: Manna from Heaven (2025)
Bake what you will bake and boil what you will boil. And all that is left over lay by to be kept until the morning. So they laid it by till the morning as Moses bade them, and it did not become foul.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 36: Manna from Heaven (2025)
and there were no worms in it moses said eat it today for today is a sabbath to the lord today you will not find it in the field six days you shall gather it but on the seventh day which is the sabbath there will be none on the seventh day some of the people went out to gather and they found none and the lord said to moses how long do you refuse to keep my commandments and my laws see the lord has given you the sabbath therefore on the sixth day he gives you bread for two days
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 36: Manna from Heaven (2025)
remain every man of you in his place. Let no man go out of his place on the seventh day. So the people rested on the seventh day. Now the house of Israel called its name manna. It was like coriander seed, white, and the taste of it was like wafers made with honey. And Moses said, this is what the Lord has commanded.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 36: Manna from Heaven (2025)
If you want to download your Bible in a year reading plan, that way you can follow along. You know what what readings are coming up, you know how many chapters we're going through. You also can get an overview of the entire year, all 365 days and all 365 episodes that we're going to have as we continue to journey through the scripture today.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 36: Manna from Heaven (2025)
Let an omer of it be kept throughout your generations that they may see the bread with which I fed you in the wilderness when I brought you out of the land of Egypt. And Moses said to Aaron, take a jar and put an omer of manna in it and place it before the Lord to be kept throughout your generations. As the Lord commanded Moses, so Aaron placed it before the covenant to be kept.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 36: Manna from Heaven (2025)
And the sons of Israel ate the manna forty years till they came to a habitable land. They ate the manna till they came to the border of the land of Canaan.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 36: Manna from Heaven (2025)
And the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, Say to the sons of Israel, These are the living things which you may eat among all the beasts that are on the earth. Whatever parts the hoof and is cloven-footed and chews the cud among the animals you may eat. Nevertheless, among those that chew the cud or part the hoof, you shall not eat these.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 36: Manna from Heaven (2025)
The camel, because it chews the cud but does not part the hoof, is unclean to you. And the rock badger, because it chews the cud but does not part the hoof, is unclean to you. And the hare, because it chews the cud, but does not part the hoof, is unclean to you. And the swine, because it parts the hoof, and is cloven-footed, but does not chew the cud, is unclean to you.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 36: Manna from Heaven (2025)
Of their flesh you shall not eat, and their carcasses you shall not touch. They are unclean to you. These you may eat of all that are in the waters, everything in the waters that has fins and scales, whether in the seas or in the rivers, you may eat.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 36: Manna from Heaven (2025)
But anything in the seas or the rivers that has not fins and scales of the swarming creatures in the waters and of the living creatures that are in the waters is an abomination to you. They shall be an abomination to you of their flesh. You shall not eat in their carcasses. You shall have an abomination. Everything in the waters that has not fins and scales is an abomination to you.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 36: Manna from Heaven (2025)
and these you shall have in abomination among the birds they shall not be eaten they are an abomination the eagle the vulture the osprey the kite the falcon according to its kind every raven according to its kind the ostrich the night-hawk the sea-gull the hawk according to its kind the owl the cormorant the ibis the water-hen the pelican the carrion vulture the stork the heron according to its kind the hoopoe and the bat
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 36: Manna from Heaven (2025)
All winged insects that go upon all fours are an abomination to you. Yet among the winged insects that go on all fours, you may eat those which have the legs above their feet with which to leap on the earth. Of them you may eat the locust according to its kind, the bald locust according to its kind, the cricket according to its kind, and the grasshopper according to its kind.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 36: Manna from Heaven (2025)
If you have not subscribed in the podcast app that you're using to listen to this podcast, go ahead and do that. You don't have to, but why wouldn't you is my question. And lastly, as I said, today we are reading from Exodus chapter 15 and 16. That's where we're starting. Exodus chapter 15 and 16, the songs of Moses and Miriam.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 36: Manna from Heaven (2025)
But all the other winged insects which have four feet are an abomination to you. He says, And all that go on their paws among the animals that go on all fours are unclean to you. Whoever touches their carcass shall be unclean until the evening. And he who carries their carcass shall wash his clothes and be unclean until the evening. They are unclean to you.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 36: Manna from Heaven (2025)
And these are unclean to you among the swarming things that swarm upon the earth, the weasel, the mouse, the great lizard according to its kind, the gecko, the land crocodile, the lizard, the sand lizard, and the chameleon. These are unclean to you among all that swarm. Whoever touches them when they are dead shall be unclean until the evening.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 36: Manna from Heaven (2025)
And anything upon which any of them falls when they are dead shall be unclean, whether it is an article of wood or a garment or a skin or a sack, any vessel that is used for any purpose, it must be put into water and it shall be unclean until the evening. Then it shall be clean. And if any of them falls into an earthen vessel, all that is in it shall be unclean, and you shall break it.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 36: Manna from Heaven (2025)
Any food in it, which may be eaten, upon which water may come, shall be unclean. And all drink, which may have been drunk from every such vessel, shall be unclean. And everything upon which any part of the carcass falls shall be unclean, whether oven or stove, it shall be broken in pieces, they are unclean, and shall be unclean to you.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 36: Manna from Heaven (2025)
Nevertheless, a spring or a cistern holding water shall be clean, but whatever touches their carcass shall be unclean. And if any part of their carcass falls upon any seed for sowing that is to be sown, it is clean. But if water is put on the seed and any part of their carcass falls on it, it is unclean to you. And if any animal of which you may eat dies and
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 36: Manna from Heaven (2025)
he who touches its carcass shall be unclean until the evening. And he who eats of its carcass shall wash his clothes and be unclean until the evening. He also who carries the carcass shall wash his clothes and be unclean until the evening. Every swarming thing that swarms upon the earth is an abomination. It shall not be eaten.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 36: Manna from Heaven (2025)
Whatever goes on its belly and whatever goes on all fours or whatever has many feet, all the swarming things that swarm upon the earth, you shall not eat for they are an abomination. You shall not make yourselves abominable with any swarming thing that swarms, and you shall not defile yourselves with them, lest you become unclean. For I am the Lord your God.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 36: Manna from Heaven (2025)
Consecrate yourselves, therefore, and be holy, for I am holy. You shall not defile yourselves with any swarming thing that crawls upon the earth, for I am the Lord who brought you up out of the land of Egypt to be your God. You shall therefore be holy, for I am holy.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 36: Manna from Heaven (2025)
This is the law pertaining to beast and bird and every living creature that moves through the waters and every creature that swarms upon the earth to make a distinction between the unclean and the clean and between the living creature that may be eaten and the living creature that may not be eaten.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 36: Manna from Heaven (2025)
Then Moses and the sons of Israel sang this song to the Lord, saying, I will sing to the Lord, for he has triumphed gloriously. The horse and his rider he has thrown into the sea. The Lord is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation. This is my God, and I will praise him, my Father's God, and I will exalt him. The Lord is a man of war. The Lord is his name.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 36: Manna from Heaven (2025)
In you, O Lord, I take refuge. Let me never be put to shame. In your righteousness, deliver me and rescue me. Incline your ear to me and save me. Be to me a rock of refuge, a strong fortress to save me, for you are my rock and my fortress. Rescue me, O my God, from the hands of the wicked, from the grasp of the unjust and cruel man, for you, O Lord, are my hope, my trust, O Lord, from my youth.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 36: Manna from Heaven (2025)
Upon you I have leaned from my birth, from my mother's womb you have been my strength. My praise is continually of you. I have been as important to many, but you are my strong refuge. My mouth is filled with your praise and with your glory all the day. Do not cast me off in the time of old age. Forsake me not when my strength is spent. For my enemies speak concerning me.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 36: Manna from Heaven (2025)
Those who watch for my life consult together and say, God has forsaken him. Pursue and seize him, for there is none to deliver him. O God, be not far from me. O my God, make haste to help me. May my accusers be put to shame and consumed with scorn and disgrace. May they be covered who seek my harm. But I will hope continually and will praise you yet more and more.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 36: Manna from Heaven (2025)
My mouth will tell of your righteous acts, of your deeds of salvation all the day, for their number is past my knowledge. With the mighty deeds of the Lord God, I will come. I will praise your righteousness, yours alone. O God, from my youth you have taught me, and I still proclaim your wondrous deeds.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 28: The Burning Bush (2025)
The Lord God, he's setting his people free for their own sake, but he's also setting them free so that they can become a people who is free to worship him as he's asking them to worship him. And it is just such a gift. That's one of the reasons why as we're looking back into Leviticus now, chapter two and chapter three, We have the peace offering. We have the serial offering.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 28: The Burning Bush (2025)
And the angel of the Lord appeared to him in the flame of fire out of the midst of a bush. And he looked and behold, the bush was burning, yet it was not consumed. And Moses said, I will turn aside and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt. When the Lord saw that he turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, Moses, Moses.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 28: The Burning Bush (2025)
We have these different ways that God had asked his people to worship him. And that's why we pay attention to Leviticus, because this was the way that God had asked in ancient times his people to worship him.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 28: The Burning Bush (2025)
And so we pay attention to that, knowing that God has asked us in this final age, in this age of the church, this age of the Holy Spirit, this age of Christianity, that he's asked us to worship him in the mass. And why it's absolutely critical that we do what he's asked us to do, because he's made us to worship him this way. He's created us to worship him in this way.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 28: The Burning Bush (2025)
And he's given us everything that we need to give him the worship that he deserves and the worship that he has asked for. It's such a gift. What a gift, not only to be able to hear these words, to speak these words to y'all, but also to pray with you. I invite you, continue to pray for each other. We have not yet gotten to the place where God delivers his people from slavery in Egypt.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 28: The Burning Bush (2025)
And the story that's coming up relatively quickly, but we have to go through a number of number of experiences first. They're going through those tomorrow and the days to come. But in the meantime, we continue to pray for each other. My invitation, please pray for each other. Please pray for me. I am praying for you. This journey is a long one and it is not one that I think we can make on our own.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 28: The Burning Bush (2025)
So we need each other. We pray for each other. We help each other. And God willing, I cannot wait to see you again tomorrow. God bless.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 28: The Burning Bush (2025)
And he said, here am I. Then he said, do not come near. Put off your shoes from your feet for the place on which you are standing is holy ground. And he said, I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 28: The Burning Bush (2025)
Using the Great Adventure Bible Timeline, we'll read all the way from Genesis to Revelation, discovering how the story of salvation unfolds and how we fit into that story today. This is day 28. Let's keep on going. We're going to be reading today from Exodus chapter three, just one chapter in Exodus. but also Leviticus chapter two and three, as well as Psalm 45.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 28: The Burning Bush (2025)
Then the Lord said, I have seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters. I know their sufferings, and I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land to a good and broad land.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 28: The Burning Bush (2025)
a land flowing with milk and honey to the place of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. And now, behold, the cry of the sons of Israel has come to me, and I have seen the oppression with which the Egyptians oppressed them. Come, I will send you to Pharaoh, that you may bring forth my people, the sons of Israel, out of Egypt.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 28: The Burning Bush (2025)
But Moses said to God, Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the sons of Israel out of Egypt? He said, But I will be with you, and this shall be the sign for you that I have sent you. When you have brought forth the people out of Egypt, you shall serve God upon this mountain.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 28: The Burning Bush (2025)
Then Moses said to God, If I come to the sons of Israel and say to them, The God of your fathers has sent me to you, and they ask of me, What is his name? What shall I say to them? God said to Moses, I am who I am. And he said, say this to the sons of Israel. I am has sent me to you.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 28: The Burning Bush (2025)
God also said to Moses, say this to the sons of Israel, the Lord, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob has sent me to you. This is my name forever. And thus I am to be remembered throughout all generations.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 28: The Burning Bush (2025)
Go and gather the elders of Israel together and say to them, the Lord, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob has appeared to me saying, I have observed you and what has been done to you in Egypt.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 28: The Burning Bush (2025)
And I promise that I will bring you up out of affliction of Egypt to the land of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, a land flowing with milk and honey. And they will listen to your voice. And you and the elders of Israel shall go to the king of Egypt and say to him, the Lord, the God of the Hebrews has met with us.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 28: The Burning Bush (2025)
And now we beg you, let us go a three days journey into the wilderness that we may sacrifice to the Lord, our God. I know that the king of Egypt will not let you go unless compelled by a mighty hand. So I will stretch out my hand and strike Egypt with all the wonders, which I will do in it. After that, he will let you go. and I will give this people favor in the sight of the Egyptians.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 28: The Burning Bush (2025)
And when you go, you shall not go empty, but each woman shall ask of her neighbor and of her who sojourns in her house, jewelry of silver and of gold and clothing, and you shall put them on your sons and on your daughters.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 28: The Burning Bush (2025)
Thus you shall despoil the Egyptians. Leviticus chapter two and chapter three.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 28: The Burning Bush (2025)
When anyone brings a cereal offering as an offering to the Lord, his offering shall be of fine flour. He shall pour oil upon it and put frankincense on it and bring it to Aaron's sons, the priests. And he shall take it from a handful of the fine flour and oil with all of its frankincense.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 28: The Burning Bush (2025)
If you want to get a copy of your own Bible in a Year podcast reading plan, you can go to ascensionpress.com slash Bible in a Year. Go to ascensionpress.com Bible in a Year. You can get that free download of your Bible in a Year reading plan. Also, I invite you to subscribe to this podcast. That way, every single day, whenever we drop a new episode, you have it accessible to you.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 28: The Burning Bush (2025)
And the priest shall burn this as its memorial portion upon the altar, an offering by fire, a pleasing order to the Lord. And what is left of the cereal offering shall be for Aaron and his sons. It is most holy part of the offerings by fire to the Lord.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 28: The Burning Bush (2025)
When you bring a cereal offering baked in the oven as an offering, it shall be unleavened cakes of fine flour mixed with oil or unleavened wafers spread with oil. And if your offering is a cereal offering baked on a griddle, it shall be of fine flour unleavened mixed with oil. You shall break it in pieces and pour oil on it. It is a cereal offering.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 28: The Burning Bush (2025)
And if your offering is a cereal offering cooked in a pan, it shall be made of fine flour with oil. And you shall bring the cereal offering that is made of these things to the Lord. And when it is presented to the priest, he shall bring it to the altar.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 28: The Burning Bush (2025)
And the priest shall take from the cereal offering its memorial portion and burn this on the altar, an offering by fire, a pleasing odor to the Lord. And what is left of the cereal offering shall be for Aaron and his sons. It is a most holy part of the offerings by fire to the Lord.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 28: The Burning Bush (2025)
No serial offering which you bring to the Lord shall be made with leaven, for you shall burn no leaven nor any honey as an offering by fire to the Lord. As an offering of first fruits, you may bring them to the Lord, but they shall not be offered on the altar for a pleasing order. You shall season all your cereal offerings with salt.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 28: The Burning Bush (2025)
Hi, my name is Father Mike Schmitz, and you're listening to the Bible in a Year podcast, where we encounter God's voice and live life through the lens of scripture. The Bible in a Year podcast is brought to you by Ascension.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 28: The Burning Bush (2025)
You shall not let the salt of the covenant with your God be lacking from your cereal offering. With all your offerings, you shall offer salt. If you offer a cereal offering of first fruits to the Lord, you shall offer for the cereal offering of your first fruits, crushed new grain from fresh ears, parched with fire. And you shall put oil upon it and lay frankincense on it. It is a cereal offering.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 28: The Burning Bush (2025)
And the priest shall burn as its memorial portion part of the crushed grain and of the oil with all of its frankincense. It is an offering by fire to the Lord. Peace Offerings If a man's offering is a sacrifice of peace offering, if he offers an animal from the herd, male or female, he shall offer it without blemish before the Lord.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 28: The Burning Bush (2025)
And he shall lay his hand upon the head of his offering and kill it at the door of the tent of meeting. And Aaron's sons, the priests, shall throw the blood against the altar round about.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 28: The Burning Bush (2025)
And from the sacrifice of the peace offering as an offering by fire to the Lord, he shall offer the fat covering the entrails and all the fat that is on the entrails and the two kidneys with the fat that is on them at the loins and the appendage of the liver, which he shall take away with the kidneys.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 28: The Burning Bush (2025)
Then Aaron's sons shall burn it on the altar upon the burnt offering, which is upon the wood on the fire. It is an offering by fire, a pleasing odor to the Lord. If his offering for a sacrifice of peace offering to the Lord is an animal from the flock, male or female, he shall offer it without blemish.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 28: The Burning Bush (2025)
If he offers a lamb for his offering, then he shall offer it before the Lord, laying his hand upon the head of his offering and killing it before the tent of meeting. And Aaron's sons shall throw its blood against the altar roundabout.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 28: The Burning Bush (2025)
Then from the sacrifice of the peace offering as an offering by fire to the Lord, he shall offer its fat, the fat tail and tire, taking it away close by the backbone and the fat that covers the entrails and all the fat that is on the entrails and the two kidneys with the fat that is on them at the loins and the appendage of the liver, which he shall take away with the kidneys and the priest shall burn it on the altar as food offered by fire to the Lord.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 28: The Burning Bush (2025)
And it's just right there. We're reading from, as always, the Revised Standard Version, Catholic Edition. And I'm using the Great Adventure Bible from Ascension, which is so helpful. We are now in a new period. We started yesterday with Exodus chapter one and chapter two, this time of seeing what happens when the Lord begins to set his people free and leads them out of slavery in Egypt.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 28: The Burning Bush (2025)
if his offering is a goat then he shall offer it before the lord and lay his hand upon its head and kill it before the tent of meeting and the sons of aaron shall throw its blood against the altar round about then he shall offer from it as his offering for an offering by fire to the lord the fat covering the entrails
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 28: The Burning Bush (2025)
and all the fat that is on the entrails, and the two kidneys, with the fat that is on them at the loins, and the appendage of the liver which he shall take away with the kidneys, and the priest shall burn them on the altar as food offered by fire for a pleasing odor. All fat is the Lord's.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 28: The Burning Bush (2025)
It shall be a perpetual statute throughout your generations, in all your dwelling places, that you eat neither fat nor blood. Psalm 45, ode for a royal wedding to the choir master, according to the lilies, a mascal of the sons of Korah, a love song. My heart overflows with a goodly theme. I address my verses to the king. My tongue is like the pen of a ready scribe.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 28: The Burning Bush (2025)
You are the fairest of the sons of men. Grace is poured upon your lips. Therefore, God has blessed you forever. Gird your sword upon your thigh, O mighty one, in your glory and majesty. In your majesty, ride forth victoriously for the cause of truth and to defend the right. Let your right hand teach you dread deeds. Your arrows are sharp.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 28: The Burning Bush (2025)
In the heart of the king's enemies, the peoples fall under you. Your divine throne endures forever and ever. Your royal scepter is a scepter of equity. You love righteousness and hate wickedness. Therefore, God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness above your fellows. Your robes are all fragrant with myrrh and aloes and kesha. From ivory palaces, stringed instruments make you glad.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 28: The Burning Bush (2025)
Daughters of kings are among your ladies of honor. At your right hand stands the queen in gold of Ophir. Hear, O daughter, consider, and incline your ear. Forget your people and your father's house, and the king will desire your beauty. Since he is your lord, bow to him. The people of Tyre will court your favor with gifts. The richest of the people with all kinds of wealth.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 28: The Burning Bush (2025)
The daughter of the king is decked in her chamber with gold woven robes. In many colored robes she is led to the king with her virgin companions, her escort in her train. With joy and gladness they are led along as they enter the palace of the king. Instead of your fathers shall be your sons. You will make them princes in all the earth. I will cause your name to be celebrated in all generations.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 28: The Burning Bush (2025)
Therefore, the peoples will praise you forever and ever.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 28: The Burning Bush (2025)
Father in heaven, we thank you. Once again, we thank you for your word.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 28: The Burning Bush (2025)
We thank you for the gift of yourself. And we thank you for being with us with your grace. We know that we can trust you in all things. We know that we can rely upon you at every moment of our lives. And so this moment, and with these things in our lives, we trust you. We declare you are good. We declare that you are faithful. We receive your love and we rest in your peace. In Jesus' name we pray.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 28: The Burning Bush (2025)
Amen. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Amen. Man, oh man, we are continuing our journey through Exodus and Leviticus. And it is, I don't know, hopefully you are getting a sense of like, okay, this is something big. Maybe these are the first times you've ever read or ever heard the words of Exodus where God actually calls Moses.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 28: The Burning Bush (2025)
Again, spoiler alert. Sorry about that. But today we're continuing our story. by following this man, Moses, who has fled to the area of Midian by reading Exodus chapter three. Exodus chapter three. Now, Moses was keeping the flock of his father-in-law, Jethro, the priest of Midian, and he led his flock to the west side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 28: The Burning Bush (2025)
Like a lot of us are familiar with the Prince of Egypt, right? Or a lot of us are familiar with the movie, the 10 commandments, but not a lot of us. Sometimes we've never necessarily read all of the words or heard all of the words of
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 28: The Burning Bush (2025)
when god appears to moses and i know sometimes some of you you might have noticed wait a second since i've never read all these words like of exodus chapter 2 and now exodus chapter 3 today i noticed that um yesterday moses was said to have gotten married to zipporah who is the daughter of a guy named raul But today it says Jethro was the name of Moses' father-in-law.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 28: The Burning Bush (2025)
You're like, what the, what's going on here? Well, there are a number of scholars who refer to them as the same person because he will be referred to it kind of like Jacob and Israel, you know, they're same person, two different names. And so same thing with in the New Testament, we have Peter and Simon. And even after Jesus changes Simon's name to Peter, he gets referred to at times as Simon.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 28: The Burning Bush (2025)
So it's not completely unusual for people, characters in the Bible to have more than one name. But if you've never read Exodus chapter 2 and chapter 3 before, you might have been like, wait a second here. What's going on? That's what's going on, is that they are the same person, and they're just referred to by two different names.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 28: The Burning Bush (2025)
There's some other theories, too, like maybe Reul is the head of the entire household, but Jethro is the actual father of Zipporah. But nonetheless, the most important thing from our story today is not only... that God says, listen, I have heard, I have watched, I have observed, I care about the sufferings of my people. I've heard their cries. And this is one of the things for us. It's so good.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 28: The Burning Bush (2025)
It's so necessary for us to know that this is true, to know that when we cry out to the Lord and it doesn't seem like there's any answer. Remember, this has been hundreds and hundreds of years of the people of Israel being blessed by the Lord in the sense that they're having more children and they're becoming stronger and stronger.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 28: The Burning Bush (2025)
but also being in terrible circumstances where they're being worked with rigor, where they're being treated as slaves and being forced to live as slaves. Yet, the entire time, God has heard their cry. The entire time, God has loved every one of them.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 28: The Burning Bush (2025)
The entire time, he's blessed them in many ways, even if one of his blessings, this is important, even if one of his blessings hadn't yet been their freedom from slavery. This is so important for all of us. We can be in the midst of horrible situations I'll be crying out to God, like, deliver me from this situation. Please answer this particular prayer.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 28: The Burning Bush (2025)
And there can be times, many times, in fact, when God doesn't release us from that particular situation, when he doesn't free us from that particular thing that's in our lives. But that doesn't mean that he's not blessing us in dozens upon hundreds of other ways.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 28: The Burning Bush (2025)
And one of the important things for all of us to do is to recognize that just because God has not answered this prayer doesn't mean he's not answering any prayers. Just because he hasn't blessed me in this particular way doesn't mean that he is not blessing me in a bunch of other ways. It's one of the things the people of Israel...
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 28: The Burning Bush (2025)
Kept in mind, even as they were in the midst of slavery, that God was continually with them, that he was continually helping them in strengthening them and blessing them, even though they were in incredibly awful circumstances. But when God said to Moses, here's what's going to happen. I want you to come out back to this place, to come back to this mountain.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 28: The Burning Bush (2025)
And on this mountain, you're going to do something specific. On this mountain, you will worship me. This is key. This is absolutely critical. It's going to be the refrain we're going to go hit on for the rest of the book of Exodus, at least the narrative part of this book, where God is saying, I'm setting you free not just because you're made for freedom.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 28: The Burning Bush (2025)
I'm setting you free not just because slavery is bad and it demeans you. I'm setting you free not just even to bring you back to the promised land. I'm setting you free so you can worship. And this is so critical.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 21: Walking with God (2025)
I cannot wait to continue this journey with you. We're going to find out more about Joseph tomorrow and next couple days, what God is going to do when he continues to walk and lead his people. We're also going to find out what Elihu has to say tomorrow, who is like the young pup, young buck, who is not going to hold back. He's going to tell these old folks what he thinks.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 21: Walking with God (2025)
And then someone really important is going to show up in the book of Job, and we need to hear from him because he's been kind of quiet this entire time. Anyways, my name is Father Mike. I cannot wait to see you tomorrow. God bless.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 21: Walking with God (2025)
Now Joseph was taken down to Egypt and Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, the captain of the guard, an Egyptian, brought him from the Ishmaelites who had brought him down there. The Lord was with Joseph and he became a successful man and he was in the house of his master, the Egyptian, and his master saw that the Lord was with him and that the Lord caused all that he did to prosper in his hands.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 21: Walking with God (2025)
So Joseph found favor in his sight and intended him and he made him the overseer of his house, and put him in charge of all that he had. From the time that he made him overseer in his house and over all that he had, the Lord blessed the Egyptian's house for Joseph's sake.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 21: Walking with God (2025)
The blessing of the Lord was upon all that he had, in house and field, so he left all that he had in Joseph's charge, and having him, he had no concern for anything but the food which he ate. Now Joseph was handsome and good-looking, and after a time his master's wife cast her eyes upon Joseph and said, "'Lie with me.'
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 21: Walking with God (2025)
But he refused and said to his master's wife, "'Behold, having me, my master has no concern about anything in the house, and he has put everything that he has into my hand. He is not greater in this house than I am, nor has he kept back anything from me except yourself, because you are his wife.' How then can I do this great wickedness and sin against God?
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 21: Walking with God (2025)
And although she spoke to Joseph day after day, he would not listen to her, to lie with her or to be with her. But one day when he went into the house to do his work and none of the men of the house were there in the house, She caught him by his garment saying, lie with me. But he left his garment in her hand and fled and got out of the house.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 21: Walking with God (2025)
And when she saw that he had left his garment in her hand and had fled out of the house, she called to the men of her household and said to them, see, he has brought among us a Hebrew to insult us. He came in to lie with me and I cried out in a low voice. And when he heard that I lifted up my voice and cried, he left his garment with me and fled and got out of the house.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 21: Walking with God (2025)
Then she laid up his garment by her until his master came home. And she told him the same story saying, the Hebrew servant whom you have brought among us came into me to insult me. But as soon as I lifted up my voice and cried, he left his garment with me and fled out of the house. When his master heard the words, which his wife spoke to him, this is the way your servant treated me.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 21: Walking with God (2025)
This is day 21. So let's get started. We will be reading today from Genesis chapter 39 and 40, from Job 31 and 32, and from Proverbs chapter 3, verses 33 through 35. As you know, we've been going at this for three full weeks by now. And we read every day from the Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition. I'm reading using The Great Adventure of Bible from Ascension.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 21: Walking with God (2025)
His anger was kindled and Joseph's master took him and put him into the prison, the place where the King's prisoners were confined. And he was there in prison. And whatever he did, the Lord made it prosper.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 21: Walking with God (2025)
Sometime after this, the butler of the king of Egypt and his baker offended their lord, the king of Egypt, and Pharaoh was angry with his two officers, the chief butler and the chief baker, and he put them in custody in the house of the captain of the guard in the prison where Joseph was confined.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 21: Walking with God (2025)
The captain of the guard charged Joseph with them, and he waited on them, and they continued for some time in custody. And one night they both dreamed, the butler and the baker of the king of Egypt, who were confined in the prison, each his own dream, and each dream with its own meaning. When Joseph came to them in the morning and saw them, they were troubled.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 21: Walking with God (2025)
So he asked Pharaoh's officers who were with him in custody of his master's house, why are your faces downcast today? They said to him, we have had dreams and there is no one to interpret them. And Joseph said to them, do not interpretations belong to God? Tell them to me, I beg you.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 21: Walking with God (2025)
So the chief butler told his dream to Joseph and said to him, in my dream, there was a vine before me and on the vine, there were three branches. As soon as it budded, its blossoms shot forth and the clusters ripened into grapes. Pharaoh's cup was in my hand and I took the grapes and pressed them into Pharaoh's cup and placed the cup in Pharaoh's hand.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 21: Walking with God (2025)
Then Joseph said to him, this is its interpretation. The three branches are three days. Within three days, Pharaoh will lift your head and restore you to your office. and you shall place Pharaoh's cup in his hand as formerly when you were his butler. But remember me when it is well with you, and do me the kindness I beg you to make mention of me to Pharaoh, and so get me out of this house.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 21: Walking with God (2025)
For indeed I was stolen out of the land of the Hebrews, and here also I have done nothing that they should put me into the dungeon. When the chief baker saw that the interpretation was favorable, he said to Joseph, I also had a dream.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 21: Walking with God (2025)
There were three cake baskets on my head, and in the uppermost basket there were all sorts of baked food for Pharaoh, but the birds were eating it out of the basket on my head. And Joseph answered, This is its interpretation. The three baskets are three days. Within three days Pharaoh will lift up your head from you and hang you on a tree, and the birds will eat the flesh from you.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 21: Walking with God (2025)
Hi, I'm Father Mike Schmitz, and you're listening to the Bible in a Year podcast, where we encounter God's voice and live life through the lens of Scripture. The Bible in a Year podcast is brought to you by Ascension. Using the Great Adventure Bible Timeline, we'll read all the way from Genesis to Revelation, discovering how the story of salvation unfolds and how we fit into that story today.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 21: Walking with God (2025)
On the third day, which was Pharaoh's birthday, he made a feast for all his servants and lifted up the head of the chief butler and the head of the chief baker among its servants. He restored the chief butler to his butlership and he placed the cup in Pharaoh's hand, but he hanged the chief baker as Joseph had interpreted to them. Yet the chief butler did not remember Joseph, but forgot him.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 21: Walking with God (2025)
The book of Job chapter 31 and 32. Job asserts his integrity. I have made a covenant with my eyes. How then could I look upon a virgin? What would be my portion from God above and my heritage from the Almighty on high? Does not calamity befall the unrighteous and disaster the workers of iniquity? Does he not see my ways and number all my steps?
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 21: Walking with God (2025)
If I have walked in falsehood and my foot has hastened to deceit, let me be weighed in a just balance and let God know my integrity. If my step has turned aside from the way and my heart has gone after my eyes and if any spot has clung to my hands, then let me sow and another eat and let what grows for me be rooted out.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 21: Walking with God (2025)
If my heart has been enticed to a woman and I have lain in wait at my neighbor's door, then let my wife grind for another and let others bow down to her. for that would be a heinous crime. That would be an iniquity to be punished by the judges, for that would be a fire which consumes unto a badden, and it would burn to the root all my increase.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 21: Walking with God (2025)
If you want to follow along, if you want to read along, maybe even want to go back after you listen to this and mark up your own Bible, you can download your own Bible in a Year reading plan by going to ascensionpress.com slash Bible in a Year. You can click the subscribe button on whatever app you have so that you can get the updates as soon as we update it.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 21: Walking with God (2025)
If I have rejected the cause of my manservant or maidservant when they brought a complaint against me, what then shall I do when God rises up? When he makes an inquiry, what shall I answer him? Did not he who made me in the womb make him? And did not one fashion us in the womb?
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 21: Walking with God (2025)
If I have withheld anything that the poor desired, or have caused the eyes of the widow to fail, or have eaten my morsel alone, and the fatherless has not eaten of it, for from his youth I reared him as a father, and from his mother's womb I guided him, if I have seen anyone perish for lack of clothing, or a poor man without covering, if his loins have not blessed me, and if he has not warmed with the fleece of my sheep,
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 21: Walking with God (2025)
If I have raised my hand against the fatherless because I saw help at the gate, then let my shoulder blade fall from my shoulder and let my arm be broken from its socket. For I was in terror of the calamity from God and I could not have faced this majesty.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 21: Walking with God (2025)
If I have made gold my trust, or called fine gold my confidence, if I have rejoiced because my wealth was great, or because my hand had gotten much, if I have looked at the sun when it shone, or the moon moving in splendor, and my heart has been secretly enticed, and my mouth has kissed my hand, this also would be an iniquity to be punished by the judges, for I should have been false to God above.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 21: Walking with God (2025)
if i have rejoiced at the ruin of him that hated me or exalted when evil overtook him i have not let my mouth sin by asking for his life with a curse if the men of my tent have not said who is there that has not been filled with his meat the sojourner has not lodged in the street i have opened my doors to the wayfarer
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 21: Walking with God (2025)
If I have concealed my transgressions from men by hiding my iniquity in my bosom because I stood in great fear of the multitude and the contempt of families terrified me so that I kept silence and did not go out of doors, that I had one to hear me. Here's my signature. Let the Almighty answer me. Oh, that I had the indictment written by my adversary. Surely I would carry it on my shoulder.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 21: Walking with God (2025)
I would bind it on me as a crown. I would give him an account of all my steps. Like a prince, I would approach him. If my land has cried out against me and its furrows have wept together, if I have eaten its yield without payment and caused the death of its owners, let thorns grow instead of wheat and foul weeds instead of barley. The words of Job are ended. Young Elihu rebukes Job's friends.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 21: Walking with God (2025)
So these three men ceased to answer Job because he was righteous in his own eyes. Then Elihu, the son of Barakal, the Buzite, of the family of Ram, became angry. He was angry at Job because he justified himself rather than God. He was also angry at Job's three friends because they had found no answer, although they had declared Job to be in the wrong.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 21: Walking with God (2025)
And you can also sign up for our email list by texting the word catholicbible to the number 33777. Once again, as I said, today we're reading from Genesis chapter 39 and 40, where we pick back up. Yesterday, we read chapter 38, where we heard this story of Judah and Tamar and all the craziness in that family. Of course, from that family came the Messiah, came our Lord Jesus.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 21: Walking with God (2025)
Now Elihu had waited to speak to Job because they were older than he. And when Elihu saw that there were no answers in the mouths of these three men, he became angry. And Elihu, the son of Barakhel the Buzite, answered, I am young in years and you are aged. Therefore, I was timid and afraid to declare my opinion to you. I said, let my days speak and many years teach wisdom.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 21: Walking with God (2025)
But it is the spirit in a man, the breath of the Almighty, that makes him understand. It is not the old that are wise, nor are the aged that understand what is right. Therefore I say, listen to me, and let me also declare my opinion. Behold, I waited for your words. I listened for your wise sayings while you searched out what to say.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 21: Walking with God (2025)
I gave you my attention, and behold, there was none that confuted Job or that answered his words among you. Lest you say, we have found wisdom, God may vanquish him, not man. He has not directed his words against me, and I will not answer him with your speeches. They are discomfited. They answer no more.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 21: Walking with God (2025)
They have not a word to say, and I shall speak because they do not speak, because they stand there and answer no more. I also will give my answer. I also will declare my opinion, for I am full of words. Proverbs chapter 3, verses 33 through 35. The Lord's curse is on the house of the wicked, but he blesses the abode of the righteous.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 21: Walking with God (2025)
Toward the scorners he is scornful, but to the humble he shows favor. The wise will inherit honor, but fools get disgrace. God in heaven, we thank you. We thank you for your word. We thank you for revealing your heart to us. We thank you for heroes, people who are faithful like our friend Job. We thank you for heroes, people who are faithful like Joseph.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 21: Walking with God (2025)
Help us to be the kind of men and women who know your name and who know your commands and have the ability and the grace the perseverance and the persistence, the confidence and trust in you to do your will in all things. We make this prayer in Jesus' name, amen. In the name of the Father and Son, the Holy Spirit, amen. So as we noted, St. Joseph, not St.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 21: Walking with God (2025)
Joseph, but it's interesting because Joseph, the ancient Old Testament Joseph, has a lot of parallels with the New Testament Joseph. And among those parallels, we have not yet seen them because we see them later on in this story, Other than this, that young Joseph in the Old Testament is righteous. For the last 21 days, we've been following the story of families who are normal, meaning broken.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 21: Walking with God (2025)
Families who are normal, meaning messed up. And people who, even though they're trying to do right, they often fail to do right. And yet here is one of the most virtuous people. We've heard his story. I mean, obviously Noah was a righteous man. He's declared that in scripture. But here's Joseph, who seems consistently to... Choose to walk with the Lord.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 21: Walking with God (2025)
In fact, that's the marking of Joseph, isn't it? It's the refrain that keeps happening because the Lord was with him. The Lord was with him. This is one of the things that we can take consolation in our lives. Particularly in the midst of this, Joseph has been betrayed by his brothers. He has been sold into slavery. He's falsely accused. He's falsely imprisoned.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 21: Walking with God (2025)
And all the while the refrain is, but the Lord God was with him. And I think sometimes for myself, I can only recognize the Lord God being with me when things go the way I want them to go. Not when they're blessed, not when there's fruit, not when there's some consolation and the Lord can still use me even in the midst of my brokenness, even in the midst of my not liking the situation.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 21: Walking with God (2025)
And yet Joseph is a phenomenal example for all of us of here is Joseph who is in a terrible situation that he did not create, but he's basically the victim of it. but he did not live like a victim. What he lived like, he lived like a victor, right? He lived walking with the Lord and the Lord was with him.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 21: Walking with God (2025)
And so we know that even in brokenness, the Lord can continue to work. Speaking of brokenness, last time we saw Joseph, he was sold into slavery. And now we begin or resume Joseph's story, beginning with chapter 39 and 40. Genesis chapter 39 and 40.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 21: Walking with God (2025)
It is so easy for us to forget that in all situations, in all circumstances, the Lord is with us. Even when, as Job pointed out, our friend Job pointed out, I have walked with God. I have been righteous. And yet it feels like God is not with me. But I declare that in some ways he's saying God is still with me because I have not left him and he will not leave me.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 21: Walking with God (2025)
We can declare that as Christians, as those who have the fullness of revelation. As Catholic Christians, we have the fullness of revelation, knowing that not only do we have these Old Testament stories, we also have the fulfillment of the Old Testament.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 21: Walking with God (2025)
We also have the revelation of Jesus in the New Covenant, in the New Testament, where God declares, not just with his words, but with his very self, that I am faithful to you, that you can count on me, that I fight for you. So all of us in our situations that are broken, all situations that are not ideal, we can know with absolute confidence that the Lord is still with us.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 352: Purified by Fire (2024)
What I mean by that is it is pressing play on day 352 when Oh yeah. Day one, day two, day 10. That was maybe kind of fun. Maybe got a lot out of it, but here's day 352 and you press play and say, okay, God speak, Lord speak. Your servant is listening. And it's like, well, this is dry. I didn't get a lot out of this. I was distracted by this.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 352: Purified by Fire (2024)
And sometimes when we show up for prayer, it's, that's all it is. It's just dry prayer. God is doing something in that maybe more than any other time. In fact, desolation and prayer can be used by the Lord God, maybe even more powerfully than consolation and prayer.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 352: Purified by Fire (2024)
Because what's happening in that desolation where we just show up and I get nothing out of this, what God is doing there is he is purifying our love for him. He is allowing us to go through this time of dry prayer, distracted prayer, and even desolate prayer so that we can have the kind of hearts that love him for his own sake.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 352: Purified by Fire (2024)
They don't just love the gifts, don't just love the consolations, don't just love those insights and blessings, but we love him. And here Peter is talking about this, you know, rejoice in this, rejoice in the various trials.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 352: Purified by Fire (2024)
Now, again, those are dramatic trials that many of them went through, but every Christian has to go through the normal trials of life so that our hearts and our love and our faith can be purified. He goes on to say, without having seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with unutterable and exalted joy.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 352: Purified by Fire (2024)
And this is what we do as we do as well, is that we love the Lord God and he loves us. But that love gets purified through times of dryness, times of distraction, and times of desolation where we keep showing up. And that is so, so important. And of course, Peter goes on to talk about how we're called to live holy lives, that there's a way that we live life without Jesus.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 352: Purified by Fire (2024)
And there's a way that we have to live life with Christ, that he gave himself up for us. And so our call is to be holy as the Lord God is holy. And he goes on to talk about how we are not only a new people, the living stones, chosen people, but he emphasizes in chapter two, verse nine, he says, you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's own people.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 352: Purified by Fire (2024)
Once you were no people, but now you are God's people. Once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. And that reality, of course, from all nations, from all races, from all ethnicities, from all backgrounds, we are now gathered into one.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 352: Purified by Fire (2024)
And that's one of the reasons why as Christians, we, gosh, the reality of coming from different countries, speaking different languages, belonging to different races, all of those things are essentially nullified. Actually, I would say this, all of those are unified. Maybe a better way to say it. All of those are unified.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 352: Purified by Fire (2024)
in the lord jesus our most important identity peter is saying here most important identity is that we are god's children therefore our ethnicity yeah sure that might be important but not as important as being an adopted son or daughter of god our race sure that might be important but not anywhere close to as important as being an adopted son or daughter of god that that
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 352: Purified by Fire (2024)
Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with unutterable and exalted joy. As the outcome of your faith, you obtain the salvation of your souls. The prophets who prophesied of the grace that was to be yours searched and inquired about this salvation.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 352: Purified by Fire (2024)
Where our background as sinners, in whatever way that we have sinned or continue to sin, whatever we struggle with, those things can be important. But they're nowhere near as important as the fact that you and I are now adopted sons and daughters of God the Father. So important. Made into a royal priesthood. Remember that Jesus Christ is the high priest.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 352: Purified by Fire (2024)
And he has made us into a nation of priests, able to offer the sacrifice to the Father, which is just amazing. Absolutely incredible. Last little note on St. Peter.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 352: Purified by Fire (2024)
When talking about being subject to every human institution, he's basically saying, live as great citizens, live as good citizens, and have that sense of order that's given to the world, whether that be to the emperor, to the governor, whoever that is. In families, husbands and wives have an obligation to each other Parents and children have an obligation to each other.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 352: Purified by Fire (2024)
And even those slaves and masters have an obligation to each other. Again, maybe someone can distort this and say, no, no, no, the men are over the women and the parents are over the kids and masters are over slaves. But that is not what St. Peter is saying. He is saying you have an obligation to each other. And that is absolutely, go back, please reread or re-listen to the end of chapter two.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 352: Purified by Fire (2024)
Saint Peter is making a very, very clear point that all of us have an obligation to each other. That's one of the key pieces where Saint Peter talks, in fact, where Paul talks about this as well. And it's so interesting how in Colossians chapter three, Saint Paul is making kind of some of the similar points. Wives, be subject to your husbands as is fitting to the Lord.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 352: Purified by Fire (2024)
Husbands, love your wives and do not be harsh with them. This is the key. I remember hearing this in mass when I was a kid growing up. The next line, which is chapter three, verse 20 of St. Paul's letter to the Colossians. Children, obey your parents in everything for this pleases the Lord. And I remember being next to my dad and him looking over kind of a thing.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 352: Purified by Fire (2024)
And the next line is, fathers, do not provoke your children lest they become discouraged. Like, yes, okay, there we go. I like that, Paul. I appreciate that. The fact is not only did I feel myself justified in that moment in mass, but also what is Paul's point? Paul's point is you have an obligation to each other. You belong to each other.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 352: Purified by Fire (2024)
I think Mother Teresa once said, if we have no peace, it's because we've forgotten that we belong to each other. That the wife, she belongs to her husband and the husband, he belongs to his wife. that the children, they belong to the parents and the parents, they belong to the children and we belong to each other. That is so critically important that we continue this way.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 352: Purified by Fire (2024)
They inquired what person or time was indicated by the Spirit of Christ within them when predicting the sufferings of Christ and the subsequent glory. It was revealed to them that they were serving not themselves but you, in the things which have now been announced to you by those who preached the good news to you through the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, things into which angels long to look.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 352: Purified by Fire (2024)
And last little note, chapter four, as St. Paul leaves the Colossians here with his further instructions, chapter four, verse two, he says, continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving, And pray for us also, that God may open to us a door for the word to declare the mystery of Christ. And this is so important, to pray for each other.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 352: Purified by Fire (2024)
Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving. So important. Everything that Paul and Peter have written that we've heard declared today are absolutely critical for Christian living. And so that's why we have to keep coming back to the word because it just goes sometimes in one ear and out the other. Sometimes it just washes over our heart and we just want to remember it.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 352: Purified by Fire (2024)
We want to store it up in our hearts. We want to have it carved into our hearts. And it's so easy to forget. It's one of the reasons why it's so good to write these things down, whether that be in the Insight Journal or anywhere that you collect information these gems, these pearls, these rules for living that we heard today from St. Peter and from St. Paul. It's a good day.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 352: Purified by Fire (2024)
Remember one of those last rules for living is to pray steadfastly and to pray for each other. I am praying for you. Please, please pray for me. My name is Father Mike. I cannot wait to see you tomorrow. God bless.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 352: Purified by Fire (2024)
A Call to Holy Living Therefore, gird up your minds, be sober, set your hope fully upon the grace that is coming to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as he who called you is holy, be holy yourselves in all your conduct. Since it is written, you shall be holy for I am holy.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 352: Purified by Fire (2024)
Discovering how the story of salvation unfolds and how we fit into that story today, it is day 352. We are reading from the first letter of St. Peter, chapters 1 and 2, as well as the conclusion of St. Paul's letter to the Colossians, chapters 3 and 4. We're also reading from Proverbs chapter 30 verses 10 through 14.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 352: Purified by Fire (2024)
And if you invoke as father him who judges each one impartially according to his deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile. You know that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your fathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 352: Purified by Fire (2024)
He was destined before the foundation of the world, but was made manifest at the end of the times for your sake. Through him, you have confidence in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God. having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere love of the brethren, love one another earnestly from the heart.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 352: Purified by Fire (2024)
You have been born anew, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God, for all flesh is like grass, and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers and the flower falls, but the word of the Lord abides forever. That word is the good news which was preached to you. Chapter two, the living stone and a chosen people.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 352: Purified by Fire (2024)
So put away all malice and all guile and insincerity and envy and all slander. Like newborn infants long for the pure spiritual milk that by it you may grow up to salvation for you have tasted the kindness of the Lord. Come to him, that living stone, rejected by men, but in God's sight chosen and precious.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 352: Purified by Fire (2024)
And like living stones, be yourselves built into a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. For it stands in Scripture, Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a cornerstone chosen and precious, and he who believes in him will not be put to shame. To you, therefore, who believe, he is precious.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 352: Purified by Fire (2024)
But for those who do not believe, the very stone which the builders rejected has become the cornerstone, and a stone that will make men stumble, a rock that will make them fall. For they stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 352: Purified by Fire (2024)
But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's own people, that you may declare the wonderful deeds of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were no people, but now you are God's people. Once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. Live as servants of God.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 352: Purified by Fire (2024)
As always, the Bible translation I'm reading from is the Revised Standard Version, Second Catholic Edition. I'm using the Great Adventure Bible from Ascension. If you want to download your own Bible in a year reading plan, you can visit ascensionpress.com slash Bible in a year.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 352: Purified by Fire (2024)
Beloved, I beg you as aliens and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh that wage war against your soul. Maintain good conduct among the Gentiles so that in case they speak against you as wrongdoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 352: Purified by Fire (2024)
Be subject for the Lord's sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to praise those who do right. For it is God's will that by doing right, you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish men. Live as free men, yet without using your freedom as a pretext for evil, but live as servants of God.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 352: Purified by Fire (2024)
Honor all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor. The example of Christ's suffering. Servants, be submissive to your masters with all respect, not only to the kind and gentle, but also to the overbearing. For one is approved if, mindful of God, he endures pain while suffering unjustly. For what credit is it if when you do wrong and are beaten for it, you take it patiently?
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 352: Purified by Fire (2024)
But if, when you do right and suffer for it, you take it patiently, you have God's approval. For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example that you should follow in his steps. He committed no sin. No guile was found on his lips. When he was reviled, he did not revile in return.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 352: Purified by Fire (2024)
Hi, my name is Father Mike Schmitz, and you're listening to the Bible in a Year podcast, where we encounter God's voice and live life through the lens of Scripture. The Bible in a Year podcast is brought to you by Ascension. Using the Great Adventure Bible Timeline, we'll read all the way from Genesis to Revelation.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 352: Purified by Fire (2024)
When he suffered, he did not threaten, but he trusted to him who judges justly. He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 352: Purified by Fire (2024)
You can also subscribe to this podcast by clicking on subscribe and receiving daily episodes and daily updates because today is day 352. We are reading 1 Peter chapters 1 and 2, Colossians chapter 3 and 4, as well as Proverbs chapter 30 verses 10 through 14. The first letter of Peter, chapter one, salutation.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 352: Purified by Fire (2024)
If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 352: Purified by Fire (2024)
Put to death, therefore, what is earthly in you, immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. On account of these, the wrath of God is coming.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 352: Purified by Fire (2024)
in these you once walked when you lived in them but now put them all away anger wrath malice slander and foul talk from your mouth do not lie to one another seeing that you have put off the old man with his practices and have put on the new man who is being renewed in knowledge after the image of his creator
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 352: Purified by Fire (2024)
Here there cannot be Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free man, but Christ is all and in all. Put on then as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassion, kindness, lowliness, meekness, and patience, forbearing one another, and if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other. As the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 352: Purified by Fire (2024)
And over all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you are called in the one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another in all wisdom, and as you sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs with thankfulness in your hearts to God.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 352: Purified by Fire (2024)
And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. Rules for Christian households. Wives, be subject to your husbands as is fitting in the Lord. Husbands, love your wives and do not be harsh with them. Children, obey your parents in everything for this pleases the Lord.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 352: Purified by Fire (2024)
Fathers, do not provoke your children lest they become discouraged. Slaves, obey in everything those who are your earthly masters, not with eye service as men pleasers, but in singleness of heart fearing the Lord. Whatever your task, work heartily as serving the Lord and not men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 352: Purified by Fire (2024)
For the wrongdoer will be paid back for the wrong he has done, and there is no partiality. Chapter 4 Masters, treat your slaves justly and fairly, knowing that you also have a master in heaven. Further Instructions Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 352: Purified by Fire (2024)
Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to the exiles of the dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, chosen and destined by God the Father and sanctified by the Spirit for obedience to Jesus Christ and for sprinkling with his blood, may grace and peace be multiplied to you. A Living Hope Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 352: Purified by Fire (2024)
And pray for us also, that God may open to us a door for the word to declare the mystery of Christ, on account of which I am in prison, that I may make it clear as I ought to speak. Conduct yourselves wisely toward outsiders, making the most of the time. Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer everyone. Final greetings and benediction.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 352: Purified by Fire (2024)
Tychicus will tell you all about my affairs. He is a beloved brother and faithful minister and fellow servant in the Lord. I have sent him to you for this very purpose that you may know how we are and that he may encourage your hearts and with him Onesimus, the faithful and beloved brother who is one of yourselves. They will tell you of everything that has taken place here.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 352: Purified by Fire (2024)
Aristarchus, my fellow prisoner, greets you, and Mark, the cousin of Barnabas, concerning whom you have received instructions, if he comes to you, receive him. And Jesus, who is called Justice. These are the only men of the circumcision among my fellow workers for the kingdom of God, and they have been a comfort to me.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 352: Purified by Fire (2024)
Epaphras, who is one of yourselves, a servant of Christ Jesus, greets you, always remembering you earnestly in his prayers, that you may stand mature and fully assured in all the will of God. for I bear him witness that he has worked hard for you and for those in Laodicea and Heropolis. Luke, the beloved physician, and Dimas greet you.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 352: Purified by Fire (2024)
Give my greetings to the brethren at Laodicea and to Nympha and the church in her house. And when this letter has been read among you, have it read also in the church of the Laodiceans. And see that you read also the letter from Laodicea. And say to Archippus, see that you fulfill the ministry which you have received in the Lord. I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 352: Purified by Fire (2024)
Do not slander a servant to his master, lest he curse you and you be held guilty. There are those who curse their fathers and do not bless their mothers. There are those who are pure in their own eyes, but are not cleansed of their filth. There are those, how lofty are their eyes, how high their eyelids lift.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 352: Purified by Fire (2024)
There are those whose teeth are swords, whose teeth are knives, to devour the poor from off the earth, the needy from among men.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 352: Purified by Fire (2024)
Thank you so much for Paul. Thank you for Peter. Thank you for the gift of your son and the gift of your Holy Spirit that has guided the letters of these men as they give encouragement, so much encouragement to us as modern day Christians, just like they gave that word of encouragement to Christians of eras past and bygone years. Gosh, Lord, we think about this. We think about how
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 352: Purified by Fire (2024)
For 2,000 years, Christians have read these words of St. Peter, these words of St. Paul, and have found in them not only guidance and truth, but also just a word of encouragement and a word that just speaks into our pain and fills us with the capacity and that will to continue on.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 352: Purified by Fire (2024)
That will to endure and that will not to merely endure, but the will to rejoice in the midst of suffering, in the midst of tribulation. Because we know, Lord God, that it is only through the suffering that we can reach the kingdom of God. And so we ask you, please help us. Help us to say yes to you this day and every day. In Jesus' name we pray.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 352: Purified by Fire (2024)
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. So we have the first letter of St. Peter, which is just... ah, so grateful. Um, so some context for Peter's letter, he's writing to who he's writing to exiles. Remember that there were a lot of Christians, Jewish Christians who were exiled from Jerusalem during the persecution.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 352: Purified by Fire (2024)
By his great mercy, we have been born anew to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and to an inheritance which is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God's power are guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 352: Purified by Fire (2024)
And so it could be to them, but also could be to any Christians who find themselves in exile. And he says to the exiles of the dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, Bithynia, um, that he's writing to them. They've experienced persecution. And this is so incredible because St. Peter jumps right in and he says, in this, you rejoice. What is in this? Well, in this, you've been born again.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 352: Purified by Fire (2024)
So chapter one, verse three, he says, blessed be the God and father of our Lord Jesus Christ. By his great mercy, we have been born anew to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 352: Purified by Fire (2024)
and to an inheritance which is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God's power are guarded through faith for a salvation, ready to be revealed in the last time. So that's just this summary. I just invite you to go back to chapter one, verses three, four, and five. This is the inheritance that's been given to us.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 352: Purified by Fire (2024)
This is the gift that Peter is reminding these Christians. This is what you've been given. This is what the Lord God has done for you. Even in the midst of pain, even in the midst of suffering, this is what the Lord God has done for you. Because then he goes on to say in verse six, In this, you rejoice.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 352: Purified by Fire (2024)
Though now for a little while, you may have to suffer various trials so that the genuineness of your faith, more precious than gold, which though perishable is tested by fire, may redound to praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. This is so important because he reminds them first of the gift they've been given.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 352: Purified by Fire (2024)
And then he tells them that what's gonna happen is through this persecution, through this tribulation, through this trial, through this trouble, This is not God abandoning you. This is God doing something in you that he could not do without this trial, that he could not do without this tribulation, that he could not do without these various trials.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 352: Purified by Fire (2024)
Because what's happening is the genuineness of your faith, more precious than gold, which though perishable, tested by fire, may redound to praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. One of the things that we know about the spiritual life is that a lot of times when people begin following the Lord, they can have this crisis. And the crisis is,
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 352: Purified by Fire (2024)
Um, many crises, of course, obviously all of us have to have them, but one of the crises can be that we know our hearts and we know that we have a mercenary heart. We know that I, Lord, am I only coming to you because you promised me eternal life? Am I only coming to you because of the graces that you give me in prayer? Am I only coming to you because of the gifts? I want to love you, the giver.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 352: Purified by Fire (2024)
But I know this about myself. I know that I love the gifts, maybe sometimes more than the giver. And so we have this mixed up motivation, right? We have this mercenary heart that, you know, as C.S. Lewis has said, I think we've said this before. C.S. Lewis has noted, I have a mercenary heart willing to give myself to the highest bidder, willing to give my heart to the highest bidder.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 352: Purified by Fire (2024)
And the question is, gosh, Lord, help me. How do I become the kind of person who can love you for your own sake? The answer is through trials and tribulations. And sometimes those trials and tribulations are like Peter's describing that would might end in martyrdom. But a lot of times those trials and tribulations are simply showing up when showing up is not glamorous.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 352: Purified by Fire (2024)
In this you rejoice, though now for a little while you may have to suffer various trials, so that the genuineness of your faith, more precious than gold, which, though perishable, is tested by fire, may redound to praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Without having seen him, you love him.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 14: Isaac Blesses Jacob (2025)
He can't take the blessing away from his son, Jacob. It was given to him, even out of deception, it was still given. And so Jacob is the receiver of not only the birthright that he manipulated out of Esau, but also the blessing that he deceived out of his father, Isaac, which points us to something so important. Earlier scripture noted that
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 14: Isaac Blesses Jacob (2025)
Esau was loved by their father, Isaac, and Jacob was loved by their mother, Rebecca. And it's noted that it seemed that that was the case. I have a friend who always says that, yeah, when it comes to my family, I always tell my siblings that I'm my mom's favorite. And he asked me, he said, are you your mom's favorite? And I was like, I don't know. I don't know if she has a favorite.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 14: Isaac Blesses Jacob (2025)
One of the great gifts of being loved by your parents is I don't know who their favorites are. And I think because of that, I don't have any animosity or competition with my siblings. I don't think they have any competition or animosity with me either because there's that sense of like, No, mom and dad love us all.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 14: Isaac Blesses Jacob (2025)
And I mean, some people are more lovable than others, but I never, ever get the sense, ever get the sense that my parents actually have a favorite or that they have a least favorite. One of the gifts they've given our family, one of the gifts they've given to me and my siblings of harmony and unity is this like, oh no, you are all loved. And there is not one clear favorite.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 14: Isaac Blesses Jacob (2025)
Now then take your weapons, your quiver and your bow and go out to the field and hunt game for me and prepare for me savory food such as I love and bring it to me that I may eat, that I may bless you before I die. Now, Rebecca was listening when Isaac spoke to his son Esau.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 14: Isaac Blesses Jacob (2025)
Now, I think that there's some people in my family who are super fun. There's some who are kind of easier to be around than others. And there's some that are kind of like myself, like I'm not super always easy to be around either.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 14: Isaac Blesses Jacob (2025)
But what a great gift to be able to give your family this gift of your kids not knowing if you actually do, you know, prefer one over the other or over the others that they don't even know that because the brokenness of Jacob and Esau, they were competitive in the womb of Rebecca.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 14: Isaac Blesses Jacob (2025)
And that competition was only exacerbated by the fact that one was preferred by their father and the other one was preferred by their mother. I wonder if there can be a lot of family problems that can kind of be resolved by parents who resolve to love their children as equally as possible. We're not perfect people. We can't always do it like that.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 14: Isaac Blesses Jacob (2025)
But I wonder, I wonder how much pain could be saved for so many families if we just loved each other as best we could instead of preferring each other over the other. Anyways, those are some thoughts for today. Um, this 14th day of our study, man, are walking through scripture. So incredible.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 14: Isaac Blesses Jacob (2025)
If you want to get an update, uh, just text the word Catholic Bible, all one word to the number three, three, seven, seven, seven. If you haven't yet subscribed, please do. That'd be awesome. If you could subscribe or even share this with some friends, if this has been something that like has blessed your life, these, these past two weeks of just being able to have a
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 14: Isaac Blesses Jacob (2025)
What a great thing to be able to share on social media or even just directly with friends that you think would be blessed by this. I'm praying for you. Please pray for me. Please pray for each other. Pray for the work of Ascension and for my work up here at the University of Minnesota Duluth. Let's pray for each other because we're not going on this journey through the Bible alone. We are.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 14: Isaac Blesses Jacob (2025)
going on this journey as brothers and sisters who are loved unconditionally by our Father, each one of us. So let's pray for each other. My name is Father Mike, and I am so grateful to be able to be on this journey with you, and I'll see you tomorrow.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 14: Isaac Blesses Jacob (2025)
So when Esau went to the field to hunt for game and bring it, Rebecca said to her son Jacob, I heard your father speak to your brother Esau, bring me game and prepare for me savory food that I may eat it and bless you before the Lord before I die. Now, therefore. My son, obey my word as I command you.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 14: Isaac Blesses Jacob (2025)
Go to the flock and fetch me two good kids that I may prepare for them savory food for your father, such as he loves, and you shall bring it to your father to eat so that he may bless you before he dies. But Jacob said to Rebekah, his mother, behold, my brother Esau is a hairy man and I am a smooth man.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 14: Isaac Blesses Jacob (2025)
Perhaps my father will feel me and I shall seem to be mocking him and bring a curse upon myself and not a blessing. His mother said to him, "'Upon me be your curse, my son. Only obey my word and go fetch them to me.' So he went and took them and brought them to his mother, and his mother prepared savory food such as his father loved.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 14: Isaac Blesses Jacob (2025)
Then Rebekah took the best garments of Esau, her older son, which were with her in the house, and put them on Jacob, her younger son. And the skins of the kid she put upon his hands and upon the smooth part of his neck.' And she gave the savory food and the bread, which she had prepared into the hand of her son Jacob. So he went into his father and said, My father. And he said, Here I am.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 14: Isaac Blesses Jacob (2025)
Who are you, my son? Jacob said to his father, I am Esau, your firstborn. I have done as you told me. Now sit up and eat of my game, that you may bless me. But Isaac said to his son, How is it that you have found it so quickly, my son? He answered, because the Lord your God granted me success.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 14: Isaac Blesses Jacob (2025)
Then Isaac said to Jacob, come near, that I may feel you, my son, to know whether you are really my son Esau or not. So Jacob went near to Isaac, his father, who felt him and said, the voice is Jacob's voice, but the hands are the hands of Esau. And he did not recognize him because his hands were hairy like his brother Esau's hands. So he blessed him. He said, are you really my son Esau?
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 14: Isaac Blesses Jacob (2025)
This is day 14, and we have just completed two weeks. We are completing, actually, we're in the process of completing Two weeks, the 14th day. Let's get started. Today we're reading from Genesis 27 and 28. We're also reading Job chapter 17 and 18. And we're now cracking into Proverbs chapter 3 verses 1 through 4. As always, I'm reading from the Revised Standard Version, Catholic Edition.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 14: Isaac Blesses Jacob (2025)
He answered, I am. Then he said, bring it to me that I may eat of my son's game and bless you. So he brought it to him, and he ate, and he brought him wine, and he drank. Then his father Isaac said to him, Come near and kiss me, my son.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 14: Isaac Blesses Jacob (2025)
So he came near and kissed him, and he smelled the smell of his garments and blessed him and said, See, the smell of my son is as the smell of a field which the Lord has blessed. May God give you the dew of heaven and of the fatness of the earth and plenty of grain and wine. Let peoples serve you and nations bow down to you. Be Lord over your brothers and may your mother's sons bow down to you.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 14: Isaac Blesses Jacob (2025)
Cursed be everyone who curses you and blessed be everyone who blesses you. As soon as Isaac had finished blessing Jacob, when Jacob had scarcely gone out from the presence of Isaac, his father, Esau, his brother, came in from his hunting. He also prepared savory food and brought it to his father. And he said to his father, let my father arise and eat of his son's game that you may bless me.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 14: Isaac Blesses Jacob (2025)
His father Isaac said to him, who are you? He answered, I am your son, your firstborn Esau. Then Isaac trembled violently and said, Who was it then that hunted game and brought it to me? And I ate it all before you came, and I have blessed him. Yes, and he shall be blessed.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 14: Isaac Blesses Jacob (2025)
When Esau heard the words of his father, he cried out with an exceedingly great and bitter cry and said to his father, Bless me, even me also, O my father. But he said, your brother came with guile and he has taken away your blessing. Esau said, is he not rightly named Jacob? For he has supplanted me these two times. He took away my birthright and behold, now he has taken away my blessing.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 14: Isaac Blesses Jacob (2025)
And he said, have you not reserved a blessing for me? Isaac answered Esau, Esau said to his father, Have you but one blessing, Father? Bless me, even me also, O my father. And Esau lifted up his voice and wept. Then Isaac, his father, answered him, Behold, away from the fatness of the earth shall your dwellings be, and away from the dew of heaven on high.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 14: Isaac Blesses Jacob (2025)
By your sword you shall live, and you shall serve your brother. But when you break loose, you shall break his yoke from your neck. Now Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing with which his father had blessed him. And Esau said to himself, the days of mourning for my father are approaching. Then I will kill my brother Jacob. But the words of Esau, her older son, were told to Rebecca.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 14: Isaac Blesses Jacob (2025)
Hi, I'm Father Mike Schmitz, and you're listening to the Bible in a Year podcast, where we encounter God's voice and live life through the lens of scripture. The Bible in a Year podcast is brought to you by Ascension. Using the Great Adventure Bible timeline, we will read all the way from Genesis to Revelation, discovering how the story of salvation unfolds and how we fit into that story today.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 14: Isaac Blesses Jacob (2025)
So she sent and called Jacob, her younger son, and said to him, behold, your brother Esau comforts himself by planning to kill you. Now, therefore, my son, obey my voice, arise, flee to Laban, my brother in Haran and stay with him a while until your brother's fury turns away until your brother's anger turns away and he forgets what you have done to him. Then I will send and fetch you from there.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 14: Isaac Blesses Jacob (2025)
Why should I be bereft of both of you in one day? Then Rebecca said to Isaac, I am weary of my life because of the Hittite women. If Jacob marries one of the Hittite women such as these, one of the women of the land, what good will my life be to me then? Then Isaac called Jacob and blessed him and charged him. You shall not marry one of the Canaanite women.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 14: Isaac Blesses Jacob (2025)
Arise, go to Paddan Aram, to the house of Bethuel, your mother's father, and take as wife from there one of the daughters of Laban, your mother's brother. God Almighty bless you and make you fruitful and multiply you, that you may become a company of peoples.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 14: Isaac Blesses Jacob (2025)
May he give the blessing of Abraham to you and to your descendants with you, that you may take possession of the land of your sojournings, which God gave to Abraham. Thus Isaac sent Jacob away, and he went to Paddan Aram, to Laban, the son of Bethuel, the Aramean, the brother of Rebekah, Jacob's and Esau's mother.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 14: Isaac Blesses Jacob (2025)
I'm using the Great Adventure Bible from Ascension. That is a great Bible to be able to follow along with us if you're ever interested in that because it has all these incredible notes. where we have extra information about the early age, the patriarchs, all the different ways that scripture connects to each other. That's so helpful.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 14: Isaac Blesses Jacob (2025)
Now Esau saw that Isaac had blessed Jacob and sent him away to Badan Aram to take a wife from there. And that as he blessed him, he charged him, you shall not marry one of the Canaanite women. And that Jacob had obeyed his father and his mother and gone to Badan Aram.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 14: Isaac Blesses Jacob (2025)
So when Esau saw that the Canaanite women did not please Isaac, his father, Esau went to Ishmael and took to wife, besides the wives he had, Mahalath, the daughter of Ishmael, Abraham's son, the sister of Nebaoth. Jacob left Beersheba and went toward Haran. And he came to a certain place and stayed there that night because the sun had set.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 14: Isaac Blesses Jacob (2025)
Taking one of the stones of the place, he put it under his head and lay down in that place to sleep. And he dreamed that there was a ladder set up on the earth. And the top of it reached to heaven. And behold, the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. And behold, the Lord stood above it and said, I am the Lord, the God of Abraham, your father, and the God of Isaac.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 14: Isaac Blesses Jacob (2025)
The land on which you lie, I will give to you and to your descendants. And your descendants shall be like the dust of the earth. And you shall spread abroad to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south. And by you and your descendants shall all the families of the earth bless themselves.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 14: Isaac Blesses Jacob (2025)
behold i am with you and will keep you wherever you go and will bring you back to this land for i will not leave you until i have done that of which i have spoken to you then jacob awoke from his sleep and said surely the lord was in this place and i did not know it and he was afraid and said how awesome is this place this is none other than the house of god and this is the gate of heaven
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 14: Isaac Blesses Jacob (2025)
So Jacob rose early in the morning and he took the stone which he had put under his head and set it up for a pillar and poured oil on top of it. He called the name of that place Bethel, but the name of the city was loose at the first. Then Jacob made a vow saying,
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 14: Isaac Blesses Jacob (2025)
If God will be with me and will keep me in this way that I go and will give me bread to eat and clothing to wear so that I may come again to my father's house in peace, then the Lord shall be my God. And this stone, which I have set up for a pillar, shall be God's house.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 14: Isaac Blesses Jacob (2025)
My spirit is broken. My days are extinct. The grave is ready for me. Surely there are markers about me and my eye dwells on their provocation. Lay down a pledge for me with yourself who is there that will give surety for me. Since you have closed their minds to understanding, therefore you will not let them triumph.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 14: Isaac Blesses Jacob (2025)
He who informs against his friends to get a share of their property, the eyes of his children will fail. He has made me a byword of the peoples, and I am one before whom men spit. My eye has grown dim from grief, and all my members are like a shadow. Upright men are appalled at this, and the innocent stirs himself up against the godless.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 14: Isaac Blesses Jacob (2025)
If you want a reading plan, you can download the reading plan by visiting ascensionpress.com slash bible in a year. You also can subscribe to your podcast, this podcast, by just clicking on subscribe. Really simple, really easy, really straightforward. And you can sign up for our email list where you can get updates by texting the word Catholic Bible to the number 33777.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 14: Isaac Blesses Jacob (2025)
Yet the righteous holds to his way, and he that has clean hands grows stronger and stronger. But you, come on again, all of you, and I shall not find a wise man among you. My days are past. My plans are broken off. The desires of my heart They make night into day. The light, they say, is near to the darkness.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 14: Isaac Blesses Jacob (2025)
If I look for Sheol as my house, if I spread my couch in darkness, if I say to the pit, you are my father or to the worm, my mother or my sister, where then is my hope? Who will see my hope? Will it go down to the bars of Sheol? Shall we descend together into the dust? Then Bildad the Shuhite answered, How long will you hunt for words? Consider, and then we will speak.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 14: Isaac Blesses Jacob (2025)
Why are we counted as cattle? Why are we stupid in your sight? You who tear yourself in your anger, shall the earth be forsaken for you, or the rock be removed out of its place? Yes, the light of the wicked is put out and the flame of his fire does not shine. The light is dark in his tent and his lamp above him is put out. His strong steps are shortened and his own schemes throw him down.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 14: Isaac Blesses Jacob (2025)
For he is cast into a net by his own feet and he walks on a pitfall. A trap seizes him by the heel. A snare lays hold of him. A rope is hid for him in the ground, a trap for him in the path. Terrors frighten him on every side and chase him at his heels. His strength is hunger-bitten, and calamity is ready for his stumbling.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 14: Isaac Blesses Jacob (2025)
By disease his skin is consumed, the firstborn of death consumes his limbs. He is torn from the tent in which he trusted and is brought to the king of terrors. In his tent dwells that which is none of his. Brimstone is scattered upon his habitation. His roots dry up beneath and his branches wither above. His memory perishes from the earth and he has no name in the street.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 14: Isaac Blesses Jacob (2025)
He is thrust from the light into darkness and driven out of the world. He has no offspring or descent among his people and no survivor where he used to live. They of the West are appalled at his day and horror seizes them of the East. Such are the dwellings of the ungodly.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 14: Isaac Blesses Jacob (2025)
My son, do not forget my teaching, but let your heart keep my commands. For the length of days and years of life and abundant welfare will they give you. Let not loyalty and faithfulness forsake you. Bind them around your neck. Write them on the tablet of your heart, so you will find favor and good repute in the sight of God and man. God in heaven, we thank you.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 14: Isaac Blesses Jacob (2025)
We give you praise and we give you glory. We thank you for giving us your word and sharing with us your heart because it is your heart that you revealed to us in this scripture, in this word, in your word. Let our hearts become like yours. Help us to love what you love and to despise what you despise. Help us to live as you have willed us.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 14: Isaac Blesses Jacob (2025)
As I said, we are reading today, Genesis chapter 27 and 28. Let's get started. When Isaac was old and his eyes were dim so that he could not see, he called Esau, his older son, and said to him, my son. And he answered, here I am. He said, behold, I am old. I do not know the day of my death.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 14: Isaac Blesses Jacob (2025)
to live and as you have made it possible for us to live by your grace. May you be glorified in all things this day. In Jesus' name we pray. In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. So once again, we're following our family. We're following the family story of the people of God, of the Jewish people. And of course, as Christians, we're not a separate people.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 14: Isaac Blesses Jacob (2025)
Christianity is the fruit of Judaism. And that's one of the reasons why we believe that this story, the story of Abraham and Isaac, and now Jacob is our story. That this whole Bible is our story, because as St. Paul says in his letter to the Romans, as Christians, as Gentile Christians, we've been grafted onto that tree.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 14: Isaac Blesses Jacob (2025)
We've been brought into that family, that story, that the process of salvation that God had begun so, so long ago. And here we have the story of the deceiver, the grasper, the rebel, Jacob. who earlier he manipulated his brother out of the birthright. Now he deceives his father out of the blessing.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 14: Isaac Blesses Jacob (2025)
There's something remarkable in this is that, well, there's a number of things remarkable in this, but one of those things that is remarkable and worth noting is the fact that when Isaac gave Jacob the blessing, after he had given it, he didn't take it back. He didn't take that blessing back. And that's important for us to understand because that is in so many ways, the basis for our sacraments.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 14: Isaac Blesses Jacob (2025)
What I mean by that is, you know, a Jewish male was brought into the covenant of Judaism by circumcision. You can't undo a circumcision. You're brought into the covenant and you're part of the covenant. As Christians, it's by our baptism that we're brought into the covenant. We're brought into the family of God through our baptism. And you're made into a son or a daughter of God.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 14: Isaac Blesses Jacob (2025)
God is your father. And you can't undo that. And so here is, you know, Isaac, I imagine, pretty upset, pretty hot about this. That fact that he gave the blessing to the one who deceived him out of the blessing. But at the same time, it was a true blessing. It was a real blessing. He can't undo this blessing in similar way that we can't undo our baptism.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 14: Isaac Blesses Jacob (2025)
Even if someone were to say, I renounce my baptism. Even if someone were to say, I no longer want to be part of the church. I no longer want to be known as a son or daughter of God. I don't want God to be my father. You can't undo that. You can't undo the blessing of a sacrament. Those permanent sacraments can't be undone. And Isaac in some ways knows this, right?
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 7: God's Covenant with Abram (2025)
We know that suffering is a result of sin. But not all suffering is a result of sin. Some suffering is a result of the fact that we live in a broken world. We're going to find out later on. Why did God allow Satan to stretch forth his hand and strike Job down? Because that seems so unfair. It seems so cruel. In fact, not just unfair, it seems almost reckless and mean of God.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 7: God's Covenant with Abram (2025)
Where here's the one person who is faithful to God. And so God says, yeah, Satan, you can have him. What is going on there? We're going to unpack that as we journey forth the next couple of days. Know this though, know this, that the Lord is not fair. The Lord loves Job and the Lord loves you. This is so key as we walk through the book of Job.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 7: God's Covenant with Abram (2025)
And as we walk through this entire Bible, this is God's love letter to you, which is why we're proclaiming it to you in your ears. This is why we want you to know that you can please join us every single day as we continue to travel throughout the course of this year with this Bible in your podcast. Man, what a gift. What a gift to know that God loves you and God is speaking to you.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 7: God's Covenant with Abram (2025)
Even when we don't know what he's talking about, even in the midst of brokenness and real suffering and confusion, we know that he wants us to know him. That's how much he loves us. Once again, if you're interested in downloading your own Bible in a Year reading plan, please visit ascensionpress.com slash Bible in a Year. You can subscribe in your podcast app and get the updates daily.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 7: God's Covenant with Abram (2025)
And you can also sign up for our email list by texting the word Catholic Bible, all one word, Catholic Bible, to the number 33777. Again, Catholic Bible to the number 33777. Man, what a gift. My name is Father Mike. God bless.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 7: God's Covenant with Abram (2025)
And all these joined forces in the valley of Sedim, that is, the Salt Sea. Twelve years they had served Chedorlaomer, but in the thirteenth year they rebelled.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 7: God's Covenant with Abram (2025)
In the fourteenth year, Chedorlaomer and the kings who were with him came and subdued the Rephaim in Ashteroth-Karnaim, the Zuzim in Ham, the Emim in Sheva-Kiriathaim, and the Horites in the Mount Seir as far as El-Paran on the border of the wilderness."
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 7: God's Covenant with Abram (2025)
Then they turned back and came to Enmishbat, that is, Kadesh, and subdued all the country of the Amalekites and also the Amorites who dwelt in Hazazon Tamar. Then the king of Sodom, the king of Gomorrah, the king of Adma, the king of Zeboim, and the king of Betla, that is, Zoar, went out.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 7: God's Covenant with Abram (2025)
And they joined battle in the valley of Siddim with Chedorlaomer, king of Alam, titled king of Goim, Amraphal, king of Shinar, and Ariok, king of Elessar, four kings against five. Now the valley of Siddim was full of bitumen pits, and as the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled, some fell into them, and the rest fled to the mountain.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 7: God's Covenant with Abram (2025)
So the enemy took all the goods of Sodom and Gomorrah and all their provisions and went their way. They also took Lot, the son of Abram's brother, who dwelt in Sodom and his goods, and departed. Then one who had escaped came and told Abram the Hebrew, who was living by the oaks of Mamre, the Amorite, brother of Eshol and of Aner. These were allies of Abram.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 7: God's Covenant with Abram (2025)
When Abram heard that his kinsmen had been taken captive, he led forth his trained men, born in his house, 318 of them, and went in pursuit as far as Dan. And he divided his forces against them by night, he and his servants, and routed them and pursued them to Hobah, north of Damascus.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 7: God's Covenant with Abram (2025)
Then he brought back all the goods, and also brought back his kinsmen Lot with his goods, and the women, and the people. After this, he returned from the defeat of Chedorlaomer and the kings who were with him. The king of Sodom went out to meet him at the valley of Shavah, that is, the king's valley, and Melchizedek, king of Salem, brought out bread and wine.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 7: God's Covenant with Abram (2025)
He was priest of God Most High, and he blessed him and said, Blessed be Abram by God most high, maker of heaven and earth. And blessed be God most high, who has delivered your enemies into your hand. And Abram gave him a tenth of everything. And the king of Sodom said to Abram, Give me the persons, but take the goods for yourself.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 7: God's Covenant with Abram (2025)
This is day seven, and we are reading from Genesis chapter 14 and chapter 15. We're continuing the story of Abram and Sarai and their call. We're also taking those next steps in the story of the life of the righteous man, suffering man, Job, by reading Job chapter three and chapter four. We're also diving more deeply into the wisdom literature
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 7: God's Covenant with Abram (2025)
But Abram said to the king of Sodom, I have sworn to the Lord God most high, maker of heaven and earth, that I would not take a thread or a sandal thong or anything that is yours, lest you should say I have made Abram rich. I will take nothing but what the young men have eaten and the share of the men who went with me. Let Aner, Eshol, and Mamre take their share.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 7: God's Covenant with Abram (2025)
After these things, the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision. Fear not, Abram. I am your shield. Your reward will be very great. But Abram said, O Lord God, what will you give me? For I continue childless, and the heir of my house is Eleazar of Damascus. And Abram said, Behold, you have given me no offspring, and a slave born in my house will be my heir.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 7: God's Covenant with Abram (2025)
And behold, the word of the Lord came to him, This man shall not be your heir. Your own son shall be your heir. And he brought him outside and said, Look toward heaven and number the stars if you are able to number them. Then he said to him, So shall your descendants be. And he believed the Lord, and he reckoned it to him as righteousness. And he said to him,
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 7: God's Covenant with Abram (2025)
I am the Lord who brought you out from Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land to possess. But he said, O Lord God, how am I to know that I shall possess it? He said to him, Bring me a heifer three years old, a she goat three years old, a ram three years old, a turtle dove, and a young pigeon.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 7: God's Covenant with Abram (2025)
And he brought him all these, cut them in two, and laid each half over against the other, but he did not cut the birds in two. And when birds of prey came down upon the carcasses, Abram drove them away. As the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell on Abram, and behold, a dread and great darkness fell upon him.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 7: God's Covenant with Abram (2025)
Then the Lord said to Abram, Know of a surety that your descendants will be sojourners in a land that is not theirs, and will be slaves there, and they will be oppressed for four hundred years, but I will bring judgment on the nation which they serve, and afterward they shall come out with great possessions. As for yourself, you shall go to your fathers in peace.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 7: God's Covenant with Abram (2025)
You shall be buried in a good old age, and they shall come back here in the fourth generation, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete. And when the sun had gone down, and it was dark, behold, a smoking fire pot and a flaming torch passed between these pieces.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 7: God's Covenant with Abram (2025)
On that day, the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying, To your descendants I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates, the land of the Kenites, the Kenizzites, the Kadamites, and the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Rephaim, the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Girgashites, and the Jebusites.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 7: God's Covenant with Abram (2025)
Hi, I'm Father Mike Schmitz, and you're listening to the Bible in a Year podcast, where we encounter God's voice and live life through the lens of Scripture. The Bible in a Year podcast is brought to you by Ascension. Using the Great Adventure Bible timeline, we'll read all the way from Genesis to Revelation, discovering how the story of salvation unfolds and how we fit into that story today.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 7: God's Covenant with Abram (2025)
Job chapter 3 and chapter 4.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 7: God's Covenant with Abram (2025)
After this, Job opened his mouth and cursed the day of his birth. And Job said, let the day perish wherein I was born. And the night which said a man child is conceived, let that day be darkness. May God above not seek it, nor light shine upon it.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 7: God's Covenant with Abram (2025)
by doing a number of verses in proverbs chapter 1 verses 8 through 19. quick reminder the bible translation that i'm using is the revised standard version catholic edition it's the great adventure bible from ascension and also you can track us and track how far you're coming and track where you're headed by downloading your bible in a year reading plan by visiting ascensionpress.com bible in a year
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 7: God's Covenant with Abram (2025)
let gloom and deep darkness claim it let clouds dwell upon it let the blackness of the day terrify it that night let thick darkness seize it let it not rejoice among the days of the year let it not come into the number of the months yes let that night be barren Let no joyful cry be heard in it. Let those curse it who curse the day, who are skilled to rouse up Leviathan.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 7: God's Covenant with Abram (2025)
Let the stars of its dawn be dark. Let it hope for light but have none, nor see the eyelids of the morning. Because it did not shut the doors of my mother's womb, nor hide trouble from my eyes. Why did I not die at birth, come forth from the womb and expire? Why did the knees receive me or why the breasts that I should suck? For then I should have laid down and been quiet. I should have slept.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 7: God's Covenant with Abram (2025)
Then I should have been at rest with kings and counselors of the earth who rebuilt ruins for themselves or with princes who had gold, who filled their houses with silver. Or why was I not as a hidden untimely birth, as infants that never see the light? There the wicked cease from troubling, and there the weary are at rest.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 7: God's Covenant with Abram (2025)
There the prisoners are at ease together, they hear not the voice of the taskmaster. The small and the great are there, and the slave is free from his master. Why is light given to him who is in misery and life to the bitter in soul, who long for death but it comes not, and dig for it more than for hidden treasures, who rejoice exceedingly and are glad when they find a grave?
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 7: God's Covenant with Abram (2025)
Why is light given to a man whose way is hidden, whom God has hedged in? For my sighing comes as my bread, and my groanings are poured out like water. For the thing that I fear comes upon me, and what I dread befalls me. I am not at ease, nor am I quiet. I have no rest, but trouble comes. Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered, If one ventures a word with you, will you be offended?
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 7: God's Covenant with Abram (2025)
Yet who can keep from speaking? Behold, you have instructed many, and you have strengthened the weak hands. Your words have upheld him who was stumbling, and you have made firm the feeble knees. But now it has come to you, and you are impatient. It touches you, and you are dismayed. Is not your fear of God your confidence, and the integrity of your ways your hope?
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 7: God's Covenant with Abram (2025)
Think now, who that was innocent ever perished, or where were the upright cut off? As I have seen, those who plow iniquity and sow trouble reap the same. By the breath of God they perish, and by the blast of his anger they are consumed. The roar of the lion, the voice of the fierce lion, the teeth of the young lions are broken.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 7: God's Covenant with Abram (2025)
The strong lion perishes for lack of prey, and the whelps of the lioness are scattered. Now, a word was brought to me stealthily. My ear received the whisper of it. Amid thoughts from visions of the night, when deep sleep falls on men, dread came upon me and trembling, which made all my bones shake. A spirit glided past my face. The hair of my flesh stood up.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 7: God's Covenant with Abram (2025)
It stood still, but I could not discern its appearance. A form was before my eyes. There was silence. Then I heard a voice. Can mortal man be righteous before God? Can a man be pure before his maker? Even in his servants he puts no trust, and his angels he charges with error. How much more those who dwell in houses of clay, whose foundation is in the dust, who are crushed before the moth.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 7: God's Covenant with Abram (2025)
Between morning and evening they are destroyed. They perish forever without any regarding it. If their tent cord is plucked up within them, do they not die?
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 7: God's Covenant with Abram (2025)
You can subscribe in the podcast app and that way you don't have to even think about it. It just pops up every morning for you so you can listen to the word of God proclaimed. You can also sign up for our email list and get notifications and all those kinds of things by texting Catholic Bible to 33777. Just join that by texting the word Catholic Bible to 33777.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 7: God's Covenant with Abram (2025)
And that without wisdom?
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 7: God's Covenant with Abram (2025)
Reading from the book of Proverbs, chapter 1, verses 8 through 19. Hear, my son, your father's instruction, and reject not your mother's teaching. For they are a fair garland for your head and pendants for your neck. My son, if sinners entice you, do not consent.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 7: God's Covenant with Abram (2025)
if they say come with us let us lie in wait for blood let us wantonly ambush the innocent like sheol let us swallow them alive and whole like those who go down to the pit we shall find all precious goods we shall fill our houses with spoil throw in your lot among us we will all have one purse My son, do not walk in the way with them.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 7: God's Covenant with Abram (2025)
Hold back your foot from their paths, for their feet run to evil, and they make haste to shed blood. For in vain is a net spread in the sight of any bird. But these men lie in wait for their own blood. They set an ambush for their own lives. Such are the ways of all who get gained by violence.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 7: God's Covenant with Abram (2025)
It takes away the life of its possessors. Father in heaven, thank you so much for bringing us here.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 7: God's Covenant with Abram (2025)
Thank you for speaking your word to us. Thank you for revealing your heart to us as you do whenever we pick up your word, whenever we hear your word proclaimed, whenever we read your word. Lord, you enlighten our minds and enlighten our eyes. You give fire to our hearts and you show us how to love. Help us to trust you this day and every day. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 7: God's Covenant with Abram (2025)
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Okay, wow. So there's so much. You guys, gosh, there is so much happening. Not only do we have this incredible couple stories of Abram. We'll be here. We heard Abram joined the kings, the battle of the kings, and he ultimately ended up on a rescue mission with his men to save his nephew Lot. And then what happens?
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 7: God's Covenant with Abram (2025)
There is this priest king, the king of Salem, Melchizedek, who blesses him and and offers up bread and wine on a high place. It's just, it's remarkable. You know that later on, Jesus will be described as having a priesthood according to the order of Melchizedek. Because why? Well, there's many, many reasons. But one of the reasons is because Jesus doesn't pass away.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 7: God's Covenant with Abram (2025)
It's not an inherited priesthood. He is the great high priest of all time. And so he's like Melchizedek, who has neither a beginning nor end, as scripture later on says. But also you have this incredible gift of the priest king who offers up a sacrifice of bread and wine. And as we know, later on, Jesus will offer up the sacrifice of bread and wine, which is truly his body and his blood.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 7: God's Covenant with Abram (2025)
And at every mass, priests who are united to the great high priest Jesus offer up the sacrifice of his body and blood, bread and wine. It is remarkable. But we're also getting closer and closer to Abram's name changing to become Abraham. Not yet, but we're getting close. And we also saw this incredible covenant that the Lord God made with Abram. What does he do?
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 7: God's Covenant with Abram (2025)
Let's keep going and let's get started. Genesis chapter 14 and chapter 15. In the days of Amraphel, king of Shinar, Ariok, king of Elessar, Jedorlamer, king of Elam, and Tidal king of Goim, these kings made war with Bera, king of Sodom, Bersha, king of Gomorrah, Sheneb, king of Adma, Shemeber, king of Zeboim, and the king of Bela, that is, Zoar.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 7: God's Covenant with Abram (2025)
He gets three-year-old ram, three-year-old heifer, three-year-old she-goat, turtle dove, young pigeon, and he splits the animals, not the birds, but splits the animals in two, makes a pathway between the two of them. Now, this is how you would forge a covenant in the ancient world.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 7: God's Covenant with Abram (2025)
You would make a path between the halves of these animals and you would walk through the parts, basically walk through the blood and the guts that was in there, essentially saying, if I am false to this covenant, if I'm false to what I'm about to do, then let me be as these animals. And here is Abram and he's waiting there and God himself passes through that.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 7: God's Covenant with Abram (2025)
And this is, which is remarkable, just blows the mind to realize that here is God who placing himself on the line, saying to Abram, all the things I promised you, I promised you a family. I've promised you land. I promised that the world will be blessed through you. that I will be faithful to this covenant and the Lord God passes through those pieces.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 7: God's Covenant with Abram (2025)
You might have noticed that Abram did not pass through the pieces. And I've heard people talk about this and describe that this is the mercy of God as he knows that human beings, Genesis chapter one through chapter 11 are all about how broken we are, right? It's all about the fall and all about how it was just, we continually, we continually stumble.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 7: God's Covenant with Abram (2025)
And so here is Genesis 12 and following that we're reading now. And what we have is God himself passing through the pieces, essentially saying, I know you're going to be false to this covenant. And so even your failure, I take on me. And that's what he does in the person of Jesus. The Lord God himself takes our wounds, takes our failings, takes our sins on himself, which is just amazing.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 7: God's Covenant with Abram (2025)
Praise the Lord God himself for this. And lastly, we have the book of Job. And what we're going to find is we have Job who he's kind of gotten to his end, right? And so yesterday he was saying, I'm going to still worship God. I'm still going to trust God. And today he opened up his heart and he said, actually, I wish I was never born.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 7: God's Covenant with Abram (2025)
And he goes on this whole long speech about how it would have been better for him if he had died yesterday. even in his mother's womb. And then his friend, he has the three friends, you know, remember they sat with him for seven days and seven nights, and now they're going to speak.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 7: God's Covenant with Abram (2025)
And what we heard that first friend say, Eliphaz, what he was describing was a worldview that says that no, all suffering is a result of sin. So Job, listen, God is never unfaithful. God is never unjust, which is true. But then he makes the point, and he's going to say this tomorrow as well, that all suffering is a result of sin. Now, we know that that's not true.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 35: Crossing the Red Sea (2025)
In this case, the Lord is fighting for you. You have only to stand still. If there's maybe a word that I want to pick out of today's reading, I underline that in my Great Adventure Bible and write it down in my journal. I, that's, that's the word of the day. Just the Lord fights for you. You have only to keep still. There are some times when we're called to fight as well.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 35: Crossing the Red Sea (2025)
Sometimes we're called to run either toward the, toward the fray or away from the fray. And there's some times when the Lord just says, nope, I'm fighting for you. You stand straight. You stand still. You hold your position. We persevere because I'm fighting for you.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 35: Crossing the Red Sea (2025)
And that's one of the reasons why we're praying for each other on this journey through the Bible is because there's battles that are happening in every one of our lives. So please, please with me, pray for each other. Let's please pray for me. I'm praying for you. Maybe this is one of those days where we just need to get reminded. Stand still. The Lord is fighting for you right now.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 35: Crossing the Red Sea (2025)
And tomorrow is another day. My name is Father Mike, and I cannot wait to see you tomorrow. This next day. God bless.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 35: Crossing the Red Sea (2025)
Unleavened bread shall be eaten for seven days. No leavened bread shall be seen with you, and no leaven shall be seen with you in all your territory. And you shall tell your son on that day, It is because of what the Lord did for me when I came out of Egypt. And it shall be to you as a sign on your hand and as a memorial between your eyes that the law of the Lord may be in your mouth.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 35: Crossing the Red Sea (2025)
Using the Great Adventure Bible timeline, we'll read all the way from Genesis to Revelation, discovering how the story of salvation unfolds and how we fit into that story today. It is day 35. Oh my gosh, you guys, we're trucking right along. We're going to be reading Exodus chapter 13 and 14 from Leviticus chapter 10 and from Psalm 53.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 35: Crossing the Red Sea (2025)
For with a strong hand the Lord has brought you out of Egypt. You shall therefore keep this ordinance at its appointed time from year to year." And when the Lord brings you into the land of the Canaanites, as he swore to you and to your fathers, and shall give it to you, you shall set apart to the Lord all the first that opens the womb.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 35: Crossing the Red Sea (2025)
All the firstlings of your cattle that are males shall be the Lord's. Every firstling of a donkey you shall redeem with a lamb, or if you will not redeem it, you shall break its neck. Every firstborn of man among your sons you shall redeem. And when in time to come your son asks you, what does this mean?
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 35: Crossing the Red Sea (2025)
You shall say to him, by strength of hand, the Lord brought us out of Egypt from the house of bondage. For when Pharaoh stubbornly refused to let us go, the Lord slew all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both the firstborn of man and the firstborn of cattle. Therefore I sacrifice to the Lord all the males that first opened the womb, but all the firstborn of my sons I redeem.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 35: Crossing the Red Sea (2025)
It shall be as a mark on your hand or frontlets between your eyes, for by a strong hand the Lord brought us out of Egypt. When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them by way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near. For God said, lest the people repent when they see war and return to Egypt. But God led the people round by way of the wilderness toward the Red Sea.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 35: Crossing the Red Sea (2025)
And the sons of Israel went up out of the land of Egypt, equipped for battle. And Moses took the bones of Joseph with him, for Joseph had solemnly sworn the sons of Israel, saying, God will visit you, then you must carry my bones with you from here. And they moved on from Succoth and encamped at Etham on the edge of the wilderness.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 35: Crossing the Red Sea (2025)
And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead them along the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, that they might travel by day and by night. The pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night did not depart from before the people.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 35: Crossing the Red Sea (2025)
Then the Lord said to Moses, tell the sons of Israel to turn back and encamp in front of Pihah Heroth, between Migdal and the sea, in front of Baal Zephan. You shall encamp over against it by the sea. For Pharaoh will say of the sons of Israel, they are entangled in the land. The wilderness has shut them in. And I will harden Pharaoh's heart and he will pursue them
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 35: Crossing the Red Sea (2025)
and I will get glory over Pharaoh and all his host. And the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord. And they did so. When the king of Egypt was told that the people had fled, the mind of Pharaoh and his servants was changed toward the people. And they said, what is this we have done that we have let Israel go from serving us? So he made ready his chariot and took his army with him.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 35: Crossing the Red Sea (2025)
and took six hundred picked chariots and all the other chariots of Egypt with officers over all of them. And the Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and he pursued the sons of Israel as they went forth defiantly. The Egyptians pursued them, all Pharaoh's horses and chariots and his horsemen and his army, and overtook them encamped at the sea by Pihah Hiroth in front of Baal Ziphon.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 35: Crossing the Red Sea (2025)
When Pharaoh drew near, the sons of Israel lifted up their eyes and behold, the Egyptians were marching after them and they were in great fear. And the sons of Israel cried out to the Lord and they said to Moses, is it because there are no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness? What have you done to us in bringing us out of Egypt?
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 35: Crossing the Red Sea (2025)
Is not this what we said to you in Egypt? Let us alone and let us serve the Egyptians. For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness. And Moses said to the people, if you're not, stand firm and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will work for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall never see again.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 35: Crossing the Red Sea (2025)
I'm always reading from the Revised Standard Version, Catholic edition, and as well as using the Great Adventure Bible from Ascension, which is so good, so helpful for us because it has the periods, it has like the extra details.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 35: Crossing the Red Sea (2025)
The Lord will fight for you and you have only to be still. The Lord said to Moses, Why do you cry to me? Tell the sons of Israel to go forward. Lift up your rod and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it, that the sons of Israel may go forth on dry ground through the sea. And I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians, so that they shall go in after them.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 35: Crossing the Red Sea (2025)
And I will get glory over Pharaoh and all his hosts, his chariots and his horsemen. And the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord, when I have gotten glory over Pharaoh, his chariots and his horsemen. Then the angel of God who went before the host of Israel moved and went behind them.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 35: Crossing the Red Sea (2025)
And the pillar of cloud moved from before them and stood behind them, coming between the host of Egypt and the host of Israel. And there was the cloud and darkness. And the night passed without one coming near the other all night. Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea and the Lord drove the sea back by a strong east wind all night and made the sea dry land and the waters were divided.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 35: Crossing the Red Sea (2025)
Hi, my name is Father Mike Schmitz, and you're listening to the Bible in a Year podcast, where we encounter God's voice and live life through the lens of Scripture. The Bible in a Year podcast is brought to you by Ascension.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 35: Crossing the Red Sea (2025)
And the sons of Israel went into the midst of the sea on dry ground, the waters being a wall to them on their right hand and on their left. The Egyptians pursued and went in after them into the midst of the sea, all Pharaoh's horses, his chariots and his horsemen. And in the morning, watch, the Lord in the pillar of fire and of the cloud looked down upon the host of the Egyptians and said,
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 35: Crossing the Red Sea (2025)
And discomfited the host of all the Egyptians, clogging their chariot wheels so that they drove heavily. And the Egyptians said, Let us flee from before Israel, for the Lord fights for them against the Egyptians. Then the Lord said to Moses, Stretch out your hand over the sea, that the water may come back upon the Egyptians, upon their chariots and upon their horsemen.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 35: Crossing the Red Sea (2025)
We've got some notes, got some maps, got all good things in there, as well as following along this Bible in a Year reading plan that you can get for free from ascensionpress.com slash Bible in a Year. That's ascensionpress.com slash Bible in a Year. If you have not yet subscribed to this podcast, I am not sure how you do it. How do you continue to come back here 35 days in a row?
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 35: Crossing the Red Sea (2025)
So Moses stretched forth his hand over the sea, and the sea returned to its usual flow when the morning appeared, and the Egyptians fled into it, and the Lord routed the Egyptians in the midst of the sea. The waters returned and covered the chariots and the horsemen and all the host of Pharaoh that had followed them into the sea, not so much as one of them remained.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 35: Crossing the Red Sea (2025)
But the sons of Israel walked on dry ground through the sea, the waters being a wall to them on their right hand and on their left. Thus the Lord saved Israel that day from the hand of the Egyptians. And Israel saw the Egyptians dead upon the seashore. And Israel saw the great work which the Lord did against the Egyptians. And the people feared the Lord.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 35: Crossing the Red Sea (2025)
Now Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, each took his censer and put fire in it and laid incense on it and offered unholy fire before the Lord, such as he had not commanded them. And fire came forth from the presence of the Lord and devoured them, and they died before the Lord. Then Moses said to Aaron, This is what the Lord has said.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 35: Crossing the Red Sea (2025)
I will show myself holy among those people who are near me, and before all the people I will be glorified. And Aaron held his peace. And Moses called Mishael and Elzaphan, the sons of Uziel, the uncle of Aaron, and said to them, So they drew near, and carried them in their coats out of the camp, as Moses had said.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 35: Crossing the Red Sea (2025)
And Moses said to Aaron, and to Eleazar, and Ithamar his sons, Do not let the hair of your heads hang loose, and do not rend your clothes, lest you die, and lest wrath come upon all the congregation. But your brethren, the whole house of Israel, may bewail the burning which the Lord has kindled.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 35: Crossing the Red Sea (2025)
and do not go out from the door of the tent of meeting lest you die for the anointing oil of the Lord is upon you and they did according to the word of Moses and the Lord spoke to Aaron saying drink no wine nor strong drink you nor your sons with you when you go into the tent of meeting lest you die It shall be a statute forever through your generations.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 35: Crossing the Red Sea (2025)
You are to distinguish between the holy and the common and between the unclean and the clean. And you are to teach the sons of Israel all the statutes with the Lord has spoken to them by Moses. And Moses said to Aaron and to Eleazar and to the sons who were with them, take the cereal offering that remains of the offerings by fire to the Lord.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 35: Crossing the Red Sea (2025)
and eat it unleavened beside the altar, for it is most holy. You shall eat it in a holy place, because it is your due and your son's due, from the offerings by fire to the Lord, for so I am commanded. But the breast that is waved and the thigh that is offered you shall eat clean in any clean place, you and your sons and your daughters with you, for they are given as your due and your son's due.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 35: Crossing the Red Sea (2025)
from the sacrifices of the peace offerings of the sons of Israel. The thigh that is offered and the breast that is waved, they shall bring with the offerings by fire of the fat to wave for a wave offering before the Lord, and it shall be yours and your sons with you as a debt forever as the Lord has commanded.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 35: Crossing the Red Sea (2025)
Now Moses diligently inquired about the goat of the sin offering, and behold, it was burned.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 35: Crossing the Red Sea (2025)
And he was angry with Eleazar and Ithamar, the sons of Aaron, who were left, saying, Why have you not eaten the sin offering in the place of the sanctuary, since it is a thing most holy and has been given to you, that you may bear the iniquity of the congregation, to make atonement for them before the Lord? Behold, its blood was not brought in to the inner part of the sanctuary.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 35: Crossing the Red Sea (2025)
If you haven't subscribed already, you impressed me. You impressed me a lot. But without any further delay, let's get started. Exodus chapter 13 and 14. The Lord said to Moses, And Moses said to the people, Remember this day. In which you came out from Egypt, out of the house of bondage, for by strength of hand the Lord brought you out from this place. No leavened bread shall be eaten.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 35: Crossing the Red Sea (2025)
You certainly ought to have eaten it in the sanctuary as I commanded." And Aaron said to Moses, Behold, today they have offered their sin offering and their burnt offering before the Lord, and yet such things as these have befallen me. If I had eaten the sin offering today, would it have been acceptable in the sight of the Lord?
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 35: Crossing the Red Sea (2025)
Psalm 53 Denunciation of Godlessness To the choirmaster, according to Mahalath, a maskil of David The fool says in his heart, there is no God. They are corrupt, doing abominable iniquity. There is none that does good. God looks down from heaven upon the sons of men to see if there are any that are wise, that seek after God. They have all fallen away. They are all alike depraved.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 35: Crossing the Red Sea (2025)
There is none that does good. No, not one. Have those who work evil no understanding? Who eat up my people as they eat bread and do not call upon God? There they are in great terror, in terror such as has not been. For God will scatter the bones of the ungodly. They will be put to shame for God has rejected them. All that deliverance for Israel would come from Zion.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 35: Crossing the Red Sea (2025)
When God restores the fortunes of his people, Jacob will rejoice and Israel be glad. Father in heaven, we thank you. We thank you for your word. We thank you for your commandments. We thank you for fighting for your people. Once again, you reveal to us in Exodus that you are willing.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 35: Crossing the Red Sea (2025)
Not only see us, you not only know us, you not only know our plea, you know our plight, you hear our pleas and know our plight, and you answer our prayers. And you answer by fighting for us. And we praise you for that. We thank you for that. Lord God, every single day you fight for us. You continue to give us your grace. You continue to make us people whole again.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 35: Crossing the Red Sea (2025)
And you continue to call us closer and closer to your heart. Help us always to say yes. Help us always to say yes to you. We ask this prayer through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, through the intercession of all the saints who make this prayer in the mighty name of our God and Lord Jesus Christ. In the name of the Father, Son, Holy Spirit. Amen.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 35: Crossing the Red Sea (2025)
Man, oh gosh, there are so many things to draw out. You know, when it comes to Leviticus, people think it can be dry. I mean, it's repetitive a little bit, but it's not dry. This is the Lord revealing his holiness. I mean, truly, all of the commandments, all of the rules in the book of Leviticus, they're all about the Lord. They're all about his holiness. They're all about what true holiness is.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 35: Crossing the Red Sea (2025)
How other, how other... God is. I mean, that's what it is to be holy is to be set apart. You know, you can say something is holy if it's been blessed, right? It's been set apart. It's been consecrated. It's for our purpose now. And here is God who himself is the author of holiness because he is holiness.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 35: Crossing the Red Sea (2025)
He's so fully other that here we have the sons of Aaron who come into the Lord's presence and they do whatever they want to do. They do everything. what is not right. They do what God has not asked them to do. He's not commanded them to do this. And so they offered an unholy fire. And so the fire of the Lord who is holy consumes them.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 35: Crossing the Red Sea (2025)
And sometimes we can hear some of these stories and we think, gosh, that seems so strange. They offered an unholy fire. What's that mean? And then that God's holy fire consumed them like that. Does that seem drastic? Does that seem extreme? And we realize not at all. I mean, because in the new covenant, what has God done? He has become so close to us. He has drawn so near to us.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 35: Crossing the Red Sea (2025)
We are temples of the Holy Spirit. He's that close. But also he has revealed himself in humility, in poverty. You think of the nativity, think of Christmas, think of Jesus being born, God himself, God incarnate, who willed to become a single-celled human being at one point. And then grew in his mother's womb, was born in poverty, born in a stable or cave and laid in a manger.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 35: Crossing the Red Sea (2025)
All these things allowed us to torture him, allowed us to reject him, allowed us to kill him. That we think like, oh gosh, here's God who just, you know, he's kind of like whatever. And yet scripture again and again, especially today in the book of Leviticus, he reveals, no, there's no kind of whatever when it comes to approaching me.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 35: Crossing the Red Sea (2025)
It is approach me the way I'm telling you to, because I am holy. Honestly, just think of the seriousness of this. Approach me how I'm telling you to, because I am holy. And what if we did that when we went to mass? What if we did that when we presented ourselves before the Lord in prayer is just to be able to say, Lord, it's true. It is true that you are holy.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 35: Crossing the Red Sea (2025)
And therefore we have this thing called the fear of the Lord. And again, fear of the Lord doesn't mean I'm afraid of God. The fear of the Lord is I'm taking God seriously. What would our lives look like? What would our prayer look like if we just took God seriously? Again, not being afraid, but simply realizing here is God who is holy. Here I dare to enter into his presence. That is remarkable.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 35: Crossing the Red Sea (2025)
Not only that, I dare enter his presence, but he is so, I don't know, humble. He loves us so much that he wants you to enter his presence. Well, last note, in Exodus today, man, here is the Lord's dramatic salvation of his people through the Red Sea. And there's this word, this word spoken to the people of Israel. The Lord fights for you. You have only to stand still.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 35: Crossing the Red Sea (2025)
This day you are to go forth in the month of Abib. And when the Lord brings you into the land of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, which he swore to your fathers to give you, a land flowing with milk and honey, you shall keep this service in this month. Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread, and on the seventh day there shall be a feast to the Lord."
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 30: Nile Turned to Blood (2025)
um if you're a leader of the people uh if you're if you are a priest of the people and you sin there's this recognition that okay that that's that's also scandalous and so you have a heavy responsibility and that's isn't that something that we all know when it comes to the leaders of uh the church and people that we look to in the faith that when when they fail uh
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 30: Nile Turned to Blood (2025)
it not only hurts them, it not only hurts the people in their lives, it hurts the whole church. It hurts, we all suffer. And so that recognition that here is the Lord saying, yeah, there's a seriousness there. Or when a community sins, like there's a seriousness there. And then even when the common person, essentially the lay person sins, there's a seriousness there.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 30: Nile Turned to Blood (2025)
But one of the things that was so powerful as we're reading through Leviticus today is the reality that God is so gracious, even in his mercy. Like even when sacrifice, the guilt offering is being, the sin offering is being presented. God is so gracious.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 30: Nile Turned to Blood (2025)
He's so merciful in that it says if you can't afford, you can't afford a goat, you can't afford a bull, then you can offer two pigeons or two turtle doves. But even if you can't afford that, you can bring an offering of fine flour. It's this element of God saying, what I want for you is I want to be able to give you my mercy.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 30: Nile Turned to Blood (2025)
If there's any prohibition, if there's anything getting in your way, any prohibitive, any kind of obstacle to you receiving my mercy, I'm willing to go down in price. Basically, what you are able to offer, you need to offer that. But if you can't offer something, then offer what you can. even to the point of like, here's some flower, Lord. And that is just, again, it's not about being technical.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 30: Nile Turned to Blood (2025)
It's not about this being like, what's the word? Unnecessarily subtle or necessarily nuanced. It is about the fact that this is a sign of God's great graciousness, a sign of his great love. What do you have to offer? Offer that. If you don't have the big thing to offer, then offer the small thing that you do have.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 30: Nile Turned to Blood (2025)
Moreover, I have heard the groaning of the sons of Israel, whom the Egyptians hold in bondage, and I have remembered my covenant. Say therefore to the sons of Israel, I am the Lord.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 30: Nile Turned to Blood (2025)
And this is what we give to the Lord every single day because so many of us have so little. So many of us have, gosh, not great hearts. So the Lord says, well, just give me the heart you have. So many of us have not great, incredible deeds. And so the Lord God says, well, just give me the small deed that you have. Not a lot of us have incredible opportunities to do big, big things for God.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 30: Nile Turned to Blood (2025)
So he says, okay, then do small things. I'll take it. Why? Because I am your God and you're my child. You're my son, you're my daughter, and I'm your dad. And so just whatever you have to offer, offer it and I'll receive it because that's how good he is. We keep praying for each other as we keep going through the Bible.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 30: Nile Turned to Blood (2025)
Please lift each other up in your prayer today because, you know, we don't know the battles we're all facing. And so just keep on interceding on behalf of each other. Pray for me too. Gosh, I need the Lord's mercy and his grace every single day. And I'm praying for you. My name is Father Mike. I cannot wait to continue this journey with you. And I cannot wait to see you tomorrow. God bless.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 30: Nile Turned to Blood (2025)
And I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians and I will deliver you from their bondage and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great acts of judgment and I will take you for my people and I will be your God and you shall know that I am the Lord your God who has brought you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 30: Nile Turned to Blood (2025)
Using the Great Adventure Bible timeline, we will read all the way from Genesis to Revelation, discovering how the story of salvation unfolds and how we fit into that story today. It is day 30, and that means today we're continuing our journey through Exodus and Leviticus and the book of Psalms. We'll be reading from Exodus chapter six and chapter seven. Leviticus chapter five and Psalm 47.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 30: Nile Turned to Blood (2025)
and I will bring you into the land which I swore to give to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. I will give it to you for a possession. I am the Lord. Moses spoke thus to the sons of Israel, but they did not listen to Moses because of their broken spirit and their cruel bondage. And the Lord said to Moses, go in, tell Pharaoh, king of Egypt, to let the sons of Israel go out of his land.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 30: Nile Turned to Blood (2025)
But Moses said to the Lord, behold, the sons of Israel have not listened to me. How then shall Pharaoh listen to me who am a man of uncircumcised lips? But the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron and gave them a charge to the sons of Israel and to Pharaoh, king of Egypt, to bring the sons of Israel out of the land of Egypt. These are the heads of the father's houses.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 30: Nile Turned to Blood (2025)
The sons of Reuben, the firstborn of Israel, Hanak, Palu, Hezron, and Carmi. These are the families of Reuben. The sons of Simeon, Jameel, Jamin, Ohad, Jachin, Zohar, and Shaul, the sons of a Canaanite woman. These are the families of Simeon.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 30: Nile Turned to Blood (2025)
These are the names of the sons of Levi, according to their generations, Gershon, Kohath, and Merari, the years of the life of Levi being 137 years, the sons of Gershon, Libni, and Shimei, by their families, the sons of Kohath, Amram, Ishar, Hebron, and Uziel, The years of the life of Kohath being 133 years. The sons of Merari, Mali and Mushi.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 30: Nile Turned to Blood (2025)
These are the families of the Levites according to their generations. Amram took to wife Jokabed, his father's sister, and she bore him Aaron and Moses. The years of the life of Amram being 137 years. The sons of Ishar, Korah, Nepheg, and Nechri, and the sons of Uziel, Mishael, Elzpahan, and Sithri. Aaron took to wife Elisheba, the daughter of Aminadab, and the sister of Nashon.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 30: Nile Turned to Blood (2025)
And she bore him Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. The sons of Korah, Asir, Elkanah, and Abiasaph, these are the families of the Korahites. Eleazar, Aaron's son, took to wife one of the daughters of Putiel, and she bore him Phinehas. These are the heads of the fathers' houses of the Levites by their families.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 30: Nile Turned to Blood (2025)
These are the Aaron and Moses to whom the Lord said, Bring out the sons of Israel from the land of Egypt by their hosts. It was they who spoke to Pharaoh, king of Egypt, about bringing out the sons of Israel from Egypt, this Moses and this Aaron. On the day when the Lord spoke to Moses in the land of Egypt, the Lord said to Moses, I am the Lord. Tell Pharaoh, king of Egypt, all that I say to you.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 30: Nile Turned to Blood (2025)
But Moses said to the Lord, Behold, I am of uncircumcised lips. How then shall Pharaoh listen to me? And the Lord said to Moses, See, I make you as God to Pharaoh, and Aaron your brother shall be your prophet. You shall speak all that I command you, and Aaron your brother shall tell Pharaoh to let the sons of Israel go out of his land. But I will harden Pharaoh's heart.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 30: Nile Turned to Blood (2025)
And though I multiply my signs and wonders in the land of Egypt, Pharaoh will not listen to you. Then I will lay my hand upon Egypt and bring forth my hosts, my people, the sons of Israel out of the land of Egypt by great acts of judgment. And the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord when I stretch forth my hand upon Egypt and bring out the sons of Israel from among them.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 30: Nile Turned to Blood (2025)
If you want to be able to follow along, not just with your ears, with your eyes, you want to be reading along. We are reading from the revised standard version, the Catholic edition. I'm using the great adventure Bible from Ascension, as well as have this Bible in a year. We have this Bible in a year reading plan for,
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 30: Nile Turned to Blood (2025)
So Moses and Aaron did so. They did as the Lord commanded them. Now Moses was 80 years old and Aaron 83 years old when they spoke to Pharaoh. And the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, when Pharaoh says to you, prove yourselves by working a miracle, then you shall say to Aaron, take your rod and cast it down before Pharaoh that it may become a serpent.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 30: Nile Turned to Blood (2025)
So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and did as the Lord commanded. Aaron cast down his rod before Pharaoh and his servants, and it became a serpent. Then Pharaoh summoned the wise men and the sorcerers, and they also, the magicians of Egypt, did the same by their secret arts. For every man cast down his rod, and they became serpents. But Aaron's rod swallowed up their rods.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 30: Nile Turned to Blood (2025)
Hi, my name is Father Mike Schmitz, and you're listening to the Bible in a Year podcast, where we encounter God's voice and live life through the lens of scripture. The Bible in a Year podcast is brought to you by Ascension.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 30: Nile Turned to Blood (2025)
Still, Pharaoh's heart was hardened and he would not listen to them as the Lord had said. Then the Lord said to Moses, Pharaoh's heart is hardened. He refuses to let the people go. Go to Pharaoh in the morning as he is going out to the water. Wait for him by the river's brink and take in your hand the rod which was turned into a serpent and you shall say to him,
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 30: Nile Turned to Blood (2025)
The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, sent me to you, saying, Let my people go, that they may serve me in the wilderness. And behold, you have not obeyed. Thus says the Lord, By this you shall know that I am the Lord. Behold, I will strike the water that is in the Nile with the rod that is in my hand, and it shall turn to blood.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 30: Nile Turned to Blood (2025)
And the fish in the Nile shall die, and the Nile shall become foul, and the Egyptians will loathe to drink water from the Nile. And the Lord said to Moses, say to Aaron, take your rod and stretch out your hand over the waters of Egypt, over the rivers, their canals and their ponds and all their pools of water that they may become blood.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 30: Nile Turned to Blood (2025)
And there shall be blood throughout all the land of Egypt, both in vessels of wood and in vessels of stone. Moses and Aaron did as the Lord commanded in the sight of Pharaoh, in the sight of his servants, he lifted up the rod and struck the water that was in the Nile and all the water that was in the Nile turned to blood.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 30: Nile Turned to Blood (2025)
And the fish in the Nile died, and the Nile became foul, so that the Egyptians could not drink water from the Nile. And there was blood throughout all the land of Egypt. But the magicians of Egypt did the same by their secret arts. So Pharaoh's heart remained hardened, and he would not listen to them, as the Lord had said.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 30: Nile Turned to Blood (2025)
where you can know what's coming up, know where to be at, know where to be at in your Bible. When we start talking, you can get that for free at ascensionpress.com slash Bible in a year. Again, the Bible in a year reading plan at ascensionpress.com slash Bible in a year.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 30: Nile Turned to Blood (2025)
Pharaoh turned and went into his house, and he did not lay even this to heart. And all the Egyptians dug round about the Nile for water to drink, for they could not drink the water of the Nile.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 30: Nile Turned to Blood (2025)
Leviticus chapter 5.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 30: Nile Turned to Blood (2025)
If anyone sins and that he hears a public adjuration to testify, and though he is a witness, whether he has seen or come to know the matter, yet does not speak, he shall bear his iniquity.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 30: Nile Turned to Blood (2025)
Or if anyone touches an unclean thing, whether the carcass of an unclean beast, or the carcass of an unclean cattle, or a carcass of unclean swarming things, and it is hidden from him, and he has become unclean, he shall be guilty.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 30: Nile Turned to Blood (2025)
Or if he touches human uncleanness, of whatever sort the uncleanness may be with which he becomes unclean, and it is hidden from him, when he comes to know it, he shall be guilty. Or if anyone utters with his lips a rash oath to do evil or to do good, any sort of rash oath that men swear, and it is hidden from him, when he comes to know it, he shall in any of these be guilty.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 30: Nile Turned to Blood (2025)
When a man is guilty of any of these, he shall confess the sin he has committed, and he shall bring his guilt offering to the Lord for the sin which he has committed, a female from the flock, a lamb or a goat, for a sin offering. And the priest shall make atonement for him for his sin.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 30: Nile Turned to Blood (2025)
But if he cannot afford a lamb, then he shall bring as his guilt offering to the Lord for the sin which he has committed two turtle doves or two young pigeons, one for a sin offering and the other for a burnt offering. He shall bring them to the priest who shall offer first the one for the sin offering. He shall wring its head from its neck.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 30: Nile Turned to Blood (2025)
but shall not sever it and he shall sprinkle some of the blood of the sin offering on the side of the altar while the rest of the blood shall be drained out at the base of the altar it is a sin offering and he shall offer the second for a burnt offering according to the ordinance and the priest shall make atonement for him and for the sin which he has committed and he shall be forgiven
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 30: Nile Turned to Blood (2025)
But if he cannot afford two turtle doves or two young pigeons, then he shall bring as his offering for this in which he has committed a tenth of an ephah of fine flour for a sin offering. He shall put no oil upon it and shall put no frankincense on it for it is a sin offering.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 30: Nile Turned to Blood (2025)
You can also subscribe to this podcast, you know, whatever app you're using to listen to this podcast by just clicking subscribe. Once again, we are reading from Exodus chapter six, chapter seven, Leviticus chapter five and Psalm 47. Exodus chapter 6 and chapter 7. But the Lord said to Moses, Now you shall see what I will do to Pharaoh. For with a strong hand he will send them out.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 30: Nile Turned to Blood (2025)
And he shall bring it to the priest and the priest shall take a handful of it as a memorial portion and burn this on the altar upon the offerings by fire to the Lord. It is a sin offering. Thus the priest shall make atonement for him for the sin which he has committed in any one of these things, and he shall be forgiven. And the remainder shall be for the priest, as in the cereal offering.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 30: Nile Turned to Blood (2025)
The Lord said to Moses, If anyone commits a breach of faith, and sins unwittingly in any of the holy things of the Lord, he shall bring as his guilt offering to the Lord a ram without blemish out of the flock. valued by you in shekels of silver, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, it is a guilt offering.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 30: Nile Turned to Blood (2025)
He shall also make restitution for what he has done amiss in the holy thing and shall add a fifth to it and give it to the priest and the priest shall make atonement for him with the ram of the guilt offering and he shall be forgiven. If anyone sins doing any of the things which the Lord has commanded not to be done, though he does not know it, yet he is guilty and shall bear its iniquity.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 30: Nile Turned to Blood (2025)
He shall bring to the priest a ram without blemish out of the flock valued by you at the price for a guilt offering, and the priest shall make atonement for him for the error which he committed unwittingly, and he shall be forgiven. It is a guilt offering.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 30: Nile Turned to Blood (2025)
He is guilty before the Lord. Psalm 47, God's rule over the nations.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 30: Nile Turned to Blood (2025)
To the choir master, a psalm of the sons of Korah. Clap your hands, all you peoples. Shout to God with loud songs of joy, for the Lord, the most high, is awesome, a great king over all the earth. He subdued peoples under us and nations under our feet. He chose our heritage for us, the pride of Jacob, whom he loves. God has gone up with a shout. The Lord with the sound of a trumpet.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 30: Nile Turned to Blood (2025)
Sing praises to God. Sing praises. Sing praises to our King. Sing praises. For God is King of all the earth. Sing praises with a psalm. God reigns over the nations. God sits on his holy throne. The princes of the peoples gather as the people of God of Abraham. For the shields of the earth belong to God.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 30: Nile Turned to Blood (2025)
He is highly exalted. God, you are exalted and you're exalted above all ages.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 30: Nile Turned to Blood (2025)
You are exalted above all names and you have revealed your name to us. So we cry out your name. We cry out the name of the son of God, Jesus Christ. You are our Lord and you are the God of the universe. You are the king over all and you reign on your holy throne. We ask that you please, you are the God who reigns. We ask that you also reign in our hearts. You're the king of creation.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 30: Nile Turned to Blood (2025)
We also ask that you are the king of our lives. Oh God, we give you permission this day. Not that you need our permission, but you are so humble that you choose to allow us to refuse your love or to receive your love. Lord God, this day, help us to receive your love. Help us to let ourselves be loved by you.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 30: Nile Turned to Blood (2025)
Help us to give you permission to redeem us once again, to save us once again, to give us your grace once again, and to love us once again. Lord God, every day is new with you. Your love is new every morning. Please give us your love today as we receive it from you with gratitude. Make this prayer in the mighty name of Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 30: Nile Turned to Blood (2025)
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Man, it seems like every time we come back to the scripture, every time we jump back into the story, there's another thing that God reveals.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 30: Nile Turned to Blood (2025)
I mean, he continually reveals to us, but one of the things he reveals in the first chapter we read today from Exodus is how he has to remind Moses who he is, that he's basically making it absolutely clear. So Moses cannot forget, like, I am the Lord, your God, the God Almighty. I'm the God of your father, Abraham and Isaac and Jacob.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 30: Nile Turned to Blood (2025)
And he says, even he's saying, like we said yesterday, I revealed myself to them, but my name, the Lord, remember that sacred name of God, YHWH, Yahweh, I did not make myself known to them. He's saying to Moses, listen, you heard all of these stories of your ancestors. but listen, I'm doing something even more new, even newer with you.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 30: Nile Turned to Blood (2025)
Yes, with a strong hand he will drive them out of his land. And God said to Moses, I am the Lord. I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob as God Almighty. But by my name, the Lord, I did not make myself known to them. I also established my covenant with them to give them the land of Canaan, the land in which they dwelt as sojourners.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 30: Nile Turned to Blood (2025)
And so therefore go to the people of Israel, go to them and tell them like God is doing something new. And this is the gosh, the case in our lives as well, that there are so many things, so much of himself that God has revealed to us. And yet when we read scripture, when we're here right now, one of the things that he reveals to us again is like, okay, those are the things I've done in the past.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 30: Nile Turned to Blood (2025)
Remember them because it's so easy to forget. That's one of the things, one of the themes we're gonna have for the course of this entire year. Remember the deeds of God, remember his heart because we're so tempted to have this short-term memory where we don't remember what God has done in light of what we're going through right now.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 30: Nile Turned to Blood (2025)
We forget the past because of the present or because of our anxiety over the future. And so God here is reminding Moses, yes, I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob, but also I'm with you and I will be your God and I'm revealing myself to you in a new way. And that's what God is doing for us to remembering the past. That's why we're going through this scripture, not just
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 30: Nile Turned to Blood (2025)
to learn stuff, but to be reminded of things that are so easy to forget, like God's character, like his heart, but also so that he can reveal himself to us now so that we can know him even more deeply and be able to follow him even more closely. It's just so good. I just am so grateful to the Lord. One of the things he reveals to us, not only in Exodus, but also in Leviticus today, is
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 30: Nile Turned to Blood (2025)
is that here is the sin offering. When a person commits a sin and there's this, it's so great. I don't know if you've noticed there were different categories, right? If you are the leader of the people, if you are the people, if you are a common person, then different sacrifices are being offered. Why? Because
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 23: Judah Changes (2025)
Something has changed in the lives and the hearts of these brothers, of these men. When the new youngest brother, Benjamin, who also is beloved by their father, when his life is threatened and their father's life by extension is threatened, you know, earlier they didn't care that their father was heartbroken.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 23: Judah Changes (2025)
Earlier they didn't care that their father was grieved by the fact that he believed Joseph to be dead. But now something must have changed in these years when Joseph was away, something must have changed in the lives and the hearts of these brothers. Where they must have realized we don't want to be those kinds of sons. We don't want to not only needlessly grieve our father.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 23: Judah Changes (2025)
We don't want to even have any reason to grieve our father. And so they put their own lives on the line for the new beloved son. They put their lives on the line for the new chosen, mostly beloved, mostly loved son, Benjamin, which demonstrates something. It demonstrates that these men have changed.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 23: Judah Changes (2025)
And if there's anything that we can take heart in, anything that the gospel reveals to us, anything that the Bible reveals to us, is that yes, we are broken. Yes, we're messy. That's the key words we've been following. But also that we can change. Also that, remember, who is the person who puts his life on the line here?
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 23: Judah Changes (2025)
It's Judah, who a couple chapters before had sexual relations with his daughter-in-law, thinking that she was a prostitute. So here is this reality of all these people in these stories. But this is Judah now. placing his life on the line for his father, for his brother, and for his other brothers. The fact that we are broken and the fact that we need God's help
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 23: Judah Changes (2025)
is a present reality to all of us every day of our lives. What's not as present, what's not as obvious is the fact that we also can change with God's help, that things can become different. Judah, the fourth brother, whose name means praise, Judah had fallen seriously earlier on in this book of Genesis. But in this moment, Judah is a shining son. He's a shining brother.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 23: Judah Changes (2025)
In this moment, Judah is the one that we can all look to and say, if I have the choice, if I had the chance to spare my parents, to spare my siblings, to spare those who need to be spared of needless grief, let me be like Judah.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 23: Judah Changes (2025)
we pray not only that like joseph we walk with the lord and the lord is with us we also pray that maybe like judah we can change because if there's anything that grace teaches us is that none of us have to remain stuck in our sin none of us have to remain stuck in our brokenness but with god's grace every one of us can change that's why we're doing that's why we're doing this bible in a year
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 23: Judah Changes (2025)
For the man said to us, you shall not see my face unless your brother is with you. Israel said, why did you treat me so ill as to tell the man that you had another brother? They replied, the man questioned us carefully about ourselves and our kindred saying, is your father still alive? Have you another brother? What we told him was an answer to these questions.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 23: Judah Changes (2025)
is because we need to be reminded of the fact that God truly does want us, that he is communicating himself to us, that he's speaking to us. And today, I know that God spoke with you. So why not speak something back? Take these scriptures today to prayer. Take each other to prayer. Let's intercede on behalf of each other.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 23: Judah Changes (2025)
I know that I'm praying for you, and I ask that you please keep on praying for me. My name is Father Mike. I cannot wait to see you again tomorrow. God bless.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 23: Judah Changes (2025)
Could we in any way know that he would say, bring your brother down? And Judah said to Israel, his father, send the lad with me and we will arise and go that we may live and not die. Both we and you and also our little ones. I will be surety for him. Of my hand, you shall require him. If I do not bring him back to you and set him before you, then let me bear the blame forever.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 23: Judah Changes (2025)
For if we had not been delayed, we now would have returned twice. Then their father Israel said to them, if it must be so, then do this. Take some of the choice fruits of the land in your bags and carry down to the man a present, a little balm and a little honey, gum, myrrh, pistachio nuts, and almonds. Take double the money with you.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 23: Judah Changes (2025)
Carry back with you the money that was returned in the mouth of your sacks. Perhaps it was an oversight. Take also your brother and arise. Go again to the man. May God Almighty grant you mercy before the man that he may send back your other brother and Benjamin. If I am bereaved of my children, I am bereaved.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 23: Judah Changes (2025)
So the men took the present, and they took double the money with them and Benjamin, and they arose and went down to Egypt and stood before Joseph. When Joseph saw Benjamin with them, he said to the steward of his house, Bring the men into the house and slaughter an animal and make ready, for the men are to dine with me at noon. The man did as Joseph bade him and brought the men to Joseph's house.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 23: Judah Changes (2025)
And the men were afraid because they were brought to Joseph's house and they said, it is because of the money which was replaced in our sacks the first time that we are brought in so that he might seek occasion against us and fall upon us to make slaves of us and seize our donkeys.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 23: Judah Changes (2025)
So they went up to the steward of Joseph's house and spoke with him at the door of the house and said, oh my Lord, we came down the first time to buy food. And when we came to the lodging place, we opened our sacks and there was every man's money in the mouth of his sack, our money in full weight. So we have brought it again with us and we have brought other money down in our hand to buy food.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 23: Judah Changes (2025)
this is day 23 let us keep on rolling um day 23 we're gonna keep following the story of joseph and his brothers and their father as we read from genesis chapter 43 and 42 we'll also be walking with our old friend our good friend job by reading job chapter 35 and 36 we're also reading more deeply into proverbs chapter 4 verses 10 through 19.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 23: Judah Changes (2025)
We do not know who put our money in our sacks. He replied, rest assured, do not be afraid. Your God and the God of your father must have put treasure in your sacks for you. I received your money.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 23: Judah Changes (2025)
then he brought simeon out to them and when the man had brought the men into joseph's house and given them water and they had washed their feet and when they had given their donkeys food they made ready the present for joseph's coming at noon for they heard that they should eat bread there
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 23: Judah Changes (2025)
When Joseph came home, they brought into the house to him the present which they had with them and bowed down to him to the ground. And he inquired about their welfare and said, is your father well? The old man of whom you spoke, is he still alive? They said, your servant, our father is well. He is still alive. And they bowed their heads and made obeisance.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 23: Judah Changes (2025)
And he lifted up his eyes and saw his brother, Benjamin, his mother's son. And he said, is this your youngest brother of whom you spoke to me? God be gracious to you, my son. Then Joseph made haste for his heart yearned for his brother and he sought a place to weep. And he entered his chamber and wept there. Then he washed his face and came out and controlling himself, he said, let food be served.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 23: Judah Changes (2025)
They served him by himself and them by themselves, and the Egyptians who ate with him by themselves, because the Egyptians might not eat bread with the Hebrews, for that is an abomination to the Egyptians. And they sat before him, the firstborn according to his birthright, and the youngest according to his youth. And the men looked at one another in amazement.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 23: Judah Changes (2025)
Portions were taken to them from Joseph's table, but Benjamin's portion was five times as much as any of theirs." So they drank and were merry with him.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 23: Judah Changes (2025)
Then he commanded the steward of his house, fill the men's sacks with food, as much as they can carry, and put each man's money in the mouth of his sack, and put my cup, the silver cup, in the mouth of the sack of the youngest with his money for the grain. And he did as Joseph told him. As soon as the morning was light, the men were sent away with their donkeys.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 23: Judah Changes (2025)
When they had gone but a short distance from the city, Joseph said to his steward, Up, follow after the men. When you overtake them, say to them, Why have you returned evil for good? Why have you stolen my silver cup? Is it not from this that my Lord drinks and by this that he divines? You have done wrong in so doing. When he overtook them, he spoke to them these words. They said to him,
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 23: Judah Changes (2025)
Hi, I'm Father Mike Schmitz, and you're listening to the Bible in a Year podcast, where we encounter God's voice and live life through the lens of Scripture. The Bible in a Year podcast is brought to you by Ascension. Using the Great Adventure Bible Timeline, we'll read all the way from Genesis to Revelation, discovering how the story of salvation unfolds and how we fit into that story today.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 23: Judah Changes (2025)
Why does my Lord speak such words as these, far be it from your servants, that they should do such a thing? Behold, the money which we found in the mouth of our sacks, we brought back to you from our land in Canaan. How then should we steal silver or gold from your Lord's house? With whomever of your servants it be found, let him die, and we also will be my Lord's slaves.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 23: Judah Changes (2025)
he said let it be as you say he with whom it is found shall be my slave and the rest of you shall be blameless then every man lowered his sack quickly to the ground and every man opened his sack and he searched beginning with the eldest and ending with the youngest and the cup was found in benjamin's sack then they tore their clothes and every man loaded his donkey and they returned to the city
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 23: Judah Changes (2025)
when judah and his brothers came to joseph's house he was still there and they fell before him to the ground joseph said to them what deed is this that you have done do you not know that such a man as i can indeed divine and judah said what shall we say to my lord what shall we speak or how can we clear ourselves God has found out the guilt of your servants.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 23: Judah Changes (2025)
As always, if you're interested in reading along or following along, you can go to ascensionpress.com slash Bible in a year and you can download the Bible in a year reading plan. You can get that and you can follow along because I'm reading the revised standard version Catholic edition.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 23: Judah Changes (2025)
Behold, we are my Lord's slaves, both we and he also in whose hand the cup has been found. But he said, far be it from me that I should do so. Only the man in whose hand the cup was found shall be my slave. But as for you, go up in peace to your father.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 23: Judah Changes (2025)
Then Judah went up to him and said, O my Lord, let your servant, I beg you, speak a word in my Lord's ears, and let not your anger burn against your servant, for you are like Pharaoh himself. My Lord asked his servants, saying, Have you a father or a brother? And we said to my Lord, We have a father, an old man, and a young brother, the child of his old age.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 23: Judah Changes (2025)
And his brother is dead, and he alone is left of his mother's children, and his father loves him. Then you said to your servants, Bring him down to me, that I may set my eyes upon him. We said to my lord, The lad cannot leave his father, for if he should leave his father, his father would die.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 23: Judah Changes (2025)
Then you said to your servants, Unless your youngest brother comes down with you, you shall see my face no more. When we went back to your servant, my father, we told him the words of my Lord. And when our father said, go again, buy us a little food, we said, we cannot go down.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 23: Judah Changes (2025)
If our youngest brother goes with us, then we will go down for we cannot see the man's face unless our youngest brother is with us. Then your servant my father said to us, You know that my wife bore me two sons. One left me, and I said, Surely he has been torn to pieces, and I have never seen him since.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 23: Judah Changes (2025)
If you take this one also from me, and harm befalls him, you will bring down my gray hairs in sorrow to Sheol. Now therefore, when I come to your servant my father, and the lad is not with us, Then as his life is bound up in the lad's life, when he sees that the lad is not with us, he will die. And your servants will bring down the gray hairs of your servant, our father, with sorrow to Sheol.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 23: Judah Changes (2025)
For your servant became surety for the lad to my father, saying, If I do not bring him back to you, then I shall bear the blame in the sight of my father all my life. Now, therefore, let your servant, I beg you, remain instead of the lad as a slave to my Lord and let the lad go back with his brothers. For how can I go back to my father if the lad is not with me?
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 23: Judah Changes (2025)
I fear to see the evil that would come upon my father. Job chapter 35 and 36. Elihu condemns self-righteousness. And Elihu said, Do you think this to be just? Do you say it is my right before God that you ask what advantage have I? How am I better off than if I had sinned? I will answer you and your friends with you. Look at the heavens and see and behold the clouds which are higher than you.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 23: Judah Changes (2025)
I'm using the actual Great Adventure Bible from Ascension, which is super good, super handy to have because of all the notes, the maps, everything that's in there. Also, if you want to, you can subscribe in your podcast app. Every time we drop an episode, you will pick it up because you have subscribed.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 23: Judah Changes (2025)
If you have sinned, what do you accomplish against him? And if your transgressions are multiplied, what do you do to him? If you are righteous, what do you give to him or what does he receive from your hand? Your wickedness concerns a man like yourself and your righteousness a son of man. Because of the multitude of oppressions people cry out, they call for help because of the arm of the mighty.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 23: Judah Changes (2025)
But none says, where is God my maker who gives songs in the night, who teaches us more than the beasts of the earth and makes us wiser than the birds of the air? There they cry out, but he does not answer because of the pride of evil men. Surely God does not hear an empty cry, nor does the Almighty regard it.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 23: Judah Changes (2025)
How much less when you say that you do not see him, that the case is before him and you are waiting for him. And now, because his anger does not punish and he does not greatly heed transgression, Job opened his mouth in empty talk. He multiplies words without knowledge. And Elihu continued and said, bear with me a little and I will show you. For I have yet something to say on God's behalf.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 23: Judah Changes (2025)
I will fetch my knowledge from afar and ascribe righteousness to my maker. For truly, my words are not false. One who is perfect in knowledge is with you. Behold, God is mighty and does not despise any. He is mighty in strength of understanding. He does not keep the wicked alive, but gives the afflicted their right.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 23: Judah Changes (2025)
He does not withdraw his eyes from the righteous, but with kings upon the throne, he sets them forever and they are exalted. And if they are bound in fetters and caught in the cords of affliction, then he declares to them their work and their transgressions, that they are behaving arrogantly. He He opens their ears to instruction and commands that they return from iniquity.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 23: Judah Changes (2025)
Lastly, if you're interested in getting updates from Ascension, updates about the Bible in a year podcast, you can just simply text the word Catholic Bible to the number 33777. Once again, that's the word Catholic Bible to 33777. Once again, we're reading from Genesis chapter 43 and 44. Now the famine was severe in the land.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 23: Judah Changes (2025)
If they listen and serve him, they complete their days in prosperity and their years in pleasantness. But if they do not listen, they perish by the sword and they die without knowledge. The godless in heart cherish anger. They do not cry for help when he binds them. They die in youth and their life ends in shame. He delivers the afflicted from their affliction and opens their ear by adversity.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 23: Judah Changes (2025)
He also allured you out of distress into a broad place where there was no cramping, and what was set on your table was full of rich food, but you are full of the judgment on the wicked. Judgment and justice seize you. Beware, lest wrath entice you into scoffing, and let not the greatness of the ransom turn you aside. Will your cry avail to keep you from distress, or all the force of your strength?
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 23: Judah Changes (2025)
Do not long for the night when peoples are cut off in their place. Take heed. Do not turn to iniquity. For this you have chosen rather than affliction. Behold, God is exalted in his power. Who is a teacher like him? Who has prescribed for him his way? Or who can say, you have done wrong? Remember to extol his work of which men have sung. All men have looked on it. Man beholds it from afar.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 23: Judah Changes (2025)
Behold, God is great, and we know him not. The number of his years is unsearchable. For he draws up the drops of water. He distills his mist in rain, which the skies pour down and drop upon man abundantly. Can anyone understand the spreading of the clouds, the thundering of his pavilion? Behold, he scatters his lightning about him and covers the roots of the sea. For by these he judges peoples.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 23: Judah Changes (2025)
He gives food in abundance. He covers his hands with the lightning and commands it to strike the mark. Its crashing declares concerning him who is jealous with anger against iniquity. Book of Proverbs, chapter 4, verses 10 through 19. Hear, my son, and accept my words, that the years of your life may be many. I have taught you the way of wisdom. I have led you in the paths of uprightness.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 23: Judah Changes (2025)
When you walk, your step will not be hampered, and if you run, you will not stumble. Keep hold of instruction. Do not let go. Guard her, for she is your life. Do not enter the path of the wicked and do not walk in the way of evil men. Avoid it. Do not go on it. Turn away from it and pass on, for they cannot sleep unless they have done wrong.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 23: Judah Changes (2025)
They are robbed of sleep unless they have made someone stumble, for they eat the bread of wickedness and drink the wine of violence. But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, which shines brighter and brighter until full day. The way of the wicked is like deep darkness. They do not know over what they stumble. God in heaven, we thank you and praise you. You are our good father.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 23: Judah Changes (2025)
You love us. You reveal your heart to us. We ask that you please continue to send your Holy Spirit upon us as we listen to your word, as we let it penetrate our minds and transform our hearts, as we let your word be the north star that guides the direction of our lives. Mary, queen of heaven, we ask for your intercession. We ask that you lead us to your son, Jesus Christ.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 23: Judah Changes (2025)
You who bore the word made flesh in your womb, help the word proclaimed dwell in our lives. In Jesus' name we pray. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. So, man, oh man. There is something about these 12 brothers. Well, about 12. Yeah, 12. It's 12. Here we go. These 12 brothers. Man.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 23: Judah Changes (2025)
And when they had eaten the grain which they had brought from Egypt, their father said to them, Go again, buy us a little food. But Judah said to him, The man solemnly warned us, saying, You shall not see my face unless your brother is with you. If you will send our brother with us, we will go down and buy you food. But if not, we will not go down.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 23: Judah Changes (2025)
Originally what happened originally, these brothers were jealous of the love that their father had for the youngest brother, the 11th brother, Joseph. They were so jealous of the love that their father had for Joseph, that they were willing to kill him until they sold him into slavery. And yet something has changed.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 354: Partakers of the Divine Nature (2024)
then the Holy Spirit of God is united to you in a unique way that you share in the divine nature. Now, as a human being, as made in God's image and likeness, you are a beloved creature of God, of course. But as one who's been baptized, you've been transformed, and you actually don't just have a human nature. Yes, it's basically God gives you a share in his divine nature.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 354: Partakers of the Divine Nature (2024)
we're not like Jesus in the sense that Jesus is one divine person with a human and divine nature, but we get to participate, get to share in the divine nature. The example I always like to give is the example of Pinocchio and Geppetto. I'm not sure if I used this this year. Shoot, it's been 353 days, 354 days, crying out loud. But here is Geppetto, right? He's the marionette maker.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 354: Partakers of the Divine Nature (2024)
He's the creator and he loves Pinocchio. He makes Pinocchio in his image and likeness. He Gives him arms and legs like Geppetto. He can talk like Geppetto and walk like Geppetto, but he's not Geppetto's son. He's Geppetto's beloved creature. He's Geppetto's beloved creation.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 354: Partakers of the Divine Nature (2024)
Now, Geppetto loves him, of course, but in order for Pinocchio to be able to look at Geppetto and say, not just my maker, but my father, what has to happen? In order for Geppetto to look at Pinocchio and not just say my creation, but my son, what has to happen is that Pinocchio has to have the same nature as Geppetto. And so what happens? He becomes a real boy, right? In the course of the story.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 354: Partakers of the Divine Nature (2024)
And this is the same thing with us. Any unbaptized person can look at God and say, that's my creator who loves me. I'm a beloved creation of the incredible creator. But only when you're baptized, do you become a partaker in the divine nature that you're, in some ways, what you are changes, right? So that God can truly look at you and say, this is my son. This is my daughter.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 354: Partakers of the Divine Nature (2024)
And we can truly look at God the Father and say, he is our dad. He's truly our father. And that's something so, so important here in 2 Peter. It's just, again, bonkers to realize this. Now, Peter is writing to people who are saying, how come there's such a delay in God coming to us? Jesus said he'd come back, but I haven't seen him. Um, where is he?
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 354: Partakers of the Divine Nature (2024)
For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue and virtue with knowledge and knowledge with self-control and self-control with steadfastness and steadfastness with godliness and godliness with brotherly affection and brotherly affection with love. Amen. Amen. Amen.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 354: Partakers of the Divine Nature (2024)
And Peter says, essentially, don't consider this delay. This is the final chapter, chapter three. Do not ignore this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord, one day is as a thousand years and a thousand years are as one day. God's not slow about his promises, but he's forbearing, meaning he's not, he doesn't wish that anyone should perish, but that all should reach repentance.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 354: Partakers of the Divine Nature (2024)
The idea is that God is giving us more time so more people can repent. But he says the day of the Lord will come like a thief. So we have to be prepared. We have to be ready for that day that's coming upon us. In fact, there was something similar happening in St.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 354: Partakers of the Divine Nature (2024)
Paul's letter to the Thessalonians because what's happened for them is that they were concerned because people were dying and the Christians were dying and they thought, wait, shoot, does this mean that they won't be able to receive salvation? the fullness of God's glory, because they're already dead. We're waiting. We're expecting Jesus to come back in our lifetimes. But here is St.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 354: Partakers of the Divine Nature (2024)
Paul in chapter four, who's able to say, we would not have you ignorant brethren concerning those who are asleep. Again, those who have died, that you may not grieve as others who do not have hope. This is so incredible. We do grieve. As Christians, we grieve, but we don't grieve as those who have no hope. We don't grieve as those who think that death is the end. Death is this place of transition.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 354: Partakers of the Divine Nature (2024)
It's this passage into eternal life for those who are to be saved. And so we do grieve, but we don't grieve as those who have no hope. We don't grieve like the rest. But St. Paul goes on to say, for this we declare to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, shall not precede those who have fallen asleep.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 354: Partakers of the Divine Nature (2024)
For when the Lord comes, the dead will rise. The dead in Christ will rise. And then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore, comfort one another with these words.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 354: Partakers of the Divine Nature (2024)
And that's incredible, incredible word of comfort for all of us, is that those who have died, those who have passed on, We'll meet them again. Those who are passed on in Christ, we'll meet them again, is the hope we have. St. Paul concludes this first letter with these words of exhortation, which are so great.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 354: Partakers of the Divine Nature (2024)
Rejoice always, pray constantly, give thanks in all circumstances, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. I love this line, this last thing here. He says, do not quench the spirit, do not despise prophesying, but test everything, hold fast to what is good. There's that piece of, yep, people have a word from the Lord. Okay, great. Let's test it.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 354: Partakers of the Divine Nature (2024)
That's so important for us to do because too many people can be too easily misled if they just say, oh, that's from God. I guess I'll believe it. Nope. If someone is given a word, given a word of prophecy, we've read the entire Bible, you false prophecy. And so what we need to do is test everything and retain what is good. Ah, so good.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 354: Partakers of the Divine Nature (2024)
What an incredible, incredible gift today has been concluding that second letter of St. Peter and concluding the first letter of St. Paul to the Thessalonians. Tomorrow we have 1 John and we have 2 Thessalonians and we're on our way. What a gift. What a gift it's been to be part of this community and what a gift it is to be able to pray for you. I am praying for you. Please pray for me.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 354: Partakers of the Divine Nature (2024)
Using the Great Adventure Bible timeline, we'll read all the way from Genesis to Revelation, discovering how the story of salvation unfolds and how we fit into that story today. It is day 354. Day 354, we're all reading the entire second letter of St. Peter, chapters 1 and 2 and 3, as well as the conclusion of the first letter of St.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 354: Partakers of the Divine Nature (2024)
My name is Father Mike. I cannot wait to see you tomorrow. God bless.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 354: Partakers of the Divine Nature (2024)
so there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Therefore, I intend always to remind you of these things, though you know them and are established in the truth that you have.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 354: Partakers of the Divine Nature (2024)
I think it right, as long as I am in this body, to arouse you by way of reminder, since I know that the putting off of my body will be soon as our Lord Jesus Christ showed me. And I will see to it that after my departure, you may be able at any time to recall these things. Eyewitnesses of Christ's glory.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 354: Partakers of the Divine Nature (2024)
For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. For when he received honor and glory from God the Father and the voice was born to him by the majestic glory, this is my beloved son with whom I am well pleased.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 354: Partakers of the Divine Nature (2024)
We heard this voice born from heaven for we were with him on the holy mountain and we have the prophetic word made more sure. You will do well to pay attention to this as to a lamp shining in a dark place until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 354: Partakers of the Divine Nature (2024)
First of all, you must understand this, that no prophecy of scripture is a matter of one's own interpretation because no prophecy ever came by the impulse of man, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God. Chapter two, false prophets and their punishment.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 354: Partakers of the Divine Nature (2024)
But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction. And many will follow their licentiousness. And because of them, the way of truth will be reviled. And in their greed, they will exploit you with false words.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 354: Partakers of the Divine Nature (2024)
From of old, their condemnation has not been idle and their destruction has not been asleep. For if God did not spare the angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to pits of deepest darkness to be kept until the judgment.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 354: Partakers of the Divine Nature (2024)
If he did not spare the ancient world, but preserved Noah, a herald of righteousness, with seven other persons, when he brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly. If by turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to ashes, he condemned them to extinction and made them an example to those who were to be ungodly.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 354: Partakers of the Divine Nature (2024)
And if he rescued righteous Lot, greatly distressed by the licentiousness of the wicked. For by what the righteous man saw and heard as he lived among them, he was vexed in his righteous soul day after day with their lawless deeds.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 354: Partakers of the Divine Nature (2024)
Paul to the Thessalonians, chapters 4 and 5, as well as Proverbs chapter 30, verses 17 through 19. As always, the Bible translation I'm reading from is the Revised Standard Version, Second Catholic Edition. I'm using the Great Adventure Bible from Ascension. If you want to download your own Bible in a year reading plan, you can visit ascensionpress.com slash Bible in a year.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 354: Partakers of the Divine Nature (2024)
Then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trial and to keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgment, and especially those who indulge in the lust of defiling passion and despise authority. Bold and willful, they are not afraid to revile the glorious ones, whereas angels, though greater in might and power, do not pronounce a reviling judgment upon them before the Lord.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 354: Partakers of the Divine Nature (2024)
But these, like irrational animals, creatures of instinct, born to be caught and killed, reviling in matters of which they are ignorant, will be destroyed in the same destruction with them, suffering wrong for their wrongdoing. They count it pleasure to revel in the daytime. They are blots and blemishes, reveling in their dissipation, carousing with you.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 354: Partakers of the Divine Nature (2024)
They have eyes full of adultery, insatiable for sin. They entice unsteady souls. They have hearts trained in greed, accursed children. Forsaking the right way, they have gone astray. They have followed the way of Balaam, the son of Baor, who loved gain from wrongdoing, but was rebuked for his own transgression. A speechless donkey spoke with the human voice and restrained the prophet's madness.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 354: Partakers of the Divine Nature (2024)
these are waterless springs and mists driven by a storm for them the deepest gloom of darkness has been reserved for uttering loud boasts of folly they entice with licentious passions of the flesh men who have barely escaped from those who live in error They promise them freedom, but they themselves are slaves of corruption. For whatever overcomes a man, to that he is enslaved.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 354: Partakers of the Divine Nature (2024)
For if, after they have escaped the defilements of the world through the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overpowered, the last state has become worse for them than the first. For it would have been better for them never to have known the way of righteousness than after knowing it to turn back from the holy commandment delivered to them.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 354: Partakers of the Divine Nature (2024)
Hi, my name is Father Mike Schmitz, and you're listening to the Bible in a Year podcast, where we encounter God's voice and live life through the lens of Scripture. The Bible in a Year podcast is brought to you by Ascension.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 354: Partakers of the Divine Nature (2024)
It has happened to them, according to the true proverb, the dog turns back to his own vomit, and the sow is washed, only to wallow in the mire. Chapter 3 The Promise of the Lord's Coming This is now the second letter that I have written to you, beloved.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 354: Partakers of the Divine Nature (2024)
And in both of them, I have aroused your sincere mind by way of reminder that you should remember the predictions of the holy prophets and the commandment of the Lord and Savior through your apostles. First of all, you must understand this, that scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing, following their own passions and saying, where is the promise of his coming?
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Day 354: Partakers of the Divine Nature (2024)
You can also subscribe in your podcast app to this podcast because why not keep making this announcement here in the final days leading up to our conclusion of our scripture and our second trip around the sun and second trip around through the Bible. It is day 354. We're reading 2 Peter chapters 1, 2, and 3, 1 Thessalonians chapters 4 and 5, and Proverbs chapter 30 verses 17 through 19.
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Day 354: Partakers of the Divine Nature (2024)
For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things have continued as they were from the beginning of creation. They deliberately ignore this fact, that by the word of God, heavens existed long ago, and an earth formed out of water and by means of water, through which the world that then existed was deluged with water and perished.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 354: Partakers of the Divine Nature (2024)
But by the same word, the heavens and earth that now exist have been stored up for fire, being kept until the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men. But do not ignore this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 354: Partakers of the Divine Nature (2024)
The Lord is not slow about his promise as some count slowness, but is forbearing towards you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a loud noise, and the elements will be dissolved with fire, and the earth and the works that are upon it will be burned up."
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Day 354: Partakers of the Divine Nature (2024)
Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of persons ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be kindled and dissolved and the elements will melt with fire? But according to his promise, we wait for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.
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Day 354: Partakers of the Divine Nature (2024)
Final Exhortation and Doxology Therefore, beloved, since you wait for these, be zealous to be found by him without spot or blemish, and at peace, and count the forbearance of our Lord as salvation. So also, our beloved brother Paul wrote to you according to the wisdom given him, speaking of this as he does in all his letters.
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Day 354: Partakers of the Divine Nature (2024)
there are some things in them hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction as they do the other scriptures. You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, beware, lest you be carried away with the error of lawless men and lose your own stability. But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
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Day 354: Partakers of the Divine Nature (2024)
To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 354: Partakers of the Divine Nature (2024)
Chapter four, a life pleasing to God. Finally, brethren, we beg and exhort you in the Lord Jesus that as you learn from us how you ought to walk and to please God, just as you are now doing, you do so more and more. For you know what instructions we gave you through the Lord Jesus.
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Day 354: Partakers of the Divine Nature (2024)
For this is the will of God, your sanctification, that you abstain from immorality, that each one of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honor, not in the passion of lust like heathens who do not know God, that no man transgress and wrong his brother in this matter, because the Lord is an avenger in all these things as we solemnly forewarned you.
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Day 354: Partakers of the Divine Nature (2024)
For God has not called us for uncleanness, but in holiness. Therefore, whoever disregards this disregards not man, but God, who gives his Holy Spirit to you. But concerning love of the brethren, you have no need to have anyone write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love one another. And indeed, you do love all the brethren throughout Macedonia.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 354: Partakers of the Divine Nature (2024)
But we exhort you, brethren, to do so more and more, to aspire to live quietly, to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands as we charged you, so that you may command the respect of outsiders and be dependent on nobody. the coming of the Lord. But we would not have you ignorant, brethren, concerning those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope.
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Day 354: Partakers of the Divine Nature (2024)
For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. For this we declare to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, shall not precede those who have fallen asleep.
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Day 354: Partakers of the Divine Nature (2024)
For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the archangel's call, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words. 5.
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Day 354: Partakers of the Divine Nature (2024)
The second letter of Peter, chapter one, salutation. Simon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who have obtained a faith of equal standing with ours in the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ, may grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. the Christian's call and election.
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Day 354: Partakers of the Divine Nature (2024)
But as to the times and seasons, brethren, you have no need to have anything written to you. For you yourselves know well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. When people say, There is peace and security, then sudden destruction will come upon them as labor pains come upon a woman with child, and there will be no escape.
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Day 354: Partakers of the Divine Nature (2024)
But you are not in darkness, brethren, for that day to surprise you like a thief. 6. For you are all sons of light and sons of the day. We are not of the night or of darkness. So then, let us not sleep as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober. For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk are drunk at night.
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Day 354: Partakers of the Divine Nature (2024)
But since we belong to the day, let us be sober and put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation." For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us so that whether we wake or sleep, we might live with him. Therefore, encourage one another and build one another up just as you are doing.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 354: Partakers of the Divine Nature (2024)
Final exhortations, greetings, and benediction. But we beg you, brethren, to respect those who labor among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you and to esteem them very highly in love because of their work. Be at peace among yourselves. And we exhort you, brethren, admonish the idle, encourage the faint-hearted, help the weak, be patient with them all.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 354: Partakers of the Divine Nature (2024)
See that none of you repays evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to all. Rejoice always. Pray constantly. Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise prophesying, but test everything. Hold fast to what is good. Abstain from every form of evil.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 354: Partakers of the Divine Nature (2024)
May the God of peace himself sanctify you wholly and may your spirit and soul and body be kept sound and blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful and he will do it. Brethren, pray for us. Greet all the brethren with a holy kiss. I adjure you by the Lord that this letter be read to all the brethren. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 354: Partakers of the Divine Nature (2024)
The eye that mocks a father and scorns to obey a mother will be picked out by the ravens of the valley and eaten by the vultures. Three things are too wonderful for me, for I do not understand. The way of the eagle in the sky, the way of a serpent on a rock, the way of a ship on the high seas, and the way of a man with a maiden.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 354: Partakers of the Divine Nature (2024)
We ask you to please come and meet us with your grace because you are good. You are God. We love you. We belong to you. You've rescued us from death and you brought us into the kingdom of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. You brought us into your kingdom. You brought us into your family. Help us to live as your beloved children. Help us to live with you as our father.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 354: Partakers of the Divine Nature (2024)
Help us to live as good citizens of your kingdom, taking care of one another, being responsible for each other, enjoying all of the rights of a true adopted son or daughter of you, God, our father. May we be praised and glorified. We thank you so much. In Jesus' name we pray, amen. In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, amen. So, gosh, here we are, second letter of St.
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Day 354: Partakers of the Divine Nature (2024)
His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness. Through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, that through these you may escape from the corruption that is in the world because of passion and become partakers of the divine nature.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 354: Partakers of the Divine Nature (2024)
Peter. Chapter one, there's a line in here that is, well, the whole thing, obviously, is very important. But here is St. Peter. At one point in verse one, sorry, chapter one, in verse four, I think it is here, Peter says this. He says,
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 354: Partakers of the Divine Nature (2024)
by which God has granted to us his precious and very great promises, that through these you may escape from the corruption that is in the world because of passion, and here's the line, and become partakers of the divine nature. This line is absolutely critical. It is also incredible. It is absolutely incredible. What is Peter talking about? He's talking about the fact that
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 354: Partakers of the Divine Nature (2024)
When we are baptized, when we are made into God's adopted sons and daughters, we become partakers of the divine nature, basically become a new creation. And I mean, we've all heard that we become temples of the Holy Spirit, right? Of course, we've heard that. One of the things that means, of course, is that God abides because God's presence abides in his temple.
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Day 354: Partakers of the Divine Nature (2024)
another thing it means is that uh what was the temple for it wasn't just for the presence of god to be there it was for the place of worship right so if we're temples of the holy spirit also means that we're meant to be a place of worship that's why i believe saint paul had said offer your bodies as a living sacrifice holy and beloved your spiritual worship right so your body's a temple not only god's presence also worship there but also if you have the holy spirit of god
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Day 16: The Suffering of Job (2025)
The righteous see it and are glad, the innocent laugh them to scorn, saying, surely our adversaries are cut off, and what they left the fire has consumed. Agree with God and be at peace. Thereby good will come to you. Receive instruction from his mouth and lay up his words in your heart.
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Day 16: The Suffering of Job (2025)
If you return to the Almighty and humble yourself, if you remove unrighteousness far from your tents, if you lay gold in the dust and gold of Ophir among the stones of the torrent bed, and if the Almighty is your gold and your precious silver, then you will delight yourself in the Almighty and lift up your face to God.
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Day 16: The Suffering of Job (2025)
You will make your prayer to him and he will hear you and you will pay your vows. You will decide on a matter and it will be established for you and light will shine on your ways. For God abases the proud, but he saves the lowly. He delivers the innocent man. You will be delivered through the cleanness of your hands. Proverbs chapter 3 verses 9 through 12.
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Day 16: The Suffering of Job (2025)
Honor the Lord with your substance and with the firstfruits of all your produce. Then your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will be bursting with wine. My son, do not despise the Lord's discipline, or be weary of his reproof. For the Lord reproves him whom he loves, as a father the son in whom he delights. God in heaven, we know that you love us.
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Day 16: The Suffering of Job (2025)
You love us in our brokenness and in our weakness, and we can trust you, even when we do not understand what you are doing. Help us to trust you this day as we journey with you, as we live this day in your presence, as we live this day in your will. We make this prayer in the mighty name of Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 16: The Suffering of Job (2025)
So Job's pal was speaking to him today. He's our friend, Job, and Eliphaz is his buddy, his pal. And Eliphaz has a common understanding of the role of suffering, the role of the tragedy that's come upon Job. And one of the reasons for suffering, and it actually is not inaccurate, one of the reasons for suffering is because We are reaping basically what we've sown.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 16: The Suffering of Job (2025)
Like scripture says, you will reap what you sow. If we sow in the vineyard of affliction, we will reap God's wrath. So there's that sense if we sow sin, then we reap sin. If we sow sin, we reap the consequences of sin. And so Eliphaz is saying that that must be the thing. Job, what you have to do is you have to repent. And once you repent, then God will be with you.
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Day 16: The Suffering of Job (2025)
Then the Lord said to Jacob, Return to the land of your fathers and to your kindred, and I will be with you. So Jacob sent and called Rachel and Leah into the field where his flock was and said to them, I see that your father does not regard me with favor as he did before. But the God of my father has been with me.
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Day 16: The Suffering of Job (2025)
Once you repent, then God once again will hear your prayer because he doesn't hear your prayer now because you have done something evil. See, the things we believe almost always have an element of truth to them. That's one of the reasons why they're so convincing. They're not fully true, but they're partially true. And there is such a thing that there's a role of suffering.
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Day 16: The Suffering of Job (2025)
Sometimes the role of suffering is that it is the consequence of our own bad decisions or someone else's bad decisions. Sometimes God allows us to enter into suffering in order to wake us up, in order to get us to repent, in order to win. He would not necessarily spare our suffering.
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Day 16: The Suffering of Job (2025)
our lives or spare our goals, our dreams, all these hopes, so we can get our soul, so that we can wake up and realize, I'm living far from God. So one of the fruits of suffering can be repentance, or it can be something that God is using to teach us, to teach us deeper wisdom about life that we could never, ever learn outside of suffering.
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Day 16: The Suffering of Job (2025)
Those are things for repentance as a consequence of our sins, or in order to teach us a deeper kind of wisdom that can only be found through suffering. that is true, but it's not the only truth. And we know the story because we've been reading from chapter one in the book of Job, that he was righteous. He was wise. He would sit in the city gates and people would come to him.
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Day 16: The Suffering of Job (2025)
Now he's saying like, kids won't even listen to me now. Whereas the elders used to listen to me. So he was wise. He was righteous. He didn't have anything to repent of. And he did not experience this suffering because of something that he had done. It's a convincing argument that his friends are trying to make, but we know the true story is that Job was not guilty.
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Day 16: The Suffering of Job (2025)
And so something else is at play right now. Something else is at work right now. It's one of the reasons why sometimes offering people platitudes, right? Offering people like, well, it must be this, or, you know, this is God's will. When we don't know if it's God's will and we don't know if it's his perfect will, it might be his permissive will, but not necessarily his perfect will.
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Day 16: The Suffering of Job (2025)
offering people platitudes like that can often be incredibly dangerous. In fact, it's one of the reasons why the best thing that Job's friends did for him was when he was in the depths of his suffering, they just sat with him for seven days and didn't say a word. That was the best thing they could have done for Job in his suffering.
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Day 16: The Suffering of Job (2025)
And probably is maybe one of the best things they could do for him at this point in his suffering. But his friends are much like us as friends. Sometimes we get tired and we want to give an answer. Sometimes we get tired of just being with someone in their grief or in their pain, and we just want to talk our way out of it. We want to give them an answer. And sometimes there is no answer.
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Day 16: The Suffering of Job (2025)
Sometimes the answer is something we cannot offer. Sometimes the answer is something that can only come from God himself. And we're going to see that that's what happens in this story of the book of Job as we continue our journey, these 365 days, a Bible in a year. You guys, I'm so grateful for you all. And please know of my prayers for you every single day.
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Day 16: The Suffering of Job (2025)
Please be praying for me and pray for each other because this is a community of people. We can do this solo thing where we just kind of like listen on our own, but we also need to be praying for each other, knowing that every one of us is in The fight for our lives, right? Every one of us is in the fight of our lives. So let's hold each other up in prayer.
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Day 16: The Suffering of Job (2025)
You know that I have served your father with all my strength, yet your father has cheated me and changed my wages ten times, but God did not permit him to harm me. If he said, The spotted shall be your wages, then all the flocks bore spotted. And if he said, The striped shall be your wages, then all the flocks bore striped. Thus God has taken away the cattle from your father and given them to me.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 16: The Suffering of Job (2025)
If you are interested in getting email updates and whatnot, you can text the word Catholic Bible. It's all one word, Catholic Bible, to 33777. You can go to ascensionpress.com slash Bible in a year if you want to get the Bible reading plan. And please subscribe to this podcast. If this is helping you out, please share it with your friends or with someone you think it could bless them.
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Day 16: The Suffering of Job (2025)
It has been a blessing to me to be with you. So my name is Father Mike. God bless you and I'll see you tomorrow.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 16: The Suffering of Job (2025)
In the mating season of the flock, I lifted up my eyes and saw in a dream that the he goats, which leaped upon the flock, were striped, spotted, and mottled. Then the angel of God said to me in the dream, Jacob. And I said, Here I am. And he said, Lift up your eyes and see. All the goats that leap upon the flock are striped, spotted, and mottled. For I have seen all that Laban is doing to you.
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Day 16: The Suffering of Job (2025)
I am the God of Bethel, where you anointed a pillar and made a vow to me. Now arise, go forth from this land and return to the land of your birth. Then Rachel and Leah answered him, Is there any portion or inheritance left to us in our father's house? Are we not regarded by him as foreigners? For he has sold us, and he has been using up the money given for us.
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Day 16: The Suffering of Job (2025)
All the property which God has taken away from our father belongs to us and to our children. Now then, whatever God has said to you, do. So Jacob arose and set his sons and his wives on camels, and he drove away all his cattle, all his livestock which he had gained, the cattle in his possession which he had acquired in Paddan Aram, to go to the land of Canaan, to his father Isaac.
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Day 16: The Suffering of Job (2025)
Laban had gone to shear his sheep, and Rachel stole her father's household gods. And Jacob outwitted Laban the Aramean, in that he did not tell him that he intended to flee. He fled with all that he had and arose and crossed the Euphrates and set his face toward the hill country of Gilead.
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Day 16: The Suffering of Job (2025)
When it was told Laban on the third day that Jacob had fled, he took his kinsmen with him and pursued him for seven days and followed close after him into the hill country of Gilead. The God came to Laban the Aramean in a dream by night and said to him, Take heed that you say not a word to Jacob, either good or bad. And Laban overtook Jacob.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 16: The Suffering of Job (2025)
This is day 16, and we are continuing with our book of Genesis, our book of Job, book of Proverbs. We're hitting all these massive, massive books. It is day 16, so that means we are reading Genesis chapter 31 and chapter 32, continuing our story with Jacob and Laban and some other people. We're going to be reintroduced into Esau. We're also reading Job chapter 21 and chapter 22.
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Day 16: The Suffering of Job (2025)
Now Jacob had pitched his tent in the hill country and Laban with his kinsmen encamped in the hill country of Gilead. And Laban said to Jacob,
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 16: The Suffering of Job (2025)
what have you done that you have cheated me and carried away my daughters like captives of the sword why did you flee secretly and cheat me and did not tell me so that i might have sent you away with mirth and songs with tambourine and lyre and why did you not permit me to kiss my sons and my daughters farewell Now you have done foolishly. It is in my power to do you harm.
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Day 16: The Suffering of Job (2025)
But the God of your father spoke to me last night, saying, Take heed that you speak to Jacob neither good nor bad. And now you have gone away because you have longed greatly for your father's house. But why did you steal my gods? Jacob answered Laban, Because I was afraid. For I thought that you would take your daughters from me by force. Now Jacob did not know that Rachel had stolen them.
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Day 16: The Suffering of Job (2025)
So Laban went into Jacob's tent and into Leah's tent and into the tent of the two maidservants, but he did not find them. And he went out of Leah's tent and entered Rachel's.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 16: The Suffering of Job (2025)
now rachel had taken the household gods and put them in the camel's saddle and sat upon them laban felt all about the tent but he did not find them and she said to her father let not my lord be angry that i cannot rise before you for the way of women is upon me so he searched but did not find the household gods Then Jacob became angry and upbraided Laban. Jacob said to Laban, what is my offense?
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 16: The Suffering of Job (2025)
What is my sin that you have hotly pursued me? Although you have felt all through my goods, what have you found of all your household goods? Set it here before my kinsmen and your kinsmen, that they may decide between us two. These twenty years I have been with you. Your ewes and your she-goats have not miscarried, and I have not eaten the rams of your flocks.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 16: The Suffering of Job (2025)
That which was torn by wild beasts I did not bring to you. I bore the loss of it myself. Of my hand you required it, whether stolen by day or stolen by night. Thus I was. By day the heat consumed me, and the cold by night, and my sleep fled from my eyes." These 20 years I have been in your house.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 16: The Suffering of Job (2025)
I have served you 14 years for your two daughters and six years for your flock, and you have changed my wages 10 times. If the God of my father, the God of Abraham, and the fear of Isaac had not been on my side, surely now you would have sent me away empty-handed. God saw my affliction and the labor of my hands and rebuked you last night.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 16: The Suffering of Job (2025)
Hi, I'm Father Mike Schmitz, and you're listening to the Bible in a Year podcast, where we encounter God's voice and live life through the lens of Scripture. The Bible in a Year podcast is brought to you by Ascension. Using the Great Adventure Bible timeline, we will read all the way from Genesis to Revelation, discovering how the story of salvation unfolds and how we fit into that story today.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 16: The Suffering of Job (2025)
Then Laban answered and said to Jacob, the daughters are my daughters. The children are my children. The flocks are my flocks and all that you see is mine. But what can I do this day to these my daughters or to their children whom they have borne? Come now, let us make a covenant, you and I, and let it be a witness between you and me. So Jacob took a stone and set it up as a pillar.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 16: The Suffering of Job (2025)
And Jacob said to his kinsmen, Gather stones. And they took stones and made a heap, and they ate there by the heap. Laban called it Jagar-Seduthah. but jacob called it galid laban said this heap is a witness between you and me to-day therefore he named it galid and the pillar mizpah for he said the lord watch between me and you
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 16: The Suffering of Job (2025)
And Proverbs 3, verses 9 through 12, the Bible translation that I'm reading from is the Revised Standard Version, Catholic edition. And I'm using the Great Adventure Bible from Ascension. If you want to be able to follow along, not just kind of listen along, but also see, you can download your Bible in a year reading plan by visiting ascensionpress.com slash Bible. Bible in a year.
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Day 16: The Suffering of Job (2025)
when we are absent from one another if you ill-treat my daughters or if you take wives besides my daughters although no man is with us remember god is witness between you and me then laban said to jacob see this heap and the pillar which i have set between you and me
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 16: The Suffering of Job (2025)
This heap is a witness, and the pillar is a witness, that I will not pass over this heap to you, and you will not pass over this heap and this pillar to me for harm. The God of Abraham, the God of Nahor, the God of their father judged between us.
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Day 16: The Suffering of Job (2025)
So Jacob swore by the fear of his father Isaac, and Jacob offered a sacrifice on the mountain and called his kinsmen to eat bread, and they ate bread and tarried all night on the mountain. Early in the morning, Laban arose and kissed his grandchildren and his daughters and blessed them. Then he departed and returned home. Jacob went on his way, and the angels of God met him.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 16: The Suffering of Job (2025)
And when Jacob saw them, he said, This is God's army. So he called the name of that place Mahanaim. And Jacob sent messengers before him to Esau, his brother, in the land of Seir, the country of Edom, instructing them, Thus you shall say to my lord Esau,
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 16: The Suffering of Job (2025)
Thus says your servant Jacob, I have sojourned with Laban and stayed until now, and I have oxen, donkeys, flocks, men servants and maid servants, and I have sent to tell you, my Lord, in order that I might find favor in your sight. And the messengers returned to Jacob, saying, We came to your brother Esau, and he is coming to meet you, and four hundred men with him.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 16: The Suffering of Job (2025)
Then Jacob was greatly afraid and distressed, and he divided the people that were with him and the flocks and herds and camels into two companies, thinking, If Esau comes to the one company and destroys it, then the company which is left will escape. And Jacob said, O God of my father Abraham and God of my father Isaac,
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 16: The Suffering of Job (2025)
O Lord, who said to me, Return to your country and to your kindred, and I will do you good, I am not worthy of the least of all the mercy and all the faithfulness which you have shown to your servant. For with only my staff I crossed this Jordan, and now I have become two companies.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 16: The Suffering of Job (2025)
Deliver me, I beg you, from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau, for I fear him, lest he come and slay us all, the mothers with the children. But you said, I will do you good and make your descendants as the sand of the sea, which cannot be numbered for multitude.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 16: The Suffering of Job (2025)
So he lodged there that night and took from what he had with him a present for his brother Esau, 200 she goats and 20 he goats, 200 ewes and 20 rams, 30 milk camels and their colts, 40 cows and 10 bulls, 20 she donkeys and 10 he donkeys. These he delivered into the hand of his servants and
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 16: The Suffering of Job (2025)
every dove by itself and said to his servants pass on before me and put a space between drove and drove he instructed the foremost when esau my brother meets you and asks you to whom do you belong where are you going and whose are these before you Then you shall say, They belong to your servant Jacob. They are a present sent to my lord Esau, and moreover he is behind us.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 16: The Suffering of Job (2025)
He likewise instructed the second and the third and all who follow the droves, You shall say the same thing to Esau when you meet him. And you shall say, Moreover, your servant Jacob is behind us. For he thought, I may appease him with the present that goes before me, and afterwards I shall see his face. Perhaps he will accept me.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 16: The Suffering of Job (2025)
You also can subscribe. Whatever app you're listening to this podcast in, just click subscribe and get those daily updates popped up. Speaking of daily updates, if you want to sign up for our email list, you can text the word Catholic Bible. As you know, that is two words, but we combine them. So it's Catholic Bible, all one word, no spaces, to the number 33777.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 16: The Suffering of Job (2025)
So the present passed on before him, and he himself lodged that night in the camp. The same night he arose and took his two wives, his two maids, and his eleven children and crossed the ford of the Jabbok. He took them and sent them across the stream, and likewise everything that he had. And Jacob was left alone. And a man wrestled with him until the breaking of the day.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 16: The Suffering of Job (2025)
When the man saw that he did not prevail against Jacob, he touched the hollow of his thigh and Jacob's thigh was pulled out of joint as he wrestled with him. Then he said, let me go for the day is breaking. But Jacob said, I will not let you go unless you bless me. And he said to him, what is your name? And he said, Jacob. And he said, your name shall no more be called Jacob, but Israel.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 16: The Suffering of Job (2025)
for you have striven with God and with men and have prevailed. Then Jacob asked him, Tell me I pray your name. But he said, Why is it that you ask my name? And there he blessed him. So Jacob called the name of that place Peniel, saying, For I have seen God face to face, and yet my life is preserved. The sun rose upon him as he passed Peniel, limping because of his thigh.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 16: The Suffering of Job (2025)
Therefore to this day the Israelites do not eat the sinew of the hip which is upon the hollow of the thigh, because he touched the hollow of Jacob's thigh on the sinew of the hip. Job chapter 21 and 22. Job replies. Then Job answered, listen carefully to my words and let this be your consolation. Bear with me and I will speak. And after I have spoken, mock on.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 16: The Suffering of Job (2025)
As for me, is my complaint against man? Why should I not be impatient? Look at me and be appalled and lay your hand upon your mouth. When I think of it, I am dismayed and shuddering seizes my flesh. Why do the wicked live? Reach old age and grow mighty in power. Their children are established in their presence and their offspring before their eyes.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 16: The Suffering of Job (2025)
Their houses are safe from fear and no rod of God is upon them. Their bull breeds without fail. Their cow calves and does not cast her calf. They send forth their little ones like a flock and their children dance. They sing to tambourines and the lyre and rejoice to the sound of the pipe. They spend their days in prosperity and in peace they go down to Sheol. They say to God, depart from us.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 16: The Suffering of Job (2025)
We do not desire the knowledge of your ways. What is the Almighty that we should serve him? And what profit do we get if we pray to him? Behold, is not their prosperity in their hand? The counsel of the wicked is far from me. How often is it that the lamp of the wicked is put out, that their calamity comes upon them, that God distributes pains in his anger?
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 16: The Suffering of Job (2025)
that they are like straw before the wind and like chaff that the storm carries away. You say God stores up their iniquity for their sons. Let him recompense it to themselves that they may know it. Let their own eyes see their destruction and let them drink of the wrath of the Almighty. For what do they care for their houses after them when the number of their months is cut off?
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 16: The Suffering of Job (2025)
As I said, we are reading today, day 16, from chapter 31 and 32. Job 21 and 22 and Proverbs 3, 9 through 12. Let's get started. Genesis chapter 31 and 32. Now Jacob heard that the sons of Laban were saying, Jacob has taken all that was our father's and from what was our father's he has gained all his wealth. And Jacob saw that Laban did not regard him with favor as before.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 16: The Suffering of Job (2025)
will any teach god knowledge seeing that he judges those that are on high one dies in full prosperity being wholly at ease and secure his body full of fat and the marrow of his bones moist another dies in bitterness of soul never having tasted of good they lie down alike in the dust and the worms cover them Behold, I know your thoughts and your schemes to wrong me.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 16: The Suffering of Job (2025)
For you say, where is the house of the prince? Where is the tent in which the wicked dwell? Have you not asked those who travel the roads, and do you not accept their testimony that the wicked man is spared in the day of calamity, that he is rescued in the day of wrath? Who declares his way to his face, and who repays him for what he has done?
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 16: The Suffering of Job (2025)
When he is born to the grave, watch is kept over his tomb. The clods of the valley are sweet to him. All men follow after him and those who go before him are innumerable. How then will you comfort me with empty nothings? There is nothing left of your answers but falsehood. Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered, Can a man be profitable to God? Surely he who is wise is profitable to himself.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 16: The Suffering of Job (2025)
Is it any pleasure to the Almighty if you are righteous, or is it gain to him if you make your ways blameless? Is it for fear of him that he reproves you and enters into judgment with you?
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 16: The Suffering of Job (2025)
is not your wickedness great there is no end to your iniquities for you have exacted pledges of your brothers for nothing and stripped the naked of their clothing you have given no water to the weary to drink and you have withheld bread from the hungry the man with power possessed the land and the favored man dwelt in it You have sent widows away empty and the arms of the fatherless were crushed.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 16: The Suffering of Job (2025)
Therefore, snares are round about you and sudden terror overwhelms you. Your light is darkened so that you cannot see and a flood of water covers you. Is not God high in the heavens? See the highest stars, how lofty they are. Therefore, you say, what does God know? Can he judge through the deep darkness? Thick clouds and wrap him so that he does not see and he walks on the vault of heaven.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 16: The Suffering of Job (2025)
Will you keep to the old way which wicked men have trod? They were snatched away before their time, their foundation was washed away. They say to God, depart from us, and what can the Almighty do to us? Yet he filled their houses with good things, but the counsel of the wicked is far from me.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 9: Sodom and Gomorrah (2025)
But then you have this devastating... So you have the guy's justice established. Then you have this devastatingly awful story about the daughters of Lot. And how the daughters of Lot basically have relations with their father so that they can continue their bloodline. And you find like, well, gosh...
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 9: Sodom and Gomorrah (2025)
bible didn't say and that was wrong right sometimes what we have is we don't necessarily have the bible telling us that something was wrong that they did the wrong thing we have the bible showing us that they did the wrong thing why because the descendants of these uh incest essentially um are the moabites and the ammonites who became then the enemies of the israelites they became the enemies of the people of the chosen people of god
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 9: Sodom and Gomorrah (2025)
And so there is this way in which the scriptures are pointing out that this was exactly the wrong thing to do. And from this union, this sinful, evil union, there was these two peoples, the Ammonites and the Moabites, who were the enemies of the Israelites.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 9: Sodom and Gomorrah (2025)
There are so many questions that come up in all these readings, including the questions of, well, at the one point, Lot offered his daughters to these men. How is that good? It wasn't good. And this is the key thing. Just because something's in the Bible doesn't mean that it's good. But we can still learn from it, even if it doesn't immediately make sense.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 9: Sodom and Gomorrah (2025)
That goes to the book of Job today as we're following the story of Job and you have his friends. You had Eliphaz yesterday and Bildad today saying that Job, this is what we know. We know that God is just and he never ever allows evil to happen to someone who doesn't deserve it somehow. So just basically admit that you deserve it somehow, because we know God's just.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 9: Sodom and Gomorrah (2025)
And after that, you may pass on since you have come to your servant. So they said, do as you have said. And Abraham hastened into the tent to Sarah and said, make ready quickly three measures of fine meal, knead it and make cakes. And Abraham ran to the herd and took a calf tender and good and gave it to the servant who hastened to prepare it.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 9: Sodom and Gomorrah (2025)
And here's Bildad today, who's defending God's justice. At the same time, it doesn't help his friend. I don't know if you've ever had that happen where if someone who gives you kind of like the pat answer, right? They give you the memorized answer. This is the religious answer of why something horrible is happening in your life. And you're like, that doesn't help at all.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 9: Sodom and Gomorrah (2025)
And that's going to be Job's response to him as well, which is just like, I appreciate. He doesn't even say he appreciates it. He is basically saying, but I know this. And we know this is true, too, because we read the beginning of the book of Job. Job says, but I'm righteous. I haven't done anything evil. I do believe God is just, but I don't get what's going on here.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 9: Sodom and Gomorrah (2025)
And that's the big question that obviously the book of Job raises. If God is just, why is there so much evil in the world? Why do good people suffer? I want to spare you. I want to share with you, I guess, the story is going to end. It's not going to end with an answer. It's not going to end with here is why.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 9: Sodom and Gomorrah (2025)
I remember reading this book, the book of Job, for the first time, maybe in high school or college, thinking, okay, this is going to be the answer to the problem of evil. God's going to say, here is why. Here's why bad things happen to good people. Here's why there's suffering in the world. And I got to the end and realized, oh, that wasn't really an answer. And that's part of it.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 9: Sodom and Gomorrah (2025)
What's happening is we're going on the journey with Job. And so my invitation is rather than seeking an answer, like where's that nugget? Where's that kernel that says, this is why. My invitation for us all is to just journey with Job, to enter into his suffering and to allow his questions to be our questions and allow our questions to be his questions so that we can get his ultimate answer.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 9: Sodom and Gomorrah (2025)
Because there is an answer, even if it's not the answer why. I'll tell you a hint. The answer is not a why. The answer is who. But we're on our journey and we're continuing our journey today and tomorrow and the next day. If you have not yet downloaded your Catholic Bible in a reading plan, please visit ascensionpress.com slash Bible in a year. Please subscribe to this podcast.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 9: Sodom and Gomorrah (2025)
You can also like and share and all those kind of things. That'd be great. And you can also sign up for our email list by texting the word. Catholic Bible. That's two words, but it's combined into one word, Catholic Bible to the number 33777. As I said, my name is Father Mike, and I'm so grateful to be able to read the Bible with you and be on this journey with you as well.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 9: Sodom and Gomorrah (2025)
Please know of my prayers this day and every day as we continue to do this Catholic Bible in a year. Man, oh man, God bless you.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 9: Sodom and Gomorrah (2025)
Then he took curds and milk and the calf which he had prepared and set it before them. And he stood by them under the tree while they ate. They said to him, Where is Sarah your wife? And he said, She is in the tent. The Lord said, I will surely return to you in the spring, and Sarah your wife shall have a son. And Sarah was listening at the tent door behind him.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 9: Sodom and Gomorrah (2025)
Now Abraham and Sarah were old, advanced in age. It had ceased to be with Sarah after the manner of women. So Sarah laughed to herself, saying, After I have grown old, and my husband is old, shall I have pleasure? The Lord said to Abraham, Why did Sarah laugh? And say, Shall I indeed bear a child now that I am old? Is anything too hard for the Lord?
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 9: Sodom and Gomorrah (2025)
At the appointed time I will return to you in the spring, and Sarah shall have a son. But Sarah denied, saying, I did not laugh, for she was afraid. He said, No, but you did laugh. Then the men sent out from there, and they looked toward Sodom, and Abraham went with them to set them on their way.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 9: Sodom and Gomorrah (2025)
The Lord said, Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do, seeing that Abraham shall become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall bless themselves by him? No, for I have chosen him that he may charge his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing righteousness and justice, so that the Lord may bring to Abraham what he has promised him.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 9: Sodom and Gomorrah (2025)
Then the Lord said, Because the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is great and their sin is very grave, I will go down to see whether they have done altogether according to the outcry which has come to me, and if not, I will know. So the men turned from there and went toward Sodom, but Abraham still stood before the Lord.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 9: Sodom and Gomorrah (2025)
This is day nine. Let's get started. We are continuing our journey with Abraham in Genesis chapter 18 and chapter 19. We're also continuing our journey with the righteous suffering man Job by reading Job chapter 7 and chapter 8. We're also following the Lord's wisdom by reading Proverbs chapter 2. Now in the second chapter of Proverbs, reading verses 1 through 5.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 9: Sodom and Gomorrah (2025)
Then Abraham drew near and said, Will you indeed destroy the righteous with the wicked? Suppose there are fifty righteous within the city. Will you then destroy the place and not spare it for the fifty righteous who are in it? Far be it from you to do such a thing, to slay the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous fare as the wicked. Far be that from you.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 9: Sodom and Gomorrah (2025)
Shall not the judge of all the earth do right? And the Lord said, If I find at Sodom fifty righteous people in the city, I will spare the whole place for their sake. Abraham answered, Behold, I have taken upon myself to speak to the Lord, I who am but dust and ashes. Suppose five of the fifty righteous are lacking. Will you destroy the whole city for the lack of five?
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 9: Sodom and Gomorrah (2025)
And he said, I will not destroy it if I find forty-five there. Again he spoke to him and said, Suppose forty are found there. He answered, For the sake of the forty, I will not do it. Then he said, O let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak. Suppose thirty are found there. He answered, I will not do it, if I find thirty there. He said, Behold, I have taken upon myself to speak to the Lord.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 9: Sodom and Gomorrah (2025)
Suppose twenty are found there. He answered, For the sake of twenty, I will not destroy it. Then he said, O let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak again but this once. Suppose ten are found there. He answered, For the sake of the ten, I will not destroy it. And the Lord went his way when he had finished speaking to Abraham, and Abraham returned to his place.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 9: Sodom and Gomorrah (2025)
The two angels came to Sodom in the evening, and Lot was sitting in the gate of Sodom. When Lot saw them, he rose to meet them and bowed himself with his face to the earth and said, My lords, turn aside, I pray you, to your servant's house and spend the night, and wash your feet. Then you may rise up early and go on your way. They said, No, we will spend the night in the street.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 9: Sodom and Gomorrah (2025)
But he urged them strongly so that they turned aside to him and entered his house, and he made them a feast and baked unleavened bread, and they ate. But before they lay down, the men of the city, the men of Sodom, both young and old, all the people to the last man, surrounded the house, and they called to Lot, Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us, that we may know them.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 9: Sodom and Gomorrah (2025)
Lot went out of the door to the men, shut the door after him, and said, I beg you, my brothers, do not act so wickedly. Behold, I have two daughters who have not known man. Let me bring them out to you, and do to them as you please. Only do nothing to these men, for they have come under the shelter of my roof. But they said, Stand back.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 9: Sodom and Gomorrah (2025)
And they said, This fellow came to sojourn, and he will play the judge. Now we will deal worse with you than with them. Then they pressed hard against the man Lot, and drew near to break the door. But the men put forth their hands, and brought Lot into the house to them, and shut the door.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 9: Sodom and Gomorrah (2025)
Hi, I'm Father Mike Schmitz, and you're listening to the Bible in a Year podcast, where we encounter God's voice and live life through the lens of Scripture. The Bible in a Year podcast is brought to you by Ascension. Using the Great Adventure Bible timeline, we'll read all the way from Genesis to Revelation, discovering how the story of salvation unfolds and how we fit into that story today.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 9: Sodom and Gomorrah (2025)
And they struck with blindness the men who were at the door of the house, both small and great, so that they wearied themselves groping for the door. Then the men said to Lot, Have you anyone else here? Sons-in-law, sons, daughters, or anyone who you have in the city, bring them out of the place.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 9: Sodom and Gomorrah (2025)
For we are about to destroy this place, because the outcry against its people has become great before the Lord, and the Lord has sent us to destroy it. So Lot went out and said to his sons-in-law, who were to marry his daughters, Up, get out of this place, for the Lord is about to destroy the city. But he seemed to his sons-in-law to be jesting.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 9: Sodom and Gomorrah (2025)
When morning dawned, the angels urged Lot, saying, Arise, take your wife and your two daughters who are here, lest you be consumed in the punishment of the city. But he lingered. So the men seized him and his wife and his two daughters by the hand, the Lord being merciful to him, and they brought him forth and set him outside the city.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 9: Sodom and Gomorrah (2025)
The Bible translation that I'm using and use every day is Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition. It's the RSV-CE. I'm using the Great Adventure Bible from Ascension and also following the reading plan that you can also download. If you go to ascensionpress.com slash Bible in a Year, you can get your own Catholic Bible in a Year reading plan by going to ascensionpress.com slash Bible in a Year.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 9: Sodom and Gomorrah (2025)
And when they had brought them forth, they said, Flee for your life. Do not look back or stop anywhere in the valley. Flee to the hills, lest you be consumed. And Lot said to them, O no, my lords. Behold, your servant has found favor in your sight, and you have shown me great kindness in saving my life. But I cannot flee to the hills, lest the disaster overtake me, and I die.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 9: Sodom and Gomorrah (2025)
Behold, yonder city is near enough to flee to, and it is a little one. Let me escape there. Is it not a little one? And my life will be saved. He said to him, Behold, I grant you this favor also, that I will not overthrow the city of which you have spoken. Make haste, escape there, for I can do nothing till you arrive there. Therefore the name of the city was called Zoar.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 9: Sodom and Gomorrah (2025)
The sun had risen on the earth when Lot came to Zoar. Then the Lord rained on Sodom and Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the Lord of heaven. And he overthrew those cities and all the valley and all the inhabitants of the cities and what grew on the ground. But Lot's wife behind him looked back and she became a pillar of salt.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 9: Sodom and Gomorrah (2025)
And Abraham went early in the morning to the place where he had stood before the Lord, and he looked down toward Sodom and Gomorrah and toward all the land of the valley, and beheld, and behold, the smoke of that land went up like the smoke of a furnace.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 9: Sodom and Gomorrah (2025)
So it was that when God destroyed the cities of the valley, God remembered Abraham and sent Lot out of the midst of the overthrow when he overthrew the cities in which Lot dwelt. Now Lot went up out of Zoar, and dwelt in the hills with his two daughters, for he was afraid to dwell in Zoar. So he dwelt in a cave with his two daughters.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 9: Sodom and Gomorrah (2025)
And the firstborn said to the younger, Our father is old, and there is not a man on earth to come into us after the manner of all the earth. Come, let us make our father drink wine, and we will lie with him, that we may preserve offspring through our father. So they made their father drink wine that night. And the firstborn went in and lay with her father.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 9: Sodom and Gomorrah (2025)
He did not know when she lay down or when she rose. And on the next day, the firstborn said to the younger, behold, I lay last night with my father. Let us make him drink wine tonight also. Then you go in and lie with him that we may preserve offspring through our father. So they made their father drink wine that night also. And the younger arose and lay with him.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 9: Sodom and Gomorrah (2025)
And he did not know when she lay down or when she arose. Thus both the daughters of Lot were with child by their father. The firstborn bore a son and called his name Moab. He is the father of the Moabites to this day. The younger also bore a son and called his name Ben-Ami.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 9: Sodom and Gomorrah (2025)
He is the father of the Ammonites to this day. We now continue with our readings from the book of Job.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 9: Sodom and Gomorrah (2025)
Yesterday, Job responded to Eliphaz, his friend, who tried to convince Job that he must have done something wrong or he should not complain against the Lord. And Job responded to Eliphaz. And now Job continues to speak and he's spoken to by a second friend, Bildad. This is Job chapter seven and chapter eight.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 9: Sodom and Gomorrah (2025)
Job said, has not a man a hard service upon earth and are not his days like the days of a hireling, like a slave who longs for the shadow, like a hireling who looks for his wages. So I am allotted months of emptiness and nights of misery are apportioned to me. When I lie down, I say, when shall I arise? But the night is long, and I am full of tossing till dawn.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 9: Sodom and Gomorrah (2025)
You can get these updates on the podcast by simply subscribing, and you can also sign up for our email list by texting the word Catholic Bible to the number 33777. With all that out of the way, let's get started with Genesis chapter 18 and chapter 19. And the Lord appeared to Abraham by the oaks of Mamre as he sat at the door of his tent in the heat of the day.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 9: Sodom and Gomorrah (2025)
My flesh is clothed with worms and dirt. My skin hardens, then breaks out afresh. My days are swifter than a weaver's shuttle. They come to their end without hope. Remember that my life is a breath. My eye will never again see good. The eye of him who sees me will behold me no more. While your eyes are upon me, I shall be gone.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 9: Sodom and Gomorrah (2025)
As the cloud fades and vanishes, so he who goes down to Sheol does not come up. He returns no more to his house, nor does his place know him anymore. Therefore, I will not restrain my mouth. I will speak in the anguish of my spirit. I will complain in the bitterness of my soul. Am I the sea or a sea monster that you set a guard over me?
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 9: Sodom and Gomorrah (2025)
When I say, my bed will comfort me, my couch will ease my complaint, then you scare me with dreams and terrify me with visions, so that I would choose strangling and death rather than my bones. I loathe my life. I would not live forever. Let me alone, for my days are a breath.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 9: Sodom and Gomorrah (2025)
What is man that you make so much of him and that you set your mind upon him, visit him every morning and test him every moment? How long will you not look away from me, nor let me alone till I swallow my spittle? If I sin, what do I do to you, you watcher of men? Why have you made me your mark? Why have I become a burden to you? Why do you not pardon my transgression and take away my iniquity?
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 9: Sodom and Gomorrah (2025)
For now I shall lie in the earth. You will seek me, but I shall not be. Then Bildad the Shuhite answered, How long will you say these things? And the words of your mouth be a great wind. Does God pervert justice? Or does the Almighty pervert the right? If your children have sinned against him, he has delivered them into the power of their transgression.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 9: Sodom and Gomorrah (2025)
If you will seek God and make supplication to the Almighty, if you are pure and upright, surely then he will rouse himself for you and reward you with a rightful habitation. And though your beginning was small, your latter days will be very great. For inquire, I beg of you, of bygone ages. Consider what the fathers have found. For we are but of yesterday and know nothing.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 9: Sodom and Gomorrah (2025)
For our days on earth are a shadow. Will they not teach you and tell you and utter words out of their understanding? Can papyrus grow where there is no marsh? Can reeds flourish where there is no water? While yet in flower and not cut down, they wither before any other plant. Such are the paths of all who forget God. The hope of the godless man shall perish.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 9: Sodom and Gomorrah (2025)
His confidence breaks in sunder and his trust is a spider's web. He leans against his house, but it does not stand. He lays hold of it, but it does not endure. He thrives before the sun and his shoots spread over his garden. His roots twine about the stone heap. He lives among the rocks. If he is destroyed from his place, then it will deny him saying, I have never seen you.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 9: Sodom and Gomorrah (2025)
Behold, this is the joy of his way and out of the earth others will spring. Proverbs chapter 2, verses 1 through 5.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 9: Sodom and Gomorrah (2025)
My son, if you receive my words and treasure up my commandments with you, making your ear attentive to wisdom and inclining your heart to understanding, yes, if you cry out for insight and raise your voice for understanding, if you seek it like silver and search for it as for hidden treasures, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 9: Sodom and Gomorrah (2025)
He lifted up his eyes and looked and behold, three men stood in front of him. When he saw them, he ran from the tent door to meet them and bowed himself to the earth and said, my Lord, if I have found favor in your sight, do not pass by your servant. Let a little water be brought and wash your feet and rest yourselves under the tree while I fetch a morsel of bread that you may refresh yourselves.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 9: Sodom and Gomorrah (2025)
Father in heaven, we thank you so much.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 9: Sodom and Gomorrah (2025)
We thank you for your word. We thank you for revealing your heart to us. We thank you for all of the gift that your word is when it's proclaimed to us. And we give you praise. We ask you to please in the name of your son, Jesus Christ, Father in heaven, receive our thanks, receive our praise now. Amen. In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen. You guys, oh man, confusing, right?
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 9: Sodom and Gomorrah (2025)
Here is the story of Abraham and Sarah. They're blessed with a child. Isaac is going to be born to them. And then these three figures, these three figures that in some way are... types of the Trinity in some ways, but they're referred to as angels. We don't know who these personages are because Abraham is also standing before the Lord as they go.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 9: Sodom and Gomorrah (2025)
These three people go down into Gomorrah or to Sodom. I mean, So we don't know necessarily who they are, but we know what their role is, and their role is to exact justice. And this is very, very important. Their goal was to enact justice, not vengeance. This is very, very important. Justice is giving someone what is their due, while vengeance is simply, again, taking out my anger upon somebody.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 9: Sodom and Gomorrah (2025)
And this justice is clearly established in the story today because you have God destroying an entire city. And Abraham challenges him on that and says, well, but Lord, if there's any righteous people, 50 and 45 and 30 and 20 and 10, would you still destroy it? Would you destroy those 10 for the sake of the unrighteous? along with the unrighteous.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 9: Sodom and Gomorrah (2025)
And God says, No, I'm just I would not do that for the sake of those ten righteous. I would spare the city. In fact, you have, I guess in some ways you have Lot and his daughters and his wife who were somewhat righteous and a bit more righteous because their relationship with Abraham And the strangers save their lives.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 364: Christ's Sacrifice Once for All (2024)
Therefore, brethren, since we have confidence to enter the sanctuary by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way which he opened for us through the curtain that is through his flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 364: Christ's Sacrifice Once for All (2024)
Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the day drawing near.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 364: Christ's Sacrifice Once for All (2024)
For if we sin deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a fearful prospect of judgment, and a fury of fire which will consume the adversaries. A man who has violated the law of Moses dies without mercy at the testimony of two or three witnesses.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 364: Christ's Sacrifice Once for All (2024)
How much worse punishment do you think will be deserved by the man who has spurned the Son of God and profaned the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified and outraged the Spirit of grace? For we know him who said, Vengeance is mine, I will repay. And again, the Lord will judge his people. It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 364: Christ's Sacrifice Once for All (2024)
But recall the former days when after you were enlightened, you endured a hard struggle with sufferings, sometimes being publicly exposed to abuse and affliction, and sometimes being partners with those so treated. For you had compassion on the prisoners, and you joyfully accepted the plundering of your property since you knew that you yourselves had a better possession and an abiding one.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 364: Christ's Sacrifice Once for All (2024)
Therefore do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that you may do the will of God and receive what is promised. For yet a little while, and the coming one shall come and shall not tarry. But my righteous one shall live by faith, and if he shrinks back, my soul has no pleasure in him.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 364: Christ's Sacrifice Once for All (2024)
But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who have faith and keep their souls.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 364: Christ's Sacrifice Once for All (2024)
She opens her mouth with wisdom and her teaching of kindness is on her tongue. She looks well to the ways of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness. Her children rise up and call her blessed, her husband also, and he praises her. Many women have done exceedingly, but you surpass them all.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 364: Christ's Sacrifice Once for All (2024)
We are reading Revelation 2 John chapter 18, 19, and 20, the letter to the Hebrews chapters 9 and 10, as well as Proverbs chapter 31 verses 26 through 29. The Revelation to John chapter 18, the fall of Babylon. After this, I saw another angel coming down from heaven, having great authority, and the earth was made bright with his splendor.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 364: Christ's Sacrifice Once for All (2024)
We thank you for 364 days of hearing your word and letting ourselves be shaped by your word. Thank you for speaking to us. Thank you for continuing to call us your children. Thank you for even speaking to us of judgment that is coming. We ask you, Lord, please help us always, always to repent of our sins, to come back to you. Help us always, always.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 364: Christ's Sacrifice Once for All (2024)
to not rely on our own faithfulness because Lord God, we know that we are not, we're not faithful, but you are faithful. And so please help us to belong to you, help us to be faithful to you. Even when we sin, help us to rely upon the right sacrifice of your son, the blood that takes away sins because Lord God, when your son has offered himself, he offered himself to you for us.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 364: Christ's Sacrifice Once for All (2024)
So please receive the sacrifice of your son and Once again, bestow that mercy upon us. In Jesus' name we pray, amen. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, amen. Okay, so Revelation's getting intense, obviously. Getting really intense. Chapters 18, 19, and 20 here. One of the things that comes up is the fall of Babylon, chapter 18.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 364: Christ's Sacrifice Once for All (2024)
And the term Babylon is used obviously a bunch of times. And so I'm just going to offer, you know, these books are so rich. They're so deep that 10 minutes of commentary is not enough. Obviously. Um, there's some incredible, uh, incredible commentary books that are around. In fact, there's, there's one book of commentary called, uh, the Ignatius Catholic study Bible, new Testament.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 364: Christ's Sacrifice Once for All (2024)
It's the second Catholic edition, you know, so that's good. But, uh, It's really good because it has all the details, all the little notes can be so incredibly important and helpful, but they have a longer note about Babylon and what Babylon is.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 364: Christ's Sacrifice Once for All (2024)
In fact, one of the interesting notes they have when it comes to chapter 18 in the fall of Babylon is they know the several images and expressions in this chapter, chapter 18 here, are taken from the judgmental oracles of the prophets, especially Jeremiah's condemnation of ancient Babylon. from Jeremiah 50 and 51.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 364: Christ's Sacrifice Once for All (2024)
So if you remember, and you do, the history of Babylon and the history of the Babylonian exile and evil Babylon, there's all these connections with what happens here in chapter 18 and what Jeremiah had prophesied back in the book of the prophet Jeremiah, which is remarkable. Now, another guy, St. Caesarius of Arles, he once said this. He said,
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 364: Christ's Sacrifice Once for All (2024)
Babylon and the harlot, whose smoke goes up forever, are none other than the lustful, the adulterous, and the arrogant. So he was saying, he was making a point, like in a sermon, right, in a homily, that he was saying that it doesn't have to be a place, right? It doesn't have to be a city I'm talking about.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 364: Christ's Sacrifice Once for All (2024)
Now, John, in Revelation, is likely talking about a specific city, which we'll talk about in just a second. But here is St. Caesarea of Arles, who is saying that, listen, this can be in our own hearts. Babylon and the harlot, he says, whose smoke goes up forever are none other than the lustful, the adulterous and the arrogant.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 364: Christ's Sacrifice Once for All (2024)
So if you wish to escape such punishments, have no desire to commit such grave sins. For in the present age, Babylon is always going to destruction and burning up in part. And that's this. That's really interesting and fascinating. Now, question, of course, who or what is Babylon? There are many theories, obviously.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 364: Christ's Sacrifice Once for All (2024)
And the two primary theories are that Babylon is a symbol of Rome or Babylon is a symbol of Jerusalem. And there's an ancient, I mean, gosh, and there's so much evidence that it could be either. And that's the crazy part is that here is Rome. I mean, think about all of the blood of the martyrs that the Roman Empire shed in those first centuries of Christianity and the first decades of Christianity.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 364: Christ's Sacrifice Once for All (2024)
And at the same time, remember, in the Old Testament, here is the way in which the prophets spoke about Jerusalem as being unfaithful, as being unresponsive to God's promises. And there are a number of reasons that you could make a case for Rome being the Babylon or Jerusalem being Babylon. And what that ultimately means, though, for us is it's important, right?
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 364: Christ's Sacrifice Once for All (2024)
And he called out with a mighty voice, Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great. It has become a dwelling place of demons, a haunt of every foul spirit, a haunt of every foul and hateful bird. for all nations have drunk the wine of her impure passion. And the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth have grown rich with the wealth of her wantonness.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 364: Christ's Sacrifice Once for All (2024)
Obviously, it matters whether this is Rome or Jerusalem. In some ways, you could say it could be both. But what we're really talking about when you and I are reading Revelation, yes, we're reading something from the past. We're reading about the revelation of John of this judgment that came upon the ancient peoples. But we're also reading about our own lives. That's why St.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 364: Christ's Sacrifice Once for All (2024)
Caesarius of Arles had his words about pointing out that, One of the reminders of Revelation is for us is that sense of, am I being faithful? Am I walking in the Lord? Because God will judge us, right? And yes, he's merciful. He's also just. And we're going to hear tomorrow in our conclusion that God at some point will set everything right. And we want to be the people that he vindicates, right?
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 364: Christ's Sacrifice Once for All (2024)
That he sets right. And so there's this praise of God and rejoicing in heaven in chapter 19. And that rejoicing where they say hallelujah and that hallelujah literally means praise the Lord. You want to be among those people who are able to praise the Lord.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 364: Christ's Sacrifice Once for All (2024)
You know, and there's the, as I said, you know, there's the thousand years and Satan's locked up and then he's released for a little bit of time. And those are very important things. But ultimately we have this, this, and the end of chapter 20, the dead are judged as it says, and there's a resurrection from the dead.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 364: Christ's Sacrifice Once for All (2024)
If those who are first resurrected are those who are martyrs and, and they get to reign with the Lord and they get to serve as priests with the Lord. And then everyone else, everyone else who's died is resurrected. Yeah, I don't know if you know this, you're getting your body back.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 364: Christ's Sacrifice Once for All (2024)
That is the ancient Christian belief is that in the resurrection, you get your body back, whether your body is restored to you for glory or whether it's restored to you for shame, you know, whether it's restored to you for the praise of God or whether it's restored for the sake of destruction in hell, everyone gets their body back.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 364: Christ's Sacrifice Once for All (2024)
and there's that second death lake of fire if anyone's name was not found written in the book of life he was thrown into the lake of fire remember it says multiple times they'll be judged by what they've done in chapter 20 verse 12 and 13 it says and i saw the dead great and small standing before the throne as the end books were opened also another book was opened which is the book of life and the dead were judged by what was written in the books by what they had done
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 364: Christ's Sacrifice Once for All (2024)
And the sea gave up the dead in it. Death and Hades gave up the dead in them and all were judged by what they had done. And that's the reality is that our decisions matter. Our decisions make a difference. They don't just echo in time. They also echo in eternity. And so we say, Lord, for all those things that I've done, where I failed you, please cover me with your blood. And that is Hebrews.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 364: Christ's Sacrifice Once for All (2024)
Oh my gosh. How incredible is this? How incredible is it? That yes, there's judgment, but here in the letter to the Hebrews, we have this absolute declaration that Christ's blood takes away our sins. Now here's an interesting part. That's just, I don't know if you've ever noticed this. We have the celebration of Christmas, obviously the incarnation, Jesus Christ becomes one of us.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 364: Christ's Sacrifice Once for All (2024)
We have the celebration of the passion. and Easter. So you have Good Friday and Holy Saturday and Easter Sunday. It's the passion, death, and resurrection of Jesus, which is incredible. And just here's God's love for us. But we also have the Feast of the Ascension. And so many of us, we underestimate the Ascension. And yet here's what the Hebrews is all about.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 364: Christ's Sacrifice Once for All (2024)
It talks about the old covenant, right? And here's the old temple. And here's what the priests would do. Once a year, they would go in to the temple. And in that place, they would offer up the sacrifice of blood and goats, bulls and goats, that kind of thing. But here is this absolute key in chapter 9, verse 11. It says, What he just described there. Oh my gosh, is the ascension.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 364: Christ's Sacrifice Once for All (2024)
Then I heard another voice from heaven saying, Come out of her, my people, lest you take part in her sins, lest you share in her plagues. For her sins are heaped high as heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities. Rendered to her as she herself has rendered, and repay her double for her deeds. Mix a double draft for her in the cup she mixed, as she glorified herself and played the wanton.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 364: Christ's Sacrifice Once for All (2024)
I sometimes get lost in the ascension as being, here's Jesus ascending to heaven and telling the disciples, the apostles, hey, wait for the promised Holy Spirit and that'll come upon you. And that's it, he's just leaving. But he wasn't just leaving. What was he doing? He was entering into the sanctuary.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 364: Christ's Sacrifice Once for All (2024)
He was entering into heaven with the sacrifice of himself presented before God for the, oh my gosh, this is insane. Just like the priest would go into the Holy of Holies As Jesus ascends into heaven, he is the great high priest entering into the actual holy of holies. Remember, the temple was made as a copy, as a foreshadow of what actually exists in reality in heaven.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 364: Christ's Sacrifice Once for All (2024)
When the high priest goes into that copy, he's bringing with him something that's limited. But when Jesus Christ, the great high priest entered into heaven, he brought a sacrifice that is unlimited. His one sacrifice once for all. Hopefully that makes sense. It is remarkable and incredible. And we get to conclude our story tomorrow. It has been an incredible journey to be able to walk with you.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 364: Christ's Sacrifice Once for All (2024)
So please know that this journey is not over because we can continue to walk with each other, not just tomorrow, but even the day after tomorrow and the day after that and the day after that, because I will be praying for you. I am praying for you. Please pray for me. My name is Father Mike. I cannot wait to see you tomorrow. God bless.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 364: Christ's Sacrifice Once for All (2024)
So give her a like measure of torment and mourning, since in her heart she says, A queen I sit, I am no widow, mourning I shall never see. So shall her plagues come in a single day, pestilence and mourning and famine, and she shall be burned with fire. For mighty is the Lord God who judges her.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 364: Christ's Sacrifice Once for All (2024)
And the kings of the earth, who committed fornication and were wanton with her, will weep and wail over her when they see the smoke of her burning. They will stand far off in fear of her torment and say, Alas, alas, you great city, you mighty city Babylon. In one hour has your judgment come. And the merchants of the earth weep and mourn for her, since no one buys their cargo anymore.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 364: Christ's Sacrifice Once for All (2024)
Cargo of gold, silver, jewels and pearls, fine linen, purple, silk and scarlet, all kinds of scented wood, all articles of ivory, all articles of costly wood, bronze, iron and marble, cinnamon, spice, incense, myrrh, frankincense, wine, oil, fine flour and wheat, cattle and sheep, horses and chariots and slaves, that is, human souls.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 364: Christ's Sacrifice Once for All (2024)
the fruit for which your soul longed has gone from you and all your delicacies and your splendor are lost to you never to be found again the merchants of these wares who gained wealth from her will stand far off in fear of her torment weeping and mourning aloud alas alas for the great city that was clothed in fine linen in purple and scarlet adorned with gold with jewels and with pearls
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 364: Christ's Sacrifice Once for All (2024)
In one hour, all this wealth has been laid waste. And all shipmasters and seafaring men, sailors and all whose trade is on the sea, stood far off and cried out as they saw the smoke of her burning, what city was like the great city? And they threw dust on their heads as they wept and mourned, crying out, alas, alas for the great city, where all who had ships at sea grew rich by her wealth.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 364: Christ's Sacrifice Once for All (2024)
In one hour she has been laid waste. Rejoice over her, O heaven, O saints and apostles and prophets, for God has given judgment for you against her.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 364: Christ's Sacrifice Once for All (2024)
Then a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone and threw it into the sea, saying, So shall Babylon the great city be thrown down with violence and shall be found no more, and the sound of harpists and minstrels, of flute players and trumpeters shall be heard in you no more. And the craftsmen of any craft shall be found in you no more.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 364: Christ's Sacrifice Once for All (2024)
And the sound of the millstone shall be heard in you no more. And the light of a lamp shall shine in you no more. And the voice of the bridegroom and bride shall be heard in you no more. For your merchants were the great men of the earth, and all nations were deceived by your sorcery. And in her was found the blood of prophets and saints, and of all who have been slain on earth.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 364: Christ's Sacrifice Once for All (2024)
Chapter 19 The Rejoicing in Heaven After this, I heard what seemed to be the mighty voice of a great multitude in heaven crying, "'Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God, for his judgments are true and just. He has judged the great harlot who corrupted the earth with her fornication, and he has avenged on her the blood of his servants.' Once more they cried, "'Hallelujah!
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 364: Christ's Sacrifice Once for All (2024)
The smoke from her goes up forever and ever.' And the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshipped God, who is seated on the throne, saying, Amen, Hallelujah. And from the throne came a voice, crying, Praise our God, all you his servants, you who fear him small and great.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 364: Christ's Sacrifice Once for All (2024)
Then I heard what seemed to be the voice of a great multitude, like the sound of many waters, and like the sound of mighty thunder peals, crying, Hallelujah! For the Lord our God, the Almighty, reigns. Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 364: Christ's Sacrifice Once for All (2024)
It was granted her to be clothed with fine linen, bright and pure, for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints. And the angel said to me, Write this, Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he said to me, These are true words of God. Then I fell down at his feet to worship him, but he said to me, You must not do that.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 364: Christ's Sacrifice Once for All (2024)
I am a fellow servant with you and your brethren who hold the testimony of Jesus. Worship God. For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy. The Rider on the White Horse Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. He who sat upon it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 364: Christ's Sacrifice Once for All (2024)
His eyes are like flames of fire, and on his head are many diadems, and he has a name inscribed which no one knows but himself. He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which he is called is The Word of God. And the armies of heaven, wearing fine linen, white and pure, followed him on white horses.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 364: Christ's Sacrifice Once for All (2024)
From his mouth issues a sharp sword with which to strike the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty. On his robe and on his thigh he has a name inscribed, King of Kings and Lord of Lords. the beast and its armies defeated.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 364: Christ's Sacrifice Once for All (2024)
Then I saw an angel standing in the sun, and with a loud voice he called to all the birds that fly in midheaven, Come, gather for the great supper of God, to eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of captains, the flesh of mighty men, the flesh of horses and their riders, and the flesh of all men, both free and slave, both small and great.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 364: Christ's Sacrifice Once for All (2024)
And I saw the beast and the kings of the earth with their armies gathered to make war against him who sits upon the horse and against his army. and the beast was captured, and with it the false prophet who in its presence had worked the signs by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and who worshipped its image.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 364: Christ's Sacrifice Once for All (2024)
These two were thrown alive into the lake of fire that burns with brimstone, and the rest were slain by the sword of him who sits upon the horse, the sword that issues from his mouth, and all the birds were gorged with their flesh. Chapter 20, The Thousand Years Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding in his hand the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 364: Christ's Sacrifice Once for All (2024)
And he seized the dragon, that ancient serpent who is called the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years, and threw him into the pit, and shut it, and sealed it over him, that he should deceive the nations no more till the thousand years were ended. After that he must be let out for a little while. Then I saw thrones, and seated on them were those to whom judgment was committed.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 364: Christ's Sacrifice Once for All (2024)
Also, I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their testimony to Jesus and for the word of God. and who had not worshipped the beast or its image, and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life, and reigned with Christ a thousand years. The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended. This is the first resurrection.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 364: Christ's Sacrifice Once for All (2024)
Blessed and holy is he who shares in the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and they shall reign with him a thousand years. Satan's doom.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 364: Christ's Sacrifice Once for All (2024)
And when the thousand years are ended, Satan will be released from his prison and will come out to deceive the nations which are at the four corners of the earth, that is Gog and Magog, to gather them for battle. Their number is like the sand of the sea, and they marched up over the broad earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 364: Christ's Sacrifice Once for All (2024)
But fire came down from heaven and consumed them, and the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet were, and they will be tormented day and night, forever and ever. The dead are judged. Then I saw a white throne and him who sat upon it. From his presence earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 364: Christ's Sacrifice Once for All (2024)
Hi, my name is Father Mike Schmitz, and you're listening to the Bible in a Year podcast, where we encounter God's voice and live life through the lens of Scripture. The Bible in a Year podcast is brought to you by Ascension.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 364: Christ's Sacrifice Once for All (2024)
And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Also another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, by what they had done. And the sea gave up the dead in it. Death and Hades gave up the dead in them, and all were judged by what they had done.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 364: Christ's Sacrifice Once for All (2024)
Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And if anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 364: Christ's Sacrifice Once for All (2024)
The Earthly and the Heavenly Sanctuary. Now, even the first covenant had regulations for worship and an earthly sanctuary. For a tent was prepared, the outer one, in which were the lampstand and the table and the bread of offering. It is called the holy place.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 364: Christ's Sacrifice Once for All (2024)
Behind the second curtain stood a tent called the holy of holies, having the golden altar of incense and the ark of the covenant covered on all sides with gold, which contained a golden urn holding the manna and Aaron's rod that budded and the tables of the covenant. Above it were the cherubim of glory overshadowing the mercy seat. Of these things we cannot now speak in detail.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 364: Christ's Sacrifice Once for All (2024)
These preparations having thus been made, the priests go continually into the outer tent, performing their ritual duties. But into the second only the high priest goes, and he but once a year, and not without taking blood which he offers for himself and for the errors of the people.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 364: Christ's Sacrifice Once for All (2024)
Using the Great Adventure Bible Timeline, we'll read all the way from Genesis to Revelation, discovering how the story of salvation unfolds and how we fit into that story today. It is day 364. And there are 364 unbirthdays. We're reading the Revelation of John, chapter 18, 19, and 20.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 364: Christ's Sacrifice Once for All (2024)
By this, the Holy Spirit indicates that the way into the sanctuary is not yet opened as long as the outer tent is still standing, which is symbolic for the present age.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 364: Christ's Sacrifice Once for All (2024)
According to this arrangement, gifts and sacrifices are offered which cannot perfect the conscience of the worshiper, but deal only with food and drink and various baptisms, regulations for the body imposed until the time of reformation.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 364: Christ's Sacrifice Once for All (2024)
but when christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come then through the greater and more perfect tent not made with hands that is not of this creation he entered once for all into the holy place taking not the blood of goats and calves but his own blood thus securing an eternal redemption
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 364: Christ's Sacrifice Once for All (2024)
For if the sprinkling of defiled persons with the blood of goats and bulls and with the ashes of a heifer sanctifies for the purification of the flesh, how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 364: Christ's Sacrifice Once for All (2024)
Therefore he is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance, since a death has occurred which redeems them from the transgressions under the first covenant." For where a will is involved, the death of the one who made it is established.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 364: Christ's Sacrifice Once for All (2024)
For a will takes effect only at death, since it is not in force as long as the one who made it is alive. Hence, even the first covenant was not ratified without blood.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 364: Christ's Sacrifice Once for All (2024)
For when every commandment of the law had been declared by Moses to all the people, he took the blood of calves and goats with water and scarlet wool and hyssop and sprinkled both the book itself and all the people saying, this is the blood of the covenant which God commanded you. And in the same way, he sprinkled with the blood both the tent and all the vessels used in worship.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 364: Christ's Sacrifice Once for All (2024)
Indeed, under the law, almost everything is purified with blood. And without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness of sins. Christ's sacrifice takes away sin. Thus, it was necessary for the copies of the heavenly things to be purified with these rites. but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 364: Christ's Sacrifice Once for All (2024)
For Christ has entered, not into a sanctuary made with hands, a copy of the true one, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf. nor was it to offer himself repeatedly as the high priest enters the holy place yearly with blood not his own, for then he would have to suffer repeatedly since the foundation of the world.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 364: Christ's Sacrifice Once for All (2024)
Hebrews, the letter to the Hebrews, chapters 9 and 10, as well as the book of Proverbs, chapter 31, verses 26 through 29. As always, the Bible translation I'm reading from is the Revised Standard Version, Second Catholic Edition. I'm using the Great Adventure Bible from Ascension.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 364: Christ's Sacrifice Once for All (2024)
But as it is, he has appeared once for all at the end of the age to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. and just as it is appointed for men to die once and after that comes judgment so christ having been offered once to bear the sins of many will appear a second time not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 364: Christ's Sacrifice Once for All (2024)
Chapter 10, Christ's Sacrifice Once for All For since the law has but a shadow of the good things to come instead of the true form of these realities, it can never, by the same sacrifices which are continually offered year after year, make perfect those who draw near. Otherwise, would they not have ceased to be offered?
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 364: Christ's Sacrifice Once for All (2024)
If the worshippers had once been cleansed, they would no longer have any consciousness of sin. But in these sacrifices, there is a reminder of sin year after year. for it is impossible that the blood of bulls and goats should take away sins. Consequently, when Christ came into the world, he said, Sacrifices and offerings you have not desired, but a body you have prepared for me.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 364: Christ's Sacrifice Once for All (2024)
In burnt offerings and sin offerings you have taken no pleasure. Then I said, Behold, I have come to do your will, O God. as it is written of me in the roll of the book. When he said above, you have neither desired nor taken pleasure in sacrifices and offerings and burnt offerings and sin offerings. These are offered according to the law. Then he added, behold, I have come to do your will.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 364: Christ's Sacrifice Once for All (2024)
He abolishes the first in order to establish the second. And by that will, we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. And every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 364: Christ's Sacrifice Once for All (2024)
But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, then to wait until his enemies should be made a stool for his feet. For by a single offering, he has perfected for all time those who are sanctified. And the Holy Spirit also bears witness to us.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 364: Christ's Sacrifice Once for All (2024)
If you want to download your own Bible in a year reading plan, maybe for the next trip, visit ascensionpress.com slash Bible in a year. You can also... You can also subscribe to this podcast by clicking on subscribe, receiving daily episodes and daily updates. It is day 364.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 364: Christ's Sacrifice Once for All (2024)
For after saying, this is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, says the Lord, I will put my laws on their hearts and write them on their minds. Then he adds, I will remember their sins and their misdeeds no more. Where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer any offering for sin. a call to persevere.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 26: God Responds to Job (2025)
In fact, he blesses Judah. Judah is the fourth born and he gives him a particular blessing. He says that the mace will not depart from Judah's legs. Judah is a lion's wealth. Judah is the one. Basically, Jacob is saying, He's prophesying in many, many ways. Maybe by his power of his blessing, this is how the future unfolds. But he says that Judah, your brother, shall praise you.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 26: God Responds to Job (2025)
And he goes on to say that the scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler's staff from between his feet until he comes to whom it belongs. And to him shall be the obedience of all the peoples. Okay, who does that sound like? Well, that is our Lord. It's a prophecy. It's actually what we come to understand as a prophecy of Jesus. Jesus comes from the tribe of Judah.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 26: God Responds to Job (2025)
David comes from the tribe of Judah. So David would be a prophecy of David as well, because David is a Judahite.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 26: God Responds to Job (2025)
but then later on obviously jesus is in the line of david and so that kingdom that he establishes on earth and in heaven the kingdom of heaven that jesus is christ the king uh is a reminder and it begins here or at least it's prophesied here as well as the prophecy of king david the second thing is such a powerful reminder for all of us
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 26: God Responds to Job (2025)
unstable as water, you shall not have preeminence, because you went up to your father's bed. Then you defiled it, you went up to my couch. Simeon and Levi are brothers, weapons of violence are their swords. O my soul, come not into their counsel. O my spirit, be not joined to their company, for in their anger they slay men, and in their wantonness they hamstring oxen.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 26: God Responds to Job (2025)
The very last story, essentially of Joseph's story in this last story of Genesis, after Israel dies, after Jacob dies, they bury him right back in Canaan. And the brothers are concerned now that, well, now our father is dead. And the only reason maybe that Joseph didn't kill us or treat us horribly for what we did to him was because our father was alive.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 26: God Responds to Job (2025)
And Joseph hearing this, hearing their lack of trust in him, hearing the fact that they Do not trust his love for them or his forgiveness of them. He breaks down and weeps. And he says this powerful line. He says, you meant it for evil, but God meant it for good, that many would be saved. And this is what we know about God's permissive will, right? God's will is over everything.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 26: God Responds to Job (2025)
And yet we know that there's God's perfect will, which is his plan A, the things he directly wills. And there's God's permissive will, which are the things he allows. It's not the things he wants to happen, but it's the stuff he has allowed to happen. Those are things like evil.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 26: God Responds to Job (2025)
He doesn't want evil to happen, but he allows it to happen because he wants to preserve our freedom and because he knows he can bring about a greater good. And this is Joseph pointing out that, pointing that out very clearly. You meant it for evil, but God meant it for good so that many could be saved.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 26: God Responds to Job (2025)
And this is the mystery of trust that we're called to enter into ourselves as well, because that is what God's calling us to do, to be able to say, okay, Lord, in all things, I trust you. even if someone's doing evil to me. You don't want that to happen. You're allowing it to happen because you know you can bring a greater good out of it. Again, not because God doesn't care.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 26: God Responds to Job (2025)
Remember, the refrain the entire time in this story of Joseph is that the Lord was with him, and yet the Lord was with him. Here's Joseph rejected, and yet the Lord was with him. Here's Joseph falsely accused and forgotten and abandoned, and yet the Lord was with him. And that's so critical, so key for us to remember this as we move on into the age of the Exodus in Egypt.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 26: God Responds to Job (2025)
And the last point is from our friend Job. I don't know if you noticed this, but one of the struggles of the book of Job is that it addresses the problem of evil, but doesn't answer the problem of evil. God never gives a why of like, here's why I allow suffering to happen.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 26: God Responds to Job (2025)
Now, again, our theology would reveal to us that maybe in some whys would be to preserve our freedom and because God can bring a greater good out of it. That's great. But God never says why, he just responds to Job with a bunch of questions. But he responds to Job, not just with questions, he responds to Job with himself. And this is the key of the entire book of Job.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 26: God Responds to Job (2025)
At the end of the book of Job, he says, I had heard of you beforehand, but now I have seen you with my eyes and therefore I repent and I will speak no more. Basically, the answer to the problem of pain is God himself. The answer to the problem of suffering is God himself. You know, if we had a question for God, like, God, why this? You know, and he maybe give us an answer.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 26: God Responds to Job (2025)
And then we come up the next day with, okay, but God, why this? And he'd have to give us an answer again. But God has spoken definitively, especially when it comes to suffering, by offering himself. And this is the mystery of the cross. This is the mystery of the crucifixion. That God could give us a reason why. He could tell us, here's the story behind everything.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 26: God Responds to Job (2025)
Or he could say, I'm no stranger to suffering. All that you have experienced, all that has collapsed against you, all that has come down on your head, I have also allowed to come down on my head. That just like God responded to Job by showing Job his face, God has responded to all of us by showing us the face of Jesus, particularly Job.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 26: God Responds to Job (2025)
the broken and rejected, the beaten and the crucified face of Jesus. This is God's answer to the problem of pain. And the answer is himself. That's the secret of the book of Job. That's the secret of our friend Job. is that God does give an answer. But the answer isn't logic. The answer isn't reason. The answer isn't just have faith. The answer is himself.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 26: God Responds to Job (2025)
Cursed be their anger, for it is fierce, and their wrath, for it is cruel. I will divide them in Jacob and scatter them in Israel. Judah, your brothers shall praise you. Your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies. Your father's sons shall bow down before you. Judah is a lion's whelp. From the prey, my son, you have gone up.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 26: God Responds to Job (2025)
And he gives himself to us today as well. My friends, I am praying for you. And I'm so grateful that you and I are on this journey together.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 26: God Responds to Job (2025)
of this bible in a year again as we said it is day 26 going into day 27 tomorrow entirely new page entirely new um period we're going to the egypt in the exodus as we say goodbye to the patriarchs we will not say goodbye to each other in fact we're going to double down our prayers for each other because we know that sometimes things get even more difficult.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 26: God Responds to Job (2025)
Tomorrow, we're starting the book of Exodus and Leviticus and continuing on in the Psalms. But today, right now, keep praying for each other. Keep praying for me. And I cannot wait to see you tomorrow. God bless.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 26: God Responds to Job (2025)
He stooped down, he lurked as a lion, and as a lioness, who dares rouse him up? The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler's staff from between his feet. until he comes to whom it belongs, and to him shall be the obedience of the peoples. Binding his foal to the vine, and his donkey's colt to the choice vine, he washes his garments in wine, and his vesture in the blood of grapes.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 26: God Responds to Job (2025)
His eyes shall be red with wine, and his teeth white with milk. Zebulun shall dwell at the shore of the sea, he shall become a haven for ships, and his border shall be at Sidon. Issachar is a strong donkey, crouching between the sheepfolds. He saw that a resting place was good and that the land was pleasant. So he bowed his shoulders to bear and became a slave at forced labor.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 26: God Responds to Job (2025)
Dan shall judge his people as one of the tribes of Israel. Dan shall be a serpent in the way, a viper by the path that bites the horse's heels so that his rider falls backward. I wait for your salvation, O Lord. Raiders shall raid Gad, but he shall raid at their heels. Asher's food shall be rich, and he shall yield royal dainties. Naphtali is a deer let loose that bears comely fawns.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 26: God Responds to Job (2025)
It is day 26. This is our last day in the book of Genesis and our last day with our friend Job. We're going to be reading Genesis chapter 49 and 50. Job 41 and 42, and Psalm 17. If you want to be able to follow along with this, you can download the Bible in a Year reading plan by visiting ascensionpress.com slash Bible in a Year.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 26: God Responds to Job (2025)
Joseph is a fruitful bough, a fruitful bough by a spring. His branches run over the wall. The archers fiercely attacked him, shot at him, and harassed him sorely, yet his bow remained unmoved. His arms were made agile by the hands of the mighty one of Jacob, by the name of the shepherd, the Rock of Israel."
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 26: God Responds to Job (2025)
by you, the God of your father, who will help you, by God Almighty, who will bless you with blessings of heaven above, blessings of the deep that lies beneath, blessings of the breasts and of the womb. The blessings of your father are mighty beyond the blessings of the eternal mountains.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 26: God Responds to Job (2025)
The bounties of the eternal hills may be on the head of Joseph and on the brow of him who was separated from his brothers. Benjamin is a ravenous wolf, in the morning devouring the prey and at evening dividing the spoil. All these are the 12 tribes of Israel. And this is what their father said to them as he blessed them, blessing each with blessing suitable to him.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 26: God Responds to Job (2025)
Then he charged them and said to them, I am to be gathered to my people. Bury me with my fathers in the cave that is in the field of Ephron, the Hittite. In the cave that is in the field at Machpelah, to the east of Mamre, in the land of Canaan, which Abraham bought from the field of Ephron the Hittite to possess as a burying place. There they buried Abraham and Sarah his wife.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 26: God Responds to Job (2025)
There they buried Isaac and Rebekah his wife. And there I buried Leah. The field and the cave that is in it were purchased from the Hittites. When Jacob finished charging his sons, he drew up his feet into the bed and breathed his last and was gathered to his people. Then Joseph fell on his father's face and wept over him and kissed him.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 26: God Responds to Job (2025)
And Joseph commanded his servants, the physicians, to embalm his father. So the physicians embalmed Israel. Forty days were required for it, for so many are required for embalming. And the Egyptians wept for him seventy days.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 26: God Responds to Job (2025)
And when the days of weeping for him were past, Joseph spoke to the household of Pharaoh, saying, If now I have found favor in your eyes, I speak, I beg you, in the ears of Pharaoh, saying, My father made me swear, saying, I am about to die. In my tomb, which I have hewed out for myself in the land of Canaan, there you shall bury me.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 26: God Responds to Job (2025)
Now therefore let me go up, I beg you, and bury my father, then I will return. And Pharaoh answered, Go up and bury your father, as he made you swear. So Joseph went up to bury his father, and with him went up all the servants of Pharaoh, the elders of his household, and all the elders of the land of Egypt, as well as all the household of Joseph, his brothers, and his father's household.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 26: God Responds to Job (2025)
Only their children, their flocks, and their herds were left in the land of Goshen. And there went up with him both chariots and horsemen. It was a very great company. When they came to the threshing floor of Atad, which is beyond the Jordan, they lamented there with a very great and sorrowful lamentation. And he made a mourning for his father seven days.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 26: God Responds to Job (2025)
Hi, I'm Father Mike Schmitz, and you're listening to the Bible in a Year podcast, where we encounter God's voice and live life through the lens of scripture. The Bible in a Year podcast is brought to you by Ascension. Using the Great Adventure Bible timeline, we'll read all the way from Genesis to Revelation, discovering how the story of salvation unfolds and how we fit into that story today.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 26: God Responds to Job (2025)
When the inhabitants of the land of the Canaanites saw the mourning on the threshing floor of Atad, they said, This is a grievous mourning to the Egyptians. Therefore the place was named Ebel Mizraim. It is beyond the Jordan.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 26: God Responds to Job (2025)
Thus his sons did for him as he had commanded them, for his sons carried him to the land of Canaan and buried him in the cave of the field at Machpelah to the east of Mamre, which Abraham bought with the field from Ephron the Hittite to possess as a burying place. After he had buried his father, Joseph returned to Egypt with his brothers and all who had gone up with him to bury his father.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 26: God Responds to Job (2025)
When Joseph's brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, it may be that Joseph will hate us and pay us back for all the evil which we did to him. So they sent a message to Joseph saying, your father gave this command before he died. Say to Joseph, forgive, I beg you, the transgressions of your brothers and their sin because the evil they did to you.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 26: God Responds to Job (2025)
I will be reading from the Revised Standard Version, the Catholic Edition. I'm actually using the Great Adventure Bible from Ascension for the reading. Once again, we are going to be reading today from Genesis 49 and 50. This is our final step, not only in Genesis, but also in the period of the patriarchs.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 26: God Responds to Job (2025)
And now we pray you, forgive the transgressions of the servants of the God of your father. Joseph wept when they spoke to him. His brothers also came and fell down before him and said, Behold, we are your servants. But Joseph said to them, Fear not, for am I in the place of God?
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 26: God Responds to Job (2025)
As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive as they are today. So do not fear. I will provide for you and your little ones. Thus he reassured them and comforted them. So Joseph dwelt in Egypt, he and his father's house. And Joseph lived 110 years. And Joseph saw Ephraim's children of the third generation.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 26: God Responds to Job (2025)
Their children also of Machir, the son of Manasseh, were born upon Joseph's knees. And Joseph said to his brothers, I'm about to die, but God will visit you and will bring you up out of this land to the land which he swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. Then Joseph took an oath of his sons of Israel, saying, God will visit you, and you shall carry up my bones from here.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 26: God Responds to Job (2025)
So Joseph died, being a hundred and ten years old, and they embalmed him, and he was put in a coffin in Egypt.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 26: God Responds to Job (2025)
Can you draw out Leviathan with a fish hook or press down his tongue with a cord? Can you put a rope in his nose or pierce his jaw with a hook? Can he make many supplications to you? Will he speak to you in soft words? Will he make a covenant with you to take him for your servant forever? Will you play with him as with a bird or will you put him on a leash for your maidens?
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 26: God Responds to Job (2025)
Will traders bargain over him? Will they divide up him among the merchants? Can you fill his skin with harpoons or his head with fishing spears? Lay hands on him. Think of the battle. You will not do it again. Behold, the hope of a man is disappointed. He is laid low even at the sight of him. No one is so fierce that he dares to stir him up. Who then is he that can stand before me?
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 26: God Responds to Job (2025)
Who has given to me that I should repay him? Whatever is under the whole heaven is mine. I will not keep silence concerning his limbs or his mighty strength or his large frame. Who can strip off his outer garment? Who can penetrate his double coat of mail?
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 26: God Responds to Job (2025)
who can open the doors of his face round about his teeth in terror his back is made of rows of shields shut up closely as with a seal one is so near to another that no air can come between them they are joined one to another they clasp each other and cannot be separated his sneezings flash forth light and his eyes are like the eyelids of dawn
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 26: God Responds to Job (2025)
If you're following along with the Bible in a year reading plan, you know that we went through the early world for the first five days. That was Genesis chapter one through 11. And then we started with the patriarchs and that's Genesis 12 through today, Genesis 50. Also in that same timeframe, we have the book of Job.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 26: God Responds to Job (2025)
Out of his mouth go flaming torches, sparks of fire leap forth. Out of his nostrils comes forth smoke, and it's from a boiling pot and burning rushes. His breath kindles coals, and a flame comes forth from his mouth. In his neck abides strength, and terror dances before them. The folds of his flesh cling together, firmly cast upon him and immovable.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 26: God Responds to Job (2025)
His heart is hard as a stone, hard as a nether millstone. When he raises himself up, the mighty are afraid at the crashing they are beside themselves. Though the sword reaches him, it does not avail, nor the spear, the dart, or the javelin. He counts iron as straw and bronze as rotten wood. The arrow cannot make him flee, for him sling stones are turned to stubble. Clubs are counted as stubble.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 26: God Responds to Job (2025)
He laughs at the rattle of javelins. His underparts are like sharp potsherds. He spreads himself like a threshing sledge in the mire. He makes the deep boil like a pot. He makes the sea like a pot of ointment. Behind him, he leaves a shining wake. One would think of the deep to be hoary. Upon earth, there is not his like, a creature without fear. He beholds everything that is high.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 26: God Responds to Job (2025)
He is king over all the sons of pride. Then Job answered the Lord, I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted. Who is this that hides counsel without knowledge? Therefore I have uttered what I did not understand, things too wonderful for me which I did not know. Hear, and I will speak.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 26: God Responds to Job (2025)
I will question you, and you declare to me, I had heard of you by the hearing of my ear, but now my eye sees you. Therefore I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes. After the Lord had spoken these words to Job, the Lord said to Eliphaz the Temanite, My wrath is kindled against you and against your two friends, for you have not spoken to me what is right as my servant Job has.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 26: God Responds to Job (2025)
Now therefore, take seven bulls and seven rams, and go to my servant Job, and offer up for yourselves a burnt offering. And my servant Job shall pray for you, for I will accept his prayer not to deal with you according to your folly, for you have not spoken of me what is right, as my servant Job has.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 26: God Responds to Job (2025)
So Eliphaz the Temanite, and Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Namathite went, and did what the Lord had told them. And the Lord accepted Job's prayer. And the Lord restored the fortunes of Job when he had prayed for his friends. And the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 26: God Responds to Job (2025)
So again, once I, once again, we're reading Genesis 49 and 50, Job 41 and 42 and Psalm 17.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 26: God Responds to Job (2025)
Then came to him all his brothers and sisters, and all who had known him before, and ate bread with him in his house. And they showed him sympathy, and comforted him for all the evil that the Lord had brought upon him. And each of them gave him a piece of money, and a ring of gold. And the Lord blessed the latter days of Job more than his beginning.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 26: God Responds to Job (2025)
And he had fourteen thousand sheep, six thousand camels, a thousand yoke of oxen, and a thousand she-donkeys. He also had seven sons and three daughters, and he called the name of the first Jemima, and the name of the second Keziah, and the name of the third Keren Hapuk.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 26: God Responds to Job (2025)
And in all the land, there were no women so fair as Job's daughters, and their father gave them inheritance among their brothers. And after this, Job lived 140 years and saw his sons and his sons' sons four generations.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 26: God Responds to Job (2025)
Hear a just cause, O Lord. Attend to my cry. Give ear to my prayer from the lips free of deceit. From you, let my vindication come. Let your eyes see the right. If you try my heart, if you visit me by night, if you test me, you will find no wickedness in me. A mouth does not transgress. With regard to the works of men, by the word of your lips, I have avoided the ways of the violent.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 26: God Responds to Job (2025)
My steps have held fast to your paths. My feet have not slipped. I call upon you, for you will answer me, O God. Incline your ear to me. Hear my words. Wondrously show your mercies, O Savior of those who seek refuge from their adversaries at your right hand. Keep me as the apple of your eye, hide me in the shadow of your wings, from the wicked who despoil me, my deadly enemies who surround me.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 26: God Responds to Job (2025)
They close their hearts to pity, with their mouths they speak arrogantly. They track me down, now they surround me, they set their eyes to cast me to the ground. They are like a lion, eager to tear, as a young lion lurking in ambush. Arise, O Lord, confront them, overthrow them.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 26: God Responds to Job (2025)
Then Jacob called his sons and said, gather yourselves together that I may tell you what shall befall you in days to come. Assemble and hear, O sons of Jacob, and hearken to Israel your father. Reuben, you are my firstborn, my might, and the first fruits of my strength, preeminent in pride and preeminent in power.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 26: God Responds to Job (2025)
Deliver my life from the wicked by your sword, from men by your hand, O Lord, from men whose portion in life is of the world. May their belly be filled with what you have stored up for them. May their children have more than enough. May they leave something over to their babies. As for me, I shall behold your face in righteousness. When I awake, I shall be satisfied with beholding your form.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 26: God Responds to Job (2025)
Father in heaven, we thank you so much. We give you praise and glory. We thank you for sharing your word with us. We thank you for revealing your heart to us. We thank you for letting us journey with the patriarchs, with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob, with Sarah, Rebecca, Leah, Rachel. We thank you for letting us be part of the story of Joseph and his tragedy, but also your triumph through tragedy.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 26: God Responds to Job (2025)
Lord God, we thank you for Our friend Job, we thank you for what you've revealed in our journey with him and his pain and his suffering. What you reveal about yourself and our pain and our suffering. And we thank you, Lord, for always... reminding us that we can trust you in even the darkest times. Help us to trust you in even the darkest times.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 26: God Responds to Job (2025)
We ask this, Father, in the name of your Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Wow. So there's two things I want to highlight. Again, we're coming to the last day, the last day of the patriarchs, and tomorrow we're starting an entirely new journey.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 26: God Responds to Job (2025)
Well, we're continuing the journey, essentially, with the age or the period of Egypt and the exodus. But before we go there, I want to highlight two, three things, three quick things. First is you might've noticed that in the second to last chapter of Genesis, Israel or Jacob, he doesn't bless his first three sons. There's a particular reason for it, but Jacob does not bless the first three sons.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 357: Truth and Love (2024)
the church is not the first line of defense against poverty. The church isn't the first line of defense against someone living a life of desolation, that it's actually the family. And so if you're going to be a Christian and you're not taking care of your own family, then you're failing in religion. In fact, he says you're worse than an unbeliever.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 357: Truth and Love (2024)
I rejoiced greatly to find some of your children following the truth, just as we have been commanded by the Father. And now I beg you, lady, not as though I were writing you a new commandment, but the one we have had from the beginning, that we love one another. And this is love, that we follow his commandments. This is the commandment, as you have heard from the beginning, that you follow love."
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 357: Truth and Love (2024)
A Christian who doesn't take care of their own family when they can is worse than an unbeliever, which is convicting for so many of us who might be separated from our families and might be distant from our families and say, okay, how can I do that now in this life, in this day, and in this age will be a call for all of us. I love the fact that St.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 357: Truth and Love (2024)
Paul writes to Timothy in chapter four and he says, train yourself in godliness. For while bodily training is of some value, godliness is a value in every way. And I like it because I find myself going for a run, doing some workouts, exercising this. And Paul says bodily training is of some value. So he doesn't denigrate it. But then he highlights the fact that
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 357: Truth and Love (2024)
But at the same time, godliness, right? Training in the spirit is a value in every way as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come. And that is a good reminder that we just are called to not just have fitness in our lives, are called to have wealth in our lives, success in our lives, but to be the kind of men and women that God has created and redeemed us to be.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 357: Truth and Love (2024)
The last thing here is the good fight of faith. And here is Paul exhorting Timothy you know, who is young, who is comparatively young, this young Bishop essentially of Ephesus. As for you, man of God, shun all of this, which all of what? Well, love of money, which is the root of all evil. Remember that money is not the root of all evil, but the love of money is the root of all evil.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 357: Truth and Love (2024)
And through this craving, some have wandered away from the faith and pierced their hearts with many pangs. I've seen this so many times. I maybe haven't seen it in older people. It's probably present, but I work with college students and I see this desire to be successful.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 357: Truth and Love (2024)
I see this desire to accumulate wealth, be the thing that just drives so many of our students from a life of prayer and from a life of service. to becoming distant and cold to the Lord because they're like, I'm gonna go, I'm gonna get after it, I'm gonna crush the day.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 357: Truth and Love (2024)
And instead of giving God their first fruits and pursuing that training and godliness is this pursuit after wealth, this pursuit after money, the love of money, the root of all evils. And some by craving this have wandered away from the faith. But then that's when Paul says, but you men of God shun all this aim at righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 357: Truth and Love (2024)
And then bam, here's the line. Fight the good fight of the faith and take hold of the eternal life to which you were called. And this is so important. Take hold of the eternal life. to which you are called. My brothers and sisters, you and I have been called to the eternal life. So why not fight for it? I mean, truly, here we are on day 357. You've been fighting for 357 days.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 357: Truth and Love (2024)
You've been listening to the Lord's word for 357 days. Take hold of the eternal life that God has in store for you, that he wants for you, that he wills for you, that he's given you in Christ Jesus and through the power of the Holy Spirit. Fight for it. This is the most precious gift
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 357: Truth and Love (2024)
And by doing so, to follow the commandments, to love one another as God has loved us, and to be worthy of the gift.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 357: Truth and Love (2024)
For many deceivers have gone out into the world, men who will not acknowledge the coming of Jesus Christ in the flesh. Such a one is the deceiver and the antichrist. Look to yourselves, that you may not lose what you have worked for, but may win a full reward. Anyone who goes ahead and does not abide in the doctrine of Christ does not have God.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 357: Truth and Love (2024)
Thank you so much for being on this journey together with me, with each other. Let's keep fighting. I'm praying for you. Please, please pray for me. My name is Father Mike. I cannot wait to see you tomorrow. God bless.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 357: Truth and Love (2024)
He who abides in the doctrine has both the Father and the Son. If anyone comes to you and does not bring this doctrine, do not receive him into the house or give him any greeting, for he who greets him shares his wicked work.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 357: Truth and Love (2024)
Final Greetings Though I have much to write to you, I would rather not use paper and ink, but I hope to come and see you and talk with you face to face that our joy may be complete. The children of your elect sister greet you. The Third Letter of John Salutation The Elder, to the beloved Gaius, whom I love in the truth. Gaius commended for his service.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 357: Truth and Love (2024)
And while we fit into that story today, it is day 357. We're reading 2 John and 3 John. the entirety of both of those letters of St. John, as well as the conclusion of the first letter of Paul to Timothy, reading chapters 4, 5, and 6. Also, we are reading Proverbs chapter 30, verses 29 through 33.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 357: Truth and Love (2024)
Beloved, I pray that all may go well with you, and that you may be in health. For I know that it is well with your soul. For I greatly rejoiced when some of the brethren arrived and testified to the truth of your life, as indeed you do follow the truth. No greater joy can I have than this, to hear that my children follow the truth.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 357: Truth and Love (2024)
Beloved, it is a loyal thing you do when you render any service to the brethren, especially to strangers who have testified to your love before the church. You will do well to send them on their journey as befits God's service, for they have set out for his sake and have accepted nothing from the heathen. So we ought to support such men that we may be fellow workers in the truth.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 357: Truth and Love (2024)
Diotrephes and Demetrius. I have written something to the church, but Diotrephes, who likes to put himself first, does not acknowledge my authority. So if I come, I will bring up what he is doing, accusing me falsely with evil words. And not content with that, he refuses himself to welcome the brethren and also stops those who want to welcome them and puts them out of the church.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 357: Truth and Love (2024)
Beloved, do not imitate evil, but imitate good. He who does good is of God. He who does evil has not seen God. Demetrius has testimony from everyone and from the truth itself. I testify to him too, and you know my testimony is true. Final greetings. I had much to write to you, but I would rather not write with pen and ink. I hope to see you soon, and we will talk together face to face.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 357: Truth and Love (2024)
Peace be to you. The friends greet you.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 357: Truth and Love (2024)
False Asceticism Now, the Spirit expressly says that in later times, some will depart from the faith by giving heed to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons, though the pretensions of liars whose consciences are seared, who forbid marriage and enjoin abstinence from foods which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 357: Truth and Love (2024)
For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving. For then it is consecrated by the word of God and prayer. a good minister of Jesus Christ. If you put these instructions before the brethren, you will be a good minister of Christ Jesus, nourished on the words of the faith and of the good doctrine which you have followed.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 357: Truth and Love (2024)
Have nothing to do with godless and silly myths. Train yourself in godliness. For while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 357: Truth and Love (2024)
As always, the Bible translation I'm reading from is the Revised Standard Version, 2nd Catholic Edition. I'm using the Great Adventure Bible from Ascension. If you want to download your own Bible in the Year reading plan for this last week and a half, you can visit ascensionpress.com slash Bible in the Year. You can also subscribe to this podcast by clicking on subscribe and... Or you know what?
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 357: Truth and Love (2024)
the saying is sure and worthy of full acceptance for to this end we toil and strive because we have our hope set on the living god who is the savior of all men especially of those who believe command and teach these things Let no one despise your youth, but set the believers an example in speech and conduct, in love, in faith, in purity.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 357: Truth and Love (2024)
Till I come, attend to the public reading of Scripture, to preaching, to teaching. Do not neglect the gift you have, which was given to you by prophetic utterance when the elders laid their hands upon you. Practice these duties, devote yourself to them, so that all may see your progress. Take heed to yourself and to your teaching.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 357: Truth and Love (2024)
Hold to that, for by so doing you will save both yourself and your hearers. Do not rebuke an older man, but exhort him as you would a father. Treat younger men like brothers, older women like mothers, younger women like sisters, in all purity. Honor widows who are real widows.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 357: Truth and Love (2024)
Hi, my name is Father Mike Schmitz, and you're listening to the Bible in a Year podcast, where we encounter God's voice and live life through the lens of Scripture. The Bible in a Year podcast is brought to you by Ascension. Using the Great Adventure Bible Timeline, we'll read all the way from Genesis to Revelation, discovering how the story of salvation unfolds.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 357: Truth and Love (2024)
If a widow has children or grandchildren, let them first learn their religious duty to their own family and make some return to their parents, for this is acceptable in the sight of God. She who is a real widow and is left all alone has set her hope on God and continues in supplications and prayers night and day, whereas she who is self-indulgent is dead even while she lives.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 357: Truth and Love (2024)
Command this, so that they may be without reproach. If anyone does not provide for his relatives and especially for his own family, he has disowned the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 357: Truth and Love (2024)
let a widow be enrolled if she is not less than sixty years of age having been the wife of one husband and she must be well attested for her good deeds as one who has brought up children shown hospitality washed the feet of saints relieved the afflicted and devoted herself to doing good in every way
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 357: Truth and Love (2024)
but refuse to enroll younger widows, for when they grow wanton against Christ, they desire to marry, and so they incur condemnation for having violated their first pledge. Besides that, they learn to be idlers, gadding about from house to house, and not only idlers, but gossips and busybodies, saying what they should not.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 357: Truth and Love (2024)
So I would have younger widows marry, bear children, rule their households, and give the enemy no occasion to revile us. For some have already strayed after Satan. If any believing woman has relatives who are widows, let her assist them. Let the church not be burdened so that it may assist those who are real widows.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 357: Truth and Love (2024)
Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in preaching and teaching. For the scripture says, you shall not muzzle an ox when it is treading out the grain, and the laborer deserves his wages. Never admit any charge against an elder except on the evidence of two or three witnesses.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 357: Truth and Love (2024)
Actually, hold out. Hold out. You don't want to give in now. It's been 357 days. You do not want to crack at the last minute. So just please don't subscribe. Don't be part of this. Just kidding. You are part of this. And we are so grateful. It is day 357. We are reading 2 John, 3 John, 1 Timothy chapters 4, 5, and 6, and Proverbs chapter 30, verses 29 through 33.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 357: Truth and Love (2024)
As for those who persist in sin, rebuke them in the presence of all so that the rest may stand in fear. No longer drink only water, but use a little wine for the sake of your stomach and your frequent ailments. Men's Deeds, False Teaching, and True Riches The sins of some men are conspicuous, pointing to judgment, but the sins of others appear later.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 357: Truth and Love (2024)
So also, good deeds are conspicuous, and even when they are not, they cannot remain hidden. Chapter 6. Let all who are under the yoke of slavery regard their masters as worthy of all honor, so that the name of God and the teaching may not be defamed. Those who have believing masters must not be disrespectful on the ground that they are brethren.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 357: Truth and Love (2024)
Rather, they must serve all the better, since those who benefit from their service are believers and beloved. Teach and urge these duties. If anyone teaches otherwise and does not agree with the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ and the teaching which accords with godliness, He is puffed up with conceit. He knows nothing.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 357: Truth and Love (2024)
He has a morbid craving for controversy and for disputes about words which produce envy, dissension, slander, base suspicions, and wrangling among men who are depraved in mind and bereft of the truth, imagining that godliness is a means of gain. There is great gain in godliness with contentment, for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 357: Truth and Love (2024)
But if we have food and clothing, with these we shall be content. But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and hurtful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is the root of all evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced their hearts with many pangs.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 357: Truth and Love (2024)
the good fight of faith. But as for you, man of God, shun all this. Aim at righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 357: Truth and Love (2024)
In the presence of God who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who in his testimony before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, I charge you to keep the commandment unstained and free from reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 357: Truth and Love (2024)
And this will be made manifest at the proper time by the blessed and only sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone has immortality and dwells in unapproachable light, whom no man has ever seen or can see. To him be honor and eternal dominion. Amen.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 357: Truth and Love (2024)
As for the rich in this world, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on uncertain riches, but on God, who richly furnishes us with everything to enjoy. They are to do good, to be rich in good deeds, liberal and generous, thus laying up for themselves a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of the life which is life indeed.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 357: Truth and Love (2024)
Personal Instructions and Benediction O Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to you. Avoid the godless chatter and contradictions of what is falsely called knowledge. For by professing it, some have missed the mark as regards the faith.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 357: Truth and Love (2024)
Three things are stately in their tread, four are stately in their stride. The lion, which is mightiest among beasts, and does not turn back before any, the striding cock, the he-goat, and a king striding before his people. If you have been foolish exalting yourself, or if you have been devising evil, put your hand on your mouth.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 357: Truth and Love (2024)
The second letter of John, salutation. The elder to the elect lady and her children, whom I love in the truth, and not only I, but also all who know the truth, because of the truth which abides in us and will be with us forever. Grace, mercy, and peace will be with us from God the Father and from Jesus Christ, the Father's Son, in truth and love. truth and love.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 357: Truth and Love (2024)
For pressing milk produces curds, pressing the nose produces blood, and pressing anger produces strife.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 357: Truth and Love (2024)
Thank you for your word. Thank you for calling us your children and making us into your children and your beloved son, Jesus Christ. We ask you to please help us to walk in faith, help us to walk in hope, and help us to walk in love in all things, in all ways. In Jesus' name we pray, amen. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, amen.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 357: Truth and Love (2024)
So as we noted before, the second letter and third letter of John are quite short. And yet the same themes apply where John is saying, okay, this is the key. This is the key. Love. That's it. And not only love in this idea of affective love, like affection. Affection is fine. Affection is good.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 357: Truth and Love (2024)
But John is talking about effective love in the same way that Jesus, when he preached love, he's talking about effective love, love that actually clothes the naked, love that actually does something. That's effective, right? Not just affection, which is a feeling, which is great. Love is felt, but it's more than a feeling. We recognize that love to truly be the love that God has must be effective.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 357: Truth and Love (2024)
And that's one of the reasons why, as John reminds us, this is love, that we follow his commandments. So important. This is love that we follow God's commandments. And that's not only is it love, but also it is doctrine. It's truth. And so John talks about this truth and love. And that's these are two things that must go together. Truth without love is a hammer, right?
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 357: Truth and Love (2024)
Truth without love is just a sledgehammer. But love without truth is ineffectual. Love without truth is syrup, essentially. And neither of those actually does a lot of good. Neither of those build up. And what we're called to do is belong to the Lord and help in building up the people around us. Anyways, that's John.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 357: Truth and Love (2024)
And the next time we see John, we're going to be hitting the book of Revelation, which is basically the day after tomorrow, which is kind of awesome. But we also have the conclusion of the first letter of St. Paul to Timothy. Now, remember, writing to Timothy, Timothy's living in Ephesus. And so the Ephesian Christians have got a number of things wrong.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 357: Truth and Love (2024)
And one of the things that they had gotten wrong is they started to have this, as the header of chapter four says, have a false asceticism. They were denying certain things. They were forbidding marriage. They were enjoining abstinence from some foods. And Paul is writing to Timothy saying, no, no, no, remember, Marriage is good. Marriage is a gift from God.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 357: Truth and Love (2024)
And also, remember, in the new covenant, you can eat all foods. Whatever food you have, you can eat those foods. It says, nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, for then it is consecrated by the word of God and prayer. There are also, this is the thing, there's also some people who were not living very noble lives.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 357: Truth and Love (2024)
In fact, there's groups of older men who were, the stories are that they might have been walking around drunk all the time. There were older women who were widows, but they were wealthy widows. And so they're basically kind of living off of the generosity of the church. And they were giving the church a bad name. Not only were they giving a bad name, they were also gossiping.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 357: Truth and Love (2024)
And that is, as we know, gossip is deadly to community. Gossip is deadly to relationships. And so here's Paul writing to Timothy saying, listen, those men, correct them, but correct them as you would correct a father, right? So you're not just lambasting them in front of everybody. And these women, remember, we need to give our support to true widows, those who actually are in need.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 357: Truth and Love (2024)
And those who are willing to take the gifts that we're giving them and not just live idly, but live nobly. And that's this key. It's really hard. It's one of those calls that we have, which is not simply to kind of throw charity wherever, but to apply it where it's needed. In fact, the reminder that St. Paul gives to Timothy to pass on to everyone in Ephesus is this.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 19: Joseph and His Brothers (2025)
It is because that's my name. My name is Father Mike. And I am so grateful that we are taking this journey together. I'm praying for you and I cannot wait to see you tomorrow. God bless.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 19: Joseph and His Brothers (2025)
He was a lad with the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah, his father's wives, and Joseph brought an ill report of them to their father. Now, Israel loved Joseph more than any other of his children because he was the son of his old age and he made him a long robe with sleeves.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 19: Joseph and His Brothers (2025)
But when his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, they hated him and could not speak peaceably to him. Now Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers, they only hated him the more. He said to them, Hear this dream which I have dreamed. Behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and behold, my sheaf arose and stood upright.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 19: Joseph and His Brothers (2025)
And behold, your sheaves gathered around it and bowed down to my sheaf. His brothers said to him, are you indeed to reign over us? Or are you indeed to have dominion over us? So they hated him yet more for his dreams and for his words. Then he dreamed another dream and he told it to his brothers and said, behold, I have dreamed another dream.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 19: Joseph and His Brothers (2025)
And behold, the sun, the moon and 11 stars were bowing down to me. but when he told it to his father and to his brothers his father rebuked him and said to him what is this dream that you have dreamed shall i and your mother and your brothers indeed come to bow ourselves to the ground before you and his brothers were jealous of him but his father kept this saying in mind
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 19: Joseph and His Brothers (2025)
Now his brothers went to pastor their father's flock near Shechem. And Israel said to Joseph, are not your brothers pastoring the flock at Shechem? Come, I will send you to them. And he said to him, here I am. So he said to him, go now, see if it is well with your brothers and with the flock and bring me word again. So he sent him from the valley of Hebron and he came to Shechem.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 19: Joseph and His Brothers (2025)
And a man found him wandering in the fields and the man asked him, what are you seeking? I am seeking my brothers, he said. Tell me, I beg you, where are they pasturing the flock? And the man said, They have gone away, for I heard them say, Let us go to Dothan. So Joseph went after his brothers and found them at Dothan.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 19: Joseph and His Brothers (2025)
They saw him afar off and before he came near to them, they conspired against him to kill him. They said to one another, here comes the dreamer. Come now, let us kill him and throw him into one of the pits. Then we shall say that a wild beast has devoured him and we shall see what will become of his dreams.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 19: Joseph and His Brothers (2025)
This is day 19, so let's keep on going. Today we're reading actually only one chapter of Genesis, Genesis chapter 37. It is the beginning of the story of our friend... Our friend Job is there, our friend Joseph. And we're also reading Job chapter 27 and 28, and then Proverbs chapter 3, verses 25 through 27.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 19: Joseph and His Brothers (2025)
But when Reuben heard it, he delivered him out of their hands saying, let us not take his life. And Reuben said to them, Shed no blood. Cast him into this pit here in the wilderness, but lay no hand upon him, that he might rescue him out of their hand to restore him to his father.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 19: Joseph and His Brothers (2025)
So when Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped him of his robe, the long robe with sleeves that he wore, and took him and cast him into the pit. The pit was empty. There was no water in it. Then they sat down to eat, and looking up they saw a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead with their camels bearing gum, balm, and myrrh on their way to carry it down to Egypt.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 19: Joseph and His Brothers (2025)
Then Judah said to his brothers, What profit is it if we slay our brother and conceal his blood? Come, let us sell him to the Ishmaelites, and let not our hand be upon him, for he is our brother, our own flesh. And his brothers heeded him.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 19: Joseph and His Brothers (2025)
Then Midianite traders passed by, and they drew Joseph up and lifted him out of the pit and sold him to the Ishmaelites for 20 shekels of silver, and they took Joseph to Egypt. When Reuben returned to the pit and saw that Joseph was not in the pit, he tore his clothes and returned to his brothers and said, The lad is gone, and I, where shall I go?
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 19: Joseph and His Brothers (2025)
Then they took Joseph's robe and killed a goat and dipped the robe in the blood, and they sent the long robe with sleeves and brought it to their father and said, This we have found. See now whether it is your son's robe or not. And he recognized it and said, It is my son's robe. A wild beast has devoured him. Joseph is without doubt torn to pieces.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 19: Joseph and His Brothers (2025)
Then Jacob tore his garments and put sackcloth upon his loins and mourned for his son many days. All his sons and all his daughters rose up to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted and said, No. No. I shall go down to Sheol to my son mourning. Thus his father wept for him. Meanwhile, the Midianites had sold him in Egypt to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, the captain of the guard.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 19: Joseph and His Brothers (2025)
Job chapter 27 and 28. Job maintains his integrity. And Job again took up his discourse and said, as God lives, who has taken away my right and the almighty who has made my soul bitter. As long as my breath is in me and the spirit of God is in my nostrils, my lips will not speak falsehood and my tongue will not utter deceit. Far be it from me to say that you are right.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 19: Joseph and His Brothers (2025)
Hi, I'm Father Mike Schmitz, and you're listening to the Bible in a Year podcast, where we encounter God's voice and live life through the lens of Scripture. The Bible in a Year podcast is brought to you by Ascension. Using the Great Adventure Bible timeline, we will read all the way from Genesis to Revelation, discovering how the story of salvation unfolds and how we fit into that story today.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 19: Joseph and His Brothers (2025)
Till I die, I will not put away my integrity from me. I hold fast my righteousness and will not let it go. My heart does not reproach me for any of my days. Let my enemy be as the wicked, and let him that rises up against me be as the unrighteous. For what is the hope of the godless when God cuts him off, when God takes away his life? Will God hear his cry when trouble comes upon him?
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 19: Joseph and His Brothers (2025)
Will he take delight in the Almighty? Will he call upon God at all times? I will teach you concerning the hand of God. What is with the Almighty I will not conceal. Behold, all of you have seen it yourselves. Why then have you become altogether vain? This is the portion of a wicked man with God, and the heritage which oppressors receive from the Almighty.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 19: Joseph and His Brothers (2025)
If you're interested in getting this Bible in your reading plan that we are going through, you can just go to ascensionpress.com slash Bible in a year, and you can download that. I have it right in front of you. You can put it in your Bible, and you can follow along with us every single day. I am reading from the Revised Standard Version, Catholic edition of the Bible right now.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 19: Joseph and His Brothers (2025)
If his children are multiplied, it is for the sword, and his offspring have not enough to eat. Those who survive him the pestilence buries, and their widows make no lamentation.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 19: Joseph and His Brothers (2025)
though he heaps up silver like dust and pile up clothing like clay he may pile it up but the just will wear it and the innocent shall divide the silver the house which he builds is like a spider's web like a booth which a watchman makes he goes to bed rich but will do so no more when he opens his eyes and his wealth is gone Terrors overtake him like a flood.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 19: Joseph and His Brothers (2025)
In the night, a whirlwind carries him off. The east wind lifts him up and he is gone. It sweeps him out of his place. It hurls at him without pity. He flees from its power in headlong flight. It claps its hands at him and hisses at him from its place.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 19: Joseph and His Brothers (2025)
surely there is a mine for silver and a place for gold which they refine iron is taken out of the earth and copper is melted from the ore men put an end to darkness and search out to the farthest bound the ore in gloom and deep darkness They open shafts in a valley away from where men live. They are forgotten by travelers. They hang afar from men. They swing back and forth.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 19: Joseph and His Brothers (2025)
As for the earth, out of it comes bread, but underneath it is turned up as by fire. Its stones are the place of sapphires, and it has dust of gold. That path no bird of prey knows, and the falcon's eye has not seen it. The proud beasts have not trodden it. The lion has not passed over it." Man puts his hand to the flinty rock and overturns mountains by the roots.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 19: Joseph and His Brothers (2025)
He cuts out channels in the rocks and his eye sees every precious thing. He binds up the streams so that they do not trickle and the thing that is hidden he brings forth to light. But where shall wisdom be found? And where is the place of understanding? Man does not know the way to it, and it is not found in the land of the living.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 19: Joseph and His Brothers (2025)
The deep says, it is not in me, and the sea says, it is not with me. It cannot be gotten for gold, and silver cannot be weighed as its price. It cannot be valued in the gold of Ophir, in precious onyx or sapphire. Gold and glass cannot equal it, nor can it be exchanged for jewels of fine gold. No mention shall be made of coral or of crystal. The price of wisdom is above pearls.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 19: Joseph and His Brothers (2025)
The topaz of Ethiopia cannot compare with it, nor can it be valued in pure gold. From where does wisdom come? And where is the place of understanding? It is hidden from the eyes of all living and concealed from the birds of the air. Abaddon and death say, we have heard rumor of it with our ears. God understands the way to it, and he knows its place.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 19: Joseph and His Brothers (2025)
And I'm using actually the Great Adventure Bible from Ascension. It's just really, really good, especially when it comes to some of the details regarding notes, some of the details when it comes regarding maps, and also when it comes to the whole actual Great Adventure Bible timeline. This Great Adventure Bible is really, really helpful.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 19: Joseph and His Brothers (2025)
For he looks to the end of the earth and sees everything under the heavens. When he gave to the wind its weight and meted out the waters by measure, when he made a decree for the rain and a way for the lightning of the thunder, then he saw it and declared it. He established it and searched it out. And he said to man, Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 19: Joseph and His Brothers (2025)
and to depart from evil is understanding. Proverbs 3, verses 25-27 Do not be afraid of sudden panic, or of the ruin of the wicked when it comes. For the Lord will be your confidence, and will keep your foot from being caught. Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to do it. God, you are good, and we give you praise. Thank you so much for your word.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 19: Joseph and His Brothers (2025)
We ask that you please send your Holy Spirit to enliven our minds, to enliven our hearts as we belong to you more and more this day and every day. In Jesus' name we pray, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. So you guys, here we are. Only one chapter from Genesis, but today we get introduced kind of for the first time, basically.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 19: Joseph and His Brothers (2025)
We heard his name once or twice before this, but for the first time we hear the story of Joseph. And he is beloved by Israel because he is the son of Rachel. And Joseph is not only that little brother, apparently, who is not necessarily entirely well-liked by his brothers. Actually, I'm laughing about it. But at the same time, we realize this is the brokenness that happens.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 19: Joseph and His Brothers (2025)
Gosh, is that like the key word? I brought it up every day in our journey of these last 19 days in the scripture is the word brokenness. But here's what we have. We have Joseph being 17 years old. So his older brothers are quite older. Quite a bit older. They can be. And what happens is because Israel loves their little brother more than them, here is jealousy. Here is envy.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 19: Joseph and His Brothers (2025)
And this is kind of the key, isn't it? When there is something unjust happening, At first, we're maybe righteous in noting that this is wrong. This isn't how it should be. But then something can happen and something can twist inside of us where we're not merely fighting for justice anymore, but now we're fighting out of a place of resentment, fighting out of a place of jealousy or envy.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 19: Joseph and His Brothers (2025)
And that's what we see happen. You go from a place where like, okay, here's our little brother who, I mean, gosh, at this point, he's the youngest son. At this point, he's the 11th. So Benjamin hasn't been born yet. As far as we know. And here is, because later on Joseph's going to find out, oh, there's a little brother named Benjamin. I didn't even know him.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 19: Joseph and His Brothers (2025)
His brothers go from this place of Joseph, who is not going to have a lot of power. He's not going to have a lot of authority. He's not the firstborn. He is the 11th born. And yet, because of this distortion, because of this jealousy that turns to envy, that turns to resentment, there seems to be no stopping what we will do when we feel resentment.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 19: Joseph and His Brothers (2025)
You can subscribe to this podcast by just clicking subscribe. It'd be super good if you did that, because then you would get the updates without any extra work from yourself. If you want to get an e-report on our email list, you can text the word Catholic Bible to the number 33777.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 19: Joseph and His Brothers (2025)
When we feel that someone else has something that we believe is ours. That, in so many ways, is the root of resentment. When we believe someone else has something that we believe is ours or should be ours. In this case, it was their father's love. So they're not wrong. They're not wrong, but they are wrong in choosing to be resentful.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 19: Joseph and His Brothers (2025)
And that resentment leads them to the place where they're literally willing to kill, to murder their youngest brother, a 17 year old. And you think, I would never do that. I could never get to that place. And yet, jealousy distorted into envy, distorted into resentment could lead us to do anything.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 19: Joseph and His Brothers (2025)
And so as we just read this story, one of the things we do, we pay attention to the brokenness, not to say, oh my gosh, I can't believe they were so broken back then. We read these stories so we know our family tree, but also so we know our own hearts. Because this is where God not only reveals his heart to us in his word, it also reveals our hearts to ourselves.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 19: Joseph and His Brothers (2025)
because we recognize that if I leave my, I recognize if I leave my jealousy unchecked, it becomes this envy that can become resentment, that can become deadly. And I don't want to be that kind of person. And I know that you don't want to be that kind of person. So what do we do?
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 19: Joseph and His Brothers (2025)
We say, okay, Lord, if that jealousy has come up, if that envy has taken root in my heart, if resentment, where I think that someone else has something that ought to belong to me, then what I need to do So I need to turn to you. I need to tell the truth. And that truth is that their life is a gift. And it is not something that I can say is owed to me.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 19: Joseph and His Brothers (2025)
And in so many ways, the love of the people around us is not something that I can say is owed to me. When it is given, it just has to be received with gratitude. But it can't be something that is asserted or claimed or, or demanded. Just like this life. I can't believe that this life is something that is owed to me.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 19: Joseph and His Brothers (2025)
Once again, as I said today, it is day 19, reading Genesis 37, Job 27 and 28 in Proverbs chapter three, verses 25 through 27. Genesis chapter 37. Jacob dwelt in the land of his father's sojournings in the land of Canaan. This is the history of the family of Jacob. Joseph, being 17 years old, was shepherding the flock with his brothers.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 19: Joseph and His Brothers (2025)
It is merely something that I can, when it's given to me, I can receive it with gratitude, but I can't demand it. I can't force it. It is simply a gift. So today is a gift for all of us, for every single one of us.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 19: Joseph and His Brothers (2025)
And so as we launch forward into this day on this 19th day of this Bible in a year podcast, we just give thanks to the Lord because the cure for resentment, the cure for jealousy and envy is gratitude. And so Lord God, thank you. Thank you for this day. If you want to follow along, you can download the Bible in a year reading plan by going to ascensionpress.com slash Bible in a year.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 19: Joseph and His Brothers (2025)
If you want to get updates, just text the words Catholic Bible, but with no spaces, Catholic Bible, all one word, to the number 33777. And as always, please pray for each other. Please pray for each other. You are not alone. And yet, you know, we know that He can feel alone pretty easily, pretty darn easily. And so another day, God's word. I was going to say, my name is Father Mike.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 350: Faith and Works (2024)
He says, if anyone thinks he's religious and does not bridle his tongue, but deceives his heart, the man's religion is vain. I think that's fascinating, isn't it? Where we think, what does our speech have to do anything to do with belonging to true religion? belonging to the Lord for real in the depths of our heart. Well, St. James will go on tomorrow. We're going to hear about this more.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 350: Faith and Works (2024)
He'll go on to talk a little bit more about how our speech reveals the truth of our heart and how we will be reliable for every word that is uttered. And I think it's really remarkable. If anyone thinks he's religious, does not bridle his tongue, but deceives his heart, that man's religion is vain. And again, I can go back to this because how often do we say words that ought not to be said?
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 350: Faith and Works (2024)
oh my gosh we just we just say stuff say things of gossip we say things of detraction we say things again we take the lord's name in vain all these pieces and we realize that when we do that we are demonstrating that we don't belong to the lord this is just bonkers
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 350: Faith and Works (2024)
If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives to all men generously and without reproaching, and it will be given him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting. For he who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. For that person must not suppose that a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways, will receive anything from the Lord.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 350: Faith and Works (2024)
Religion that is pure and undefiled before God and the Father is this, to visit orphans and widows in their affliction and to keep oneself unstained from the world. Again, taking care of those that no one else is taking care of. That is what true religion is all about. And then we have, of course, we have this big teaching in James, which is faith without works is dead.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 350: Faith and Works (2024)
And this is really interesting. I don't want to be polemical about this, but it is really important. When St. Paul is writing about works, he's talking about works of the law. Remember that whenever St. Paul is writing and he's saying, you're not justified by works, you're justified by faith. Yes, he's talking about works of the law. He's talking about Old Testament covenant.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 350: Faith and Works (2024)
The Old Testament covenant does not justify anyone. The New Testament covenant is what justifies. Jesus does justify us, right? Again, through grace, we're justified. We're saved by grace through faith. Working itself out in love is the full formulation of the Catholic vision of what salvation really is. Saved by grace, God's gift through faith. Yes, that response to God's gift.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 350: Faith and Works (2024)
working itself out in love, because as scripture makes it absolutely clear today, faith without works is dead. And that faith cannot save us. In verse 24, you see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone. You know, I know, and I don't mean to make this into an argument. But one of the principles of the Protestant Reformation was faith alone, sola fide.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 350: Faith and Works (2024)
And the hard thing, this kind of a challenging thing here, is the only time those words, faith and alone, are put together in the scriptures are right here in chapter two of James, verse 24, when James says, you can see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone. And so it's worth highlighting, again, what I'm trying to do here is, like I said a couple days ago,
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 350: Faith and Works (2024)
I'm not trying to make a case. I'm not trying to convince anyone. Actually, I kind of am. I really believe that Jesus founded the Catholic Church. And so, of course, I am. And I believe that every person will find the fullness of faith in the Catholic Church. And so, but all my Protestant brothers and sisters, all of our friends who are separated brethren in Christ,
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 350: Faith and Works (2024)
Basically, I'm not trying to beat you over the head about this. I do, I do believe that the Lord Jesus is calling you to become Catholic, but that's not the point. The point right now is just to explain a little bit about, wait a second, we've heard in Galatians, we've heard in Corinthians, we've heard these other places where St. Paul is saying that it's all about faith and not about works.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 350: Faith and Works (2024)
And yet my story is that I hear you Catholics talking about works all the time. Well, this is one of the places where if you want to know where do Catholics get the truth that we need both faith and works. We're not saved by works. We're not saved by works. That's important. But where is the place that Catholics get the idea that we need faith and works? Well, here we are.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 350: Faith and Works (2024)
This is one of the many places in James chapter two that comes from. Again, not trying to cause an argument, not trying to beat anyone about the head by this, but just trying to show here's where we get that from. And as I said, I love the Lord Jesus and I love our brothers and sisters who are Catholic, those who are not Catholic.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 350: Faith and Works (2024)
But I do think, I think that everybody in the world should be Catholic. That's all I, That's all I'm saying. St. Paul's letter to the Philippians. Ah, just consider, consider how St. Paul makes it so clear that everything else in life is worthless when compared to Jesus.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 350: Faith and Works (2024)
In fact, he says, whatever gain I had, this is chapter three, verse seven, whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus, my Lord. And he goes on to make it even more intense. He says,
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 350: Faith and Works (2024)
For his sake, I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as refuse in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him. This is so important. Why? Because that word refuse is actually the word for, we'll say dung, we'll say dung.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 350: Faith and Works (2024)
I count everything, every gift in the world, every good thing I can do in the world, every possession I could possibly have, every accomplishment I could possibly have, I count that all to be fertilizer, we'll say, compared to knowing Jesus Christ.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 350: Faith and Works (2024)
not having a righteousness on my own based on law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith, that I may know him and the power of his resurrection and may share in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that if possible, I may attain the resurrection from the dead. Ah, so, so important. So good.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 350: Faith and Works (2024)
Using the Great Adventure Bible timeline, we'll read all the way from Genesis to Revelation, discovering how the story of salvation unfolds, and I'll weave it into that story today. It is day 350. You know what that means. You can do math. There's only 365 days in the year. And so that means we're a few days away from the conclusion of this.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 350: Faith and Works (2024)
Let the lowly brother boast in his exaltation and the rich in his humiliation, because like the flower of the grass he will pass away. For the sun rises with its scorching heat and withers the grass, its flower falls and its beauty perishes. So will the rich man fade away in the midst of his pursuits. Trial and Temptation Blessed is the man who endures trial.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 350: Faith and Works (2024)
Again, we're not saying one or the other, not saying faith or works. We're saying faith and works are so, so incredibly important. But also I love this, St. Paul's last exhortation. This is chapter four, verse four. Rejoice in the Lord always. Again, I will say rejoice. Let all men know your forbearance. The Lord is at hand.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 350: Faith and Works (2024)
Have no anxiety about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding will keep your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. The last words that St. Paul has for us today in his letter to the Philippians are also just so good about what we feed ourselves with.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 350: Faith and Works (2024)
He says, finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there's any excellence. anything worthy of praise, think about these things. There's this thing called the law of exposure. It's a psychological principle.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 350: Faith and Works (2024)
The law of exposure is those things that you think about, those things you expose yourself to, those are the things that shape your heart and they shape your mind. That's one of the reasons why for the last 350 days, we've been listening to God's word.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 350: Faith and Works (2024)
The law of exposure is that if we think about things that are pure and good and beautiful and excellent, then those things take root in our lives and we become like them. And that's what we've been striving after. Again, not just to learn more about God, although that's so important, but to be transformed, to be like him, because that's what he desires. He desires us to have hearts like him.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 350: Faith and Works (2024)
And so that's what I'm praying for. I'm praying to all of us separated brethren and those who are not even Christian yet, maybe those who are on their way in RCIA to get baptized. that all of us one day may be united in Christ Jesus our Lord by the power of the Holy Spirit in one body, giving glory to the Father. I'm praying for you. Please pray for me. My name is Father Mike.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 350: Faith and Works (2024)
I cannot wait to see you tomorrow. God bless.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 350: Faith and Works (2024)
For when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life which God has promised to those who love him. Let no one say when he is tempted, I am tempted by God. For God cannot be tempted with evil and he himself tempts no one. But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 350: Faith and Works (2024)
Then desire, when it is conceived, gives birth to sin, and sin, when it is full grown, brings forth death. Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren. Every good endowment and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 350: Faith and Works (2024)
Of his own will, he brought us forth by the word of truth that we should be a kind of first fruits of his creatures. Know this, my beloved brethren, that every man be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger, for the anger of man does not work the righteousness of God.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 350: Faith and Works (2024)
Therefore, put away all filthiness and rank growth of wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word which is able to save your souls." Be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who observes his natural face in a mirror, for he observes himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 350: Faith and Works (2024)
But he who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer that forgets, but a doer that acts, he shall be blessed in his doing. If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue, but deceives his heart, this man's religion is vain.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 350: Faith and Works (2024)
Religion that is pure and undefiled before God and the Father is this, to visit orphans and widows in their affliction and to keep oneself unstained from the world. Chapter two, warning against partiality. My brethren, show no partiality as you hold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 350: Faith and Works (2024)
For if a man with gold rings and in fine clothing comes into your assembly and a poor man in shabby clothing also comes in and you pay attention to the one who wears the fine clothing and say, have a seat here please, while you say to the poor man, stand there or sit at my feet, have you not made distinctions among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 350: Faith and Works (2024)
We're actually, we've departed from the historical books. Now we've concluded the Acts of the Apostles yesterday. And today we're starting exclusively, essentially letters and then the book of Revelation at the end in a little over a week from now. But today we're reading James chapter one and two, as well as Philippians chapters three and four. That's the conclusion of the letter of St.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 350: Faith and Works (2024)
Listen, my beloved brethren, has not God chosen those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which he has promised to those who love him? But you have dishonored the poor man. Is it not the rich who oppress you? Is it not they who drag you into court? Is it not they who blaspheme that honorable name by which you are called?
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 350: Faith and Works (2024)
If you really fulfill the royal law according to the scripture, you shall love your neighbor as yourself, you do well. But if you show partiality, you commit sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors. For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become guilty of all of it. For he who said, do not commit adultery, also said, do not kill.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 350: Faith and Works (2024)
If you do not commit adultery but do kill, you have become a transgressor of the law. So speak and so act as those who are to be judged under the law of liberty." For judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy. Yet mercy triumphs over judgment. Faith without works is dead. What does it profit, my brethren, if a man says he has faith but has not works? Can his faith save him?
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 350: Faith and Works (2024)
If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and in lack of daily food, and one of you says to them, Go in peace, be warmed and filled, without giving them the things needed for the body, what does it profit? So faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead. But someone will say, You have faith and I have works. Show me your faith apart from your works, and I by my works will show you my faith.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 350: Faith and Works (2024)
You believe that God is one. You do well. Even the demons believe and shudder. Do you want to be shown, you foolish fellow, that faith apart from works is barren? Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered his son Isaac upon the altar? You see that faith was active along with his works and faith was completed by works.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 350: Faith and Works (2024)
And the scripture was fulfilled, which says, Abraham believed God and it was reckoned to him as righteousness. And he was called the friend of God. You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone. And in the same way, was not also Rahab the harlot justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out another way?
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 350: Faith and Works (2024)
Hi, my name is Father Mike Schmitz, and you're listening to the Bible in a Year podcast, where we encounter God's voice and live life through the lens of scripture. The Bible in a Year podcast is brought to you by Ascension.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 350: Faith and Works (2024)
For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so faith apart from works is dead.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 350: Faith and Works (2024)
Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same thing to you is not irksome to me and is safe for you. Look out for the dogs. Look out for the evil workers. Look out for those who mutilate the flesh. For we are the true circumcision who worship God in spirit and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 350: Faith and Works (2024)
Paul to the Philippians. and Proverbs chapter 30, verses one through six. As always, the Bible translation I'm reading from is the Revised Standard Version, Second Catholic Edition. I'm using the Great Adventure Bible from Ascension. If you want to download your own Bible in a year reading plan, you can visit ascensionpress.com slash Bible in a year.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 350: Faith and Works (2024)
Though I myself have reason for confidence in the flesh also, if any other man thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh, I have more. Circumcised on the eighth day of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew born of Hebrews, as to the law, a Pharisee, as to zeal, a persecutor of the church, as to righteousness under the law, blameless.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 350: Faith and Works (2024)
But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus, my Lord. For his sake, I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as refuse in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness on my own based on law,
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 350: Faith and Works (2024)
but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith, that I may know him and the power of his resurrection and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that if possible, I may attain the resurrection from the dead. pressing toward the goal.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 350: Faith and Works (2024)
Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Brethren, I do not consider that I have made it my own, but one thing I do, forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 350: Faith and Works (2024)
Let those of us who are mature be thus minded, and if in anything you are otherwise minded, God will reveal that also to you. Only let us hold true to what we have attained. Brethren, join in imitating me, and mark those who so walk as you have an example in us. For many of whom I have often told you and now tell you even with tears walk as enemies of the cross of Christ.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 350: Faith and Works (2024)
Their end is destruction. Their God is the belly and they glory in their shame with minds set on earthly things. But our commonwealth is in heaven and from it we await a savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will change our lowly body to be like his glorious body by the power which enables him even to subject all things to himself. Chapter 4. Exhortations.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 350: Faith and Works (2024)
You can also subscribe to this podcast and receive daily episodes and daily updates for the last 15 days of this podcast. You can do it if you like. If you don't, that is just fine. You need to stay 350. We're reading from James chapter one and two, Philippians chapters three and four, and Proverbs chapter 30, verses one through six.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 350: Faith and Works (2024)
Therefore, my brethren, whom I love and long for, my joy and my crown, stand firm in this way in the Lord, my beloved. I entreat Iodia and I entreat Syntyche to agree in the Lord. And I also ask you, who are a true co-worker, help these women, for they have labored side by side with me in the gospel together with Clement and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the book of life.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 350: Faith and Works (2024)
Rejoice in the Lord always. Again, I will say, rejoice. Let all men know your forbearance. The Lord is at hand. Have no anxiety about anything, but in everything, by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will keep your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 350: Faith and Works (2024)
Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, do, and the God of peace will be with you.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 350: Faith and Works (2024)
Acknowledgement of the Philippians Gifts I rejoice in the Lord greatly, that now at length you have revived your concern for me. You were indeed concerned for me, but you had no opportunity. Not that I complain of want, for I have learned in whatever state I am to be content. I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 350: Faith and Works (2024)
In any and all circumstances, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and want. I can do all things in him who strengthens me. Yet it was kind of you to share my trouble. And you Philippians yourselves know that in the beginning of the gospel, when I left Macedonia, no church entered into partnership with me in giving and receiving except you only.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 350: Faith and Works (2024)
For even in Thessalonica, you sent me help once and again. Not that I seek the gift, but I seek the fruit which increases to your credit. I have received full payment and more. I am filled, having received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent, a fragrant offering, a sacrifice acceptable and pleasing to God.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 350: Faith and Works (2024)
And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches and glory in Christ Jesus. To our God and Father be glory forever and ever. Amen. Final greetings and benediction. Greet every saint in Christ Jesus. The brethren who are with me greet you. All the saints greet you, especially those of Caesar's household.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 350: Faith and Works (2024)
Sayings of Agur. The words of Agur, son of Jaca of Massa. The man says to Ithiel, to Ithiel and Ukal, surely I am too stupid to be a man. I have not the understanding of a man. I have not learned wisdom, nor have I knowledge of the Holy One. Who has ascended to heaven and come down? Who has gathered the wind in his fists? Who has wrapped up the waters in a garment?
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 350: Faith and Works (2024)
Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is his name and what is his son's name? Surely you know. Every word of God proves true. He is a shield to those who take refuge in him.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 350: Faith and Works (2024)
The Letter of James Chapter 1 Salutation James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes in the dispersion, greeting. Faith and Wisdom Count it all joy, my brethren, when you meet various trials. For you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 350: Faith and Works (2024)
Another day. Thank you, Lord, for another day, for this next step, for the letter of James, for the conclusion of St. Paul's letter to the Philippians. We thank you, God. We ask you to please help us to put these into practice. Help us to put this instruction into action in our lives. Help us to be not only hearers of the word, but also doers of your word.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 350: Faith and Works (2024)
Lord God, let this time we've spent listening to your word, not simply wash over us and we just forget it and are unchanged by it, but help us to put this into practice, to put the love in our hearts into action in our lives and help us to do all of this in the name of Jesus and for the glory of God, the Father.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 350: Faith and Works (2024)
In the name of the Father and of the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen. Well, praise God. Oh my gosh. So we left behind, as we said yesterday, Acts chapter 28. And today we're starting the letter of James, very short letter, only two days, chapters one and two, and tomorrow will be chapters three, four, and five. But James, who is James?
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 350: Faith and Works (2024)
James is, as he says, servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ. James is most likely, according to St. Jerome, James was the son of Clopas and Mary, the wife of Clopas. It says very clearly in scripture that Mary, the wife of Clopas, was the mother of James and Joses.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 350: Faith and Works (2024)
And so there is a, I'd say a more recent tradition that, well, we could go through this whole thing, but we would say this, that the ancient tradition of the church has always been that Mary was a virgin, that she had no other children other than Jesus. We talked about this a couple of the times when we hit the gospels.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 350: Faith and Works (2024)
And how it said the brothers of Jesus is actually the Greek word adelphoi, which means, could mean brothers, means relatives, could mean cousins. So the earliest tradition of the church was that Jesus had no other brothers. And that here again, even St. Jerome in third and fourth century was like, no, no, James is a cousin of Jesus. He's an adelphoi of Jesus.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 350: Faith and Works (2024)
And he is the son of Mary, wife of Clopas, who is already indicated in scripture. So that's who James is. James is the Bishop of Jerusalem. We got that going. Okay. Okay. So, he's writing in Jerusalem to the tribes of the dispersion, basically to all those Jewish Christians who are outside Palestine, outside that region. And this is, I love how Jeff talks about the letter of James.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 350: Faith and Works (2024)
He has a Bible study in it. I think it's called Pearls of Wisdom or something like this. And it is so good because James is so good. And the Bible study is great because Jeff's great. But The Bible study is really great because the letter of St. James is just phenomenal. Where, oh my gosh, he begins by saying, count it all joy when you meet various trials.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 350: Faith and Works (2024)
For the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And this is so, so incredible. I don't know what even to highlight because St. James talks about So many things in these first two chapters that are worth reflecting on and praying for.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 350: Faith and Works (2024)
It's almost like the New Testament version of the book of Proverbs, where almost every line is another little gem, another little, as Jeff talks about it, another pearl where we can take and just apply to our lives. For example, we would say this.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 350: Faith and Works (2024)
We would say in verse 12, blessed is the man who endures the trial, for when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him. Let no one say when he's tempted, I'm tempted by God for God cannot be tempted with evil. And he himself tempts no one. And then it's just really important for us to recognize this. It's so important.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 350: Faith and Works (2024)
Another one, verse 19, know this, my beloved brethren, that every man be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger for the anger of man does not work for the righteousness of God. Just another gem. And what a gift we recognize also. that St. James talks about true religion and false religion.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 12: Isaac and Rebekah (2025)
And yet their lives on either sides of this day where Isaac and Rebecca meet was just like our lives, where they're walking in faith, where they're walking in trust, walking not knowing, is this the right decision? Is this the right direction? Am I doing the right thing? And yet God's providence is at work always.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 12: Isaac and Rebekah (2025)
when we don't necessarily understand what he's doing in any given situation, to continue to give him praise then is the invitation. That is the challenge. That's what we're called to do this day and every day. Of course, our lives can often resemble the life of our friend Job, where he just keeps coming back to the Lord and just speaking to the Lord from the heart and saying, God, I would get it.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 12: Isaac and Rebekah (2025)
I would understand if... I had done something wrong. That makes sense. But this doesn't make sense. It just seems like you don't care. Coming back to that refrain. God, do you not care? Are you fighting against me? Are you fighting for me?
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 12: Isaac and Rebekah (2025)
That's one of the reasons why it's so important for every one of us and every day to let our eyes, our heart, our attitude be shaped by scripture, because we realize that it is one thing to praise God when we see his presence. It's one thing to praise God when we understand his work, his providence. But it is another thing to say, I am in the darkness. I do not get this.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 12: Isaac and Rebekah (2025)
And yet you're calling me to keep putting one foot in front of the other. My brothers and sisters today, that's what God's calling one foot in front of the other. One foot in front of the other. Maybe today's a day where you can see his work. You can see his presence. You can understand his providence and give God glory for that.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 12: Isaac and Rebekah (2025)
But maybe today's a day where you just have to keep walking forward in the darkness. And we never forget in the darkness what we knew was true in the light. We walk with Isaac and Rebecca. We walk with Job. And we walk in faith. Please know if we keep praying every single day, this community of people walking through the Bible together, this Bible in a year is going to be, it is an adventure.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 12: Isaac and Rebekah (2025)
It's going to be an incredible, maybe even say great adventure, great adventure for all of us. If you're just joining us now, you can get updates by texting the word Catholic Bible to 33777. You can also download the Bible in a year reading plan. If you go to ascensionpress.com slash Bible in a year, be sure to subscribe and please be sure to pray for each other. None of us can do this alone.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 12: Isaac and Rebekah (2025)
We're on this journey. We've started. We have so far to go, but we are well on our way. We have each other and we do have the grace of God, which we absolutely need right now and in every moment of our lives. My name is Father Mike, and I am praying for you. Please pray for me. See you tomorrow. God bless.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 12: Isaac and Rebekah (2025)
And Abraham said to his servant, the oldest of his house, who had charge of all that he had, Put your hand under my thigh, and I will make you swear by the Lord, the God of heaven and of earth, that you will not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I dwell, but will go to my country and to my kindred and take a wife for my son Isaac.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 12: Isaac and Rebekah (2025)
The servant said to him, perhaps the woman may not be willing to follow me to this land. Must I then take your son back to the land from which you came? Abraham said to him, see to it that you do not take my son back there. The Lord, the God of heaven, who took me from my father's house and from the land of my birth and who spoke to me and swore to me, your descendants, I will give this land.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 12: Isaac and Rebekah (2025)
He will send his angel before you and you shall take a wife for my son from there. But if the woman is not willing to follow you, then you will be free from this oath of mine. only you must not take my son back there. So the servant put his hand under the thigh of Abraham, his master, and swore to him concerning this matter.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 12: Isaac and Rebekah (2025)
Then the servant took 10 of his master's camels and departed, taking all sorts of choice gifts from his master. And he arose and went to Mesopotamia, to the city of Nahor. And he made the camels kneel down outside the city by the well of water at the time of evening, the time when women go out to draw water.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 12: Isaac and Rebekah (2025)
And he said, O Lord, God of my master Abraham, grant me success today, I beg you, and show mercy to my master Abraham. Behold, I am standing by the spring of water, and the daughters of the men of the city are coming out to draw water. Let the maiden to whom I shall say, please let down your jar that I may drink.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 12: Isaac and Rebekah (2025)
And who shall say, drink, and I will draw water for your camels, let her be the one whom you have appointed for your servant Isaac. By this I shall know that you have shown mercy to my master. Before he had done speaking, behold, Rebekah, who was born to Bethuel, the son of Milcah, the wife of Nahor, Abraham's brother, came out with her water jar upon her shoulder and
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 12: Isaac and Rebekah (2025)
The maiden was very fair to look upon, a virgin whom no man had known. She went down to the spring and filled her jar and came up. Then the servant ran to meet her and said, please give me a little water to drink from your jar. She said, drink my Lord. And she quickly let down her jar upon her hand and gave him a drink.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 12: Isaac and Rebekah (2025)
This is day 12. Let's get started. Let's keep going. Actually, man, oh man, this has been a... incredible gift. I am reading today from Genesis chapter 24, just that one chapter from Genesis, and also from Job chapter 13 and 14. We're getting closer and closer to the middle of the book of Job, and that is going to be kind of a crux moment.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 12: Isaac and Rebekah (2025)
When she had finished giving him a drink, she said, I will draw water for your camels also until they have done drinking. So she quickly emptied her jar into the trough and ran again to the well to draw and drew for all his camels. The man gazed at her in silence to learn whether the Lord had prospered his journey or not.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 12: Isaac and Rebekah (2025)
When the camels had done drinking, the man took a gold ring weighing a half a shekel and two bracelets for her arms weighing ten gold shekels and said, Tell me whose daughter you are. Is there room in your father's house for us to lodge in? She said to him, I am the daughter of Bethuel, son of Milcah, whom she bore to Nahor. She added, We have both straw and food enough and room to lodge in.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 12: Isaac and Rebekah (2025)
the man bowed his head and worshiped the lord and said blessed be the lord the god of my master abraham who has not forsaken his mercy and his faithfulness towards my master as for me the lord has led me in the way to the house of my master's kinsman Then the maiden ran and told her mother's household about these things.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 12: Isaac and Rebekah (2025)
Rebecca had a brother whose name was Laban, and Laban ran out to the man to the spring when he saw the ring and the bracelets on his sister's arms. And when he heard the words of Rebecca, his sister, thus the man spoke to me. He went to the man, and behold, he was standing by the camels at the spring. He said, Come in, O blessed of the Lord. Why do you stand outside?
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 12: Isaac and Rebekah (2025)
For I have prepared the house and that place for your camels. So the man came into the house, and Laban ungirded the camels, and gave him straw and food for the camels, and water to wash his feet and the feet of the men who were with him. Then food was set before him to eat, but he said, I will not eat until I have told my errand. He said, speak on. So he said, I am Abraham's servant.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 12: Isaac and Rebekah (2025)
The Lord has greatly blessed my master and he has become great. He has given him flocks and herds, silver and gold, men's servants and maid servants, camels and donkeys. And Sarah, my master's wife, bore a son to my master when she was old, and to him he has given all that he has.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 12: Isaac and Rebekah (2025)
My master made me swear, saying, You shall not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites in whose land I dwell, but you shall go to my father's house and to my kindred and take a wife for my son. I said to my master, perhaps the woman will not follow me. But he said to me, the Lord before whom I walk will send his angel with you and prosper your way.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 12: Isaac and Rebekah (2025)
And you shall take a wife for my son from my kindred and from my father's house. then you will be free from my oath when you come to my kindred. And if they will not give her to you, you will be free from my oath. I came today to the spring and I said, oh Lord, the God of my master Abraham, if now you will prosper the way which I go, behold, I am standing by the spring of water.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 12: Isaac and Rebekah (2025)
Hi, I'm Father Mike Schmitz, and you're listening to the Bible in a Year podcast, where we encounter God's voice and live life through the lens of Scripture. The Bible in a Year podcast is brought to you by Ascension. Using the Great Adventure Bible timeline, we'll read all the way from Genesis to Revelation, discovering how the story of salvation unfolds and how we fit into that story today.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 12: Isaac and Rebekah (2025)
Let the young woman who comes out to draw to whom I shall say, please give me a little water from your jar to drink. And who will say to me, drink, and I will draw for your camels also. Let her be the woman whom the Lord has appointed for my master's son. Before I had done speaking in my heart, behold, Rebecca came out with her water jar on her shoulder and she went down to the spring and drew.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 12: Isaac and Rebekah (2025)
I said to her, please let me drink. She quickly let down her jar from her shoulder and said, drink and I will give your camels drink also. So I drank, and she gave the camel's drink also. Then I asked her, Whose daughter are you? She said, The daughter of Bethuel, Nahor's son, whom Milcah bore to him. So I put the ring on her nose and the bracelets on her arms.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 12: Isaac and Rebekah (2025)
We're also reading from Proverbs chapter 2, verses 16 through 19. I'm reading from the Revised Standard Version, the Catholic edition, and I'm using actually the Great Adventure Bible from Ascension.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 12: Isaac and Rebekah (2025)
Then I bowed my head and worshipped the Lord and blessed the Lord, the God of my master Abraham, who had led me by the right way to take the daughter of my master's kinsman for his son. Now then, if you will deal loyally and truly with my master, tell me, and if not, tell me, that I may turn to the right hand or to the left. Then Laban and Bethuel answered, The thing comes from the Lord.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 12: Isaac and Rebekah (2025)
We cannot speak to you bad or good. Behold, Rebekah is before you. Take her and go, and let her be the wife of your master's son, as the Lord has spoken. Let the maiden remain with us a while, at least ten days. After that she may go. But he said to them, do not delay me since the Lord has prospered my way. Let me go that I may go to my master. They said, we will call the maiden and ask her.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 12: Isaac and Rebekah (2025)
And they called Rebecca and said to her, will you go with this man? She said, I will go. So they sent away Rebecca, their sister, and her nurse, and Abraham's servant and his men. And they blessed Rebecca and said to her, Our sister, be the mother of thousands of ten thousands, and may your descendants possess the gait of those who hate them.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 12: Isaac and Rebekah (2025)
If you want to follow along in your own Bible, whether it's the Great Adventure Bible or whatever Bible you have around, you can download your Bible in a Year reading plan by visiting ascensionpress.com slash Bible in a Year. Again, that's ascensionpress.com slash Bible in a Year. You can also sign up. You can subscribe to this podcast.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 12: Isaac and Rebekah (2025)
Then Rebecca and her maids arose and rode upon the camels and followed the man. Thus the servant took Rebecca and went his way. Now Isaac had come from Bir Lahairoi and was dwelling in the Negev. And Isaac went out to meditate in the field in the evening and he lifted up his eyes and looked and behold, there were camels coming.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 12: Isaac and Rebekah (2025)
And Rebecca lifted up her eyes and when she saw Isaac, she alighted from the camel and said to the servant, who is the man yonder walking in the field to meet us? The servant said, it is my master. So she took her veil and covered herself and the servant told Isaac all the things that he had done. Then Isaac brought her into the tent and took Rebecca, and she became his wife, and he loved her.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 12: Isaac and Rebekah (2025)
Behold, my eye has seen all this. My ear has heard and understood it. What you know, I also know. I'm not inferior to you, but I would speak to the Almighty and desire to argue my case with God. As for you, you whitewash with lies. Worthless physicians are you all. Oh, that you would keep silent and it would be your wisdom. Hear now my reasoning and listen to the pleadings of my lips.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 12: Isaac and Rebekah (2025)
Will you speak falsely for God and speak deceitfully for him? Will you show partiality toward him? Will you plead the case for God? Will it be well with you when he searches you out? Or can you deceive him as one deceives a man? He will surely rebuke you if in secret you show partiality. Will not his majesty terrify you and dread of him fall upon you? Your maxims are proverbs of ashes.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 12: Isaac and Rebekah (2025)
Your defenses are defenses of clay. Let me have silence and I will speak. Let come on me what may. I will take my flesh and my teeth and put my life in my hand. Behold, he will slay me. I have no hope, yet I will defend my ways to his face. This will be my salvation, that a godless man shall not come before him. Listen carefully to my words and let my declaration be in your ears.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 12: Isaac and Rebekah (2025)
Behold, I have prepared my case. I know that I shall be vindicated. Who is there that will contend with me? For then I would be silent and die. Only two things grant to me. Then I will not hide myself from your face. Withdraw your hand far from me and let not dread of you terrify me. Then call and I will answer. Or let me speak and do reply to me. How many are my iniquities and my sins?
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 12: Isaac and Rebekah (2025)
Make me know my transgression and my sin. Why do you hide your face and count me as your enemy? Will you frighten a driven leaf and pursue dry chaff? For you write bitter things against me and make me inherit the iniquities of my youth. You have put my feet in the stocks and watch all my paths. You set a bound to the soles of my feet.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 12: Isaac and Rebekah (2025)
Just click that little subscribe button and you'll get an update every single day. You can also sign up for our email list by texting the word Catholic Bible to the number 33777. That's Catholic Bible to 33777. As I said, we are reading today from Genesis 24. We get to kind of follow new people. Abraham. is still around, but Isaac is now around as well.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 12: Isaac and Rebekah (2025)
Man wastes away like a rotten thing, like a garment that is moth-eaten. Man that is born of a woman is of few days and full of trouble. He comes forth like a flower and withers. He flees like a shadow and continues not. And do you open your eyes upon such a one and bring him into judgment with you? Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? There is not one.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 12: Isaac and Rebekah (2025)
Since his days are determined and the number of his months is with you and you have appointed his bounds that cannot pass, look away from him and desist that he may enjoy like a hireling his day. For there is hope for a tree if it be cut down that it will sprout again and that its shoots will not cease.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 12: Isaac and Rebekah (2025)
Though its root grow old in the earth and its stump die in the ground, yet at the scent of water it will bud and put forth branches like a young plant. But man dies and is laid low. Man breathes his last, and where is he? As water falls from a lake, and a river wastes away and dries up, so man lies down and rises not again.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 12: Isaac and Rebekah (2025)
Till the heavens are no more, he will not awake or be roused out of his sleep. O that you would hide me in Sheol, and that you would conceal me until your wrath be passed, that you would appoint me a set time and remember me. If a man die, shall he live again? All the days of my service, I would wait till my release should come. You would call and I would answer you.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 12: Isaac and Rebekah (2025)
You would long for the work of your hands. For then you would number my steps. You would not keep watch over my sin. My transgression would be sealed up in a bag and you would cover over my iniquity. But the mountains fall and crumble away and the rock is removed from its place. The water wears away the stones, the torrents wash away the soil of the earth, and so you destroy the hope of man.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 12: Isaac and Rebekah (2025)
You prevail forever against him and he passes. You change his countenance and send him away. His sons come to honor and he does not know it. They are brought low and he perceives it not. He feels only the pain of his own body and he mourns only for himself.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 12: Isaac and Rebekah (2025)
You will be saved from the loose woman, from the adventurous with her smooth words, who forsakes the companion of her youth and forgets the covenant of her God. For her house sinks down to death and her paths to the shades. None who go to her come back, nor do they regain the paths of life. God of heaven, we thank you so much for your word.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 12: Isaac and Rebekah (2025)
We thank you for sharing your heart with us through your scripture. And we ask that you please help us always to see with your eyes and to love always with your heart. In Jesus' name we pray. In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen. You know, it's so interesting how powerfully we rely upon God's grace or how necessary our dependence is upon what God does in our lives.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 12: Isaac and Rebekah (2025)
The story of the servant of Abraham finding Isaac a bride is all about God's providence. It's all about the depth of our need. Imagine this servant who is going to a far off land where he knows literally nobody. And he has this prayer. The prayer is, but Lord, without you, I can't do anything. But without you, I'm just wandering in the darkness. I'm wandering in complete unknown.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 12: Isaac and Rebekah (2025)
And we get to see what his story is and how this story unfolds that God had promised to bless the world through Abraham and his descendants. And so now we're going to meet some of the descendants. We go on to the story of the marriage of Isaac and Rebecca in Genesis chapter 24. Now Abraham was old, well advanced in years, and the Lord had blessed Abraham in all things.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 12: Isaac and Rebekah (2025)
Everything is simply just me on my own, and me on my own is not enough. And yet God is present. And it's interesting because one of the things we are confident about is when we can see God's providence working. So we have this story, right? In retrospect, we have the story of Isaac and Rebekah becoming husband and wife.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 12: Isaac and Rebekah (2025)
And they're going to later on become the mother and father of Israel, of Jacob and Esau, of course. And in retrospect, we can see God's providence and how this worked. And the prayer of the servant was answered. And it's clearly Rebekah is, you know,
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 12: Isaac and Rebekah (2025)
Intended for, for Isaac and it's seems so neat and seems so clear and we can praise God when we understand and we can see his providence in the get it. Cause we see him being active. We know that he's there. But we have to understand that God's providence is always working, even when we don't see it, even when we're unaware of it, even when we don't understand it.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 12: Isaac and Rebekah (2025)
But God's providence is working in every single situation. The one thing about reading these stories of our forefathers, our ancestors in the faith, is it all seems so neat. It all seems so tidy. It seems so clean. And yet...
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
BONUS: Bringing the Bible Back to Catholics (with Jeff Cavins)
That word legacy, it's just been kind of turning around in my heart and my mind lately and what you're describing. I was just thinking of that, both with your mother-in-law and your grandfather here.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
BONUS: Bringing the Bible Back to Catholics (with Jeff Cavins)
That's awesome. The, um, you mentioned your, you had your, your first, I had my picture Bible, but at one point, um, I had, I knew I was in high school and the paper was probably 1991, I think was when it was. Uh, so 30 plus years ago or 30 less, I don't know, 29. I'm not sure. I'm not good at math. Let's read the Bible.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
BONUS: Bringing the Bible Back to Catholics (with Jeff Cavins)
I had asked my parents for Christmas for a Bible of my own, like an adult Bible. I remember specifically saying, can I have an adult Bible, like a big kid's Bible? And it was this New American Bible that has been, I've duct taped it. This is like the, I think the fourth of duct taped together.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
BONUS: Bringing the Bible Back to Catholics (with Jeff Cavins)
But just like, even I look back through this and I think like, here are not just my markings, like just my notes inside the Bible that I'll go back to when I was in high school. And reading is particularly, you mentioned when it came to having that word of hope that you know is inside.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
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You don't even have to necessarily even pick it up sometimes just to be like, nope, there it is, that's God's word to me. I remember just how many times going to confession, even in high school, and having the priest say, okay, go home and read Psalm 51. And so just like, this is the Bible that I got to know, Psalm 51, this Psalm of David,
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
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in his repentance and asking for forgiveness and being forgiven. The Lord washed me more and more from my sin.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
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And it's just like the Bible almost falls open to that page in so many ways because it's like even back in high school, these priests would direct me to read the Bible even after confession as that sense of like, not just as your penance, but also get back to the Lord's word, let him speak through you words that you don't even necessarily have in you.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
BONUS: Bringing the Bible Back to Catholics (with Jeff Cavins)
And that's the thing too, is like right when we read the Lord's word, that he's giving us words that we don't even have sometimes. That if I could say, if I could pray a prayer of repentance, it would sound like this, but I don't have those words. And so I can pray them because God has given us the words. It's just so incredible.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
BONUS: Bringing the Bible Back to Catholics (with Jeff Cavins)
Yeah, I'm overwhelmingly excited about it for not only for like anyone who's going to be listening to this and going to be journeying with us, but for even the people that I know that are in my life. So I have a sister and a brother-in-law. I have a couple of sisters and brothers-in-law, but one in particular who got the Great Adventure Bible maybe, I guess, maybe three or four months ago now.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
BONUS: Bringing the Bible Back to Catholics (with Jeff Cavins)
Yeah, no, and thank you for that because that was the whole, you know, it was kind of the revolutionary part of this. There are, I think, a number of Bible in a Year reading plans. There are probably even a number of Bible in a Year podcasts that exist.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
BONUS: Bringing the Bible Back to Catholics (with Jeff Cavins)
But I don't know of any that, A, follow the narrative books, and B, have, like you said, the sprinkling of those other books and trying to have them as much in context as possible because I mean, gosh, we think about, like you said, here are the prophets. Well, just to kind of dive in, that's kind of what we do at mass, right?
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
BONUS: Bringing the Bible Back to Catholics (with Jeff Cavins)
We have the lectionary and all of a sudden in the first Sunday of Advent, we're here's Isaiah 63, 64. And then the second Sunday of Advent, we have Isaiah 40. And like, okay, well, what is the context for this? And so the idea behind this whole thing that we wanted to do was contextualize the entire Bible, right?
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
BONUS: Bringing the Bible Back to Catholics (with Jeff Cavins)
To have that, here's part of the story, and here's Isaiah speaking into this problem that's going on with the kingdom of Judah. And that sense of being able to say, the call to repentance is now specific to these people, but also obviously timeless in the sense that it's our call as well. So right off the bat, if anyone's downloaded the Bible in a Year reading plan,
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
BONUS: Bringing the Bible Back to Catholics (with Jeff Cavins)
You can see that after day 11, we have, you know, Genesis 1 through 11, or day 5, Genesis 1 through 11, with some Psalms in there and Proverbs and whatnot. And then we kick off, here is the story of the patriarchs or the era of the patriarchs. And you have Genesis 12. And we start at the beginning of the book of Job as well. That's kind of like this, okay, this...
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
BONUS: Bringing the Bible Back to Catholics (with Jeff Cavins)
this parallel track of not only the unfolding of the patriarchs, but also here's the story of this man, this man Job, who asks the most ancient of questions, if God is good, then why do I suffer? If God is good, then... Why am I going through what I'm going through? And so it's just this remarkable, I think it's really cool.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
BONUS: Bringing the Bible Back to Catholics (with Jeff Cavins)
And also when we get to Exodus, that's when we begin Leviticus, which would be then kind of this, again, simultaneously as we unfold the law in Leviticus, we also are hearing the story of God setting his people free in Exodus and saying, okay, I need to give you some structure to your lives as I begin to build you up into a new people. And just, I mean, really excited about that, how that all will,
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
BONUS: Bringing the Bible Back to Catholics (with Jeff Cavins)
and maybe a little longer than that. I think it was April. Who knows? Time, it just all happens. But she not only got the Great Adventure Bible, but she also was like, hey, what's a good Bible study? I'm like, okay, the Great Adventure Bible timeline, you need to do it. So she and her husband
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
BONUS: Bringing the Bible Back to Catholics (with Jeff Cavins)
fit together. So we'll be reading every day, as I said, something from the narrative books until we get halfway into the year, give or take. We're going to be really living with the prophets because there's more prophets than there are narrative books. But up until then, we have some narrative and then we have those, I don't want to say ancillary books or supplementary because they're all still...
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
BONUS: Bringing the Bible Back to Catholics (with Jeff Cavins)
verifiably the word of God. Exactly. With some commentary and not a ton of commentary in the sense of it's not necessarily a study every day, but it's meant to kind of pull out some nuggets every day of just, here's something that might be difficult to understand, or here is something that just it's worth reflecting on, or it's worth like, let's just underline and highlight
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
BONUS: Bringing the Bible Back to Catholics (with Jeff Cavins)
this phrase or this idea in this particular section that God is trying to communicate to us. And so it's meant to be in some ways a guided tour as well as it's just proclamation. And that's one of the things I love about the idea of the podcast is, here is the word of God proclaimed out loud. And I think in so many ways that I know for myself, I learn best through my ears.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
BONUS: Bringing the Bible Back to Catholics (with Jeff Cavins)
And especially the word of God, what I've found is it gets to my heart more quickly when it goes through my ears. I don't know why, but maybe it's because the word of God's meant to be proclaimed.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
BONUS: Bringing the Bible Back to Catholics (with Jeff Cavins)
Yeah, no, thanks. That's a great question. Because my hope originally was this vision of changing one's vision. Like really was that, was allowing oneself to be like shaped, fashioned by the word of God. So that was it. I mean, that was my first vision. That's all I can see this as, as just like we're allowing God himself to fashion us with his word. So we're looking at the world differently.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
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started it and I was over at their house a couple days ago and I picked up her Great Adventure Bible and I saw that that ribbon was still somewhere in the book of Genesis and I'm like, oh, I'm so grateful because the podcast is gonna help people who are trying to get through, who just like, you know, you kind of bottom out sometimes or you just kind of get,
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
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But then I was thinking more and more about it and thinking, you know, there's a certain rootedness as well that I just would love for more and more Catholics to become more deeply grounded, not just in, not quote unquote, just in the word of God, but in God's will itself.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
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I think a lot of times, not only do we struggle to know how to read the Bible, I think a lot of us struggle with knowing how to pray. And so not just here's a fashion, my worldview, but also this is now allow me to find myself and my rootedness in hearing God's word proclaimed and then meditating on God's word.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
BONUS: Bringing the Bible Back to Catholics (with Jeff Cavins)
Like really, truly to be able to turn that, transition this, not just from information, but to real transformation by the power of prayer. So I'm meditating on God's word and it's actually, changing not only the way I see the world, that's the vision stuff, but it's changing how I now relate with the Lord.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
BONUS: Bringing the Bible Back to Catholics (with Jeff Cavins)
Like I really talk to God in a new way because his heart has been revealed to me by what he's done through these narrative books, what he's done through his word, what he's done through his prophets. And then thirdly, I have the sense I'm becoming more and more convicted as we get closer and closer to this, kind of the kickoff date, is the community that I believe this will form online.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
BONUS: Bringing the Bible Back to Catholics (with Jeff Cavins)
I think the online community of people going through, that you've experienced this when it comes to the Great Adventure, well, all of your Bible studies, that you have a group of people coming together.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
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That's phenomenal. And so that sense of they're probably together, but there's that certain element, I think, of all the people who will be listening, that there's a sense of like, okay, I'm not doing this alone. Here I am on day 63, I'm gonna continue, not only because I'm getting formed and I'm getting more deeply related to the Lord, but also because I am not alone.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
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And my hope is that there's a community of people that are praying with each other and praying for each other as we're listening to the Word of God and journeying through the Word of God. Yeah, that's my third hope. So there's three things, that vision, that rootedness, and prayer.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
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And then that there's a community of people that comes out of this that's willing and able to support each other in prayer and intercession and brotherhood and sisterhood.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
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the log jam becomes so much that it's like, oh, how do I break through to the next book and keep on moving?
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
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Because that's one of the things that I found when it came to reading the Bible and when it came to doing the Great Adventure Bible timeline is that sometimes it was like, oh, shoot, I can't sit down right now or I'm not finding the time or making the time to sit down and reading through the next section.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
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oh that's that's incredible because because it is that sense of here is the story but i'm finding my story in the story and i'm finding myself so it's not it's not in just an ancient book well full of wisdom um but it is speaking to me right now and calling me to do to act in a certain way right now right that sense of i think again we both have experienced that when it comes to um i know that when i first started reading the bible a lot of what i was looking for was answers i was looking for
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
BONUS: Bringing the Bible Back to Catholics (with Jeff Cavins)
not just into some of the big questions of life. I was looking for answers of like, what should I do? What can I do right now? God, are you calling me this way or that way? And I wanted to play the Bible roulette, you know, where it's just like flip open the book and I put my finger down the page and it's like, go be a priest now or don't go be a priest, marry Karin.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
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You know, like the sense of like, I didn't find that to ever be to be the case. What about my life, Lord? Jesus wept. Yeah. But in that, over the course of time realizing, just because I wasn't getting an answer to that specific question in the specific way that I wanted, Every time I went back to the word of God, God was calling me forward.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
BONUS: Bringing the Bible Back to Catholics (with Jeff Cavins)
Not just like, here's another thing to know, but here is my voice. And gosh, and you've taught me so much about this, but in so many ways, you know, Jesus says, I know my sheep and they know me and they recognize my voice and they do not recognize the voice of strangers, but they do recognize my voice.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
BONUS: Bringing the Bible Back to Catholics (with Jeff Cavins)
And the more and more I think that we expose ourselves to God's word, the more and more we know like, oh, this is the voice of God versus no, that is the voice of a counterfeit or that's the voice of the destroyer or the thief, the liar. And yeah, I think so many of us can be really held hostage by those false voices.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
BONUS: Bringing the Bible Back to Catholics (with Jeff Cavins)
I think too many of us maybe are held hostage by the voice of the thief who comes to steal, kill, and destroy.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
BONUS: Bringing the Bible Back to Catholics (with Jeff Cavins)
That the whole idea behind the podcast is like, okay, no, you just get to let the word of God, like kind of wash over you in a different way. Um, and to be able to not just get through it, that's not the point, but the, to allow it to get through to you really, uh, by the word of God being proclaimed.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
BONUS: Bringing the Bible Back to Catholics (with Jeff Cavins)
And too few of us know how to really, really, truly identify the voice of our Lord, the voice of the shepherd, who calls us to, obviously, repentance, but calls us to freedom, calls us to life, and reminds us, like your mother-in-law had said, Jeff, here is what God wants to say about you, about how he sees you and his love for you.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
BONUS: Bringing the Bible Back to Catholics (with Jeff Cavins)
But they're big.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
BONUS: Bringing the Bible Back to Catholics (with Jeff Cavins)
So I prefer to underline and to bracket in my Bible. I will write in the front and I'll write in the back. So you mentioned how you have some dates, some key moments in your life. I have on some of the pages, intro pages, I have things like... some things that the Lord spoke to me through his word and through other people that I just like, here is these images.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
BONUS: Bringing the Bible Back to Catholics (with Jeff Cavins)
And they're almost a little bit too close. I don't know if I can say them out loud. And so I do write, but I don't necessarily always write little notes in the margin. But I know you do.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
BONUS: Bringing the Bible Back to Catholics (with Jeff Cavins)
Yep, absolutely. And I have so many. Oh, gosh. And also, I like, because of you as well, highlighter. So I have different colors of highlighter when it comes to like, here's breaking down some ideas. I mean, there are so many areas in here. Every one of the gospels is just marked with pink and blue and yellow and... It's great.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
BONUS: Bringing the Bible Back to Catholics (with Jeff Cavins)
So, so not only for the people who will be listening, but also for my family members who, um, you know, all of us at times can struggle to like, let's keep on going. Let's keep on moving through the word of God and let it keep changing us. Um, and let it keep shaping our lens.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
BONUS: Bringing the Bible Back to Catholics (with Jeff Cavins)
Yeah. Well, no, I'm glad you asked that question. Before that, though, I do want to emphasize what you just said, which is, so when I'm reading, I'm reading from The Great Adventure book. And one of the things that can happen is I can hear it and then like, oh, that was really good. But if I don't have a way of capturing it, then it can elude me the next day.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
BONUS: Bringing the Bible Back to Catholics (with Jeff Cavins)
And I'm like, oh yeah, I remember this. But I, so what I need to do is even as I'm hearing, I need to go back and say, okay, that, like you said, here's the underline, here's the highlighting. Here's even that notation because it's one of those things where we can take in a lot of stuff, but at some point the sieve gets a little leaky. And so I need to go back and say that was this.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
BONUS: Bringing the Bible Back to Catholics (with Jeff Cavins)
I need to have an actual tangible record of even what I heard, which I think is just so good.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
BONUS: Bringing the Bible Back to Catholics (with Jeff Cavins)
Well, it's almost like one of those, um, that's like map my run type apps where, you know, you take the phone with you and you go on a bike ride, you go on a run or whatever. And then it says, this is where you were. And it's kind of good to be able to look back and say, I know where I was, but no, this is the route I took. And on this corner, that's right, that's that big hill right there.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
BONUS: Bringing the Bible Back to Catholics (with Jeff Cavins)
And there's something about it that you have a record of where you've been that then we have a greater sense of where we're going and what God is doing, as opposed to not having any record, just our memories. And how many times does scripture talk about, like, remember, remember, remember what the Lord has done. Remember how he delivered your ancestors from slavery. Remember these things, because
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
BONUS: Bringing the Bible Back to Catholics (with Jeff Cavins)
why because we forget god has to tell us to remember so often because we forget so often um yeah so it's just that's uh i think that having that that written recorded record is
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
BONUS: Bringing the Bible Back to Catholics (with Jeff Cavins)
Actually, as we kick off this podcast, this Bible in a Year podcast, one of the things that I think needs to be said before anything else is that this Bible in a Year podcast is following basically a...
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
BONUS: Bringing the Bible Back to Catholics (with Jeff Cavins)
Well, even as you noted, I mean, there are so many times where I'll listen to people who are coaching when it comes to parishes, and one of the things that happens in some of these coaching seminars or these great parishes, like Amazing Parish being one of those things, they talk about how often staffs on parishes don't necessarily talk about their faith.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
BONUS: Bringing the Bible Back to Catholics (with Jeff Cavins)
They don't actually talk about their relationship with the Lord. They are just doing the business of running a parish or serving their parishioners. And so this could be one of those really like, what do you call like easy access, like low barrier of entry kind of ways for like having that discussion of saying like on the way to work, I listened to the podcast at, you know,
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
BONUS: Bringing the Bible Back to Catholics (with Jeff Cavins)
1.5 speed and I got through the whole thing in 10 to 15 minutes or whatever the thing it takes because there's an opportunity there. I've actually, you know, when you mentioned that on the way to work, that was the thing I remember talking with this man named Todd and Todd owns a CrossFit gym. in Baxter, or he used to before he moved down to Florida with his family.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
BONUS: Bringing the Bible Back to Catholics (with Jeff Cavins)
And he was saying, he's like, hey, I joined the gym with my sister and brother-in-law, they were there, and they said, hey, come along with us. And so I'm talking to Todd, and at one point, he's talked about his commute to work at four in the morning to be there before the 5 a.m. class. And I said, what do you do on that drive?
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
BONUS: Bringing the Bible Back to Catholics (with Jeff Cavins)
He's like, oh, no, no, no, that's the favorite part of, my favorite part of the day is my drive in. I was like, how come? He's like, because I listen to the Bible. And I'm like, really? And he's like, yeah, I just love, that's part of my devotions every morning as I'm driving to my gym and I'm listening to God's word and it just shapes the rest of my day.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
BONUS: Bringing the Bible Back to Catholics (with Jeff Cavins)
And even him saying that sparked our conversation about, I mean, he knew I was a priest and everything, but it gave like permission to be able to talk about the deeper things because he had been shaped that morning by God's word and just, it was living inside of him. And I think that that is one of the goals.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
BONUS: Bringing the Bible Back to Catholics (with Jeff Cavins)
Yeah, well, the idea behind the whole thing was, so what I found myself doing is I found myself listening to a lot of, you and I have talked about this in various phone calls over the last six months, but one of the things I found myself doing was, I was taking in all this input.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
BONUS: Bringing the Bible Back to Catholics (with Jeff Cavins)
Love to hear their ideas. Well, it's such an, yeah, that's the thing is like, I think out of this community are gonna be a lot of ideas of what works, what doesn't work, what's worked for some people and some families, what's worked for some individuals. And I think that that could be a,
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
BONUS: Bringing the Bible Back to Catholics (with Jeff Cavins)
Again, I just am looking forward to the community that's going to be formed out of this interceding on behalf of each other, but also giving each other ideas of like, here's how, I mean, like you mentioned, you can share podcasts. So here is a poignant reading from scripture that like struck someone.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
BONUS: Bringing the Bible Back to Catholics (with Jeff Cavins)
They actually have the ability to share, share to their family members, share to friends, share to social media and say, this was something that struck me today of God's word. that has changed my day, has changed my heart.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
BONUS: Bringing the Bible Back to Catholics (with Jeff Cavins)
Right. Fine. Let's give yourself permission to do that.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
BONUS: Bringing the Bible Back to Catholics (with Jeff Cavins)
Well, yeah, because you want to keep it clean. Do you bullet journal?
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
BONUS: Bringing the Bible Back to Catholics (with Jeff Cavins)
I was listening to a lot of different voices when it came to different podcasts and YouTube videos, people who are teachers who I think like, you have something good to say, you have something wise to say that is enlightening and is informative, and it's actually forming me. But what I found was that there were times when I would listen to some of these people who, again, I'm grateful for,
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
BONUS: Bringing the Bible Back to Catholics (with Jeff Cavins)
But in that, I started doing that a bunch of years ago, probably also from you. And you see people's layouts or their spreads and you're like, oh, I need to make it perfect. And then you get to the place where you have to cross stuff out and like, well, I need a new journal now, because I had to cross stuff out, it doesn't look perfect.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
BONUS: Bringing the Bible Back to Catholics (with Jeff Cavins)
But when you start writing in your Bible and you're like, oh, I misspelled this word. I had to cross it out and re-correct. Like, oh, it's okay. Like, it's completely fine to be able to mark up your Bible and not have it look pristine because, I mean, also that's kind of life in many, many ways.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
BONUS: Bringing the Bible Back to Catholics (with Jeff Cavins)
I've ruined my Bible.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
BONUS: Bringing the Bible Back to Catholics (with Jeff Cavins)
Yeah. One last thing before we might have to end and our time right now. But you mentioned you holding up the Bible timeline and the whole the color coded and we get to the messianic age being the gold. One great thing about this is we had looked at this and said, wait, we have these 14 narrative books.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
BONUS: Bringing the Bible Back to Catholics (with Jeff Cavins)
If we're going to be doing this chronologically, we won't get to the New Testament until, I don't know, somewhere around November. And that doesn't seem right. And so what we were able to do was we were able to insert Messianic checkpoints. And so roughly three-ish months into the timeline, three months into the podcast, we have a week of
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
BONUS: Bringing the Bible Back to Catholics (with Jeff Cavins)
the gospel and we go through one gospel in roughly a week every quarter and so that that sense of like being able to even just kind of like zoom out and say okay you know what what has been said which is here is the old testament hidden or revealed in the new and the new testament hidden in the old these messianic checkpoints being opportunities of like i i'm so excited about them too because i just keep imagining and just anticipating
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
BONUS: Bringing the Bible Back to Catholics (with Jeff Cavins)
the community of people who will be listening and going through the Bible with us to be able to take in an entire gospel in a week and just to allow it to just like that was the story. That was how Mark, how Peter proclaimed the gospel via Mark. And here's how Matthew proclaimed the gospel via his gospel. And just I love this, how it's going to happen.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
BONUS: Bringing the Bible Back to Catholics (with Jeff Cavins)
but I wasn't thinking with the mind of Christ. And so then what I would do is I would listen to scripture because I love audio books. And so one of the audio books I have is the Bible. And I found that when I would listen to the Bible I wouldn't just get more information.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
BONUS: Bringing the Bible Back to Catholics (with Jeff Cavins)
And just to know that around the world, there are Catholics who are going to be hearing the entire gospel in one week. at four different times throughout the course of the year. And it's like, it's genius. Whoever thought of that, give them a raise.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
BONUS: Bringing the Bible Back to Catholics (with Jeff Cavins)
to just sort of give the historical okay there's here's where you're going to be walking and this is where most people get lost right you know right which i'm excited for and really honored that you're willing to do that because again if there's anyone that i i sound like i began this whole thing with maybe too much praise not true not too much praise i want to end up with too much praise but i don't think any one person has taught me more about scripture than you have and um that's yeah that's nine years of theology undergrad and major seminary
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
BONUS: Bringing the Bible Back to Catholics (with Jeff Cavins)
And even studying afterwards, I don't think there's anyone who's taught me more. And so I'm so grateful for your willingness to do that as well, not only to create this, but also to continue to contribute to it.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
BONUS: Bringing the Bible Back to Catholics (with Jeff Cavins)
So good. Ah, thank you. Amen.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
BONUS: Bringing the Bible Back to Catholics (with Jeff Cavins)
we pray for all of those who are going to be going through it and and how do people get in touch how do people get in touch yes so um they can uh go to wherever they listen to their podcast and they can subscribe just go to bible in a year podcast with father mike schmitz um they can also text the word catholic bible which is two words but scrunch them together with no spaces catholic bible to the number three three seven seven seven
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
BONUS: Bringing the Bible Back to Catholics (with Jeff Cavins)
I wouldn't just be reminded of a story or introduced to a new story that maybe I had forgotten or whatever the thing is, a new element. But it was that my lens, my worldview was being shaped. And I don't know if you, I'm sure you've heard the story of Saint Ignatius of Loyola when he had broken his leg and he was convalescing in I think his sister-in-law's house or something like this.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
BONUS: Bringing the Bible Back to Catholics (with Jeff Cavins)
Or they can download the Bible reading plan by going to ascensionpress.com slash Bible in a year. It's all one word again, Bible in a year, ascensionpress.com slash Bible in a year. And they'll get the reading plan and they'll get updates. And it's, yeah, that's the best way to get in contact and get connected.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
BONUS: Bringing the Bible Back to Catholics (with Jeff Cavins)
Father, we ask that you please hear this prayer and receive our thanks, receive our praise.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
BONUS: Bringing the Bible Back to Catholics (with Jeff Cavins)
Thank you for not withholding yourself from us, but for giving yourself to us so fully through your word and through your word made flesh by giving us sacred scripture, by giving us sacred tradition, by giving us this teaching office of the church that we can just, we can stand upon your promises, we can stand upon your truth, we can stand upon your all that you've revealed to us.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
BONUS: Bringing the Bible Back to Catholics (with Jeff Cavins)
And we just give you praise and thank you for this. Thank you for giving us this opportunity. Thank you for the technology that exists, that not only are we able to have this conversation now, but we're able to, wherever we are, have access to your word proclaimed to us. Thank you for this opportunity to do this Bible in a Year podcast.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
BONUS: Bringing the Bible Back to Catholics (with Jeff Cavins)
Talk later. Thanks.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
BONUS: Bringing the Bible Back to Catholics (with Jeff Cavins)
And he used to read romance novels or stories of like the glory of knights and whatnot. And he'd also read stories of the saints and life of Jesus. And he said that after he read those stories of those knights, he said, during while I was reading them, I felt like charge it up. I wouldn't want it to live like that. But afterwards, I kind of like a sugar crash.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
BONUS: Bringing the Bible Back to Catholics (with Jeff Cavins)
It's kind of like this disappointment he experienced versus reading the life of Christ. He was lifted up, but then afterwards he was sustained. It was like the sense of like, this was something not just inspiring, not just powerful, but it was something that was good and true and beautiful that had lasting effect.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
BONUS: Bringing the Bible Back to Catholics (with Jeff Cavins)
And that's what I found was I found that when I listened to scripture, that it had this lasting effect in me that because it had shaped my lens of looking at the world and reminded me of like, I just, here's an example. I was reading the book of Judges and that sense of the last line of, in those days there was no king in Israel and everyone did what was right in their own eyes.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
BONUS: Bringing the Bible Back to Catholics (with Jeff Cavins)
Hi, my name is Father Mike Schmitz, and I want to welcome you to the Bible in a Year podcast. With me today is Mr. none other than the illustrious, the inimitable, the incomparable, the infamous, Mr. Jeff Cavins. Hey, good to be with you. Jeff, I'm so grateful.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
BONUS: Bringing the Bible Back to Catholics (with Jeff Cavins)
template that you designed that that you came upon when it came to the great adventure bible timeline which has probably i don't want to just start this whole thing off by by going over the top but for me i've said this many times i've told this to anyone who asks or anyone who will listen uh that that uh great adventure bible timeline was the most significant um most significant tool that i've ever encountered that ever um i've ever used that has gotten me more uh
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
BONUS: Bringing the Bible Back to Catholics (with Jeff Cavins)
In that sense of man, the lawlessness kind of a sense or people who are striving after the Lord but then unfaithful to him and this how God continued to work with their brokenness was one of the things that just, again, it kept reminding me as a touch point, it kept shaping how I was,
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
BONUS: Bringing the Bible Back to Catholics (with Jeff Cavins)
living through like, I don't know, pandemic times and living through just trying to be with others in the midst of their brokenness and their crises of their lives. And it just, again, it wasn't just like I got a nugget of, here's a nugget of truth, or here's a little kernel of something good. It was more like, again, my lens or the way I was looking at the world and really interpreting,
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
BONUS: Bringing the Bible Back to Catholics (with Jeff Cavins)
what I was going through, living through was being shaped. It was being like fashioned. And so that was a really big conviction of like, I think we need to do this from a real solidly Catholic perspective. And I don't think of a more powerful perspective than to go through it via the Great Adventure Bible Timeline.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
BONUS: Bringing the Bible Back to Catholics (with Jeff Cavins)
Well, I think that you nailed it when you said that one of the things The Great Adventure Timeline does, and I think this podcast is shooting for, is to get the story, not just the stories. And I love that because so we were talking before we started recording about like our original, our first Bibles. And I went to get my first Bible and I
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
BONUS: Bringing the Bible Back to Catholics (with Jeff Cavins)
saw next to it, my actual kind of first Bible, my first Bible is this one. It's the picture Bible, which is like a comic book Bible. It's awesome. It is this, like every page is, here's the- Did you underline? Did you highlight? Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego. So I have underlined, highlighted notes. But this was, I got this for my first Holy Communion.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
BONUS: Bringing the Bible Back to Catholics (with Jeff Cavins)
So when I was in second grade, still have it, and I lent it to my little sister, her first Holy Communion, and then lent it to my little brother, took it back after he got done with it. And now what I do for all of my nieces and nephews is,
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
BONUS: Bringing the Bible Back to Catholics (with Jeff Cavins)
there is a new version of this called the Action Bible that they know, their parents know, that Uncle Father Mike is going to give them an Action Bible to all the second graders when they get it. Because part of it is, like you said, it can be so daunting for us as anyone, as Christians, specifically as Catholics, because I don't want to get it wrong.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
BONUS: Bringing the Bible Back to Catholics (with Jeff Cavins)
I think one of the things that as Catholics we have is going for us and kind of going against us is we don't want to get it wrong. We don't want to read it and misinterpret it. We don't want to read it and misunderstand it. And so it's kind of like there's hesitation. And so what I've always wanted to do with my nieces and nephews is get them started by having something that's accessible.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
BONUS: Bringing the Bible Back to Catholics (with Jeff Cavins)
And then the really cool thing is my oldest nephew I think he was the first one that I ever gave the Action Bible to. He went to one of our camps for Inch in Your High, so sixth grade. And at camp, we said, you know, all campers, what we want you to do is we want you to get your Bible, your actual Bible, and read 10, 15 minutes a day. And Max is his name. Max just he started doing it.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
BONUS: Bringing the Bible Back to Catholics (with Jeff Cavins)
There's nothing has been better to get me more deeply into the Bible than the Great Adventure Bible Timeline. And I'm just really grateful, not only for you and for that, but also that here you are now as we begin this Catholic Bible or the Bible in a Year podcast, that we get to use this thing that has changed my life, maybe more than any other study I've ever done in my entire life.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
BONUS: Bringing the Bible Back to Catholics (with Jeff Cavins)
I mean, he would have it in the car when his parents were driving him to this and that. And he'd just read the Bible. I remember being so struck by a couple of things. One was years later. He's a senior this year. So a couple of years ago, one of his cousins, one of my nieces, second grade, got the Action Bible.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
BONUS: Bringing the Bible Back to Catholics (with Jeff Cavins)
And then her parents got her like a pack of trivia cards based off the Action Bible, just kind of like and it was. Things like this. The first question was, who am I? And it had a list of identifiers. And the first identifier of this person, guess who I am, was son of Kush. And Max, here he is as a, probably at that point, maybe 15 or 14 year old, maybe 15 year old. He was like, oh, King Saul.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
BONUS: Bringing the Bible Back to Catholics (with Jeff Cavins)
I'm like, what? Oh my gosh, how did you know that? He's like, well, it's in the Bible. And I, you told us that camp to read it 10 to 15 minutes a day. So of course I do. And I was just like, man, oh man. And even just last weekend, I was talking with him
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
BONUS: Bringing the Bible Back to Catholics (with Jeff Cavins)
And the way that even just starting at sixth grade, and now he's in 12th grade, those six years of regular, not perfect, but regular exposing himself to scripture, he just knew so much. We just came out in a normal conversation of just, oh, this is such and such about scripture. And that's the thing is like,
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
BONUS: Bringing the Bible Back to Catholics (with Jeff Cavins)
that's the goal right that's one of the things we we want is um for all catholics not just those who have gone through the great adventure and not just those who um you know as you said social media or here on our campus um but all catholics to be able to say this is accessible to me and i know it like it gets in my bones um right so my question for you i'm gonna throw this back to you is um when did you first let the word of god like when did it first like impact you and get in your bones
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
BONUS: Bringing the Bible Back to Catholics (with Jeff Cavins)
Well, your grandfather, so he was a Catholic pastor? Bible reader?
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 363: The New Covenant Priesthood (2024)
For he finds fault with them when he says, The days will come, says the Lord, when I will establish a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah, not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt. For they did not continue in my covenant, and so I paid no heed to them, says the Lord.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 363: The New Covenant Priesthood (2024)
This is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord. I will put my law into their minds and write them on their hearts, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. And they shall not teach everyone his fellow or everyone his brother, saying, Know the Lord, for all shall know me, from the least of them to the greatest.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 363: The New Covenant Priesthood (2024)
You can also subscribe to this podcast because why stop saying it now? It is day 363. We're reading Revelation, not Revelations. Why did I say Revelations? It's not plural. It's singular, although... It's pretty great. Revelation chapter 15, 16, and 17, Hebrews, letters to the Hebrews, chapter 5, 6, 7, and 8, as well as Proverbs chapter 31, verses 23 to 25.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 363: The New Covenant Priesthood (2024)
For I will be merciful toward their iniquities, and I will remember their sins no more. In speaking of a new covenant, he treats the first as obsolete and what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 363: The New Covenant Priesthood (2024)
Her husband is known in the gates when he sits among the elders of the land. She makes linen garments and sells them. She delivers sashes to the merchant. Strength and dignity are her clothing and she laughs at the time to come
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 363: The New Covenant Priesthood (2024)
Thank you so much for this opportunity to be once again together in these final days of the Bible in a year. We thank you for all the prayers that we've uttered on behalf of each other. We thank you for, thank you for this time. There are no words, Lord God. We just thank you. Just thank you. Receive our hearts. Receive our praise. Receive the glory that belongs to you now and forever.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 363: The New Covenant Priesthood (2024)
In Jesus' name we pray. In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Just, I know that we have Revelation and we have Hebrews to go through, but this last chapter, Proverbs chapter 31, you know, that wife, the description of this wife, some things I love about this is, in verse 24 it says, she makes her linen garments and sells them and delivers her sashes to the merchant.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 363: The New Covenant Priesthood (2024)
She can be an entrepreneur, which is great. Strength and dignity are her clothing. That's something, something, something so good. I'm just like, ah, man, I think of, you know, my mom, I think of my sisters that is in women that I've just have been really helped by and strength and dignity are her clothing.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 363: The New Covenant Priesthood (2024)
And that is an app description, an incredible description of, I know the women in my family. It's so good. And the last line here, and she laughs at the time to come. What does that mean? It points to how often we can be worried and just tremble at the thought of the future. But she laughs at the time to come. Why? Because strength and dignity are her clothing. She trusts in the Lord.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 363: The New Covenant Priesthood (2024)
And so she doesn't need to be afraid of the future. And that's the truth for us too. Anyone who belongs to Christ, you don't need to be afraid of the future. So speaking of the future and speaking of the past and speaking of the book of Revelation, We have in chapter 17, we have the story of the harlot and the beast. And it talks about here's the woman, the harlot, and the beast.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 363: The New Covenant Priesthood (2024)
And the beast has the seven heads and ten horns that carries her. And it says that in chapter 17, verse 9, it calls for a mind with wisdom. The seven heads of the beast are seven hills on which the woman is seated. There are also seven kings, five of whom have fallen. One is, the other has not yet come. When he comes, he must reign only a little while. So what is that?
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 363: The New Covenant Priesthood (2024)
And consensus typically is that the seven hills, Rome is a city built on seven hills. And also, but also there's a rabbinic tradition that says that Jerusalem is also a city built on seven hills. And so I think, okay, either one. But knowing that here are the Christians who are undergoing incredible persecution from the Roman empire at this point.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 363: The New Covenant Priesthood (2024)
you recognize that if you begin with these kings or these emperors, these rulers, that the first one being Caesar, that the one they're talking about here, the sixth one would be Nero or Domitian. And there's an interesting kind of thing because here they are describing this. And so in some ways we say, oh my gosh, what is this beast? And what are these hails? And what is this harlot?
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 363: The New Covenant Priesthood (2024)
The revelation to John, chapter 15, the angels with the seven last plagues. Then I saw another sign in heaven, great and wonderful, seven angels with seven plagues, which are the last, for with them the wrath of God is ended.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 363: The New Covenant Priesthood (2024)
And when's that going to happen? Well, the author, St. John, he's saying, no, he's not describing something that necessarily will happen. He's describing something that has already happened. And that's why he's speaking in this code. He's saying, you just figured this out. This is what we're talking about right now. And the point is this, where it applies to us.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 363: The New Covenant Priesthood (2024)
This persecution is going to be limited. It is going to be devastating, but it is going to be limited. That Jesus Christ continues to reign. It goes on to say, even though all this power here at the end of chapter 17, it says in verse 16, it says, And the 10 horns you saw, they and the beast will hate the harlot, make her desolate and naked, devour her flesh and burn up her fire.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 363: The New Covenant Priesthood (2024)
For God has put it into their hearts to carry out his purpose. Basically, it's all going to be over. All this great city of the city of Rome, this persecutor of the world, that's going to end at some point. That Satan's time is powerful on earth. but his time is short. And that same is true for us.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 363: The New Covenant Priesthood (2024)
There are sufferings, there's gonna be times of great persecution, but it will not end in absolute destruction. Even if it ends with our lives, it will not end with absolute destruction. God is giving us this word of hope through in the midst of this description of destruction in the book of Revelation. In the letter to the Hebrews, oh gosh, this is incredible.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 363: The New Covenant Priesthood (2024)
You know, we've already established that Jesus is higher than the angels. He's higher than Moses. He's also talking about he's higher than the priests. He's higher than the priesthood. That Jesus is the new and eternal priest. In fact, remember, you know this already because this is so great.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 363: The New Covenant Priesthood (2024)
And that's why, as they're writing to the Hebrews here, they're writing to a bunch of people who know the story. They know the story like you know the story. Maybe they know it a little better, but you've heard the whole story. And they know that the priesthood, it only comes from the line of Levi, right? The priesthood of Aaron.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 363: The New Covenant Priesthood (2024)
And so Jesus though, as the author says, we know that he wasn't in the line of Aaron. He was a tribe of Judah. So Jesus belongs to a different kind of priesthood. The priesthood of Melchizedek, which we saw back in Genesis and heard about in Psalm, in the book of Psalms, Genesis 14 and in Psalms 110. That Jesus has a priesthood that does not pass away. That's not bound by a genealogy.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 363: The New Covenant Priesthood (2024)
A priesthood that he doesn't have to offer up a sacrifice for himself like the priests would do in the old covenant for themselves daily and yearly. Because he was spotless, he offered a sacrifice of himself once and for all. And I love this. Chapter 7, verse 26.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 363: The New Covenant Priesthood (2024)
For it was fitting that we should have such a high priest, holy, blameless, unstained, separated from sinners, exalted above the heavens. He has no need, like those high priests, to offer sacrifices daily, first for his own sins and then for those of the people. He did this once for all when he offered up himself.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 363: The New Covenant Priesthood (2024)
And I saw what appeared to be a sea of glass mingled with fire, and those who had conquered the beast and its image and the number of its name standing beside the sea of glass with harps of God in their hands. And they sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and wonderful are your deeds, O Lord God the Almighty.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 363: The New Covenant Priesthood (2024)
Indeed, the law appoints men in their weakness as high priests, but the word of oath, which came later than the law, appoints a son who has been made perfect forever. And chapter eight talks all about how he is the mediator of a new covenant. You are part of that covenant right now. This is the great news. You're part of that covenant right now. I just thank God so much for this community.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 363: The New Covenant Priesthood (2024)
I thank God so much for this journey. Thank God so much for all the people who have been part of this. And you've just been so faithful. Even if you fell off, you're back on. Here you are on day 363, back together, praying for each other. Because we cannot, we cannot do this alone. I am praying for you. Please pray for me. My name is Father Mike. I cannot wait to see you tomorrow. God bless.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 363: The New Covenant Priesthood (2024)
Just and true are your ways, O King of the ages. Who shall not fear and glorify your name, O Lord? For you alone are holy. All nations shall come and worship you, for your judgments have been revealed. After this I looked, and the temple of the tent of witness in heaven was opened, and out of the temple came the seven angels with the seven plagues, robed in pure bright linen.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 363: The New Covenant Priesthood (2024)
Chapter 16 The Bowls of God's Wrath Then I heard a loud voice from the temple telling the seven angels, go and pour out on the earth the seven bowls of the wrath of God. So the first angel went and poured out his bowl on the earth and foul and evil sores came upon the men who bore the mark of the beast and worshiped its image.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 363: The New Covenant Priesthood (2024)
The second angel poured his bowl into the sea and it became like the blood of a dead man and every living thing died that was in the sea. The third angel poured his bowl into the rivers and the fountains of water, and they became blood. And I heard the angel of water say, Just are you in these your judgments, you who are and were a holy one.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 363: The New Covenant Priesthood (2024)
For men have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and you have given them blood to drink. It is their due. And I heard the altar cry, Yes, Lord God, the Almighty, true and just are your judgments. The fourth angel poured his bowl on the sun and it was allowed to scorch men with fire.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 363: The New Covenant Priesthood (2024)
Men were scorched by the fierce heat and they cursed the name of God who had the power over these plagues and they did not repent and give him glory. The fifth angel poured his bowl on the throne of the beast and its kingdom was in darkness. Men gnawed their tongues in anguish and cursed the God of heaven for their pain and sores and did not repent of their deeds.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 363: The New Covenant Priesthood (2024)
The sixth angel poured his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up to prepare the way for the kings from the east. And I saw, issuing from the mouth of the dragon, and from the mouth of the beast, and from the mouth of the false prophet, three foul spirits like frogs.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 363: The New Covenant Priesthood (2024)
For they are demonic spirits, performing signs, who go abroad to the kings of the whole world to assemble them for battle on the great day of God the Almighty. Behold, I am coming like a thief. Blessed is he who is awake, keeping his garments, that he may not go naked and be seen exposed. And they assembled them at the place which is called in Hebrew Armageddon.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 363: The New Covenant Priesthood (2024)
The seventh angel poured his bowl into the air, and a great voice came out of the temple from the throne, saying, It is done. And there were flashes of lightning, loud noises, peals of thunder, and a great earthquake, such as had never been since men were on the earth, so great was that earthquake. The great city was split into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 363: The New Covenant Priesthood (2024)
And God remembered great Babylon to make her drain the cup of the fury of his wrath. And every island fled away, and no mountains were to be found. And great hailstones, heavy as a hundredweight, dropped on men from heaven, till men cursed God for the plague of the hail, so fearful was that plague.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 363: The New Covenant Priesthood (2024)
Chapter 17 The Great Whore and the Beast Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and said to me, Come, I will show you the judgment of the great harlot who is seated upon many waters, with whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and with the wine of whose fornication the dwellers on earth have become drunk. and he carried me away in the spirit into a wilderness.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 363: The New Covenant Priesthood (2024)
And I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast which was full of blasphemous names, and it had seven heads and ten horns. The woman was clothed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and jewels and pearls, holding in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the impurities of her fornication.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 363: The New Covenant Priesthood (2024)
And on her forehead was written a name of mystery, Babylon the Great, mother of harlots and of earth's abominations. And I saw the woman, drunk with the blood of the saints and the blood of the martyrs of Jesus. When I saw her, I marveled greatly. But the angel said to me, Why marvel? I will tell you the mystery of the woman and of the beast with seven heads and ten horns that carries her.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 363: The New Covenant Priesthood (2024)
The beast that you saw was and is not and is to ascend from the bottomless pit and go to perdition. And the dwellers on earth whose names have not been written in the book of life from the foundation of the world will marvel to behold the beast because it was and is not and is to come. This calls for a mind with wisdom. The seven heads are seven hills on which the woman is seated.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 363: The New Covenant Priesthood (2024)
They are also seven kings, five of whom have fallen. One is, the other has not yet come. And when he comes, he must remain only a little while. As for the beast that was and is not, it is an eighth, but it belongs to the seven and it goes to perdition.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 363: The New Covenant Priesthood (2024)
And the 10 horns that you saw are 10 kings who have not yet received royal power, but they are to receive authority as kings for one hour together with the beast. These are of one mind and give over their power and authority to the beast. They will make war on the lamb and the lamb will conquer them for he is Lord of Lords and King of Kings. And those with him are called and chosen and faithful.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 363: The New Covenant Priesthood (2024)
And he said to me, the waters that you saw where the harlot is seated are peoples and multitudes and nations and tongues. And the 10 horns that you saw, they and the beast will hate the harlot. They will make her desolate and naked and devour her flesh and burn her up with fire.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 363: The New Covenant Priesthood (2024)
For God has put it into their hearts to carry out his purpose by being of one mind and giving over their royal power to the beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled. And the woman that you saw is the great city which has dominion over the kings of the earth.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 363: The New Covenant Priesthood (2024)
For every high priest chosen from among men is appointed to act on behalf of men in relation to God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins. He can deal gently with the ignorant and wayward, since he himself is beset with weakness. Because of this, he is bound to offer sacrifice for his own sins as well as for those of the people.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 363: The New Covenant Priesthood (2024)
And one does not take the honor upon himself, but he is called by God, just as Aaron was. So also, Christ did not exalt himself to be made a high priest, but was appointed by him who said to him, You are my son. Today I have begotten you. As he says also in another place, You are a priest forever, according to the order of Melchizedek.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 363: The New Covenant Priesthood (2024)
In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications with loud cries and tears to him who was able to save him from death. Spiritual Growth About this we have much to say which is hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing. For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of God's word.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 363: The New Covenant Priesthood (2024)
You need milk, not solid food. For everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, free as a child. But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their faculties trained by practice to distinguish good from evil. Chapter 6 The Peril of Falling Away
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 363: The New Covenant Priesthood (2024)
Therefore, let us leave the elementary doctrines of Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God with instruction about baptisms, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. And this we will do if God permits.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 363: The New Covenant Priesthood (2024)
Hi, my name is Father Mike Schmitz, and you're listening to the Bible in a Year podcast, where we encounter God's voice and live life through the lens of Scripture. The Bible in a Year podcast is brought to you by Ascension.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 363: The New Covenant Priesthood (2024)
For it is impossible to restore again to repentance those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the age to come, if they then commit apostasy, since they crucify the Son of God on their own account and hold him up to contempt.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 363: The New Covenant Priesthood (2024)
For land which has drunk the rain that often falls upon it, and brings forth vegetation useful to those for whose sake it is cultivated, receives a blessing from God. But if it bears thorns and thistles, it is worthless and near to be incursed. Its end is to be burned. Though we speak thus, yet in your case, beloved, we feel sure of better things that belong to salvation.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 363: The New Covenant Priesthood (2024)
For God is not so unjust as to overlook your work and the love which you showed for his sake in serving the saints as you still do. And we desire each one of you to show the same earnestness in realizing the full assurance of hope until the end, so that you may not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 363: The New Covenant Priesthood (2024)
For when God made a promise to Abraham, since he had no one greater by whom to swear, he swore by himself, saying, Surely I will bless you and multiply you. And thus Abraham, having patiently endured, obtained the promise. Men indeed swear by a greater than themselves, and in all their disputes an oath is final for confirmation.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 363: The New Covenant Priesthood (2024)
Using the Great Adventure Bible timeline, we'll read all the way from Genesis to Revelation, discovering how the story of salvation unfolds and how we fit into that story today. It is day 363, another palindrome day, maybe our final palindrome day of the year. We're reading Revelation chapter 15, 16, and 17, as well as Hebrews chapter 5, 6, 7, and 8. Just... Piece of cake.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 363: The New Covenant Priesthood (2024)
So when God desired to show more convincingly to the heirs of the promise the unchangeable character of his purpose, he interposed with an oath so that through two unchangeable things in which it is impossible that God should prove false, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to seize the hope set before us.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 363: The New Covenant Priesthood (2024)
We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner shrine behind the curtain where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf, having become a high priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek. For this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the Most High God, met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 363: The New Covenant Priesthood (2024)
And to him Abraham apportioned a tenth part of everything. He is first, by translation of his name, king of righteousness. And then he is also king of Salem, that is, king of peace. He is without father or mother or genealogy, and has neither beginning of days nor end of life. But resembling the Son of God, he continues a priest forever. See how great he is.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 363: The New Covenant Priesthood (2024)
Abraham, the patriarch, gave him a tithe of the spoils. And those descendants of Levi who received the priestly office have a commandment in the law to take tithes from the people, that is, from their brethren, though these also are descended from Abraham. But this man, who has not their genealogy, received tithes from Abraham and blessed him who had the promises.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 363: The New Covenant Priesthood (2024)
It is beyond dispute that the inferior is blessed by the superior. Here tithes are received by mortal men, there by one of whom it is testified that he lives. One might even say that Levi himself, who received tithes, paid tithes through Abraham, for he was still in the loins of his ancestor when Melchizedek met him. Another priest, according to the order of Melchizedek.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 363: The New Covenant Priesthood (2024)
Now, if perfection had been attainable through the Levitical priesthood, for under it the people received the law, what further need would there have been for another priest to arise according to the order of Melchizedek, rather than one named according to the order of Aaron? For when there is a change in the priesthood, there is necessarily a change in the law as well.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 363: The New Covenant Priesthood (2024)
for the one of whom these things are spoken belonged to another tribe from which no one has ever served at the altar for it is evident that our lord was descended from judah and in connection with that tribe moses said nothing about priests
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 363: The New Covenant Priesthood (2024)
This becomes even more evident when another priest arises in the likeness of Melchizedek, who has become a priest not according to a legal requirement concerning bodily descent, but by the power of an indestructible life. For it is witnessed of him, you are a priest forever, according to the order of Melchizedek.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 363: The New Covenant Priesthood (2024)
On the one hand, a former commandment is set aside because of its weakness and uselessness, for the law made nothing perfect. On the other hand, a better hope is introduced, through which we draw near to God. This makes Jesus the surety of a better covenant. The former priests were many in number because they were prevented by death from continuing in office.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 363: The New Covenant Priesthood (2024)
But he holds his priesthood permanently because he continues forever. consequently he is able for all time to save those who draw near to god through him since he always lives to make intercession for them for it was fitting that we should have such a high priest holy blameless unstained separated from sinners exalted above the heavens
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 363: The New Covenant Priesthood (2024)
It's going to be super short. We're also reading Proverbs chapter 31, verses 23 through 25. As always, the Bible translation I'm reading from is the Revised Standard Version, Second Catholic Edition. I'm using the Great Adventure Bible from Ascension. If you want to download your own Bible in a Year reading plan, you can visit ascensionpress.com slash Bible in a Year.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 363: The New Covenant Priesthood (2024)
He has no need, like those high priests, to offer sacrifices daily, first for his own sins and then for those of the people. He did this once for all when he offered up himself. Indeed, the law appoints men in their weakness as high priests, but the word of the oath, which came later than the law, appoints a son who has been made perfect forever. Chapter 8, Mediator of a New Covenant.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 363: The New Covenant Priesthood (2024)
Now, the point in what we are saying is this. We have such a high priest, one who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the majesty in heaven, a minister in the sanctuary and the true tent, which is set up not by man, but by the Lord. For every high priest is appointed to offer gifts and sacrifices. Hence, it is necessary for this priest also to have something to offer.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 363: The New Covenant Priesthood (2024)
Now, if he were on earth, he would not be a priest at all, since there are priests who offer gifts according to the law. They serve a copy and shadow of the heavenly sanctuary, for when Moses was about to erect the tent, he was instructed by God, saying, See that you make everything according to the pattern which was shown you on the mountain.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 363: The New Covenant Priesthood (2024)
But as it is, Christ has obtained a ministry which is as much more excellent than the old as the covenant he mediates is better, since it is enacted on better promises. For if that first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no occasion for a second.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 25: Job's Questioning (2025)
So when Job's three friends come and then the fourth friend we heard from yesterday, the three friends come and the fourth young man who thinks he knows a lot of stuff come to Job. They're all spouting off the kind of things that I guess, yeah, smart people would say. Things like, you know, sometimes pain, sometimes suffering is a result of our sin.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 25: Job's Questioning (2025)
Sometimes God allows our brokenness, God allows our wounds, our suffering as a way to call us back from evil, as a way to wake us up and to get us to repent. Sometimes those who do the right are blessed and those who do evil are not blessed. And yet their logic, while it's somewhat sound, is not accurate in Job's case. And then the final friend, of course, he is also not accurate.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 25: Job's Questioning (2025)
This young man Elihu, he basically again says, how can you yell at God? How can you contend with the Lord? And now finally, God himself shows up. I remember when I read this book of Job for the very first time when I was in high school, I was looking for an answer. I was looking for the clear answer of like, why do bad things happen to good people? Job is clearly a good person.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 25: Job's Questioning (2025)
The Bible even says so. God himself says so. So why do bad things happen to Job? And here is God and he shows up and God seems to have a little bit of an attitude in terms of saying, hey, Job, tell me, what do you know about the eagle? What do you know about the lion? Hey, if you had a wild ox, would that wild ox be your servant? Or would you not have any idea what to do with a wild ox?
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 25: Job's Questioning (2025)
Not to mention this behemoth. God talks about a behemoth today. Tomorrow he's going to talk about a Leviathan. These creatures that we don't exactly know what they are. Maybe the behemoth is something like a hippopotamus. I'm not sure. No one really knows. But God is pointing out to things like, Job, there's so much beyond you. He's not pointing this out to Job to say, Job, stop asking questions.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 25: Job's Questioning (2025)
And they said to Pharaoh, We, your servants, are shepherds, as our fathers were. They said to Pharaoh, We have come to sojourn in the land, for there is no pasture for your servants' flocks, for the famine is severe in the land of Canaan. And now we pray you, let your servants dwell in the land of Goshen. Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, your father and your brothers have come to you.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 25: Job's Questioning (2025)
He's not saying, Job, stop coming back to me and wrestling with me. But he is also putting Job in context. And the context is, Job, there are so many more elements to this story that you do not know. He's not telling Job to be quiet and sit down. But he is revealing to God in a way that only God can do this.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 25: Job's Questioning (2025)
Because when his friends in Elihu, when they brought up some of these same points, it wasn't the same. God is revealing to Job that there is a bigger story happening. And even if you can't understand the meaning of this moment, this moment has meaning. That Job, even if you can't understand why you're going through this right now, There is a purpose that I have for it all.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 25: Job's Questioning (2025)
In Jesus, what Jesus reveals about our suffering is not only that suffering can be an opportunity for us to repent, not only that our suffering can be an opportunity for us to learn and grow in wisdom, not only that our suffering can be a thing that breaks our heart and makes us more compassionate, makes us gentler with people, more patient with people, more merciful with other people, but also that our suffering can be redemptive.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 25: Job's Questioning (2025)
Now, Job doesn't know this yet. God knows this from all eternity because God knows everything. Yeah, Job doesn't. And so God, when he's questioning Job, it sounds like he's being kind of sarcastic. Sounds like he's being kind of snarky and putting Job in his place. But really what's happening is he is putting Job in his place, but in the way that only God can do.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 25: Job's Questioning (2025)
His friends couldn't do this because they're not righteous. His friends couldn't do this because they don't know the whole story. Only God can reveal this to Job. that yes, some suffering is oriented towards repentance. Some suffering is oriented towards wisdom and growing in knowledge. Some suffering is oriented towards breaking our hearts and making us gentler, better people.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 25: Job's Questioning (2025)
But also some suffering can be oriented towards redemptive suffering that not only transforms us, but also can be offered up to God for the salvation of the world. Now that doesn't come out explicitly in the book of Job. The Old Testament is revealed in the New, and the New Testament is hidden in the Old. Every one of us is in a great battle, a great struggle.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 25: Job's Questioning (2025)
And so all of us need people around us who are patient. All of us need to learn wisdom. All of us need to repent. And all of us need to be reminded that God knows the full story, even when we cannot, cannot possibly see the full story. And part of that full story is God can use our suffering For not only his glory, he can use our suffering for our redemption and for the redemption of the world.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 25: Job's Questioning (2025)
That is the mystery of the cross. Let's continue to pray for each other because it is easy to talk about the cross. It is not easy to carry your cross. I'm praying for you. Please pray for me. My name is Father Mike. I cannot wait to see you tomorrow. God bless.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 25: Job's Questioning (2025)
The land of Egypt is before you. Settle your father and your brothers in the best of the land. Let them dwell in the land of Goshen. And if you know of any able men among them, put them in charge of my cattle. Then Joseph brought in Jacob his father and set him before Pharaoh, and Jacob blessed Pharaoh. And Pharaoh said to Jacob, How many are the days and the years of your life?
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 25: Job's Questioning (2025)
And Jacob said to Pharaoh, The days of the years of my sojourning are a hundred and thirty years. Few and evil have been the days of the years of my life, and they have not attained to the days of the years of the life of my fathers in the days of their sojourning. And Jacob blessed Pharaoh and went out from the presence of Pharaoh.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 25: Job's Questioning (2025)
Then Joseph settled his father and his brothers and gave them a possession in the land of Egypt, in the best of the land, in the land of Ramses, as Pharaoh had commanded. And Joseph provided his father, his brothers, and all his father's household with food according to the number of their dependents.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 25: Job's Questioning (2025)
now there was no food in all the land for the famine was very severe so that the land of egypt and the land of canaan languished by reason of the famine and joseph gathered up all the money that was found in the land of egypt and in the land of canaan for the grain which they had bought and joseph brought the money into pharaoh's house
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 25: Job's Questioning (2025)
And when the money was all spent in the land of Egypt and in the land of Canaan, all the Egyptians came to Joseph and said, give us food. Why should we die before your eyes? For our money is gone. And Joseph answered, give your cattle and I will give you food in exchange for your cattle if your money is gone.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 25: Job's Questioning (2025)
So they brought their cattle to Joseph and Joseph gave them food in exchange for the horses, the flocks, the herds and the donkeys. And he supplied them with food in exchange for all their cattle that year. And when that year was ended, they came to him the following year and said to him, We will not hide from my Lord that our money is all spent, and the herds of cattle are my Lord's.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 25: Job's Questioning (2025)
It is day 25. Let us keep on rolling. We are reading from Genesis chapter 47 and 48. We are just a few chapters from the end of the very first book of the Bible. reading Genesis 47 to 48. We're also two chapters from the end of Job at the end of this day, reading Job chapter 39 and 40. We're also leaving the Proverbs for a little bit. We're jumping into the book of Psalms.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 25: Job's Questioning (2025)
There is nothing left in the sight of my Lord but our bodies and our lands. Why should we die before your eyes, both we and our land? Buy us and our land for food, and with our land we will be slaves to Pharaoh. And give us seed that we may live and not die, and that the land may not be desolate. So Joseph bought all the land of Egypt for Pharaoh.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 25: Job's Questioning (2025)
For all the Egyptians sold their fields because the famine was severe upon them. The land became Pharaoh's. And as for the people, he made slaves of them from one end of Egypt to the other. Only the land of the priests he did not buy, for the priests had a fixed allowance from Pharaoh and lived on the allowance which Pharaoh gave them. Therefore they did not sell their land.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 25: Job's Questioning (2025)
Then Joseph said to the people, behold, I have this day bought you and your land for Pharaoh. Now here is seed for you and you shall sow the land. And at the harvest, you shall give a fifth to Pharaoh and four fifths shall be your own as seed for the field and as food for yourselves and your households and as food for your little ones. And they said, you have saved our lives.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 25: Job's Questioning (2025)
May it please my Lord, we will be slaves to Pharaoh. So Joseph made it a statute concerning the land of Egypt, and it stands to this day that Pharaoh should have a fifth. The land of the priests alone did not become Pharaoh's. Thus Israel dwelt in the land of Egypt, in the land of Goshen, and they gained possessions in it. And they were fruitful and multiplied exceedingly.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 25: Job's Questioning (2025)
And Jacob lived in the land of Egypt 17 years. So the days of Jacob, the years of his life, were 147 years. And when the time drew near that Israel must die, he called his son Joseph and said to him, If now I have found favor in your sight, put your hand under my thigh and promise to deal loyally and truly with me.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 25: Job's Questioning (2025)
Do not bury me in Egypt, but let me lie with my fathers, carry me out of Egypt and bury me in their burying place. Joseph answered, I will do as you have said. And he said, swear to me. And he swore to him. Then Israel bowed himself upon the head of his bed. After this, Joseph was told,
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 25: Job's Questioning (2025)
Behold, I will make you fruitful and multiply you, and I will make of you a company of peoples and will give this land to your descendants after you for an everlasting possession. And now your two sons, who were born to you in the land of Egypt before I came to you in Egypt, are mine. Ephraim and Manasseh shall be mine, as Reuben and Simeon are.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 25: Job's Questioning (2025)
Hi, I'm Father Mike Schmitz, and you're listening to the Bible in a Year podcast, where we encounter God's voice and live life through the lens of scripture. The Bible in a Year podcast is brought to you by Ascension. Using the Great Adventure Bible timeline, we'll read all the way from Genesis to Revelation, discovering how the story of salvation unfolds and how we fit into that story today.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 25: Job's Questioning (2025)
And the offspring born to you after them shall be yours. They shall be called by the name of their brothers in their inheritance. For when I came from Paddan, Rachel, to my sorrow, died in the land of Canaan on the way, when there was still some distance to go to Ephrath. And I buried her there on the way to Ephrath, that is Bethlehem. When Israel saw Joseph's sons, he said, who are these?
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 25: Job's Questioning (2025)
Joseph said to his father, they are my sons whom God has given me here. And he said, bring them to me. I pray you that I may bless them. Now the eyes of Israel were dim with age so that he could not see. So Joseph brought them near him, and he kissed them and embraced them. And Israel said to Joseph, I had not thought to see your face. And behold, God has let me see your children also.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 25: Job's Questioning (2025)
Then Joseph removed them from his knees and bowed himself with his face to the ground. And Joseph took them both, Ephraim in his right hand toward Israel's left hand, and Manasseh in his left hand towards Israel's right hand, and brought them near him.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 25: Job's Questioning (2025)
We're going to be reading Psalm 16. If you want to know, I am reading from the Revised Standard Version, Catholic edition of the Bible. I'm also actually reading from the Great Adventure Bible from Ascension. If you're interested in getting your own Bible in a Year reading plan, you can go to ascensionpress.com slash Bible in a Year, and you can download that for free.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 25: Job's Questioning (2025)
And Israel stretched out his right hand and laid it upon the head of Ephraim, who was the younger, and his left hand upon the head of Manasseh, crossing his hands, for Manasseh was the firstborn. And he blessed Joseph and said, The God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked, the God who has led me all my life long to this day, the angel who has redeemed me from all evil, bless the lads.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 25: Job's Questioning (2025)
And in them, let my name be perpetuated in the name of my fathers, Abraham and Isaac, and let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth. When Joseph saw that his father laid his right hand upon the hand of Ephraim, it displeased him. And he took his father's hand to remove it from Ephraim's head to Manasseh's head.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 25: Job's Questioning (2025)
And Joseph said to his father, Not so, my father, for this one is the firstborn. Put your right hand upon his head. But his father refused and said, I know, my son, I know. He also shall become a people, and he also shall be great. Nevertheless, his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his descendants shall become a multitude of nations.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 25: Job's Questioning (2025)
So he blessed them that day, saying, By you Israel will pronounce blessings, saying, God make you as Ephraim and as Manasseh. And thus he put Ephraim before Manasseh. Then Israel said to Joseph, Behold, I am about to die, but God will be with you, and will bring you again to the land of your fathers.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 25: Job's Questioning (2025)
Moreover, I have given to you, rather than to your brothers, one mountain slope, which I took from the hand of the Amorites with my sword and with my bow. The Lord questions Job Do you know when the mountain goats spring forth? Do you observe the deer bringing forth their young? Can you number the months that they fulfill?
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 25: Job's Questioning (2025)
And do you know the time when they bring forth, when they crouch, bring forth their offspring and are delivered of the young? Their young ones become strong. They grow up in the open. They go forth and do not return to them. Who has let the wild donkey go free? Who has loosed the bonds of the swift donkey? To whom I have given the step for his home and the salt land for his dwelling place.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 25: Job's Questioning (2025)
He scorns the tumult of the city. He hears not the shouts of the driver. He ranges the mountains at his pasture and he searches after every green thing. Is the wild ox willing to serve you? Will he spend the night at your crib? Can you bind him with a furrow of ropes? Or will he harrow the valleys after you? Will you depend on him because his strength is great? And will you leave to him your labor?
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 25: Job's Questioning (2025)
do you have faith in him that he will return and bring your grain to the threshing-floor the wings of the ostrich wave proudly but are they the pinions and plumage of love for she leaves her eggs to the earth and lets them be warmed on the ground forgetting that a foot may crush them and that the wild beasts may trample them she deals cruelly with her young as if they were not hers
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 25: Job's Questioning (2025)
Also, if you haven't yet, please subscribe to this podcast app. I know it's day 25, but why haven't you subscribed? It's day 25, for crying out loud. Lastly, if you want to get on our email list and get updates and be part of this community, you can text the word Catholic Bible to the number 33777. As I said, today we are reading from Genesis chapter 47 to 48, Job 39 and 40, and Psalm 16.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 25: Job's Questioning (2025)
Though her labor be in vain, yet she has no fear because God has made her forget wisdom and given her no share in understanding. When she rouses herself to flee, she laughs at the horse and his rider. Do you give the horse his might? Do you clothe his neck with strength? Do you make him leap like the locust? His majestic snorting is terrible. He paws in the valley and exults in his strength.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 25: Job's Questioning (2025)
He goes out to meet the weapons. He laughs at fear and is not dismayed. He does not turn back from the sword. Upon him rattle the quiver, the flashing spear and the javelin. With fierceness and rage he swallows the ground. He cannot stand still at the sound of the trumpet. When the trumpet sounds, he says, aha. He smells the battle from afar, the thunder of the captains and the shouting.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 25: Job's Questioning (2025)
Is it by your wisdom that the hawk soars and spreads his wings toward the south? Is it at your command that the eagle mounts up and makes his nest on high? On the rock he dwells and makes his home in the fastness of the rocky crag. From there he spies out the prey. His eyes behold it afar off. His young ones suck up blood and where the slain are, there is he.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 25: Job's Questioning (2025)
And the Lord said to Job, shall a fault finder contend with the Almighty? He who argues with God, let him answer it. Then Job answered the Lord, behold, I am of small account. What shall I answer you? Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind, Deck yourself with majesty and dignity. Clothe yourself with glory and splendor.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 25: Job's Questioning (2025)
Pour forth the overflowings of your anger and look on everyone that is proud and abase him. Look on everyone that is proud and bring him low and tread down the wicked where they stand. Hide them all in the dust together. Bind their faces in the world below. Then will I also acknowledge to you that your own right hand can give you victory. Behold, behemoth, which I made as I made you.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 25: Job's Questioning (2025)
He eats grass like an ox. Behold his strength in his loins and the power of his muscles of his belly. He makes his tail stiff like a cedar. The sinews of his thighs are knit together. His bones are tombs of bronze, his limbs like bars of iron. He is the first of the works of God. Let him who made him bring near his sword. For the mountains yield food for him, where all the wild beasts play.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 25: Job's Questioning (2025)
Under the lotus plant he lies, in the hiding place of the reeds and in the marsh. For his shade the locust trees cover him. The willows of the brook surround him. Behold, if the river is turbulent, he is not frightened. He is confident, though Jordan rushes against his mouth. Can one take him with hooks or pierce his nose with a snare?
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 25: Job's Questioning (2025)
Genesis chapter 47 and 48. So Joseph went in and told Pharaoh, My father and my brothers with their flocks and herds and all that they possess have come from the land of Canaan. They are now in the land of Goshen. And from among his brothers he took five men and presented them to Pharaoh. Pharaoh said to his brothers, What is your occupation?
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 25: Job's Questioning (2025)
The book of Psalms chapter 16, a song of trust and security in God, a mictum of David. Preserve me, God, for in you I take refuge. I say to the Lord, you are my Lord. I have no good apart from you. As for the saints in the land, they are noble, in whom is all my delight. Those who choose another God multiply their sorrows.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 25: Job's Questioning (2025)
Their libations of blood I will not pour out or take their name upon my lips. The Lord is my chosen portion and my cup. You hold my lot. I bless the Lord who gives me counsel. For you do not give me up to Sheol, or let your godly one see the pit. You show me the path of life. In your presence there is fullness of joy. In your right hand are pleasures forevermore.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 25: Job's Questioning (2025)
Father in heaven, we give you praise. We thank you for your word. We thank you for your will. We thank you for your son, Jesus Christ. Lord God, the New Testament is hidden in the Old Testament and the Old Testament is revealed in the New.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 25: Job's Questioning (2025)
All this time we're spending in the Old Covenant, in the Old Testament, in the Hebrew scriptures, we give you praise for and we thank you for because you're revealing to us that you work with us and that you want us to be your children. Help us to be your children every single day, no matter what, in rain, in sun, when we're suffering and when we are in rejoicing. Help us to always say yes to you.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 25: Job's Questioning (2025)
In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. We are getting close to the end of our time with our friend Job. And one of the things that strikes people as being somewhat difficult to understand is how Job has been, he's been essentially, he might say like unjustly, meaning like undeservedly punished.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 25: Job's Questioning (2025)
He's been brought to a place of suffering even though he did nothing to deserve it. And God even knows that, God says that. No, my servant Job is righteous. He hasn't. He hasn't done anything wicked. He has been just and righteous before God. And yet God in his mystery and his wisdom has allowed Satan to deprive Job of so many things.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 18: The Heart of Israel (2025)
Then we have the death of Isaac and the account of Esau's descendants. Why does God do this? Why does God include this whole chapter on the descendants of Esau since that wasn't exactly the line of blessing? Remember, because Israel got the blessing, so he passes it on to his 12 sons who become the 12 tribes of Israel, right? The kingdom, the nation of Israel. So why do we follow Esau's sons?
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 18: The Heart of Israel (2025)
Well, one is because what God is revealing to us in chapter 36 is he's revealing that even though Esau did not receive the blessing, Esau is a son of his father. He is the son of Isaac and he is the grandson of Abraham. And God is going to go out into the world as well and give what? Give Abraham descendants like the stars of the sky because God is faithful to his promises.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 18: The Heart of Israel (2025)
And that's what we're going to be just leaning into today. This truth that God is faithful to his promises. I know that a lot of us are in a place right now, tonight, today, whatever time of day you're listening to God's word proclaimed, where we can question that. We can wonder if God is faithful because of the brokenness around us and the brokenness inside of us. And yet.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 18: The Heart of Israel (2025)
Yet, even though there is such brokenness, we recognize that he is faithful. He is steadfast. And that's just the word I want to leave you with today. He is faithful and he is steadfast. I guess that's two words. He is faithful and he is steadfast. And we see that in this small detail of Genesis chapter 36, where God reveals the descendants of Esau.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 18: The Heart of Israel (2025)
thereby fulfilling his promise that he made to Abraham, to Isaac, and now to their descendants. My name is Father Mike Schmitz, and this is the Bible in a Year podcast. I just hope that this has been a blessing for you, these first 18 days of our journey together. It's been really remarkable for me. I've really enjoyed it.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 18: The Heart of Israel (2025)
Please pray for each other, lift each other up in prayer, because this is a community of people who are going through the Bible and allowing God's word to shape us, to form us, and to make us into new kinds of people who can see the world in a different way because of God's word working in our hearts, in our minds, and in our lives. And so please pray for each other. Pray for me.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 18: The Heart of Israel (2025)
I am praying for you. You are not alone. We're journeying together through God's word. And his word is journeying through us as we are attentive to him. His word does not return empty, but always accomplishes the mission, the plan, the purpose for which it was sent. I can't wait to join you again tomorrow as we go through this Bible in the Air podcast. So I'll see you tomorrow. God bless.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 18: The Heart of Israel (2025)
God said to Jacob, Arise, go up to Bethel and dwell there, and make there an altar to the God who appeared to you when you fled from your brother Esau. So Jacob said to his household and to all who were with him, Put away the foreign gods that are among you and purify yourselves and change your garments.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 18: The Heart of Israel (2025)
Then let us arise and go up to Bethel, that I may make there an altar to the God who answered me in the day of my distress and has been with me wherever I have gone. So they gave to Jacob all the foreign gods that they had, and the rings that were in their ears, and Jacob hid them under the oak which was near Shechem.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 18: The Heart of Israel (2025)
And as they journeyed, a terror from God fell upon the cities that were round about them, so that they did not pursue the sons of Jacob. And Jacob came to Luz, that is Bethel, which is in the land of Canaan, he and all the people who were with him, and there they built an altar.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 18: The Heart of Israel (2025)
and called the place el bethel because there god had revealed himself to him when he fled from his brother and deborah rebekah's nurse died and she was buried under an oak below bethel so that the name of it was called alan God appeared to Jacob again when he came from Paddan Aram and blessed him. And God said to him, Your name is Jacob.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 18: The Heart of Israel (2025)
No longer shall your name be called Jacob, but Israel shall be your name. So his name was called Israel. And God said to him, I am God Almighty. Be fruitful and multiply. A nation and a company of nations shall come from you and kings shall spring from you. The land which I gave to Abraham and Isaac I will give to you, and I will give the land to your descendants after you.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 18: The Heart of Israel (2025)
Then God went up from him in the place where he had spoken with him, and Jacob set up a pillar in the place where he had spoken with him, a pillar of stone, and he poured out a drink offering on it and poured oil on it. So Jacob called the name of the place where God had spoken with him, Bethel. Then they journeyed from Bethel.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 18: The Heart of Israel (2025)
This is day 18, and let's get started. Let's keep on going through Genesis, Job, and Proverbs. Today we'll be reading from Genesis chapter 35 and 36, Job chapter 25 and 26, and Proverbs chapter 3, verses 19 through 24. As always, I am reading from the Revised Standard Version, Catholic Edition, and I'm using the Great Adventure Bible from Ascension.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 18: The Heart of Israel (2025)
And when they were still some distance from Ephrath, Rachel went into labor, and she had hard labor. And when she was in her hard labor, the midwife said to her, Fear not, for now you will have another son. And as her soul was departing, for she died, she called out his name, Ben-Oni. But his father called his name Benjamin.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 18: The Heart of Israel (2025)
so rachel died and she was buried on the way to ephrath that is bethlehem and jacob set up a pillar upon her grave it is the pillar of rachel's tomb which is there to this day israel journeyed on and pitched his tent beyond the tower of eder While Israel dwelt in that land, Reuben went and lay with Bilhah, his father's concubine, and Israel heard of it. Now the sons of Jacob were twelve.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 18: The Heart of Israel (2025)
The sons of Leah, Reuben, Jacob's firstborn, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun. The sons of Rachel, Joseph, and Benjamin. The sons of Bilhah, Rachel's maid, Dan, and Naphtali. The sons of Zilpah, Leah's maid, Gad, and Asher. These were the sons of Jacob who were born to him in Paddan Aram.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 18: The Heart of Israel (2025)
And Jacob came to his father Isaac at Mamre, in Kiriath Arba, that is Hebron, where Abraham and Isaac had sojourned. Now the days of Isaac were a hundred and eighty years, and Isaac breathed his last, and he died, and was gathered to his people old and full of days, and his sons Esau and Jacob buried him. These are the descendants of Esau, that is, Edom.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 18: The Heart of Israel (2025)
Esau took his wives from the Canaanites, Adah, the son of Elan the Hittite, Aholamabah, the daughter of Anah, the son of Zibion the Hivite, and Besamath, Ishmael's daughter, the sister of Nebaoth. And Adah bore to Esau Eliphaz, Basamath bore Reol, and Aholamabah bore Jeush, Jelam, and Korah. These are the sons of Esau who were born to him in the land of Canaan.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 18: The Heart of Israel (2025)
So Esau dwelt in the hill country of Seir. Esau is Edom. These are the descendants of Esau, the father of the Edomites in the hill country of Seir. These are the names of Esau's sons. Eliphaz, the son of Adah, the wife of Esau. Reul, son of Basamath, the wife of Esau. The sons of Eliphaz were Timan, Omar, Zipho, Gatham, and Canaz. Timnah was a concubine of Eliphaz, Esau's son.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 18: The Heart of Israel (2025)
Hi, I'm Father Mike Schmitz, and you're listening to the Bible in a Year podcast, where we encounter God's voice and live life through the lens of Scripture. The Bible in a Year podcast is brought to you by Ascension. Using the Great Adventure Bible timeline, we'll read all the way from Genesis to Revelation, discovering how the story of salvation unfolds and how we fit into that story today.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 18: The Heart of Israel (2025)
She bore Amalek to Eliphaz. These are the sons of Adah, Esau's wife. These are the sons of Reul, Nahath, Zerah, Shammah, and Mizah. These are the sons of Basemat, Esau's wife. These are the sons of Aholamabah, the daughter of Anah, the son of Zibion, Esau's wife. She bore to Esau Jeush, Jelam, and Korah.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 18: The Heart of Israel (2025)
These are the chiefs of the sons of Esau, the sons of Eliphaz, the firstborn of Esau, the chiefs Teman, Omar, Zepho, Kanaz, Korah, Getam, and Amalek. These are the chiefs of Eliphaz in the land of Edom. They are the sons of Veda. These are the sons of Reuel, Esau's son. The chiefs Nahath, Zerah, Shema, and Mizah. These are the chiefs of Reuel in the land of Edom.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 18: The Heart of Israel (2025)
If you want to get your own Bible in a Year reading plan, just go to ascensionpress.com slash Bible in a Year. You can also subscribe in your podcast app and also sign up for updates. Be part of our email list by texting the two words, but connected Catholic Bible, Catholic Bible, that one word, two words combined, no spaces in between to number 33777.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 18: The Heart of Israel (2025)
They are the sons of Basamath, Esau's wife. These are the sons of Holimabah, Esau's wife, the chiefs Jeush, Jelam, and Korah. These are the chiefs born of Holimabah, the daughter of Anah, Esau's wife. These are the sons of Esau, that is Edom, and these are their chiefs. These are the sons of Seir, the Horite, the inhabitants of the land Lotan, Shabal, Zibion, Anah, Dishan, Ezer, and Dishan.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 18: The Heart of Israel (2025)
These are the chiefs of the Horites, the sons of Seir in the land of Edom. The sons of Lotan were Horai and Heman. And Lotan's sister was Timnah. These are the sons of Shabal, Alvan, Manahath, Ebal, Shiffo, and Onam. These are the sons of Zibion, Aiah and Anah. He is the Anah who found the hot springs in the wilderness as he pastured the donkeys of Zibion, his father.
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Day 18: The Heart of Israel (2025)
These are the children of Anah, Dishan and Holibamah, the daughter of Anah. These are the sons of Dishan, Hamdan, Ashban, Ithran, and Sharon. These are the sons of Ezer, Bilhan, Zaavan, and Akan. These are the sons of Dishan, Uz, and Aran. These are the chiefs of the Horites, the chiefs Lotan, Shobal, Zibion, Anah, Dishan, Ezer, and Dishan.
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Day 18: The Heart of Israel (2025)
These are their chiefs of the Horites, according to their clans in the land of Seir. These are the kings who reigned in the land of Edom, before any king reigned over the Israelites. Bilah, the son of Beor, reigned in Edom, the name of his city being Dinhabah. Bela died, and Jobab, the son of Zerah of Bozrah, reigned in his stead.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 18: The Heart of Israel (2025)
Jobab died, and Husham of the land of the Temanites reigned in his stead. Husham died, and Hadad, the son of Bedad, who defeated Midian in the country of Moab, reigned in his stead, the name of his city being Avith. Hadad died, and Samlah of Masraqah reigned in his stead. Samlah died, and Shaul of Rehoboth on the Euphrates reigned in his stead.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 18: The Heart of Israel (2025)
Shaul died, and Baal Hanan, the son of Akbor, reigned in his stead. Baal Hanan, the son of Akbor, died, and Hadar reigned in his stead, the name of his city being Pau. His wife's name was Mehetabal, the daughter of Matred, the daughter of Mehzababah. These are the names of the chiefs of Esau, according to their families and their dwelling places.
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Day 18: The Heart of Israel (2025)
By their names, the chiefs Timnah, Alvah, Jepheth, Oholimabah, Elah, Penan, Kenaz, Timan, Mibzar, Magdiel, and Iram. These are the chiefs of Edom, that is Esau, the father of Edom, according to their dwelling places in the land of their possession. Job chapter 25 and 26. Bildad speaks asking, how can man be righteous? Then Bildad the Shuhite answered, Dominion and fear are with God.
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Day 18: The Heart of Israel (2025)
He makes peace in his high heaven. Is there any number to his armies? Upon whom does his light not arise? How then can man be righteous before God? How can he who is born of woman be clean? Behold, even the moon is not bright, and the stars are not clean in his sight. How much less man who is a maggot, the son of man who is a worm? Then Job answered, How have you helped him who has no power?
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 18: The Heart of Israel (2025)
And you'll get updates and you'll get whatever kind of information you might need to follow along. Today, we are going, as I said, Genesis chapter 35 and 36. We're continuing on with the story of Jacob, now Israel, and his family. And gosh, yeah, how the family is going to unfold. They're going to continue to grow. He's got a number of sons and they are getting older.
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Day 18: The Heart of Israel (2025)
How have you saved the arm that has no strength? How have you counseled him who has no wisdom and plentifully declared sound knowledge? With whose help have you uttered words and whose spirit has come forth from you? The shades below tremble, the waters and their inhabitants. Sheol is naked before God and Abaddon has no covering.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 18: The Heart of Israel (2025)
He stretches out the north over the void and hangs the earth upon nothing. he binds up the waters in his thick clouds and the cloud is not torn under them he covers the face of the moon and spreads over it his cloud he has described a circle upon the face of the waters at the boundary between light and darkness the pillars of heaven tremble and are astounded at his rebuke
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Day 18: The Heart of Israel (2025)
By his power, he stilled the sea. By his understanding, he struck Rahab. By his wind, the heavens were made fair. His hand pierced the fleeing serpent. Behold, these are but the outskirts of his ways. And how small a whisper do we hear of him. But the thunder of his power, who can understand? Proverbs chapter three, verses 19 through 24. The Lord by wisdom founded the earth.
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Day 18: The Heart of Israel (2025)
By understanding, he established the heavens. By his knowledge, the deeps broke forth and the clouds dropped down the dew. My son, keep sound wisdom and discretion. Let them not escape from your sight and they will be life for your soul and adornment for your neck. Then you will walk on your way securely and your foot will not stumble. If you sit down, you will not be afraid.
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Day 18: The Heart of Israel (2025)
When you lie down, your sleep will be sweet. Father in heaven, we give you praise. We give you thanks for your word and we ask that you please send us your Holy Spirit so that your word remains powerful and effective in our lives, that your word penetrates not just our minds and our hearts, but penetrates our very lives and shapes the way in which we respond to your word.
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Day 18: The Heart of Israel (2025)
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. So the heart of Jacob, the heart of Israel, I mean, as he buries his wife, Rachel, we recognize that while Israel's slash Jacob's life had been marked by deception, had been marked by manipulation and cunning, and also been marked by brokenness, right? We have these three, sorry, these four women from whom came Jacob's 12 sons,
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Day 18: The Heart of Israel (2025)
we still have this birth of a new thing that God is doing, this new thing that God is continuing to do, where God once again promises to Israel, formerly Jacob, what he had promised to his father and his grandfather, that he would, through him, make of him a great generation. a great kingdom.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 18: The Heart of Israel (2025)
And that's one of the things that we get to see throughout the book of Genesis and the book of Exodus coming up and Judges and all the books in the Old Testament is how often, it's a theme that I keep pointing back to, but how often God allows, no, how often God accomplishes his will in spite of our brokenness. Sometimes I think that I expect the Bible to be a hallmark story.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 18: The Heart of Israel (2025)
The hallmark story is very, very clear. It's very predictable. It's very clean. And it starts out with maybe a little bit of some conflict, but then that conflict gets resolved and everything is kind of happily ever after. And we recognize that actual grace doesn't work that way.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 18: The Heart of Israel (2025)
and things are getting complicated. Things are always complicated. Man, yesterday, what did his sons do? His sons took vengeance upon the family of Shechem, Hamor, that whole entire family after they had agreed to make a covenant with them because Shechem had raped their sister. And so the family continues to grow. This is Genesis chapter 35 and 36.
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Day 18: The Heart of Israel (2025)
That God's working in a person's life, in a people's life, in a family's life, in a kingdom, in our lives, never works that way. There are times when God manifests himself in his power, times when God manifests himself miraculously, but there are many more times when God allows us to choose.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 18: The Heart of Israel (2025)
Although he wants us to choose good, he wants us to choose grace, he wants us to choose the best thing, he allows us to choose brokenness. He allows us to act in a way that he would not, that he actually condemns. And yet he still works with it. Because as we know, everything that we surrender to God can be used. There's nothing that God can't use when we give it to him.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 18: The Heart of Israel (2025)
And so here is Israel burying his beloved wife, Rachel, with his 12 sons now. um these 12 sons that we're going to find out more about their story in the next couple chapters next couple days leading on because we already noticed that yep joseph's born so is benjamin which is going to be interesting because um by this point in the story i think joseph and benjamin might not know each other yet
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Day 11: The Sacrifice of Isaac (2025)
Here is Isaac, the son, walking up with the wood of the sacrifice on his back of Mount Moriah, which is right outside of Jerusalem. You have Jesus, the son, walking up with the wood of the cross on his back up on Mount Moriah, right outside of Jerusalem. Calvary and Moriah are part of the same mountain range right outside of the city of Jerusalem.
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Day 11: The Sacrifice of Isaac (2025)
What you have here is this deep and profound cooperation. And this is what we cannot miss. This is why this story of Abraham and Isaac is about us. Not because God is going to ask you to sacrifice everyone and everything you love. That's not the point. The point is trust. That is the number one word. Abraham is the father in faith. Why? Because when it came down to it, he was willing to trust God.
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Day 11: The Sacrifice of Isaac (2025)
But it wasn't just him alone. It was the father and the son, Isaac, trusting each other. And this is why this is so important for us to get this into our hearts. God is not your enemy. This is what Job was wrestling with. Is God my enemy? Does God care?
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 11: The Sacrifice of Isaac (2025)
But the deep and profound expression of our faith as Christians, we realize, we know that this is true, that even the only begotten son of God, Jesus Christ, our Lord, on the night before he was to be crucified, He had said, Father, let this cup pass for me, yet not my will, but yours be done. He was able to call out to his father and say, I don't want this to happen.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 11: The Sacrifice of Isaac (2025)
And at the same time, in the same breath, he was able to say, but I trust you and I will be done. And that's what we're called to do. Man, today, gosh, you guys, we're just started. We just started this journey through the Bible and it has been a trip so far. Oh my gosh, I hope that this is a blessing to you. I know it has been a blessing to me walking with you these days.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 11: The Sacrifice of Isaac (2025)
And also I want you to know that I have been praying for you these days and please keep me in your prayers. Keep each other in your prayers. This is a large community of people who are walking through the scriptures with each other. So please keep each other with your prayers.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 11: The Sacrifice of Isaac (2025)
If you have any prayer intentions, just lift those up and know that the people who are listening with you also have prayer intentions. We struggle to trust the Lord. We struggle to walk with him. We struggle when we're in the position of our friend Job
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 11: The Sacrifice of Isaac (2025)
And we also struggle when we're being asked to cooperate and trust the father in the midst of what looks like the end, but we know cannot be the end because he is too good to let the end be simply destruction. He's too good. That's why this is not the end of the book. This is the beginning of the book.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 11: The Sacrifice of Isaac (2025)
And he said, here am I. He said, take your son, your only begotten son, Isaac, whom you love and go to the land of Moriah and offer him there as a burnt offering upon one of the mountains of which I shall tell you. So Abraham rose early in the morning, settled his donkey and took two of his young men with him and his son, Isaac.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 11: The Sacrifice of Isaac (2025)
My name is Father Mike Schmitz, and I am so honored to be able to walk with you through the scriptures. And I cannot wait to walk with you some more. I'll keep praying for you today, and we'll walk further into scripture tomorrow. God bless.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 11: The Sacrifice of Isaac (2025)
And he cut the wood for the burnt offering and arose and went to the place of which God had told him. On the third day, Abraham lifted up his eyes and saw the place afar off. Then Abraham said to his young men, stay here with the donkey. I and the lad will go yonder and worship and come again to you.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 11: The Sacrifice of Isaac (2025)
And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac, his son, and took in his hand the fire and the knife. So they went both of them together. And Isaac said to his father, Abraham, my father. And he said, here am I, my son. He said, Behold the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 11: The Sacrifice of Isaac (2025)
Abraham said, God will provide himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son. So they went both of them together. When they came to the place of which God had told him, Abraham built an altar there and laid the wood in order and bound Isaac his son and laid him on the altar upon the wood. Then Abraham put forth his hand and took the knife to slay his son.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 11: The Sacrifice of Isaac (2025)
But the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said, Abraham, Abraham. And he said, here am I. He said, do not lay your hand on the lad or do anything to him. For now I know that you fear God, seeing that you have not withheld your son, your only begotten son from me. And Abraham lifted up his eyes and looked. And behold, behind him was a ram caught in a thicket by his horns.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 11: The Sacrifice of Isaac (2025)
Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up as a burnt offering instead of his son. So Abraham called the name of that place the Lord will provide. As it is said to this day, on the mount of the Lord it shall be provided.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 11: The Sacrifice of Isaac (2025)
And the angel of the Lord called Abraham a second time from heaven and said, "'By myself I have sworn,' says the Lord, "'because you have done this, "'and have not withheld your son, your only begotten son. "'I will indeed bless you, "'and I will multiply your descendants "'as the stars of heaven "'and as the sand which is on the seashore.'
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 11: The Sacrifice of Isaac (2025)
This is day 11. So let's get started. Let's keep on moving. We're not started. We're cruising right now. Day 11. We're going to be reading from Genesis chapter 22 and 23. Very famous story, but so, so powerful and so important for us as Christians. Genesis 22 and 23. We're also going to continue our walk with our friend Job chapter 11 and 12.
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Day 11: The Sacrifice of Isaac (2025)
and your descendants shall possess the gates of their enemies. And by your descendants shall all the nations of the earth bless themselves, because you have obeyed my voice. So Abraham returned to his young men, and they arose and went together to Beersheba. And Abraham dwelt at Beersheba. Now, after these things, it was told Abraham, behold, Milcah also has born children to your brother Nahor.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 11: The Sacrifice of Isaac (2025)
Uz, the firstborn, Buz, his brother, Kemuel, the father of Aram, Kesed, Hadzo, Pildash, Jidlaf, and Bethuel. Bethuel became the father of Rebekah. These eight Milcah bore to Nahor, Abraham's brother. Moreover, his concubine, whose name was Rima, bore Teba, Gaham, Tahash, Sarah lived 127 years. These were the years of the life of Sarah. And Sarah died, that is Hebron in the land of Canaan.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 11: The Sacrifice of Isaac (2025)
And Abraham went into the mourn for Sarah and to weep for her. And Abraham rose up from before his dead and said to the Hittites, I am a stranger and a sojourner among you. Give me property among you for a burying place that I may bury my dead out of my sight. The Hittites answered Abraham, "'Hear us, my lord, you are a mighty prince among us. Bury your dead in the choicest of our sepulchres.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 11: The Sacrifice of Isaac (2025)
None of us will withhold from you this sepulchre or hinder you from burying your dead.' Abraham rose and bowed to the Hittites, the people of the land. And he said to them, "'If you are willing that I should bury my dead out of my sight, hear me, and entreat for me Ephron, the son of Zohar, that he may give me the cave of Machpelah, which he owns, which is at the end of his field.'
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 11: The Sacrifice of Isaac (2025)
For the full price, let him give it to me in your presence as a possession for a burying place. Now Ephron was sitting among the Hittites and Ephron the Hittite answered Abraham in the hearing of the Hittites of all who went in at the gate of his city. No, my Lord, hear me. I give you the field and I give you the cave that is in it. In the presence of the sons of my people, I give it to you.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 11: The Sacrifice of Isaac (2025)
Bury your dead. Then Abraham bowed down before the people of the land and he said to Ephron in the hearing of the people in the land, but if you will, hear me. I will give the price of the field. Accept it from me that I may bury my dead there. Ephron answered Abraham, my Lord, listen to me. A piece of land worth 400 shekels of silver, what is that between you and me? Bury your dead.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 11: The Sacrifice of Isaac (2025)
abraham agreed with ephron and abraham weighed out for ephron the silver which he had named in the hearing of the hittites four hundred shekels of silver according to the weights current among the merchants so in the field of ephron in machpelah which is to the east of mamre
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 11: The Sacrifice of Isaac (2025)
Hi, I'm Father Mike Schmitz, and you're listening to the Bible in a Year podcast, where we encounter God's Word and live life through the lens of Scripture. The Bible in a Year podcast is brought to you by Ascension. Using the Great Adventure Bible timeline, we'll read all the way from Genesis to Revelation, discovering how the story of salvation unfolds and how we fit into that story today.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 11: The Sacrifice of Isaac (2025)
The field with a cave, which was in it, and all the trees that were in the field throughout its whole area was made over to Abraham as a possession in the presence of the Hittites before all who went in at the gate of his city. After this, Abraham buried Sarah, his wife, in the cave of the field of Machpelah, east of Mamre, that is Hebron, in the land of Canaan.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 11: The Sacrifice of Isaac (2025)
And we'll also be reading from Proverbs chapter two, verses nine and 15. As always, I am reading from the revised standard version, Catholic edition of the Bible. I'm using the Great Adventure Bible from Ascension. And the reading plan that we're using is accessible to you. If you want, you can go to ascensionpress.com slash Bible in a year. Again, that's ascensionpress.com slash Bible in a year.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 11: The Sacrifice of Isaac (2025)
The field and the cave that is in it were made over to Abraham as a possession for a burying place by the Hittites.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 11: The Sacrifice of Isaac (2025)
Job chapter 11 and 12.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 11: The Sacrifice of Isaac (2025)
Then Zophar the Namathite answered, Should a multitude of words go unanswered, and a man full of talk be vindicated? Should your babble silence men, and when you mock shall no one shame you? For you say, my doctrine is pure and I am clean in God's eyes. But oh, that God would speak and open his lip to you and that he would tell you of the secrets of wisdom. For he is manifold in understanding.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 11: The Sacrifice of Isaac (2025)
Know then that God exacts of you less than your guilt deserves. Can you find out the deep things of God? Can you find out the limit of the Almighty? It is higher than heaven. What can you do? Deeper than Sheol. What can you know? Its measure is longer than the earth and broader than the sea. If he passes through and imprisons and calls to judgment, who can hinder him? For he knows worthless men.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 11: The Sacrifice of Isaac (2025)
When he sees iniquity, will he not consider it? But a stupid man will get understanding when a wild donkey's colt is born a man. If you set your heart aright, you will stretch out your hands towards him. If iniquity is in your hand, put it far away and let not wickedness dwell in your tents. Surely then you will lift up your face without blemish. You will be secure and will not fear.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 11: The Sacrifice of Isaac (2025)
You will forget your misery. You'll remember it is as waters that have passed away and your life will be brighter than noonday. Its darkness will be like the morning and you will have confidence because there is hope. You will be protected and take your rest in safety. You will lie down and none will make you afraid. Many will entreat your favor, but the eyes of the wicked will fail.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 11: The Sacrifice of Isaac (2025)
All way of escape will be lost to them and their hope is to breathe their last. Then Job answered, no doubt you are the people and wisdom will die with you. But I have understanding as well as you. I'm not inferior to you. Who does not know such things as these? I'm a laughingstock to my friends. I who called upon God and he answered me, a just and blameless man, am a laughingstock.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 11: The Sacrifice of Isaac (2025)
In the thought of one who is at ease, there is contempt for misfortune. It is ready for those whose feet slip. The tents of the robbers are at peace. Those who provoke God are secure, who bring their God in their hand.
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Day 11: The Sacrifice of Isaac (2025)
But ask the beasts, and they will teach you, the birds of the air, and they will tell you, or the plants of the earth, and they will teach you, and the fish of the sea will declare to you, who among all does not know that the hand of the Lord has done this? In his hand is the life of every living thing and the breath of all mankind. Does not the ear try words as the palate tastes food?
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 11: The Sacrifice of Isaac (2025)
Wisdom is with the aged and understanding in length of days. With God are wisdom and might. He has counsel and understanding. If he tears down, none can rebuild. If he shuts a man in, none can open. If he withholds the waters, they dry up. If he sends them out, they overwhelm the land. With him are strength and wisdom. The deceived and the deceiver are his.
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Day 11: The Sacrifice of Isaac (2025)
He leads counselors away stripped and judges he makes fools. He looses the bonds of kings and binds the waistcloth on their loins. He leads priests away stripped and overthrows the mighty. He deprives of speech those who are trusted and takes away the discernment of the elders. He pours contempt on princes and looses the belt of the strong.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 11: The Sacrifice of Isaac (2025)
You can also subscribe to this podcast by clicking subscribe, and you can also sign up for our email list by texting the word Catholic Bible to the number 33777. Again, that's Catholic Bible to 33777, as I said. Today, we're kicking off by looking at this and journeying with Abraham in his greatest test of his life. He's been tested so many times in his life, called by God to be faithful.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 11: The Sacrifice of Isaac (2025)
He uncovers the deeps out of darkness and brings deep darkness to light. He makes nations great and he destroys them. He enlarges nations and he leads them away. He takes away understanding from the chiefs of the people of the earth and makes them wander in a pathless waste. They grope in the darkness without light and he makes them stagger like a drunken man.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 11: The Sacrifice of Isaac (2025)
Proverbs chapter two, verses nine through 15.
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Day 11: The Sacrifice of Isaac (2025)
Then you will understand righteousness and justice and equity, every good path. For wisdom will come into your heart and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul. Discretion will watch over you.
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Day 11: The Sacrifice of Isaac (2025)
Understanding will guard you, delivering you from the way of evil, from men of perverted speech who forsake the paths of uprightness to walk in the ways of darkness, who rejoice in doing evil and delight in the perverseness of evil. Men whose paths are crooked and who are devious in their ways. Father in heaven, we glorify you and we praise your name. We thank you so much for your word.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 11: The Sacrifice of Isaac (2025)
We ask that you please enlighten our minds with your truth and enliven our hearts with your love. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Okay, wow. So, that reading from Genesis is... Pretty phenomenal. But in so many ways, we can hear this reading and like so many other readings of scripture where we might not get it on the surface.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 11: The Sacrifice of Isaac (2025)
We don't get like, what is God trying to reveal to us? We think that this is just crazy. I hope God never asks me of that. I hope God never asks me to give him the thing I love the most. Because sometimes we look at this as it's some arbitrary story. Remember this, Abraham is over well over a hundred years old at this point. So Abraham has been walking with the Lord for so, so long.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 11: The Sacrifice of Isaac (2025)
This is not God springs on Abraham, this offering of a sacrifice. In fact, at the heart of everything in this reading is the fact that we talked about this yesterday, that Abraham is the father of faith. And here is the moment where he not just demonstrates, I would say he reveals the depth of his faith. It is a profound trust in God.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 11: The Sacrifice of Isaac (2025)
Abraham is not under the impression that God is going to take away his son, Isaac, that this story will end with Isaac's destruction. How do we know this? We know this in so many ways. One is the very text itself. What happens is They have the two young men who accompany Abraham and Isaac.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 11: The Sacrifice of Isaac (2025)
And Abraham says to the two young men, we're going to go up to that mountain and we're going to both come back to you. I mean, he says it. He says, we're both coming back to you. Abraham says in the letter to the Hebrews, he knew that even if he were to sacrifice his son, that God had the power, God who has the power of life and death to bring back even from the grave, his own son.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 11: The Sacrifice of Isaac (2025)
This is Abraham's deep and profound trust. And yet we ask the question, why would God do this though? What's the whole point of this story? Because this point of the story is not, I don't think, it's just simply for Abraham and for Isaac. I think that point of the story is it sets up the context for everything about the spiritual life. That's how deep and profound this story is.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 11: The Sacrifice of Isaac (2025)
It sets up the context for virtually everything in the spiritual life. Because this is not merely a story about the father who's willing to sacrifice his son. This is the story of a father and a son team. This is so important for us. You know, art will sometimes depict this image, you know, the image of the sacrifice of Isaac or the binding of Isaac.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 11: The Sacrifice of Isaac (2025)
And it has Abraham, the old man who has bound up his son, Isaac, who is like struggling and who is like a child. And yet. This is Abraham and Isaac working together. How do we know this? Because we know that Isaac is not a child. We know he's a child compared to the hundred plus year old Abraham, but Isaac is not a child who was overpowered by his father. In fact, if anything,
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 11: The Sacrifice of Isaac (2025)
And today, we have one of the greatest tests and one of the most iconic tests that is going to echo not just in his life, but is going to echo down the generations, even to our lives today. So we begin Genesis chapter 22 and 23. After these things, God tested Abraham and said to him, Abraham.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 11: The Sacrifice of Isaac (2025)
Isaac is the one who's stronger in this story. Why? Well, they go up the mountain, they go up the hill, right? Amariah. And it says that Abraham laid the wood for the altar, the wood for the sacrifice on the back of his son. Now, if his son is like a seven-year-old kid, he could not possibly carry enough firewood that would actually be able to be a Holocaust, right?
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 11: The Sacrifice of Isaac (2025)
A burnt offering of an entire human being up the mountain. In fact, the tradition is that Isaac is in his 30s, maybe even 33 years old. Think about that for a second. Isaac is stronger than his father Abraham in this time in their lives. And so Isaac carrying up the wood demonstrates that he could overpower his father. that he submitted to his father, binding him, and he laid down willingly.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 11: The Sacrifice of Isaac (2025)
And this is, what is this teaching us? This is setting the stage for the eternal father with his only beloved, only begotten son, whom he loves. and that sacrifice of the Son and of the Father on Calvary. This is unmistakably a preparation for Christ's sacrifice. I mean, even think, what do the words say? Take your only Son, your only begotten Son, whom you love.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 11: The Sacrifice of Isaac (2025)
was John 3, verse 16 say, for God so loved the world that he gave his only beloved son. This story of Abraham and Isaac is not just about Abraham and Isaac. It is a revelation of how the father in heaven and the son of God to cooperate with each other in bringing about salvation. This deep and profound trust all the way to the point of death.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 32: Cattle, Boils, and Hail (2025)
Maybe in his presence, I harden my heart, or maybe even in his silence, I harden my heart. The challenge is to never let our hearts become hardened to the Lord. The challenge would be that I'd always have a heart that is soft when it comes to the Lord's presence and his power and his will for my life. That's why we need each other. We need prayers with each other.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 32: Cattle, Boils, and Hail (2025)
We need to be able to lift each other up because of the fact that this is difficult. In fact, without God's action of grace, it is impossible. So let's pray for each other as we continue. Now we're fully into the second month of a journey through the Bible, this Bible in a year podcast. My name is Father Mike. So let's keep praying for each other. I am praying for you. Please pray for me.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 32: Cattle, Boils, and Hail (2025)
And I cannot wait to see you tomorrow. God bless.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 32: Cattle, Boils, and Hail (2025)
And Pharaoh sent and behold, not one of the cattle of the Israelites was dead. But the heart of Pharaoh was hardened and he did not let the people go. And the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, take handfuls of ashes from the kiln. And it says, And the magicians could not stand before Moses because of the boils, for the boils were upon the magicians and upon all the Egyptians.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 32: Cattle, Boils, and Hail (2025)
But the Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh, and he did not listen to them, as the Lord had spoken to Moses. Then the Lord said to Moses, rise up early in the morning and stand before Pharaoh and say to him, thus says the Lord, the God of the Hebrews, let my people go that they may serve me.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 32: Cattle, Boils, and Hail (2025)
For this time, I will send all my plagues upon your heart and upon your servants and your people that you may know that there is none like me in all the earth. For by now I could have put forth my hand and struck you and your people with pestilence and you would have been cut off from the earth. But for this purpose, have I let you live to show you my power.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 32: Cattle, Boils, and Hail (2025)
so that my name may be declared throughout all the earth. You are still exalting yourself against my people and will not let them go. Behold, tomorrow about this time I will cause very heavy hail to fall, such as never has been in Egypt from the day it was founded until now.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 32: Cattle, Boils, and Hail (2025)
Now therefore, send, get your cattle and all that you have in the field into safe shelter for the hail shall come down upon every man and beast that is in the field and is not brought home and they shall die. Then he who feared the word of the Lord among the servants of Pharaoh made his slaves and his cattle flee into the houses.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 32: Cattle, Boils, and Hail (2025)
and how we fit into that story today. This is day 32. Let's keep on rolling through this. Day 32, we're going to be reading from Exodus chapter 9, from Leviticus chapter 7, easy for me to say, Leviticus chapter 7, and Psalm 49. As always, I am reading from the Revised Standard Version, the Catholic edition. In fact, I'm using the Great Adventure Bible from Ascension.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 32: Cattle, Boils, and Hail (2025)
But he who did not regard the word of the Lord left his slaves and his cattle in the field. And the Lord said to Moses, Stretch forth your hand toward heaven, that there may be hail in all the land of Egypt, upon man and beast in every plant of the field throughout the land of Egypt.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 32: Cattle, Boils, and Hail (2025)
Then Moses stretched forth his rod toward heaven, and the Lord sent thunder and hail, and fire ran down to the earth. And the Lord rained hail upon the land of Egypt. There was hail and fire flashing continually in the midst of the hail, very much hail, such as has never been in all the land of Egypt since it became a nation.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 32: Cattle, Boils, and Hail (2025)
The hail struck down everything that was in the field throughout all the land of Egypt, both man and beast. And the hail struck down every plant of the field and shattered every tree of the field. Only in the land of Goshen, where the sons of Israel were, there was no hail. Then Pharaoh sent and called Moses and Aaron and said to them, I have sinned this time.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 32: Cattle, Boils, and Hail (2025)
The Lord is in the right and I and my people are in the wrong. Entreat the Lord, for there has been enough of this thunder and hail. I will let you go and you shall stay no longer. Moses said to him, As soon as I have gone out of the city, I will stretch out my hands to the Lord. The thunder will cease, and there will be no more hail, that you may know that the earth is the Lord's.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 32: Cattle, Boils, and Hail (2025)
But as for you and your servants, I know that you do not yet fear the Lord God. The flax and the barley were ruined, for the barley was in the ear, and the flax was in the bud. But the wheat and the spelt were not ruined, for they are late in coming up.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 32: Cattle, Boils, and Hail (2025)
So Moses went out of the city from Pharaoh and stretched out his hands to the Lord and the thunder and the hail ceased and the rain no longer poured upon the earth. But when Pharaoh saw that the rain and the hail and the thunder had ceased, he sinned yet again and hardened his heart, he and his servants.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 32: Cattle, Boils, and Hail (2025)
So the heart of Pharaoh was hardened and he did not let the sons of Israel go as the Lord had spoken through Moses.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 32: Cattle, Boils, and Hail (2025)
This is the law of the guilt offering. It is most holy.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 32: Cattle, Boils, and Hail (2025)
In the place where they kill the burnt offering, they shall kill the guilt offering, and its blood shall be thrown on the altar round about, and all its fat shall be offered, the fat tail, the fat that covers the entrails, the two kidneys with the fat that is on them at the loins, and the appendage of the liver, which he shall take away with the kidneys.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 32: Cattle, Boils, and Hail (2025)
The priest shall burn them on the altar as an offering by fire to the Lord. It is a guilt offering. Every male among the priests may eat of it. It shall be eaten in a holy place. It is most holy. The guilt offering is like the sin offering. There is one law for them. The priest who makes atonement with it shall have it.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 32: Cattle, Boils, and Hail (2025)
And the priest who offers any man's burnt offering shall have for himself the skin of the burnt offering which he has offered. And every cereal offering baked in the oven and all that is prepared on a pan or a griddle shall belong to the priest who offers it. And every cereal offering mixed with oil or dry shall be for all the sons of Aaron, one as well as another.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 32: Cattle, Boils, and Hail (2025)
Hi, my name is Father Mike Schmitz, and you're listening to the Bible in a Year podcast, where we encounter God's voice and live life through the lens of Scripture. The Bible in a Year podcast is brought to you by Ascension. Using the Great Adventure Bible Timeline, we'll read all the way from Genesis to Revelation, discovering how the story of salvation unfolds,
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 32: Cattle, Boils, and Hail (2025)
If you want to have your own Bible reading plan, you can download that for free from ascensionpress.com slash ascension. Bible in a Year. So ascensionpress.com slash Bible in a Year. Today, as I said, we're going through Exodus chapter 9. We're going to continue reading more of the plagues. We have not got through all of them yet.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 32: Cattle, Boils, and Hail (2025)
And this is the law of the sacrifice of peace offerings, which one may offer to the Lord. For if he offers it for a Thanksgiving, then he shall offer it with the thank offering unleavened cakes mixed with oil, unleavened wafers spread with oil, and cakes of fine flour well mixed with oil.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 32: Cattle, Boils, and Hail (2025)
With the sacrifice of his peace offerings for Thanksgiving, he shall bring his offering with cakes of leavened bread. And of such, he shall offer one cake from each offering as an offering to the Lord. It shall belong to the priest who throws the blood of the peace offerings, and the flesh of the sacrifice of his peace offerings for thanksgiving shall be eaten on the day of his offering.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 32: Cattle, Boils, and Hail (2025)
He shall not leave any of it until the morning. But if the sacrifice of his offering is a votive offering or a freewill offering, it shall be eaten on the day that he offers his sacrifice, and the next day what remains of it shall be eaten." But what remains of the flesh of the sacrifice on the third day shall be burned with fire.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 32: Cattle, Boils, and Hail (2025)
If any of the flesh of the sacrifice of his peace offerings is eaten on the third day, he who offers it shall not be accepted, neither shall it be credited to him. It shall be an abomination, and he who eats of it shall bear his iniquity. Flesh that touches any unclean thing shall not be eaten. It shall be burned with fire.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 32: Cattle, Boils, and Hail (2025)
All who are clean may eat flesh, but the person who eats of the flesh of the sacrifice of the Lord's peace offerings, while an uncleanness is on him, that person shall be cut off from his people.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 32: Cattle, Boils, and Hail (2025)
And if anyone touches an unclean thing, whether the uncleanness of man or an unclean beast or an unclean abomination, and then eats of the flesh of the sacrifice of the Lord's peace offerings, that person shall be cut off from his people. The Lord said to Moses, Say to the people of Israel, You shall eat no fat of ox or sheep or goat.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 32: Cattle, Boils, and Hail (2025)
The fat of an animal that dies of itself and the fat of one that is torn to beasts may be put to any other use, but on no account shall you eat it. For every person who eats of the fat of an animal, of which an offering by fire is made to the Lord, shall be cut off from his people. Moreover, you shall eat no blood whatever, whether of fowl or of animal, in any of your dwellings.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 32: Cattle, Boils, and Hail (2025)
Whoever eats any blood, that person shall be cut off from his people." The Lord said to Moses, Say to the sons of Israel, He that offers the sacrifice of his peace offerings to the Lord shall bring his offering to the Lord. From his sacrifice of his peace offerings, he shall bring with his own hands the offerings by fire to the Lord.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 32: Cattle, Boils, and Hail (2025)
He shall bring the fat with the breast, that the breast may be waved as a wave offering before the Lord. The priest shall burn the fat on the altar, but the breast shall be for Aaron and his sons. And the right thigh you shall give to the priest as an offering from the sacrifice of your peace offerings.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 32: Cattle, Boils, and Hail (2025)
He among the sons of Aaron who offers the blood of the peace offerings and the fat shall have the right thigh for a portion. For the breast that is waved and the thigh that is offered, I have taken from the sons of Israel out of the sacrifices of their peace offerings and have given them to Aaron the priest and to his sons as a perpetual debt from the sons of Israel.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 32: Cattle, Boils, and Hail (2025)
We're kind of right smack dab in the middle of them with Exodus chapter 9.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 32: Cattle, Boils, and Hail (2025)
This is the portion of Aaron and of his sons from the offerings made by fire to the Lord consecrated to them on the day that they were presented to serve as priests of the Lord. The Lord commanded this to be given them by the sons of Israel on the day that they were anointed. It is a perpetual debt throughout their generations.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 32: Cattle, Boils, and Hail (2025)
This is the law of the burnt offering, of the serial offering, of the sin offering, of the guilt offering, of the consecration, and of the peace offerings, which the Lord commanded Moses on Mount Sinai on the day that he commanded the sons of Israel to bring their offerings to the Lord in the wilderness of Sinai.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 32: Cattle, Boils, and Hail (2025)
Psalm 49 The Folly of Trust in Riches To the Choir Master A Psalm of the Sons of Korah Hear this, all peoples. Give ear, all inhabitants of the world, both low and high, rich and poor together. My mouth shall speak wisdom. The meditation of my heart shall be understanding. I will incline my ear to a proverb. I will solve my riddle to the music of the lyre.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 32: Cattle, Boils, and Hail (2025)
Why should I fear in times of trouble, when the iniquity of my persecutors surrounds me, men who trust in their wealth and boast in the abundance of their riches? Truly, no man can ransom himself or give to God the price of his life, for the ransom of his life is costly and can never suffice, that he should continue to live on forever and never see the pit.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 32: Cattle, Boils, and Hail (2025)
Yes, he shall see that even the wise die. The fool and the stupid alike must perish and leave their wealth to others. Their graves are their homes forever, their dwelling places to all generations, though they named lands for their own. Man cannot abide in this pomp. He is like the beasts that perish.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 32: Cattle, Boils, and Hail (2025)
This is the fate of those who have foolish confidence, the end of those who are pleased with their portion. Like sheep, they are appointed for Sheol. Death shall be their shepherd. Straight to the grave they descend, and their form shall waste away. Sheol shall be their home. But God will ransom my soul from the power of Sheol, for he will receive me.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 32: Cattle, Boils, and Hail (2025)
Then the Lord said to Moses, Go into Pharaoh and say to him, Thus says the Lord, the God of the Hebrews, Let my people go, that they may serve me. For if you refuse to let them go and still hold them, behold, the hand of the Lord will fall with a very severe plague upon your cattle, which are in your field, the horses, the donkeys, the camels, the herds, and the flocks.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 32: Cattle, Boils, and Hail (2025)
Be not afraid when one becomes rich, when the glory of his house increases, for when he dies, he will carry nothing away. His glory will not go down after him. Though while he lives, he counts himself happy, as though a man gets praised when he does well for himself, he will go to the generations of his father, who will never more see the light. Man cannot abide in his pomp.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 32: Cattle, Boils, and Hail (2025)
He is like the beasts that perish. Father in heaven, we give you praise and we thank you for your word. We thank you for speaking to us today and for sharing your heart with us.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 32: Cattle, Boils, and Hail (2025)
We continue to thank you for your willingness to fight, your willingness to wrestle, not just against us, Lord, and not just with us, but to wrestle for us, to enter into our lives with your grace, with your goodness, and with your power. Lord, we ask that you please conquer us by your love, conquer us by your grace. Help us to surrender and to submit our minds and our hearts, our entire lives to
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 32: Cattle, Boils, and Hail (2025)
to your reign. You are the king. You are the God of everything. And we give you praise in Jesus' name, in the name of the Father, Son, Holy Spirit. Amen. So one of the questions that comes up a lot when we read the book of Exodus and we get to the 10 plagues of Israel, One of the questions is, so why is God hardening Pharaoh's heart?
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 32: Cattle, Boils, and Hail (2025)
What does it mean that it says that God hardens Pharaoh's heart? Because there's two different expressions that are used. There's times when scripture says that the Lord hardened Pharaoh's heart, and there's other times when it says Pharaoh hardened his own heart. So what does that mean? Well, one of the things that it doesn't mean is that God took away Pharaoh's free will.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 32: Cattle, Boils, and Hail (2025)
It does not mean that God overwhelmed Pharaoh, like Pharaoh was going to let the people of Israel go, but God said, nope, I want to teach a lesson or something like this. That's not what's going on here. What's going on is, I've heard it explained this way, that God is always good, right? So God is goodness itself. God is truth itself. God is life itself. God is mercy itself, right?
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 32: Cattle, Boils, and Hail (2025)
And the only thing he emits essentially are those things, truth and goodness and mercy and life and love and joy. It's kind of like the sun. So here's the sun. The sun emits light and heat. And so in the presence of the sun, in the presence of the sun's heat, wax emits Wax becomes soft in the presence of the sun, but clay hardens in the presence of the sun.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 32: Cattle, Boils, and Hail (2025)
It's in many ways about the disposition of the heart. If my heart is open to the Lord, if my heart is, even if it's slightly hard, but it is made of wax, like I've said, no, I actually want to do your will, Lord. If my heart is wax, it becomes melted in the presence of the Lord. It becomes softened in the presence of the Lord.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 32: Cattle, Boils, and Hail (2025)
But if my heart is clay, it becomes hardened in the presence of the Lord. And so here is God who's revealing himself, right? He's revealing his power to the people of Israel and to the people of Egypt. He's revealing himself to Pharaoh. And Pharaoh is getting to know that this is a God who is beyond all other gods. We'll talk about that tomorrow. He's a God who conquers other gods.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 32: Cattle, Boils, and Hail (2025)
And yet Pharaoh obstinately and stubbornly refuses to acknowledge him. God is obviously demonstrating his reality. He's obviously demonstrating his power. He's obviously demonstrating the fact that he is on the side of the people of Israel. And Pharaoh, in the sight of that, Pharaoh hardens his heart.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 32: Cattle, Boils, and Hail (2025)
But the Lord will make a distinction between the cattle of Israel and the cattle of Egypt, so that nothing shall die of all that belongs to the sons of Israel. And the Lord set a time, saying, Tomorrow the Lord will do this thing in the land. And the next day the Lord did this thing. All the cattle of the Egyptians died. But of the cattle of the sons of Israel, not one died.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 32: Cattle, Boils, and Hail (2025)
And in the sight of that, in presence of that, Pharaoh allows his heart to become hardened by God's presence and by God's power and by God's goodness fighting for his own people. And that's the question we have to ask. See, it's easy if we say, well, God hardened Pharaoh's heart and we think of it in the terms we probably would think of it on the face.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 32: Cattle, Boils, and Hail (2025)
But when we realize that, no, God never overwhelms someone's free will. He always works with our free will in a mystery of grace. I don't know how that works, but it works. But God always retains our free will and he works with it. Then we have to realize, oh, does this happen in my life where I...
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 32: Cattle, Boils, and Hail (2025)
I find my heart becoming hardened in God's presence, that God has revealed himself to me at other times. But right now, when maybe I don't get the blessing that I'm looking for right now, when I'm going through dark times right now, when I'm struggling, maybe that's when I begin to harden my own heart to the Lord.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
BONUS: How to Hear God's Voice in Scripture
And there's just this playfulness there. with among the saints, because they got so used to, I'm firmly ensconced in the teachings of the church. I'm not going to step out of the teachings of the church. That means this whole scripture is a playground. Again, I say that in the best possible way. It's a playground because I am, there are clear boundaries.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
BONUS: How to Hear God's Voice in Scripture
I'm not going to step outside of them by interpreting it on my own. Okay. So number one, know what you're reading. Number two, these principles of interpretation. Number three, the senses of scripture. We have two more to go. One is this. Read like the Bible has something to teach you. Here's what I mean. So often, there are people who will read the Bible with skepticism or criticism.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
BONUS: How to Hear God's Voice in Scripture
They read the Bible not only with questions, because questions are great, but we read the Bible with these questions of, like, I'm standing over the Bible rather than humbling myself in front of the Bible. And when I read the Bible like it has something to teach me, that means I'm reading the Bible, the words of God in the words of men,
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
BONUS: How to Hear God's Voice in Scripture
with trust and if there's a better a better way to like short circuit and your ability to understand scripture short circuit your ability to even get anything out of scripture it's to read the bible with a spirit of skepticism or spiritual criticism to read the bible as like someone who's trying to prove it wrong um there are so many things in the bible that we will not understand automatically
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
BONUS: How to Hear God's Voice in Scripture
not just because we're limited or not just because God's ways are beyond our ways. That's true. But like I said at the beginning, one of the reasons why we don't understand so much of scripture is because this was written at a different time in a different culture from ours.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
BONUS: How to Hear God's Voice in Scripture
And so one of the things we need to do is read like it has something to teach us, to put aside skepticism, to put aside criticism, to keep our questions, but our questions get to be based off of a God, you're revealing yourself to me. I trust you even when I don't understand because I know that there is an answer to this. There is an answer to the question I have about what I just read.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
BONUS: How to Hear God's Voice in Scripture
And so that's when I'm gonna invite you to read like the Bible has something to teach you. And lastly, lastly, Last tip to hear God's voice in scripture is keep on going.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
BONUS: How to Hear God's Voice in Scripture
When you run up against something that's difficult, when you run up something against something that is confusing, when you run up against like, oh my gosh, I'm getting bogged down in, people will often use like the names, like you're getting bogged down in the names and getting bogged down in the details.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
BONUS: How to Hear God's Voice in Scripture
I'm going through Leviticus and I don't know, you seem like you repeated yourself 12 times in the last 12 minutes. keep on going. It's one of the reasons why I like audiobooks so much. One of the reasons why we're doing this podcast is because I know for myself, if I'm reading something and I'm not entirely getting every single word, I'm kind of like a little bit lost.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
BONUS: How to Hear God's Voice in Scripture
we follow the narratives but also there's some books that are legal they're from the legal book like leviticus there are stories that are retelling the same story like for example genesis chapter one and genesis chapter two tell the same story but in two different perspectives we also have things like um exodus and then uh numbers that will tell a lot of the same stories
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
BONUS: How to Hear God's Voice in Scripture
If I just keep on reading, it usually resolves itself. And same thing, that's again, I just keep on listening and it usually resolves itself. It's one of those where like, oh, Now that makes sense because I went to the next paragraph, went to the next section, and it brings clarity.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
BONUS: How to Hear God's Voice in Scripture
So keep on going when you run up against something that causes you a question, causes you problems, or even just something like I don't even get what they were saying right there. Keep on moving. Keep on moving forward because I guarantee you that when you keep moving forward like this, like that, those questions get resolved. The questions are good, right? Your questions are good.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
BONUS: How to Hear God's Voice in Scripture
It's great to have an inquisitive mind. But one of the things we want to do is not let that, those questions get in the way. We want to let those questions be fuel for moving forward. but not let them be the reason why we stopped. So number one, raise to hear God's voice by reading scripture. Know what you're reading. Pay attention to the genre.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
BONUS: How to Hear God's Voice in Scripture
Know that it's the words of God and the words of men. To be familiar with the four principles of interpretation. Be familiar with the senses of scripture. To read like the Bible has something to teach you without skepticism, without criticism, and to keep on going. As I said, my name is Father Mike. We are going to be doing this podcast, this Bible in a Year podcast. It is going to be so good.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
BONUS: How to Hear God's Voice in Scripture
I cannot wait. I cannot wait to take this journey with you. Or if you've already started on this journey, I cannot wait to continue this journey with you. We're going to keep praying for each other, praying with each other. And no, I am praying for you. Please pray for me. My name is Father Mike. God bless.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
BONUS: How to Hear God's Voice in Scripture
So sometimes we have that happening when we're reading the Bible. We have to understand, okay, that's that. Also, there's things like Proverbs, which are wise sayings that belong to the wisdom books or Psalms, same kind of thing that belongs to the wisdom books. And it has like these collection of prayers. Then we have the gospels. And not only do we have the gospels that are,
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BONUS: How to Hear God's Voice in Scripture
like basically a history, but kind of like a biography, but kind of not like a biography of Jesus, a unique kind of biography. But even in the gospels, there are genres like parables where Jesus tells a parable, which is not meant necessarily to be taken literally or not necessarily meant to be taken as, how would you say it, universally applicable.
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BONUS: How to Hear God's Voice in Scripture
What are the ways in which any person can actually pick up the Bible and not just get the story, not just understand the stories, but really hear God's voice, like really know what it is we're listening to, who it is that we're listening to. Because the Bible is not only a document, the Bible is a living, a living thing. And it's God's living voice continuing to speak to us now. Here's some tips.
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BONUS: How to Hear God's Voice in Scripture
We've talked about this before in other contexts, but here's the story of like the 10 virgins, five wise virgins and five foolish virgins. And And in that scripture, what happens? They all fall asleep. And when the bridegroom is there, they wake up and the foolish ones have not enough oil in their lamps. And so they ask the wise ones, give us some of your oil.
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BONUS: How to Hear God's Voice in Scripture
And the wise ones say, no, get your own oil. And if that were to be a universally applicable kind of a parable, you'd say, well, I guess we aren't supposed to share. But that's not what that parable is about.
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BONUS: How to Hear God's Voice in Scripture
Hi, my name is Father Mike Schmitz, and you're listening to the Bible in a Year podcast, where we encounter God's voice and live life through the lens of Scripture. This is not a day in which we are going to be reading from Scripture, but it's a day we're going to be talking about Scripture. In fact, we're going to be looking at how do I hear God's voice in Scripture?
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BONUS: How to Hear God's Voice in Scripture
so we have a lot of different genres one of the first tips to hearing god's voice is know what you're reading pay attention to the genre um another thing to be able to do is recognize that when we're reading the bible we are reading the word of god expressed in the words of human beings this is very very important for us the catechism reveals this to us that um throughout all the words of sacred scripture god speaks only one single word his one utterance in whom he expresses himself completely that's a quote from script from a
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
BONUS: How to Hear God's Voice in Scripture
the Catechism, paragraph 102. But right before that, right before that, we have Catechism 101, because that's how numbers work. And it says that in order to reveal himself to men in the condescension of his goodness, God speaks to them in human words. So in order to reveal himself, he can condescends to us and he speaks to us in human words.
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BONUS: How to Hear God's Voice in Scripture
In fact, the quote is indeed the words of God expressed in the words of men are in every way like human language, just as the word of the eternal father, when he took on himself, the flesh of human weakness became like men. One of the, one of the things that means is that, um,
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BONUS: How to Hear God's Voice in Scripture
The Lord God used the human authors of sacred scripture as true authors, making use of their time, their place, making use of their minds and their ways of seeing things in order to communicate the truth that he wanted to communicate. And so one of the things we have to understand is when it comes to
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BONUS: How to Hear God's Voice in Scripture
listening to the word of God or reading the word of God is that this is going to be the word of God, God's words, um, through the words of human beings. And we, when we realize that we can understand how we're going to continue to read, which means, um, the interpretation of scripture. How do we enter this number two to have a grasp on interpreting scripture, um,
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
BONUS: How to Hear God's Voice in Scripture
So the Catechism, again, so good, gives us the fact that the Holy Spirit is the interpreter of Scripture. But there are four kind of ways in which to interpret Scripture correctly, we have to be attentive to these four things. Number one. we have to be attentive to the sacred author's intention.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
BONUS: How to Hear God's Voice in Scripture
We have to be attentive to the sacred author's intention, which means we must take into account the conditions of the time, culture, literary genres and use, modes of feeling or speaking, narrating that was current then. So one of the, one of the realities is if you were to visit another culture, another country, or, you know, another language, he visited a language.
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BONUS: How to Hear God's Voice in Scripture
If you were to do that, one of the things we would need to do is we would need to take into account like, okay, we are in different contexts. I remember I lived for one summer down in a Caribbean Island known as St. Vincent and the Grenadines. And it was great. It was hard.
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BONUS: How to Hear God's Voice in Scripture
It was hard down there because for many reasons, but one of the reasons I did not realize right away is because, well, they all spoke English at St. Vincent and the Grenadines. That was the national language. And so I just kind of assumed that, well, we understand each other because we're all speaking English. I'm a native English speaker. You're a native English speaker.
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BONUS: How to Hear God's Voice in Scripture
And so we know what we're saying to each other. I did not realize though that It actually took me until I got back to the United States and someone was expressing, they were conveying their experience. They spent the summer in France, living with a religious community in France, another seminarian.
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BONUS: How to Hear God's Voice in Scripture
And he said, yeah, you know, something about living in another culture that strips you of your personality. Something about, he said, something about speaking another language that strips you of your personality because you miss out on all the jokes. You miss on the subtle, you know, kind of references.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
BONUS: How to Hear God's Voice in Scripture
And I thought, oh my gosh, that is exactly what happened to me because here I thought we were all speaking English. We were, but...
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
BONUS: How to Hear God's Voice in Scripture
We read five little tips, five tips on how to hear God's voice. And I want to start out with the first one. The first one is know what you're reading. What I mean by know what you're reading is a couple of things. First thing is know that the Bible is not necessarily, sometimes we approach the Bible like it's a magic eight ball, right?
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BONUS: How to Hear God's Voice in Scripture
all the things that i guess the references that would make me kind of funny um or the references that i would get their humor i didn't we were different cultures and so i was regularly told almost every day when i was down in saint vincent you're so dumb um it was but it was by teenagers so you give them a break but they're like you're so dumb like what i guess i mean i get it but why
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BONUS: How to Hear God's Voice in Scripture
And the reason why is because I didn't get their jokes. And I probably came across as kind of being really boring because I didn't make a lot of jokes because we had a different cultural context. Okay, how does this apply right now?
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
BONUS: How to Hear God's Voice in Scripture
It applies right now because we have to discover the sacred author's intention, which means that we have to do some scripture study or some study of the culture and study of like, okay, here's what it means to me right now to read these words. but what did Matthew actually mean when he wrote these words?
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
BONUS: How to Hear God's Voice in Scripture
Or this is what it means to me as a 21st century American, but what did this mean to Moses as he wrote the first books of Moses like 4,000 years ago? So it's important to understand, number one, to try to discover the sacred author's intention. Number two, and when it comes to interpreting scripture, we need to, Goya Catechism says, to be especially attentive to the content and unity of scripture.
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BONUS: How to Hear God's Voice in Scripture
What that means is There are 73 books, they're all different. They're all different genres, but they will not contradict each other, but they rather inform each other. And so if in one portion of the Bible, it seems like, wow, God is really unjust. For example, one of the first books we're gonna look at in this Bible In A Year podcast is the book of Job.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
BONUS: How to Hear God's Voice in Scripture
And you can look at this and say, wow, did God just like visit all this destruction upon Job for no reason? Is God evil? Is God cruel? And because there's not really an answer to that question, in the book of Job. But there is an answer to that question in the rest of the Bible where God is like, absolutely not. I am not cruel. I am not vindictive.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
BONUS: How to Hear God's Voice in Scripture
I do not visit punishment needlessly upon anybody. He is a God of justice and goodness and love and life. And that's all he gives or the things that lead to justice and goodness and love and life. We only know that if we look at the scripture as a whole.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
BONUS: How to Hear God's Voice in Scripture
Again, even though there are 73 different books by many, many different authors, we read every text in context and in light of the rest of the Bible. Number three. So number one, sacred author's intention. Number two,
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
BONUS: How to Hear God's Voice in Scripture
uh especially attentive to the content unity of scripture number three we read scripture within the living tradition of the whole church which means to say that we um pay attention to what the uh the church has said about certain topics certain scriptures um we are attentive to the fact that not only is there sacred scripture there's also sacred tradition
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
BONUS: How to Hear God's Voice in Scripture
Kind of like just look for an answer or we approach the Bible like it's a book of inspiring quotes. So we just look for inspiration. We look for like some up being uplifted and then we read some stories and that we're going to get into the stories as we go through this Bible in a Year plan. And you're like, wait, that was not inspirational.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
BONUS: How to Hear God's Voice in Scripture
Part of God's revelation is the written word, but part of God's revelation is also the sacred tradition that he has handed on from the apostles through the bishops and through the teaching office of the church and the magisterium. We recognize that divine revelation is not limited to sacred scripture, but is expanded into sacred tradition and in the magisterium of the church.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
BONUS: How to Hear God's Voice in Scripture
And so we read scripture within the living tradition of the whole church. Number four. We are especially attentive to the analogy of faith. What's that mean? Analogy of faith, the catechism says, it means the coherence of truths of faith among themselves and within the whole plan of revelation. So if you're reading something and you're interpreting it, that goes against any truths of the faith.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
BONUS: How to Hear God's Voice in Scripture
It goes against the whole plan of revelation. That goes against what many saints have said. It goes against the church. We realize, okay, I have not been attentive to the analogy of faith. Okay, those are the first two tips to being able to hear God's voice. Number one, know what you're reading. Pay attention to the genre. These are the words of God and the words of men.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
BONUS: How to Hear God's Voice in Scripture
Number two is knowing what the interpretive principles are, like discovering the author's original intention. It's not, it doesn't mean what I think it means. It means what the author originally intended and the other things as well. Number three, it's so important to understand that there are different ways to read scripture. There's different what you call senses of scripture.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
BONUS: How to Hear God's Voice in Scripture
So once again, we're turning to the catechism to find out what are the different senses of scripture. In fact, there are two, the literal and the spiritual. It makes so much sense because we said, what is the original intention of the author? Okay, what is the literal interpretation of the text? So the literal sense is the basis. It's basically every other kind of interpretation of scripture.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
BONUS: How to Hear God's Voice in Scripture
Every other sense of scripture is based off of the literal. Like, what does it actually mean? That is the number one principle when it comes to interpreting scripture. Looking at the literal sense, what is this saying? For example...
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BONUS: How to Hear God's Voice in Scripture
If the Bible says something along the lines of David entered the city of Jerusalem, leaping and dancing before the ark, the literal interpretation of that is David entered the city of Jerusalem, leaping and dancing before the ark. That's like the literal sense. That is the number one thing, the first thing, the basis for the other senses. So we pay attention to that one first.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
BONUS: How to Hear God's Voice in Scripture
Everything builds off of the literal because the spiritual sense is divided into three different categories, right? So the spiritual sense has the allegorical, the moral and the anagogical. I know all these words. You're like, what the heck father? Why are you telling me all this?
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BONUS: How to Hear God's Voice in Scripture
And that does not provide me with a lot of direction for my life. So you need to know what you're reading. What I mean by that is we need to know that there are many genres. There are 73 books in the Old Testament and New Testament, 73 books in the canon of Scripture. And they are a mix of literary genres. And so I need to approach them like, okay, this is not all inspiration.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
BONUS: How to Hear God's Voice in Scripture
Well, I'm telling you this because there are many times when scripture in the literal sense is like, wow, I don't get that really. And I don't, I don't, I'm not necessarily able to apply it to my life right now. But there is these spiritual senses that unpack scripture in a way and apply scripture in a way that we can benefit from.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
BONUS: How to Hear God's Voice in Scripture
So number one, in the spiritual sense, this allegorical sense, what's that mean? It means that there are types throughout scripture. So the example that the catechism uses is we understand the allegory or the type of the Red Sea, the journey through the people of Israel through the Red Sea. It's a type of Christ's victory. It's also a type of Christian baptism. What do I mean?
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BONUS: How to Hear God's Voice in Scripture
Well, you have the people of Israel who are on one side of the Red Sea and they on that side of the Red Sea are certain slaves and certain face certain death. And then they pass through the waters of the Red Sea. And what does God give them by passing them through the waters of the sea? He gives them freedom and he gives them life. And this is what God gives to us in baptism.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
BONUS: How to Hear God's Voice in Scripture
So that's the allegorical sense, you could say. Another way to say it is the first example I used, which I think was, I think Jeff Cavins had used this years ago. I don't know how long ago, but I heard it. David entering Jerusalem, leaping and dancing before the ark. The allegorical sense could be like, okay, how does this apply to maybe even something like...
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
BONUS: How to Hear God's Voice in Scripture
the allegory of here is um john the baptist leaping in elizabeth's womb before mary who is the new ark of the new covenant right so here is the child jesus in the womb of mary the virgin mary and so mary there is is like a the fulfillment of the ark of the covenant to the allegory right there and then you have john the baptist leaping for joy in front of um Our Lady and Jesus in her womb.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
BONUS: How to Hear God's Voice in Scripture
And that would be, so David is an allegory, right? And the fulfillment of that is in the New Testament in Luke's gospel chapter one. So that'd be allegorical sense. The moral sense is the events reported in scripture ought to lead us to act justly. So how can I apply this to my moral life? That makes a ton of sense. For example, David leaping and dancing before the ark.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
BONUS: How to Hear God's Voice in Scripture
He's like, okay, that's my call to worship God. My call to go before the Lord and with joy, to go before the Lord and point to him, to go before the Lord and again. be joyful in worship. So the allegorical, the moral sense in the last one, the anagogical sense, this means that we can review realities in terms of their eternal significance. So let's go back to David.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
BONUS: How to Hear God's Voice in Scripture
David leaping and dancing before the ark on his way into Jerusalem. Okay, what could that be an anagogical sense of, of like the end? What that might be would be here we're called. to, in heaven, be constantly before the presence of the Lord and united in heaven, in God's presence. We're called to give him eternal worship.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
BONUS: How to Hear God's Voice in Scripture
So these are these three spiritual senses, the allegorical, the moral, and the anagogical sense. And if we can do those things, again, we can read all sorts of different scripture That could immediately be relatively confusing with much more clarity because we not only have this, the interpretation principles, we also have these senses of scripture principles. We can apply them.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
BONUS: How to Hear God's Voice in Scripture
The great thing about having both of those back to back, the interpretation and the senses of scripture is that if you remain in the teaching of the church, right? If you remain saying like, no, I'm going to completely assent to not only sacred tradition, sorry, not only sacred scripture, but also sacred tradition and the magisterium of the church, right?
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BONUS: How to Hear God's Voice in Scripture
then you realize that, oh my gosh, you get to actually play around. And I say play around in the most cautious way of saying this. You get to rejoice in the multiple ways that scripture can be applied. If you look at the writings of the early church as well as the Middle Ages church, one of the things you find is great joy
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
BONUS: How to Hear God's Voice in Scripture
This is not all edifying. This is not all uplifting. This is not all those things that we like to think of when we hear Bible stories. The Bible, though, is a mix. Yep, some of the books are historical. Some of the books have a narrative that we follow. That's one of the things we're going to do by following the Great Adventure Bible Timeline.
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BONUS: How to Hear God's Voice in Scripture
in looking for new analogical senses or allegorical senses or anagogical senses, looking for new ways that the literal sense could be applied in these spiritual senses. And they just like, even to the point of like, they mentioned this particular kind of tree in the Psalms and that kind of tree would reference this and this and this, like it would mean something deep.
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Day 27: The Birth of Moses (2025)
They don't like have any preamble. It's just like, hey, when you come to the altar of the Lord, here's what you need to do. A couple of things that are really important about this. One is there are a couple parts of worship here, and this is going to be really important because this actually relates to our worship now in the Christian dispensation, right?
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Day 27: The Birth of Moses (2025)
In the new covenant, the new covenant is the covenant in the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. And so there is an old covenant that we're seeing unfold in Leviticus. And the first thing that happens is here is the man who brings you the father of the family. We'd be the priest of the family, right? That the, here's the man. Well, actually let's clarify.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 27: The Birth of Moses (2025)
Originally, we're going to see an Exodus that the father of the family is the priest of the family. What happens in the midst of the middle of Exodus, when the people of Israel turned to the worship, the golden calf is, is that we have this new order of priests, essentially, coming from the tribe of Levi.
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Day 27: The Birth of Moses (2025)
And so there's a certain sense where the fathers of families kinda sorta abdicate, in some ways, their priesthood. Now, that never is completely done with. It's never completely taken away.
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Day 27: The Birth of Moses (2025)
but it is mitigated and in some ways related to the tribe of levi and those priests because you see this one-two punch essentially where here is the father who brings the the burnt offering whether that be the bull the sheep the goat the bird um and there is an element where he participates by bringing his sacrifice and the animal is killed.
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Day 27: The Birth of Moses (2025)
You can get that for free by going to ascensionpress.com slash Bible in a year. Again, ascensionpress.com slash Bible in a year. Also feel free to subscribe to this podcast by just clicking subscribe. Again, we are beginning today with Egypt and the Exodus by reading Exodus chapter one and chapter two. Exodus chapter 1.
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Day 27: The Birth of Moses (2025)
And then what happens is, so when the animal is killed, that sacrifice is not completed. What happens is the animal is killed, but then the blood of the animal And we're gonna hear this later on in a second. I mean, not today, but in the upcoming weeks and days, the life is in the blood. The scripture says life is in the blood.
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Day 27: The Birth of Moses (2025)
And so as the blood is drained, the Levitical priests, what do they do? They take the blood and put it on the altar And that's a sign of like, we're offering up now. This is the moment, not just the death of the animal, but we're offering the sacrifice, the life is in the blood, the sacrifice of the animal to the Lord.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 27: The Birth of Moses (2025)
When it gets to the altar, when it's poured out on the altar, this is kind of almost the consummation of the sacrifice. And then ultimately.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 27: The Birth of Moses (2025)
in this particular kind of sacrifice in the next few days we're going to hear about different kinds of sacrifices but this is the sacrifice of burnt offering then the remains of the animal again are placed on the wood which is on fire on the altar and it's burnt up but we can see this connection here when it comes to um the mass and here is one of the pieces of connection is that when we have the presentation right when we have the behold the lamb of god
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 27: The Birth of Moses (2025)
not just then but before this when we have the in the mass the priest says this is my body and it elevates the eucharist and this is my blood and it elevates jesus in the precious blood that is like very similar to this moment of presentation in leviticus 1 where the animal is killed but when the blood is poured out on the altar is when the sacrifice is offered to the Lord.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 27: The Birth of Moses (2025)
And so that's very similar to the moment in the mass where here's the presentation, right? This is my body elevated. This is my blood elevated. That's the presentation part. But then we have the moment, the moment in the mass where the priest takes our Lord Jesus Christ and
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Day 27: The Birth of Moses (2025)
and says, through him, with him, in him, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, all glory and honor is yours, almighty Father, forever and ever. And we all say amen. That's like, in some ways, the moment where we're offering the sacrifice to the Father. This is when the blood is being poured out onto the altar for the glory of God. for the salvation of the people.
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Day 27: The Birth of Moses (2025)
And that's what the heart of the Mass is. It's the point of the Mass is for the glory of God, for the salvation of the people. And we participate in that every time we go to Mass. That's one of the reasons why we need to become familiar with this book we're reading, not only Exodus, but also Leviticus, because It is going to be so important.
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Day 27: The Birth of Moses (2025)
There are a bunch of connections with how God is asked to be worshiped in the Old Testament and how God asks to be worshiped right now in the New Dispensation, in the New Testament, in the New Covenant, where we are right now. This is so cool.
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Day 27: The Birth of Moses (2025)
And I cannot wait to be walking with you through Exodus and through the wilderness with the people of Israel, as well as walking with you through Leviticus and continuing to pray with Psalms and Proverbs in our days to come. Once again,
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Day 27: The Birth of Moses (2025)
If you're interested in getting ahead and maybe kind of seeing like where we're going to be headed for the course of the next number of days, you can download the reading plan by going to ascensionpress.com slash Bible in a year. And we're going to keep praying for each other.
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Day 27: The Birth of Moses (2025)
You guys, man, this is such a gift, such a gift to be able to be with you, such a gift to be able to walk through scripture with you. You are not walking alone. We are walking together because we're praying for each other as we let God's word wash over us and give us a new way of seeing the world. Give us a new way of seeing our Lord and give us a new way of seeing each other.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 27: The Birth of Moses (2025)
These are the names of the sons of Israel who came to Egypt with Jacob, each with his household. Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah. Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin. Dan and Naphtali. Gad and Asher. All the offspring of Jacob were 70 persons. Joseph was already in Egypt. Then Joseph died and all his brothers and all that generation. But the descendants of Israel were fruitful and increased greatly.
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Day 27: The Birth of Moses (2025)
That's why we have to keep praying for each other. I am praying for you. My name is Father Mike. I cannot wait to be with you again tomorrow. God bless.
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Day 27: The Birth of Moses (2025)
They multiplied and grew exceedingly strong so that the land was filled with them. Now there arose a new king over Egypt who did not know Joseph. And he said to his people, behold, the sons of Israel are too many and too mighty for us.
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Day 27: The Birth of Moses (2025)
come let us deal shrewdly with them lest they multiply and if war befall us that they join our enemies and fight against us and escape from the land therefore they set taskmasters over them to afflict them with heavy burdens and they built for pharaoh store cities pithom and rameses but the more they were oppressed the more they multiplied and the more they spread abroad
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Day 27: The Birth of Moses (2025)
And the Egyptians were in dread of the sons of Israel, so they made the sons of Israel serve with rigor, and made their lives bitter with hard service, in mortar and brick, and in all kinds of work in the field. In all their work they made them serve with rigor. Then the king of Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives, one of whom was named Shipra, and the other Pua,
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 27: The Birth of Moses (2025)
When you serve as midwife to the Hebrew women and see them upon the birthstool, if it is a son, you shall kill him. But if it is a daughter, she shall live. But the midwives feared God and did not do as the king of Egypt commanded them, but let the male children live. So the king of Egypt called the midwives and said to them, why have you done this and let the male children live?
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 27: The Birth of Moses (2025)
This is day 27. Let's get started. We are continuing. We've left the patriarchs. That was yesterday. That was the last, gosh, 20 days we were at the patriarchs. And now we're entering into Egypt and Exodus. And so in order to get through that story, We're beginning it with obviously Exodus chapter one and chapter two. We're also reading Leviticus chapter one and Psalm 44.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 27: The Birth of Moses (2025)
The midwives said to Pharaoh, because the Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women, for they are vigorous and are delivered before the midwife comes to them. So God dealt well with the midwives and the people multiplied and grew very strong. And because the midwives feared God, he gave them families.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 27: The Birth of Moses (2025)
Then Pharaoh commanded all his people, every son that is born to the Hebrews, you shall cast into the Nile, but you shall let every daughter live. Now a man from the house of Levi went and took to a wife, a daughter of Levi. The woman conceived and bore a son. And when she saw that he was a goodly child, she hid him three months.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 27: The Birth of Moses (2025)
And when she could hide him no longer, she took for him a basket made of bulrushes and daubed it with bitumen and pitch. And she put the child in it and placed it among the reeds at the river's bank. And his sister stood at a distance to know what would be done to him. Now the daughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe at the river, and her maidens walked beside the river.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 27: The Birth of Moses (2025)
And she saw the basket among the reeds, and sent her maid to fetch it. When she opened it, she saw the child, and behold, the baby was crying. She took pity on him and said, This is one of the Hebrews' children. Then his sister said to Pharaoh's daughter, Shall I go and call you a nurse from the Hebrew women who can nurse the child for you? And Pharaoh's daughter said to her, Go.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 27: The Birth of Moses (2025)
So the girl went and called the child's mother. And Pharaoh's daughter said to her, Take this child away and nurse him for me, and I will give you your wages. So the woman took the child and nursed him. And the child grew, and she brought him to Pharaoh's daughter, and he became her son, and she named him Moses, for she said, Because I drew him out of the water.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 27: The Birth of Moses (2025)
One day, when Moses had grown up, he went out to his people and looked on their burdens, and he saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his people. He looked this way and that, and seeing no one, he killed the Egyptian and hid him in the sand. When he went out the next day, behold, two Hebrews were struggling together, and he said to the man that did the wrong, Why do you strike your fellow?
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 27: The Birth of Moses (2025)
He answered, Who made you a prince and a judge over us? Do you mean to kill me as you killed the Egyptian? Then Moses was afraid and thought, Surely the thing is known. When Pharaoh heard of it, he sought to kill Moses. But Moses fled from Pharaoh and stayed in the land of Midian, and he sat down by a well.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 27: The Birth of Moses (2025)
Now the priest of Midian had seven daughters, and they came to draw water and filled their troughs to water their father's flock. The shepherds came and drove them away, but Moses stood up and helped them and watered their flock. When they came to their father, Reuel, he said, how is it that you have come so soon today?
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 27: The Birth of Moses (2025)
And they said, an Egyptian delivered us out of the hand of the shepherds and even drew water for us and watered the flock. He said to his daughters, and where is he? Why have you left the man? Call him that he may eat bread. And Moses was content to dwell with a man, and he gave Moses his daughter Zipporah. She bore a son, and he called his name Gershom.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 27: The Birth of Moses (2025)
For he said, I have been a sojourner in a foreign land. In the course of those many days, the king of Egypt died, and the sons of Israel groaned under their bondage and cried out for help, And their cry under bondage came up to God. And God heard their groaning. And God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. And God saw the sons of Israel.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 27: The Birth of Moses (2025)
Hi, I'm Father Mike Schmitz, and you're listening to the Bible in a Year podcast, where we encounter God's voice and live life through the lens of scripture. The Bible in a Year podcast is brought to you by Ascension. Using the Great Adventure Bible timeline, we'll read all the way from Genesis to Revelation, discovering how the story of salvation unfolds and how we fit into that story today.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 27: The Birth of Moses (2025)
And God knew their condition. The third book of Moses, commonly called Leviticus, chapter 1.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 27: The Birth of Moses (2025)
The Lord called Moses and spoke to him from the tent of meeting, saying, Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, When any man of you brings an offering to the Lord, you shall bring your offering of cattle from the herd or from the flock. If his offering is a burnt offering from the herd, he shall offer a male without blemish.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 27: The Birth of Moses (2025)
he shall offer it at the door of the tent of meeting that he may be accepted before the lord he shall lay his hand upon the head of the burnt offering and it shall be accepted for him to make atonement for him then he shall kill the bull before the lord and aaron's sons the priests shall present the blood and throw the blood round and against the altar that is at the door of the tent of meeting and he shall flay the burnt offering and cut it into pieces and the sons of aaron the priest shall put fire on the altar and they would in order upon the fire
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 27: The Birth of Moses (2025)
One of the reasons why we're reading Leviticus chapter one is because God gave that particular law, the law of Leviticus around the same time. And so the narrative story, the narrative book is in Exodus and the second reading, essentially the supplementary, not that it's any less the word of God, but the supplementary book being Leviticus chapter
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 27: The Birth of Moses (2025)
And Aaron's sons, the priest, shall lay the pieces, the head and the fat, in order upon the wood that is on the fire upon the altar, but its entrails and its legs shall be washed with water. And the priest shall burn the hole on the altar as a burnt offering, an offering by fire, a pleasing odor to the Lord.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 27: The Birth of Moses (2025)
If his gift for a burnt offering is from the flock, from the sheep or goats, he shall offer a male without blemish. And he shall kill it on the north side of the altar before the Lord. And Aaron's sons, the priests, shall throw its blood against the altar round about. And he shall cut it into pieces with its head and its fat.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 27: The Birth of Moses (2025)
And the priest shall lay them in order upon the wood that is on the fire upon the altar. But the entrails and the legs he shall wash with water. And the priest shall offer the whole and burn it on the altar. It is a burnt offering, an offering by fire, a pleasing odor to the Lord.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 27: The Birth of Moses (2025)
If his offering to the Lord is a burnt offering of birds, he shall bring his offering of turtle doves or of young pigeons. And the priest shall bring it to the altar and ring off its head and burn it on the altar. And its blood shall be drained out on the side of the altar. And he shall take away its crop with feathers and cast it beside the altar on the east side in the place for ashes.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 27: The Birth of Moses (2025)
He shall tear it by its wings, but shall not divide it asunder. And the priest shall burn it on the altar upon the wood that is on the fire. It is a burnt offering, an offering by fire, a pleasing order to the Lord. Psalm 44, national lament and a prayer for help to the choir master, a mascal of the sons of Korah.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 27: The Birth of Moses (2025)
We have heard with our ears, O God, our fathers have told us, what deeds you performed in their days, in the days of old. With your own hand you drove out the nations, but you planted them. You afflicted the peoples, but you set them free.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 27: The Birth of Moses (2025)
For not by their own sword did they win the land, nor did their own arm give them victory, but your right hand and your arm and the light of your countenance, for you delighted in them. You are my King and my God, who ordained victories for Jacob. Through you we push down our foes. Through your name we tread down our assailants. For not in my bow do I trust, nor can my sword save me.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 27: The Birth of Moses (2025)
But you have saved us from our foes, and have put to confusion those who hate us. In God we have boasted continually, and we will give thanks to your name forever. Yet you have cast us off and abased us and have not gone out with our armies. You have made us turn back from the foe and our enemies have gotten spoil.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 27: The Birth of Moses (2025)
You have made us like sheep for the slaughter and have scattered us among the nations. You have sold your people for a trifle, demanding no high price for them. You have made us the taunt of our neighbors, the derision and scorn of those about us. You have made us a byword among the nations, a laughing stock among the peoples.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 27: The Birth of Moses (2025)
All day long my disgrace is before me, and shame has covered my face at the words of the taunters and the revilers, at the sight of the enemy and the avenger. All this has come upon us, though we had not forgotten you or been false to your covenant.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 27: The Birth of Moses (2025)
to um say okay now how it is what are the what are the rules what are the laws um for living in this community that's going to be set free sorry spoiler and and worshiping in this community that's going to be set free and so that's what we're going to go into today i'm always reading from the revised standard version the catholic edition as well as using specifically the great adventure bible from ascension when you get the great adventure bible one of the things you also get is you get the bible timeline
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 27: The Birth of Moses (2025)
Our heart has not turned back, nor have our steps departed from your way, that you should have broken us in the place of jackals and covered us with deep darkness. If we had forgotten the name of our God or spread forth our hands to a strange God, would not God discover this? For he knows the secrets of the heart.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 27: The Birth of Moses (2025)
No, for your sake we are slain all the day long and accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Rouse yourself. Why do you sleep, O Lord? Awake, do not cast us off forever. Why do you hide your face? Why do you forget our affliction and oppression? For our soul is bowed down to the dust. Our body clings to the ground. Rise up, come to our help.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 27: The Birth of Moses (2025)
Deliver us for the sake of your merciful love. Father in heaven, we give you thanks.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 27: The Birth of Moses (2025)
We praise your name and give you thanks for bringing us to a new day. We give you thanks for bringing us a new day of your word where we can hear you speak to our hearts and to our minds that when we are living,
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 27: The Birth of Moses (2025)
in a place of confusion a place of darkness where it feels like for no reason you have cast us off we know that you will never abandon us because your word declares it lord your word declares that you will never abandon us even when we are in darkness and even when we walk in the midst of pain you are always there with us and so we trust in you and today we declare our faith in you in jesus name we pray amen in the name of the father and of the son and the holy spirit amen
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 27: The Birth of Moses (2025)
man oh man my friends here we are on the first day well it's the 27th day but the first day of reading the book of exodus the book of leviticus and it just begins a new chapter literally a new book in our story as we follow the people of israel and follow the people of god these are our ancestors and one of the things that reading the old testament reveals to us is how deeply invested god is in his people how deeply he loves them
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 27: The Birth of Moses (2025)
Even though, even though, gosh, here we are. We're talking the space between the end of the book of Genesis and the beginning of the book of Exodus is hundreds of years. It's not just turn the page and here we are the next week or the next month. This is roughly 300 years later, possibly 400. I need to check on that. I need my dates, my goodness.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 27: The Birth of Moses (2025)
But this is basically 1900 BC is when we pick up our story right here with the story of Moses. And what is the story? The story is here is God's people that he had rescued from a starvation, rescued from famine through Joseph and through Joseph's brother's evil actions. But then as Exodus says, a new Pharaoh came to power who did not know Joseph. And the people of Israel were blessed.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 27: The Birth of Moses (2025)
This is really interesting because we say like, oh my gosh, did God abandon the people of Israel in Egypt? Because here they are, slaves, here they are, having to serve with rigor, as our translation says. And at the same time, the word of God reveals to us, no, God did not abandon them. In fact, He blessed them. He made them exceedingly strong.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 27: The Birth of Moses (2025)
He made them exceedingly fruitful that they became a vast people, even in the midst of the people of Egypt. It's an evidence that even while they were being worked with rigor, even though they were being worked as slaves, that God was with them, just like he was with Joseph when Joseph was in prison, when Joseph was rejected.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 27: The Birth of Moses (2025)
And we know this because here is the people of Israel who are growing in their families. They're being blessed with children. And one of the things that is kind of the underscore of this whole thing is that children are a blessing. Children being one of the greatest blessings that God can give to any couple. The blessing that God can give to any family.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 27: The Birth of Moses (2025)
And today I just want to take a moment just to pray for all moms who are pregnant, as well as for all moms who have been having a difficult time with pregnancy and not been able to get pregnant. All couples who have been unable to conceive because we hear the word of God and we know, gosh, Lord, the blessing of children.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 27: The Birth of Moses (2025)
In the sense that you get all of the periods kind of broken down by color. So we've left when it came to the patriarchs, which is purple, leading right into Exodus, which is red. Egypt and Exodus, which is red for the Red Sea. Let's see how it's clever. It works that way. If you want to get your own Bible in a year reading plan,
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 27: The Birth of Moses (2025)
You are with your people, even when they are enslaved and you gave them the blessing of family. You gave them the blessing of life and
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 27: The Birth of Moses (2025)
And now I just wanna ask you, Lord God, in the name of your son, Jesus Christ, to all those couples who are listening to this and praying with us in the course of this Bible in a Year podcast, those couples that are longing to get pregnant, those couples that are longing for a healthy pregnancy, we just ask, Lord, in the name of your son, Jesus Christ, to bless these couples.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 27: The Birth of Moses (2025)
In your name, Jesus, we ask you to send your Holy Spirit to bless these couples, to be with them in their desire for children, to be with them in their waiting, to be with them God willing, if it's your will, Lord, in their conceiving and bringing to this world new life.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 27: The Birth of Moses (2025)
We also, Father, in the name of your son Jesus, ask for your blessings upon all those who have had the heartbreak of losing children, who have the heartbreak of miscarrying, have the heartbreak of having children who are stillborn. Lord God, we ask you to ease the heartache of those couples who are listening to this and praying with us who have lost their own children. Please be with them now.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 27: The Birth of Moses (2025)
Console their heart. They are our family. They are our friends. And they are known to you, God, because you do. You continue to give us blessings even when things are dark, even when things are confusing, even when we do not know where you are.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 27: The Birth of Moses (2025)
you may be hidden but you are not absent lord god you may be unseen but you are not inactive so lord god right now in this moment in the name of your son jesus console the hearts of those couples console the hearts of those families they either long for children or have lost children Yeah, Lord God, we pray. Leviticus, man, the first chapter here is on burnt offerings. We dive right into it.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Introduction to Egypt & Exodus (with Jeff Cavins) (2025)
It's there's first God establishing the relationship, right? He establishes that covenant. And now here is the law, meaning here's how you live out this relationship. And that living out is because I know your hearts and we have a law because I know your heart. I know your heart is going to want to not be like me. I know you're going to want to be like the people around you.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Introduction to Egypt & Exodus (with Jeff Cavins) (2025)
And that's so good to be able to hear that because that's our hearts too. And that's why I think I'm so glad that you pointed out that Leviticus is not just about distant rules that have nothing to do with us right now. A, they're fulfilled in so many ways in the new and eternal covenant or new and eternal sacrifice that of Jesus Christ.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Introduction to Egypt & Exodus (with Jeff Cavins) (2025)
But also because, like you said, this is a key for discipleship that God called his people. He set them out. Here's how we worship. And it's not like he just said, and I'll worship however you want. It's how he's laying the groundwork for that worship in spirit and in truth that Jesus ushers in.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Introduction to Egypt & Exodus (with Jeff Cavins) (2025)
Please no. The hardest day to pray is the day after the day you don't. And the hardest day to read the Bible is the day after the day you don't. but simply pick it up and start again. It's no problem. If you don't finish by December 31st, 2021, that is okay because it means you are still allowing the Lord to speak to your heart. God is not asking for perfection in this.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Introduction to Egypt & Exodus (with Jeff Cavins) (2025)
Yeah, that's so, so important. Jeff, I thank you for introducing this next time period for us. Before I just offer a prayer, are there any last words? I know that was really inspiring about recognizing that call that I can't just say, oh, this is the broken people of Israel. They're unfaithful. I need to see myself that the scripture in those ways can be a mirror to me. Right. It reveals myself.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Introduction to Egypt & Exodus (with Jeff Cavins) (2025)
I can see myself in there. It can be a flashlight where it searches out the dark parts of my heart. And it can be that that sandpaper that like, oh, this is where I'm being. I'm being the Lord's doing some work on me to kind of smooth some things out in my life. Are there any last thoughts as people are journeying through Exodus and
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Introduction to Egypt & Exodus (with Jeff Cavins) (2025)
That's awesome. And I thank God for all three, but also for you and for the timeline and for this ability to journey with the people that we've been going with for these last number of days and through the rest of this year. It's been such a gift. And so I just want to take a moment and just thank the Lord and ask his continued blessing.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Introduction to Egypt & Exodus (with Jeff Cavins) (2025)
We pray in the name of the Father and of the Son of the Holy Spirit, Father in heaven, in the name of Jesus Christ, your Son, we ask you to please receive our thanksgiving, receive our praise because you are good and you have revealed your heart to us. I ask that you please continue to reveal your heart to us as we take this next step. Reveal your heart in the holiness code of Leviticus.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Introduction to Egypt & Exodus (with Jeff Cavins) (2025)
Reveal your heart in the story of your faithfulness in the midst of our unfaithfulness and Israel's unfaithfulness. But you are steadfast in your steadfast love. Remind us this day of your steadfast love for each one of us personally and individually as well. Lord God, we give you praise. We thank you. And we ask.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Introduction to Egypt & Exodus (with Jeff Cavins) (2025)
If you'd give us the help, the help to keep taking those next steps forward as we journey through this Bible in a year. We make this prayer in the mighty name of Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen. In the name of the Father, Son, Holy Spirit. Amen. Jeff, thank you so much. And I cannot express how deeply grateful I am for you.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Introduction to Egypt & Exodus (with Jeff Cavins) (2025)
And for all those who are listening, I am so grateful that we're on this journey together. My name is Father Mike. I cannot wait to see you tomorrow. God bless.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Introduction to Egypt & Exodus (with Jeff Cavins) (2025)
He is just asking for faithfulness. And so just be faithful. And when you drop it, pick it back up. That's all I just wanted to encourage you. But as I said, I'm joined today by Jeff Cavins. Jeff, as I said, is the inventor of the Great Adventure Bible and the Great Adventure Bible timeline. And he's joining us today as we launch into this next time period, Egypt and Exodus.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Introduction to Egypt & Exodus (with Jeff Cavins) (2025)
Using the Great Adventure Bible timeline, we'll read all the way from Genesis to Revelation, discovering how the story of salvation unfolds and how we fit into that story today. Today, I am joined by Jeff Cavins to introduce the third time period of the Great Adventure Bible Timeline. This third time period after the patriarchs is called Egypt and the Exodus.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Introduction to Egypt & Exodus (with Jeff Cavins) (2025)
And Jeff, thank you so much for being willing to help all those who are listening to this podcast know where we are and give us some bearings about this next step that the people of Israel, our family tree, is taking.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Introduction to Egypt & Exodus (with Jeff Cavins) (2025)
Yeah, and that sense of like, I think up to now is a lot of the stories that people are familiar with. They're the stories that people are like, okay, yeah, these are the stories of Adam and Eve and Noah and Abraham and Isaac and Jacob. And now we're going into that story of what they do know it from the Prince of Egypt or from the Ten Commandments movies.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Introduction to Egypt & Exodus (with Jeff Cavins) (2025)
But there's so much more that happens that, aren't in those movies, that aren't in the stories that we necessarily read to kids. And the detail of that can be a place where this episode of Talking With You can be so helpful for people where they know, okay, here is where we are now. They get some kind of context.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Introduction to Egypt & Exodus (with Jeff Cavins) (2025)
Yeah, and that's so good, especially because you turn one page and you go fast forward 400 years. And as you said, the last pages of Genesis are the people of Israel on top of the world. They've been given some incredible land. They've been given blessing by the Lord and also by Pharaoh. And then you turn a page and it's like, wow, 400 years later, and they have not been blessed.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Introduction to Egypt & Exodus (with Jeff Cavins) (2025)
Now, you had mentioned before that there are some problems that arise when people encounter Exodus. And that kind of can trip them up. What are some of those things that become obstacles for folks?
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Introduction to Egypt & Exodus (with Jeff Cavins) (2025)
And before we begin, a couple of things. One, stuff you probably already know by this point. The Bible translation that I'm using is the Revised Standard Version, the Second Catholic Edition, and I'm using the Great Adventure Bible from Ascension. If you want to be able to follow along, you can download your Bible in a Year reading plan by simply visiting ascensionpress.com slash Bible in a Year.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Introduction to Egypt & Exodus (with Jeff Cavins) (2025)
They walk like Egyptians. Sorry, were you gonna say that?
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Introduction to Egypt & Exodus (with Jeff Cavins) (2025)
Hi, my name is Father Mike Schmitz, and you're listening to the Bible in a Year podcast, where we encounter God's voice and live life through the lens of scripture. The Bible in a Year podcast is brought to you by Ascension.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Introduction to Egypt & Exodus (with Jeff Cavins) (2025)
It's that sense of like, here is God who brings them from that place of slavery, that house of bondage, sets them free in this miraculous way. As you said, those plagues, oftentimes we can just hear them, read them as plagues. One bad thing upon the next that it seems like God is simply punishing the Egyptians.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Introduction to Egypt & Exodus (with Jeff Cavins) (2025)
It seems like, in fact, the 10th plague being the death of the firstborn can be really troubling. I think we have really sensitive consciences and really sensitive hearts these days, which is a good thing that that can be disturbing for us. But at the same time, what you're pointing out is. God is setting these people who are addicted, he's setting them free.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Introduction to Egypt & Exodus (with Jeff Cavins) (2025)
And I mean, think about, if this isn't too much of a stretch, I did some reading about the early stages in research when it came to chemotherapy and how there were people who...
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Introduction to Egypt & Exodus (with Jeff Cavins) (2025)
If you haven't done that yet... No problem, no worries, no pressure. But also, if you have not yet subscribed, you can click that subscribe button in your podcast app. I don't know why you would have gotten this far without subscribing, but it's possible and you are free to do whatever you want to do. Speaking of being free to do whatever you want to do.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Introduction to Egypt & Exodus (with Jeff Cavins) (2025)
really desired to save the lives of these patients who, like even children who had leukemia, these people who had cancer, but no one was willing to give the dose of chemotherapy, those drugs that could kill the cancer or kill the leukemia because of the pain it caused these children, the pain it caused these people until there were a couple doctors who said, we have to do this because
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Introduction to Egypt & Exodus (with Jeff Cavins) (2025)
to set them free from this thing that is killing them requires some pretty serious actions. And it seems like in some ways, that's kind of what God is doing with these 10 plagues, even leading to that 10th plague being the death of the firstborn. And from there, yeah, go ahead.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Introduction to Egypt & Exodus (with Jeff Cavins) (2025)
One thing that has been just placed on my heart, I just want to encourage people, is I know the hardest day to read the Bible or the hardest day to pray is the day after the day you don't. It's that I had a busy weekend and I just, I fell off the wagon. How do I get back on? I need to catch up. I'm falling behind.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Introduction to Egypt & Exodus (with Jeff Cavins) (2025)
Right. He is the word made flesh and the great high priest and the worship of him. That's so good. I'm so glad you pointed out, especially because those three elements that come to the surface towards the end of Exodus are They become handles that you can hold on to.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Introduction to Egypt & Exodus (with Jeff Cavins) (2025)
You can see this, that here's the priestly nation, that nope, now all of a sudden it's just this one tribe or this one family in the midst of the people of Israel. And then the worship and the law is so important because that's, as you noted, Leviticus comes up at that time.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Introduction to Egypt & Exodus (with Jeff Cavins) (2025)
And one of the things I'd like to ask you about is we're going to be going through, I mean, starting as soon as people are listening to Exodus, we're also going to be concurrently reading Leviticus. And something about Leviticus that can be, you know, that's the place that people stop reading a lot of times because it just seems so foreign, seems so confusing, seems so, maybe even at this point,
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Introduction to Egypt & Exodus (with Jeff Cavins) (2025)
And our lives like unnecessary. We don't have temple worship anymore. We don't have worship like this anymore. So why would it be important? And what should people be, if you don't mind me asking this, what should people be paying attention to on that non-narrative book, Leviticus, as we're going through the story of Exodus?
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Introduction to Egypt & Exodus (with Jeff Cavins) (2025)
There is truly no such thing as falling behind when it comes to this Bible in a year. What it is, is You probably have noticed it, but up until this day, I have not said, oh, today is January 21st or today is March 2nd. I've just said this is the day 23 or this is day 34. That's on purpose. And that's so that you don't feel bound to listen every single day and being perfect. No, please no.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Introduction to Egypt & Exodus (with Jeff Cavins) (2025)
Right. And that's so powerful that you're saying this because the natural temptation that so many of us have is the same temptation that the people of Israel had, which is, I want to be just like everyone else. I want to be just like the people, whether that be Egypt or in Canaan, that sense of saying, wherever I am, I... that God knows their hearts.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Introduction to Egypt & Exodus (with Jeff Cavins) (2025)
And that's in so many ways why he's just like, he's healing this by calling them again and again, or at least calling them out of this, like you said, discipleship of saying, no, actually, if you belong to me, and that's the thing is you had mentioned this too, when it comes to the law, these aren't like, again, parental laws of someone who's trying to ground someone or trying to keep you under my thumb.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 351: Draw Near to God (2024)
Here's the big thing. Give me neither poverty nor riches. Just give me what's ever needful for me. Feed me with the food that's needful for me. Lest I be full and deny you and say, who is the Lord? And that happens to us, right? We get so full, we're confident in ourselves. Like, oh no, I don't need God because I'm taken care of. Or lest I be poor and steal and profane the name of God.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 351: Draw Near to God (2024)
Basically, here's the author here of wisdom. Saying, I know myself, I can't be trusted. I cannot be trusted. You give me excessive wealth and I will do something foolish with it, like denying the Lord. You give me a dire situation or circumstance and I will steal and I will not be a just person. And that's something, man, so much wisdom there, isn't that?
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 351: Draw Near to God (2024)
Isn't that so much wisdom, not only for ourselves, but also we look around and look at people that we might be quick to judge. Maybe celebrities or famous people or wealthy people and say, I can't believe that they're living such shallow lives. Well, that would be me if I was that wealthy.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 351: Draw Near to God (2024)
Or we see people who are committing crimes and stealing or turning to a life of crime and say, God, if you didn't protect me from that, I would probably do the same thing. It doesn't make those things right, but it does make them understandable. Again, that doesn't make wrong right understandable.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 351: Draw Near to God (2024)
but it does hopefully make it so that our hearts and our minds, our understanding can be patient, right? Can offer grace because we know that there but for the grace of God, go I. Go we, I go. Here we are in James chapter four and five. So incredible. Again, once again, the wisdom of James. I love a couple pieces here.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 351: Draw Near to God (2024)
The tongue is an unrighteous world among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the cycle of nature and set on fire by hell. For every kind of beast and bird, a reptile and sea creature can be tamed and has been tamed by mankind. But no human being can tame the tongue, a restless evil full of deadly poison.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 351: Draw Near to God (2024)
One is this in chapter four, verse seven, submit yourselves therefore to God, resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and he will draw near to you. That is such incredible advice and counsel for all of us because we have to, we have to submit ourselves to God. We surrender to God and resist the devil. The recognition is we're going to hear St.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 351: Draw Near to God (2024)
Peter talk about this in a couple of days, that he'll say the devil's prowling like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him solid in your faith, that this is the battle.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 351: Draw Near to God (2024)
And every Christian realizes, as we heard the other day, that our battle is not with flesh and blood, but with principalities and powers, with the rulers, elemental forces of this world, with demons, with the evil one. And so we resist the devil and draw near to God. He goes on to say, cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your heart, you men of double mind.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 351: Draw Near to God (2024)
Basically, he says you backsliders in another translation. That sense that, remember when Elijah asked the people on Mount Carmel during the battle with the prophets of the priests of Baal, he said, how long will you be of two minds? Like how long will you straddle the fence? If the Lord God is God, then serve him. And if Baal is God, then serve him. But just stop being of two minds.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 351: Draw Near to God (2024)
And here is James saying the exact same thing because this is the human condition. He says, cleanse your hands, you sinners, purify your hearts, you men of double mind. Stop being a person of two minds. Goes on. And one thing I want to highlight is I love the fact that I had this priest when I was a missionary right after college on the border of Belize and Guatemala.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 351: Draw Near to God (2024)
His name was Father John McHugh. And Father John McHugh is one of the co-founders of a religious community called the Society of Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity. And Father John was this, by the time I met him, he was an old priest, a wise priest, such a holy man. And he had just given, he poured his life out for the Lord and for the people of the village in which I was living. And
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 351: Draw Near to God (2024)
and father john was from oklahoma so he had a little bit of an oklahoma accent and man this man he incredible he was a prisoner of war in world war ii uh his plane was shot down and it's just incredible story but he would always say lord willing that's what they always say you know god will lord you need to say god willing he said lord willing lord willing he never said father john i'll see you tomorrow lord willing father john are we gonna go into town tomorrow
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 351: Draw Near to God (2024)
Lord willing, that was it. And he just took exactly what James said. Don't say, tomorrow I'm going to go do such and such. He says, no, no, no. Always say, if the Lord wills, we shall live and we shall do this or that. Because we have no idea what tomorrow holds. And so Father John always reminds me, when I think of this, when I think of plans, I'm always reminded of Father John.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 351: Draw Near to God (2024)
And then because of Father John, the letter of James here. One thing also James is warning people, James is warning those who are rich, not only warning to those who have wealth. And again, if you're living in the United States of America, you are worldwide most likely top 1% when it comes to those who are wealth holders, even if by American standards, you might not have a lot.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 351: Draw Near to God (2024)
Just the fact is the standard of living in America is so high that we worldwide are wealthy. And so we just have to always allow God's words when he speaks about wealth to convict us. Also to use let God's words when he speaks about wealth that's built off of oppression to convict us.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 351: Draw Near to God (2024)
I think of this every time I have products that are made in another country where I am not sure about the practices they have in assembling these products or of stitching together these shirts or making these shoes. I always wonder and I realize that I need to figure this out because St. James, the Lord's word does convict those who, he says, you've lived on earth in luxury and in pleasure.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 351: Draw Near to God (2024)
With it we bless the Lord and Father, and with it we curse men who are made in the likeness of God. From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brethren, this ought not to be so." Does a spring put forth from the same opening fresh water and brackish? Can a fig tree, my brethren, yield olives, or a grapevine figs? No more can salt water yield fresh. Two kinds of wisdom.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 351: Draw Near to God (2024)
You've fattened your hearts in the day of slaughter. You've condemned, you've killed the righteous man. Have I inadvertently, by buying certain products, have I withheld the wages of those who made those products? And I don't know, I have to find that out because if I don't, I'm liable for not finding that out.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 351: Draw Near to God (2024)
The last thing I wanna highlight is the fact that we have seven sacraments in the Catholic Church and in the Orthodox Church, and one of those sacraments is a sacrament of healing, and that's the sacrament of anointing of the sick. I'm also of confession and of the sacrament of healing. And where do you get that? Well, we get that here from the letter of James. He says, is anyone among you sick?
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 351: Draw Near to God (2024)
Let him call for the elders. The word there is presbyteroi, for as we get priests from, call the elders of the church and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the sick person and the Lord will raise him up. If he's committed any sins, he'll be forgiven. So that's the kind of the origin of the sacrament of anointing of the sick.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 351: Draw Near to God (2024)
But also it's also connected to the sacrament of confession. Because it says that the priests will pray over them and they will be forgiven of all their sins. And then the next line is, therefore, confess your sins to one another. Now, some Christians would say that, oh, yeah, we just confess your sins to each other.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 351: Draw Near to God (2024)
You know, brother Christian, brother Christian, sister Christian, sister Christian. But we also see that there is a word at the beginning of verse 16.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 351: Draw Near to God (2024)
Therefore, and so as James is writing about calling the presbytery, calling the priests of the church to anoint this man with oil and that his sin is going to be forgiven and says, therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another that you may be healed. So this is all in the context.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 351: Draw Near to God (2024)
That confession is in the context of the anointing or in the context of healing through the hands of the priests or the elders of the church. Now, again, not making a point, just making a point. Lastly, here's St. Paul's letter to the Colossians. And there is a piece in St. Paul's letter to the Colossians that is just incredible. I mean, obviously, St.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 351: Draw Near to God (2024)
Paul is manifestly pointing out the fact that Jesus Christ is preeminent, that he is the one through whom and for whom everything is made. And it's just so powerful. And we can't dwell on that too much because it's just, it's the key. Jesus is the one through whom and for whom all things are made. But in his letter to the Colossians chapter one, verse 24, St.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 351: Draw Near to God (2024)
Paul says these words that are very intriguing, mysterious. He says, now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake. And in my flesh, I complete what is lacking in Christ's affliction for the sake of his body, that is the church. We have to ask the question, okay, what is lacking in Christ's suffering? What's lacking in Christ's afflictions? And the answer is nothing.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 351: Draw Near to God (2024)
They are sufficient for our redemption. John Paul II, he talked about this and he said, no, no, there's nothing lacking in the sufferings of Christ, but that you and I might be able to participate in the redemptive work of Jesus Christ in this world. Christ extends to us a particle of his cross that we might bear it with him. And that's what Paul is writing about here.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 351: Draw Near to God (2024)
I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake and in my flesh, I complete what is lacking in Christ's afflictions for the sake of his body, that is the church. And that's one of the points of suffering that has been redeemed. It's been transformed that when we suffer in Christ, we participate in the redemption of the world. Again, not because his suffering was insufficient. It was completely sufficient.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 351: Draw Near to God (2024)
Jesus Christ suffered once for all. but that you and I might have the honor, the dignity, the privilege of participating in his redeeming work. Jesus Christ offers us, he gives us a share, a particle of his cross that we might participate in his work of redemption, which is just incredible.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 351: Draw Near to God (2024)
And that's the truth that we just need to recognize, especially for those of us who suffer, for those of us who find ourselves in places of deep and profound suffering. We might not know why this is happening, but we do know what to do with it. to unite it to Christ's suffering and say, Lord God, use this.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 351: Draw Near to God (2024)
Jesus, use this for the salvation of the world, for the Father's glory, and that this world may be transformed into the kingdom of God among us. That's what we're praying for. And I know that so many of you right now are in a place of suffering. And so I am praying for you. Please, please pray for me. My name is Father Mike. I cannot wait to see you tomorrow. God bless.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 351: Draw Near to God (2024)
Who is wise in understanding among you? By his good life let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom. But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth. This wisdom is not such as comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, devilish. For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 351: Draw Near to God (2024)
But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits without uncertainty or insincerity. And the harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace. Chapter 4 Friendship with the World What causes wars and what causes fightings among you? Is it not your passions that are at war in your members?
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 351: Draw Near to God (2024)
It is day 351, and we are reading the conclusion of James, which is actually three chapters. James 3, 4, and 5. We're also reading the beginning of St. Paul's letter to the Colossians, chapters 1 and 2, and the book of Proverbs, chapter 30, verses 7 through 9. As always, the Bible translation I'm reading from is the Revised Standard Version, Second Catholic Edition.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 351: Draw Near to God (2024)
You desire and do not have, so you kill. And you covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and wage war. You do not have because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive because you ask wrongly to spend it on your passions. Unfaithful creatures, do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore, whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 351: Draw Near to God (2024)
Or do you suppose it is in vain that the scripture says, he yearns jealously over the spirit which he has made to dwell in us. But he gives more grace, therefore it says, God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and he will draw near to you.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 351: Draw Near to God (2024)
Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you men of double mind. Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to dejection. Humble yourselves before the Lord and he will exalt you. Warning against judging another. Do not speak evil against one another, brethren.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 351: Draw Near to God (2024)
He that speaks evil against a brother or judges his brother speaks evil against the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law, but a judge. There is one lawgiver and judge, he who is able to save and to destroy. But who are you that you judge your neighbor? Boasting About Tomorrow
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 351: Draw Near to God (2024)
Come now, you who say, today or tomorrow, we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and get gain. Whereas you do not know about tomorrow. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, if the Lord wills, we shall live and we shall do this or that. As it is, you boast in your arrogance.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 351: Draw Near to God (2024)
All such boasting is evil. Whoever knows what is right to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin. Chapter 5 Warning to Rich Oppressors Come now, you rich. Weep and howl for your miseries that are coming upon you. Your riches have rotted and your garments are moth-eaten. Your gold and silver have rusted and their rust will be evidence against you and will eat your flesh like fire.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 351: Draw Near to God (2024)
You have laid up treasure for the last days. Behold, the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, cry out and the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts. You have lived on the earth in luxury and in pleasure. You have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter. You have condemned. You have killed the righteous man.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 351: Draw Near to God (2024)
I'm using the Great Adventure Bible from Ascension. If you want to download your own Bible in-ear reading plan, as I said, I think yesterday, to tick off those last few days, you can visit ascensionpress.com slash Bible in-ear. You can also subscribe to this podcast, or you can stick to your guns and stay unsubscribed.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 351: Draw Near to God (2024)
He does not resist you. patience in suffering. Be patient, therefore, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. Behold, the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient over it until it receives the early and the late rain. You also be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand. Do not grumble, brethren, against one another, that you may not be judged.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 351: Draw Near to God (2024)
Behold, the judge is standing at the doors. As an example of suffering and patience, brethren, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. Behold, we call those happy who are steadfast. You have heard of the steadfastness of Job and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 351: Draw Near to God (2024)
Hi, my name is Father Mike Schmitz, and you're listening to the Bible in a Year podcast, where we encounter God's voice and live life through the lens of Scripture. The Bible in a Year podcast is brought to you by Ascension. Using the graded intro Bible timeline, we'll read all the way from Genesis to Revelation, discovering how the story of salvation unfolds and how we fit into that story today.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 351: Draw Near to God (2024)
But above all, my brethren, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or with any other oath, but let your yes be yes and your no be no, that you may not fall under condemnation. The Prayer of Faith Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is any cheerful? Let him sing praise. Is any among you sick?
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 351: Draw Near to God (2024)
Let him call for the elders of the church and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the sick man and the Lord will raise him up. and if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 351: Draw Near to God (2024)
The prayer of a righteous man has great power in its effects. Elijah was a man of like nature with ourselves, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth. Then he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth its fruit.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 351: Draw Near to God (2024)
My brethren, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him back, let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from the error of his way will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 351: Draw Near to God (2024)
Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God and Timothy, our brother, to the saints and the faithful brethren in Christ at Colossae, grace to you and peace from God our Father. Gratitude for the Colossians faith.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 351: Draw Near to God (2024)
and say i made it through the entire year and didn't subscribe once i don't care what father mike asked me to do i don't care a bit just kidding it is day 351 and we're reading james chapters 3 4 and 5 colossians letter of saint paul to colossians chapters 1 and 2 as well as the book of proverbs chapter 30 verses 7 through 9 The letter of James chapter three, taming the tongue.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 351: Draw Near to God (2024)
We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and the love which you have for all the saints because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. Of this you have heard before in the word of the truth, the gospel which has come to you as indeed in the whole world it is bearing fruit and growing.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 351: Draw Near to God (2024)
So among yourselves, from the day you heard and understood the grace of God in truth, as you learned it from Epaphras, our beloved fellow servant, he is a faithful minister of Christ on our behalf and has made known to us your love in the Spirit.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 351: Draw Near to God (2024)
And so, from the day we heard of it, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, to lead a life worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 351: Draw Near to God (2024)
May you be strengthened with all power according to his glorious might for all endurance and patience with joy, giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. He has delivered us from the dominion of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. The Supremacy of Christ
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 351: Draw Near to God (2024)
He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For in him all things were created in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or authorities, all things were created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. He is the head of the body, the church.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 351: Draw Near to God (2024)
He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 351: Draw Near to God (2024)
And you, who once were estranged and hostile in mind doing evil deeds, he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and irreproachable before him.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 351: Draw Near to God (2024)
provided that you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel which you heard, which has been preached to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister. Paul's sufferings and ministry Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 351: Draw Near to God (2024)
And in my flesh I complete what is lacking in Christ's afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church, of which I became a minister according to the divine office, which was given to me for you, to make the word of God fully known, the mystery hidden for ages and generations, but now made manifest to his saints.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 351: Draw Near to God (2024)
To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. Him we proclaim, warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom that we may present every man mature in Christ. For this I toil, striving with all the energy which he mightily inspires within me.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 351: Draw Near to God (2024)
chapter two for i want you to know how greatly i strive for you and for those at laodicea and for all who have not seen my face that their hearts may be encouraged as they are knit together in love to have all the riches of assured understanding and the knowledge of god's mystery of christ in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge FULNESS OF LIFE IN CHRIST
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 351: Draw Near to God (2024)
"'Let not many of you become teachers, my brethren, for you know that we who teach shall be judged with greater strictness. For we all make many mistakes, and if anyone makes no mistakes in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to bridle the whole body also. If we put bits into the mouths of horses that they may obey us, we guide their whole bodies.' Look at the ships also.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 351: Draw Near to God (2024)
Warnings against false teachers. See to it that no one makes a prey of you by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the universe, and not according to Christ. For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, and you have come to fullness of life in him who is the head of all rule and authority.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 351: Draw Near to God (2024)
In him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of flesh in the circumcision of Christ. And you were buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 351: Draw Near to God (2024)
And you, who were dead in trespass and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, having canceled the bond which stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. He disarmed the principalities and powers and made a public example of them, triumphing over them in him.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 351: Draw Near to God (2024)
Therefore, let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink or with regard to festival or a new moon or a Sabbath. These are only a shadow of what is to come, but the substance belongs to Christ.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 351: Draw Near to God (2024)
let no one disqualify you insisting on self-abasement and worship of angels taking a stand on visions puffed up without reason by his sensuous mind and not holding fast to the head from whom the whole body nourished and knit together through its joints and ligaments grows with a growth that is from god
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 351: Draw Near to God (2024)
If with Christ you died to the elemental spirits of the universe, why do you live as if you still belonged to the world? Why do you submit to regulations, do not handle, do not taste, do not touch, referring to things which all perish as they are used, according to human precepts and doctrines?
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 351: Draw Near to God (2024)
These have indeed an appearance of wisdom in promoting rigor of devotion and self-abasement and severity to the body, but they are of no value in checking the indulgence of the flesh.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 351: Draw Near to God (2024)
Two things I ask of you, deny them not to me before I die. Remove far from me falsehood and lying. Give me neither poverty nor riches. Feed me with the food that is needful for me, lest I be full and deny you and say, who is the Lord? Or lest I be poor and steal and profane the name of my God.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 351: Draw Near to God (2024)
Oh, Lord God. Oh, just what a gift of a day. What a gift it is to not only hear the letter of James and not only to hear the beginning of Colossians, but also this wisdom that you impart to us in the book of Proverbs. Thank you for journeying with us all of these. Our entire life, Lord God, you never abandon us. You're always with us. You're always completely present to us.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 351: Draw Near to God (2024)
In this moment, Lord God, we trust you. And in this moment, we recognize your presence. Wherever we are listening to these words, Lord God, you are with us. You are nearer to us than we are to ourselves and our thoughts are to ourselves. You're nearer to us than our very heart is in our chest. And we thank you. Thank you for being near to us. Thank you for being with us.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 351: Draw Near to God (2024)
Lord God, even when we do not recognize you, you're there. You're here. You're active. Help us to never lose sight of the fact that you're present with us right now. For with you, every moment is right now. In Jesus' name we pray, amen. In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, amen. This reading from Proverbs chapter 30, it always gets me.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 351: Draw Near to God (2024)
Though they are so great and are driven by strong winds, they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs. So the tongue is a little member and boasts of great things. How great a forest is set ablaze by a small fire. And the tongue is a fire.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 351: Draw Near to God (2024)
I just, I don't know how many times I've said this is my favorite. This is one of my favorites because it's just so wise. It has a knowledge. You know, one of the things when we come to know Jesus, I remember someone telling me this, that first two movements of conversion are a distrust of self and a trust in the Lord. And I think that's so wise. A distrust of self meaning, no, I know I'm broken.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 351: Draw Near to God (2024)
I know that I, man, gosh, Lord, you give me a chance and I will turn on you. In fact, there was a man named St. Philip Neary. I think he's the patron saint of Rome, but he's also, he was a joyful saint. And he's one of those situations where he did a lot of goofy things just to either to get people's attention, to get a laugh, to kind of humble himself.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 351: Draw Near to God (2024)
But at one point, I remember hearing that every morning he would wake up and he'd pray and he'd say something along the lines of, watch out for Philip today, Lord, because if you give him the chance, he will betray you. And there's something about that that's so clear here in Proverbs chapter 30. Two things I ask of you, deny them not to me before I die. Remove far from me falsehood and lying.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 13: Esau Sells His Birthright (2025)
all these were the children of keturah abraham gave all he had to isaac but to the sons of his concubines abraham gave gifts and while he was still living he sent them away from his son isaac eastward to the east country these are the days of the years of abraham's life a hundred and seventy five years abraham breathed his last and died in a good old age an old man and full of years and was gathered to his people
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 13: Esau Sells His Birthright (2025)
And Esau is willing to trade away his birthright and his inheritance that as the eldest son, he would get the lion's share of all of his father's property and his father's inheritance. And he trades it in for a bowl of beans. I mean, think about this. And we think, how dumb is this? But have you ever been in that place where you're so hungry?
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 13: Esau Sells His Birthright (2025)
You're like, I don't, can't think of anything other than what's right in front of me. How many times have you been in the midst of temptation? We've been in the midst of temptation. We can't think of anything except what's right in front of us.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 13: Esau Sells His Birthright (2025)
And we know, like, no, God, in saying yes to anything other than you, in saying no to you and yes to anything other than you, I am trading in the inheritance that you've given to me. You set me apart for heaven itself for something less than you, something less than heaven. But I want to think about that. Because I'm looking at the thing right in front of me.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 13: Esau Sells His Birthright (2025)
This is the mystery of the broken human heart, the mystery of the broken human condition, whether that be generational, Abraham and Isaac, or whether that be in someone like Esau and in ourselves. Let's not also forget as a last thing, the deception in some ways, the manipulation we'll say, not deception yet, that's tomorrow. The manipulation of Isaac. Sorry, of Jacob. My goodness.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 13: Esau Sells His Birthright (2025)
We have the desperation of Esau, right? He's willing to trade in his birthright for a bowl of beans, lentil soup, some red stuff. But also you have Jacob, who is the grasper, right? He's the one who's reaching above himself, beyond himself, who's willing to trade beans for a birthright. When he knows that Esau is just doing this because he's being impetuous. There's some manipulation.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 13: Esau Sells His Birthright (2025)
There's brokenness in all of us, both on the receiving end and on the giving end. And so, once again, we come back to this need we have for God's grace. This need we have. Man, it's like, it's so easy. It's so easy to... Be outside of temptation and say, that's dumb. I can't believe anyone would ever do this.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 13: Esau Sells His Birthright (2025)
And it's another thing to be faced with temptation and be in that place that is just like, man, I'm desperate right now. I'm willing to trade in the most important thing in my life, my deepest identity, my inheritance, my sonship or daughterhood with the Father for anything other than this. That's why we need God's grace so much. We need to be reminded of our ancestors as well.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 13: Esau Sells His Birthright (2025)
And when we see their weakness, they're like a mirror and they reveal to us our own brokenness and our own weakness so that we can be more prepared to rise up in God's grace and face a new day. Speaking of facing a new day, I am praying for you this new day and hoping that you're praying for me. Please keep praying for each other because that is going to make this journey so much better.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 13: Esau Sells His Birthright (2025)
Isaac and Ishmael, his sons, buried him in the cave of Machpelah, in the field of Ephron, the son of Zohar the Hittite, east of Mamre, the field which Abraham purchased from the Hittites. There Abraham was buried with Sarah, his wife. After the death of Abraham, God blessed Isaac, his son, and Isaac dwelt at Bir Lahairoi.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 13: Esau Sells His Birthright (2025)
These are the descendants of Ishmael, Abraham's son, whom Hagar, the Egyptian, Sarah's maid, bore to Abraham. These are the names of the sons of Ishmael, named in the order of their birth. Nebaioth, the firstborn of Ishmael, and Kedar, and Abdeel, Mibsem, Mishma, Duma, Masa, Hadad, Tima, Jetur, Nafish, and Kedema.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 13: Esau Sells His Birthright (2025)
These are the sons of Ishmael, and these are their names by their villages and by their encampments, 12 princes according to their tribes. These are the years of the life of Ishmael, 137 years. He breathed his last and died and was gathered to his kindred. They dwelt from Havilah to Shur, which is opposite Egypt in the direction of Assyria. He settled over against all his people.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 13: Esau Sells His Birthright (2025)
These are the descendants of Isaac, Abraham's son. Abraham was the father of Isaac, and Isaac was 40 years old when he took to wife Rebekah, the daughter of Bethuel the Aramean, a Paddan Aram, the sister of Laban the Aramean. And Isaac prayed to the Lord for his wife, because she was barren, and the Lord granted his prayer, and Rebekah, his wife, conceived.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 13: Esau Sells His Birthright (2025)
The children struggled together within her, and she said, If it is thus, why do I live? So she went to inquire of the Lord, and the Lord said to her, Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples born of you shall be divided. The one shall be stronger than the other, and the elder shall serve the younger. When her days to be delivered were fulfilled, behold, there were twins in the womb.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 13: Esau Sells His Birthright (2025)
The first came forth red, all his body like a hairy mantle, so they called his name Esau. Afterward, his brother came forth and his hand had taken hold of Esau's heel. So his name was called Jacob. Isaac was 60 years old when she bore them. When the boys grew up, Esau was a skillful hunter, a man of the field, while Jacob was a quiet man dwelling in tents.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 13: Esau Sells His Birthright (2025)
This is day 13. We'll be reading from Genesis chapter 25 and 26, from Job 15 and 16, and also from the book of Proverbs chapter 2, verses 20 through 22. I'm using the Great Adventure Bible from Ascension. As always, we're reading from the Revised Standard Version, Catholic edition of the Bible.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 13: Esau Sells His Birthright (2025)
Isaac loved Esau because he ate of his game, but Rebekah loved Jacob. Once when Jacob was boiling pottage, Esau came in from the field and he was famished. And Esau said to Jacob, let me eat some of that red pottage for I am famished. Therefore his name was called Edom. Jacob said, first sell me your birthright. Esau said, I'm about to die. Of what use is a birthright to me?
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 13: Esau Sells His Birthright (2025)
Jacob said, swear to me first. So he swore to him and sold his birthright to Jacob. Then Jacob gave Esau bread and pottage of lentils, and he ate and drank and rose and went his way. Thus Esau despised his birthright. Now there was a famine in the land, besides the former famine that was in the days of Abraham. And Isaac went to Gerar, to Abimelech, king of the Philistines.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 13: Esau Sells His Birthright (2025)
And the Lord appeared to him and said, Do not go down to Egypt. Dwell in the land of which I shall tell you. Sojourn in this land, and I will be with you, and will bless you. For to you and to your descendants I will give all these lands. And I will fulfill the oath which I swore to Abraham your father.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 13: Esau Sells His Birthright (2025)
I will multiply your descendants as the stars of heaven and will give to your descendants all these lands. And by your descendants, all the nations of the earth shall bless themselves. Because Abraham obeyed my voice and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws. So Isaac dwelt in Gerar. When the men of the place asked him about his wife, he said, She is my sister.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 13: Esau Sells His Birthright (2025)
For he feared to say my wife, thinking, lest the men of the place should kill me for the sake of Rebekah, because she was fair to look upon. When he had been there a long time, Abimelech, king of the Philistines, looked out of a window and saw Isaac fondling Rebekah, his wife. So Abimelech called Isaac and said, Behold, she is your wife. How then could you say she is my sister?
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 13: Esau Sells His Birthright (2025)
Isaac said to him, because I thought lest I die because of her. Abimelech said, what is this you have done to us? One of the people might easily have lain with your wife and you would have brought guilt upon us. So Abimelech warned all the people saying, whoever touches this man or his wife shall be put to death. And Isaac sowed in that land and reaped in the same year a hundredfold.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 13: Esau Sells His Birthright (2025)
The Lord blessed him and the man became rich and gained more and more until he became very wealthy. He had possessions of flocks and herds and a great household so that the Philistines envied him. Now the Philistines had stopped and filled with earth all the wells which his father's servants had dug in the days of Abraham his father.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 13: Esau Sells His Birthright (2025)
Hi, I'm Father Mike Schmitz, and you're listening to the Bible in a Year podcast, where we encounter God's voice and live life through the lens of Scripture. The Bible in a Year podcast is brought to you by Ascension. Using the Great Adventure Bible timeline, we will read all the way from Genesis to Revelation, discovering how the story of salvation unfolds and how we fit into that story today.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 13: Esau Sells His Birthright (2025)
And Abimelech said to Isaac, Go away from us, for you are much mightier than we. So Isaac departed from there and encamped in the valley of Gerar and dwelt there. And Isaac dug again the wells of water which had been dug in the days of Abraham his father, for the Philistines had stopped them after the death of Abraham. And he gave them the names which his father had given them.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 13: Esau Sells His Birthright (2025)
If you want to download your own Bible in a year reading plan, you can visit ascensionpress.com slash Bible in a year. Please subscribe to this podcast by clicking subscribe. You can also sign up for our email list by texting the word Catholic Bible to 33777. That's all one word, Catholic Bible to 33777. You probably know this by now. You've been listening to this.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 13: Esau Sells His Birthright (2025)
But when Isaac's servants dug in the valley and found there a well of springing water, the herdsmen of Gerar quarreled with Isaac's herdsmen, saying, This water is ours. So he called the name of the well Isaac, because they contended with him. Then they dug another well, and they quarreled over that also, so he called its name Sitna.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 13: Esau Sells His Birthright (2025)
And he moved from there and dug another well, and over that they did not quarrel. So he called its name Rehoboth, saying, For now the Lord has made room for us, and we shall be fruitful in the land. From there he went up to Beersheba, and the Lord appeared to him the same night and said, I am the God of Abraham your father. Fear not.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 13: Esau Sells His Birthright (2025)
For I am with you and will bless you and multiply your descendants for my servant Abraham's sake. So he built an altar there and called upon the name of the Lord and pitched his tent there. And there Isaac's servants dug a well. Then Abimelech went to him from Gerar with Ahuzath, his advisor, and Phicol, the commander of his army. Isaac said to him,
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 13: Esau Sells His Birthright (2025)
Why have you come to me, seeing that you hate me and sent me away from you? They said, We see plainly that the Lord is with you. So we say, Let there be an oath between you and us, and let us make a covenant with you, that you will do us no harm, just as we have not touched you and have done to you nothing but good and have set you away in peace. You are now blessed of the Lord.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 13: Esau Sells His Birthright (2025)
So he made them a feast, and they ate and drank. In the morning they arose early and took oath with one another, and Isaac set them on their way, and they departed from him in peace. That same day Isaac's servants came and told him about the well which had been dug, and said to him, We have found water. He called it Sheba. Therefore the name of the city is Beersheba to this day.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 13: Esau Sells His Birthright (2025)
when Esau was 40 years old, he took to wife Judith, the daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and Basemath, the daughter of Elon the Hittite, and they made life bitter for Isaac and Rebekah.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 13: Esau Sells His Birthright (2025)
Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered, Should a wise man answer with windy knowledge and fill himself with the east wind? Should he argue in unprofitable talk or in words which he can do no good? But you are doing away with the fear of God and are hindering meditation before God, for your iniquity teaches your mouth and you choose the tongue of the crafty.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 13: Esau Sells His Birthright (2025)
Your own mouth condemns you and not I. Your own lips testify against you. Are you the first man that was born or were you brought forth before the hills? Have you listened in the counsel of God? And do you limit wisdom to yourself? What do you know that we do not know? What do you understand that is not clear to us? Both the gray haired and the aged are among us older than your father.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 13: Esau Sells His Birthright (2025)
Are the consolations of God too small for you or the word that deals gently with you? Why does your heart carry you away? And why do your eyes flash that you turn your spirit against God and let such words go out of your mouth? What is man that he can be clean? Or he who is born of woman that he can be righteous?
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 13: Esau Sells His Birthright (2025)
You've been reading along with us for two weeks almost by this point. You probably could recite that to me. If you wanted to, but we are reading today, Genesis chapter five, chapter five, Genesis chapter 25 and 26.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 13: Esau Sells His Birthright (2025)
Behold, God puts no trust in his holy ones and the heavens are not clean in his sight. How much less one who is abominable and corrupt, a man who drinks iniquity like water. I will show you, hear me. And what I have seen, I will declare. What wise men have told and their fathers have not hidden to whom alone the land was given and no stranger passed among them.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 13: Esau Sells His Birthright (2025)
The wicked man writhes in pain all his days through all the years that are laid up for the ruthless. Terrifying sounds are in his ears. In prosperity, the destroyer will come upon him. He does not believe that he will return out of darkness and he is destined for the sword. He wanders abroad for bread, saying, Where is it? He knows that a day of darkness is ready at his hand.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 13: Esau Sells His Birthright (2025)
Distress and anguish terrify him. They prevail against him like a king prepared for battle, because he has stretched forth his hand against God and bids defiance to the Almighty, running stubbornly against him with a thick, bossed shield. because he has covered his face with his fat and gathered fat upon his loins.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 13: Esau Sells His Birthright (2025)
He has lived in desolate cities and houses which no man should inhabit, which were destined to become heaps of ruins. He will not be rich and his wealth will not endure, nor will he strike root in the earth. He will not escape from darkness. The flame will dry up his shoots and his blossom will be swept away by the wind.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 13: Esau Sells His Birthright (2025)
Let him not trust in emptiness, deceiving himself, for emptiness will be his recompense. Then Job answered, I have heard many such things. Miserable comforters are you all. Shall windy words have an end? Or what provokes you that you answer? I also could speak as you do if I were in your place. I also could join words together against you and shake my head at you.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 13: Esau Sells His Birthright (2025)
I could strengthen you with my mouth and the solace of my lips would assuage your pain. If I speak, my pain is not assuaged. And if I forbear, how much of it leaves for me? Surely now God has worn me out. He has made desolate all my company, and he has shriveled me up, which is a witness against me. And my leanness has risen up against me. It testifies to my face.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 13: Esau Sells His Birthright (2025)
He has torn me in his wrath and hated me. He has gnashed his teeth at me. My adversary sharpens his eyes against me. Men have gaped at me with their mouth. They have struck me insolently upon the cheek. They mass themselves together against me. God gives me up to the ungodly and casts me into the hands of the wicked. I was at ease and he broke me asunder.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 13: Esau Sells His Birthright (2025)
He seized me by the neck and dashed me to pieces. He set me up as his target. His archers surround me. He slashes open my kidneys and does not spare. He pours out my gall upon the ground. He breaks me with a breach upon breach. He runs upon me like a warrior. I have sewn sackcloth upon my skin. I have laid my strength in the dust. My face is red with weeping and on my eyelids is deep darkness.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 13: Esau Sells His Birthright (2025)
She bore him Zimran, Jokshan, Madan, Midian, Ishbak, and Shua. Jokshan was the father of Sheba and Dedan. The sons of Dedan were Asherim, Letushim, and Leomun. The sons of Midian were Ephah, Ephur, Hanak, Abida, and Eldaa.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 13: Esau Sells His Birthright (2025)
Although there is no violence in my hands and my prayer is pure. O earth, cover not my blood, and let my cry find no resting place. Even now, behold, my witness is in heaven. He that vouches for me is on high. My friends scorn me. My eye pours out tears to God, that he would maintain the right of a man with God like that of a man with his neighbor.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 13: Esau Sells His Birthright (2025)
For when a few years have come, I shall go the way from which I shall not return."
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 13: Esau Sells His Birthright (2025)
So you will walk in the way of good men and keep to the paths of the righteous. For the upright will inhabit the land and men of integrity will remain in it. But the wicked will be cut off from the land and the treacherous will be rooted out of it. Father in heaven, we give you praise and glory. We thank you again for your word.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 13: Esau Sells His Birthright (2025)
We thank you for bringing us into this two complete weeks that we've been listening to your word, that we've been allowing it to shape our minds and our hearts, that we can have a worldview that is shaped by you, that we can look at this world in a way that is formed by you, not formed by the brokenness around us, but is formed by brokenness that's been touched by your grace.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 13: Esau Sells His Birthright (2025)
Father, we ask that you please touch us in our brokenness with your grace. Make us whole, make us new, make us yours. In Jesus' name we pray. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 13: Esau Sells His Birthright (2025)
As we follow this story of this family, man, oh man, like father, like son, isn't that just the craziest thing where we have Abraham and Sarah twice say she is my sister to the king of Egypt and to Abimelech. And now here we have the story of Isaac and Rebecca doing literally the exact same thing to the exact same guy, Abimelech. you think, what is it?
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 13: Esau Sells His Birthright (2025)
What is it that leads us to do things like this? What is it that leads us to fall into the same trap again and again? It's one of the mysteries of the human heart is that, man, oh man, it doesn't even have to be father and son or mother and daughter or generations. It can just even simply be us in our own lives, how often is it that we fall into the exact same trap again and again?
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 13: Esau Sells His Birthright (2025)
We do the exact same thing, like we follow the same script again and again. When we trade in what we know is true, we trade in what we know is good for something that we actually know is less good, is less true. In fact, we see this with the story of Jacob and Esau, right? So Esau is the man of the field. He goes out and he gets a lot of venison. His dad loves him because he brings home game.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 13: Esau Sells His Birthright (2025)
and Jacob is the quieter one, the kind of the more homebody, and his mom loves him. Rebecca had also received that word that the younger Jacob would be the greater. But here's this classic scene, classic scene where Esau's coming in from the field, and Jacob is making some porridge. Basically, it's a bowl of beans. This is lentil soup, essentially, red stuff, red porridge, lentil porridge.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 6: Trust in the Lord (2025)
As we continue this journey through the Bible, this Bible in a Year podcast, my invitation is for all of us today to be able to say, okay, Lord, make my heart more and more like Job's, that when I experience suffering, I worship. Make my heart like Abram's, that when I don't know which way to go and I need to be corrected, that I allow myself to be corrected by you and trust in you.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 6: Trust in the Lord (2025)
Because that's going to be our call for the next 360 plus days. We are just beginning this story and we are going to journey through this Bible, all 73 books together for the remainder of this year. I want to remind you that if you want to get the Bible in a Year reading plan, you can just text the word Catholic Bible to 33777 or you can visit ascensionpress.com slash Bible in a Year.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 6: Trust in the Lord (2025)
Once again, my name is Father Mike. God bless.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 6: Trust in the Lord (2025)
I will bless those who bless you, and him who curses you I will curse. And by you all the families of the earth shall bless themselves. So Abram went, as the Lord had told him, and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 6: Trust in the Lord (2025)
And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother's son, and all their possessions which they had gathered, and the persons that they had gotten in Haran, and they set forth to go to the land of Canaan. When they had come to the land of Canaan, Abram passed through the land to the place at Shechem, to the oak of Morah. At that time, the Canaanites were in the land.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 6: Trust in the Lord (2025)
Then the Lord appeared to Abram and said, to your descendants, I will give this land. So he built there an altar to the Lord who had appeared to him. Thence he removed to the mountain on the east of Bethel and pitched his tent with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east. And there he built an altar to the Lord and called on the name of the Lord. And Abram journeyed on, still going toward the Negev.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 6: Trust in the Lord (2025)
Now there was a famine in that land. So Abram went down to Egypt to sojourn there, for the famine was severe in the land. When he was about to enter Egypt, he said to Sarai, his wife, I know that you are a woman beautiful to behold. And when the Egyptians see you, they will say, this is his wife, and then they will kill me, but they will let you live.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 6: Trust in the Lord (2025)
Say you are my sister, that it may go well with me because of you, and that my life may be spared on your account. When Abram entered Egypt, the Egyptians saw that the woman was very beautiful, and when the princes of Pharaoh saw her, they praised her to Pharaoh, and the woman was taken into Pharaoh's house.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 6: Trust in the Lord (2025)
And for her sake he dealt well with Abram, and he had sheep, oxen, he donkeys, men servants, maid servants, she donkeys, and camels. But the Lord afflicted Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai, Abram's wife. So Pharaoh called Abram and said, What is this you have done to me? Why did you not tell me that she was your wife?
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 6: Trust in the Lord (2025)
Why did you say she is my sister so that I took her for my wife? Now then, here is your wife. Take her and be gone. And Pharaoh gave men orders concerning him, and they set him on the way with his wife and all that he had. So Abram went up from Egypt, he and his wife, and all that he had, and lot with them into the Negev.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 6: Trust in the Lord (2025)
This is day six. Let's get started. We are reading today Genesis chapter 12 and chapter 13. We're also jumping into a different book, not just the Psalms, actually two different books, not just the Psalms. We're also jumping into the world of Job, the world of Job, the righteous man who suffered, and also into the book of Proverbs, one of the wisdom books. in scripture.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 6: Trust in the Lord (2025)
Now Abram was very rich in cattle, in silver and in gold, and he journeyed on from the Negev as far as Bethel, to the place where his tent had been at the beginning between Bethel and Ai, to the place where he had made an altar at the first. And there Abram called on the name of the Lord.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 6: Trust in the Lord (2025)
And Lot, who went with Abram, also had flocks and herds and tents, so that the land could not support both of them dwelling together, for their possessions were so great that they could not dwell together. And there was strife between the herdsmen of Abram's cattle and the herdsmen of Lot's cattle. At that time the Canaanites and the Perizzites dwelt in the land.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 6: Trust in the Lord (2025)
Then Abram said to Lot, let there be no strife between you and me and between your herdsmen and my herdsmen, for we are kinsmen. Is not the whole land before you? Separate yourself from me. If you take the left hand, then I will go to the right. Or if you take the right hand, then I will go to the left.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 6: Trust in the Lord (2025)
And Lot lifted up his eyes and saw that the Jordan Valley was well watered everywhere, like the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt in the direction of Zoar. This was before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah. So Lot chose for himself all the Jordan Valley, and Lot journeyed east. Thus they separated from each other.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 6: Trust in the Lord (2025)
Abram dwelt in the land of Canaan, while Lot dwelt among the cities of the valley and moved his tent as far as Sodom. Now the men of Sodom were wicked, great sinners against the Lord. The Lord said to Abram, after Lot had separated from him, "'Lift up your eyes, and look from the place where you are northward and southward and eastward and westward.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 6: Trust in the Lord (2025)
For all the land which you see I will give to you and to your descendants forever. I will make your descendants as the dust of the earth, so that if one can count the dust of the earth, your descendants also can be counted.' Arise, walk through the length and the breadth of the land, for I will give it to you.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 6: Trust in the Lord (2025)
So Abram moved his tent, and came and dwelt by the oaks of Mamre, which are at Hebron, and there he built an altar to the Lord.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 6: Trust in the Lord (2025)
The Book of Job Chapters 1 and 2
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 6: Trust in the Lord (2025)
There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job. And that man was blameless and upright, one who feared God and turned away from evil. There were born to him seven sons and three daughters. He had 7,000 sheep, 3,000 camels, 500 yoke of oxen, and 500 she-donkeys, and very many servants, so that this man was the greatest of all the people of the east.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 6: Trust in the Lord (2025)
His sons used to go and hold the feast in the house of each on his day, and he would and they would send and invite their three sisters to eat and drink with them. And when the days of the feast had run their course, Job would send and sanctify them, and he would rise early in the morning and offer burnt offerings according to the number of them all.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 6: Trust in the Lord (2025)
Hi, I'm Father Mike Schmitz, and you're listening to the Bible in a Year podcast, where we encounter God's voice and live life through the lens of Scripture. The Bible in a Year podcast is brought to you by Ascension. Using the Great Adventure Bible timeline, we'll read all the way from Genesis to Revelation, discovering how the story of salvation unfolds and how we fit into that story today.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 6: Trust in the Lord (2025)
For Job said, It may be that my sons have sinned and cursed God in their hearts. Thus Job did continually. Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them. The Lord said to Satan, From where have you come? Satan answered the Lord, From going back and forth on the earth, and from walking up and down on it.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 6: Trust in the Lord (2025)
And the Lord said to Satan, Have you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man who fears God and turns away from evil? Then Satan answered the Lord, Does Job fear God for nothing? Have you not put a hedge around him and his house and all that he has on every side?
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 6: Trust in the Lord (2025)
Again, Genesis chapter 12 and 13, Job chapter 1 and 2, and Proverbs verses 1 through 7. The Bible translation I'm using is the Revised Standard Version, the Catholic edition. I'm using the Great Adventure Bible from Ascension. If you want to read along and not just listen along, you can download the Bible in a Year reading plan by visiting ascensionpress.com slash Bible in a Year.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 6: Trust in the Lord (2025)
You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. But put forth your hand now, and touch all that he has, and he will curse you to your face. And the Lord said to Satan, Behold, all that he has is in your power. Only upon himself do not put forth your hand. So Satan went forth from the presence of the Lord.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 6: Trust in the Lord (2025)
Now there was a day when his sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in their eldest brother's house. And there came a messenger to Job and said, The oxen were plowing and the donkeys feeding beside them. And the Sabaeans fell upon them and took them and slew the servants with the edge of the sword. And I alone have escaped to tell you.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 6: Trust in the Lord (2025)
While he was yet speaking, there came another and said, The fire of God fell from heaven and burned up the sheep and the servants and consumed them, and I alone have escaped to tell you.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 6: Trust in the Lord (2025)
While he was yet speaking, there came another and said, The Chaldeans formed three companies and made a raid upon the camels and took them and slew the servants with the edge of the sword, and I alone have escaped to tell you. While he was yet speaking, there came another and said, your sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in their eldest brother's house.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 6: Trust in the Lord (2025)
And behold, a great wind came across the wilderness and it struck the four corners of the house and it fell upon the young people and they are dead. And I alone have escaped to tell you. Then Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head and fell upon the ground and worshipped. And he said, naked I came from my mother's womb and naked shall I return. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 6: Trust in the Lord (2025)
Blessed be the name of the Lord. In all this, Job did not sin or charge God with wrong. Again, there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them to present himself before the Lord. And the Lord said to Satan, From where have you come? Satan answered the Lord, From going back and forth on the earth, and from walking up and down on it.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 6: Trust in the Lord (2025)
And the Lord said to Satan, Have you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man who fears God and turns away from evil? He still holds fast his integrity, although you moved me against him to destroy him without cause. Then Satan answered the Lord, Skin for skin, all that a man has he will give for his life.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 6: Trust in the Lord (2025)
But put forth your hand now and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will curse you to your face. And the Lord said to Satan, Behold, he is in your power, only spare his life. So Satan went forth from the presence of the Lord and afflicted Job with loathsome sores from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head. And he took a potsherd with which to scrape himself and sat among the ashes.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 6: Trust in the Lord (2025)
Then his wife said to him, Do you still hold fast your integrity? Curse God and die. But he said to her, You speak as one of the foolish women would speak. Shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil? In all this, Job did not sin with his lips.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 6: Trust in the Lord (2025)
Even if you just want to see where we're headed each day, you can download your Bible in your reading plan by visiting ascensionpress.com. You can also subscribe in your podcast app. You can also sign up for our email list and get updates and notifications by texting Catholic Bible to 33777. That's Catholic Bible, all one word, to the number 33777.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 6: Trust in the Lord (2025)
Now when Job's three friends heard of all this evil that had come upon him, they came each from his own place, Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Namathite. They made an appointment together to come to condole with him and comfort him. And when they saw him from afar, they did not recognize him.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 6: Trust in the Lord (2025)
And they raised their voices and wept, and they tore their robes and sprinkled dust upon their heads towards heaven. And they sat with him on the ground seven days and seven nights, and no one spoke a word to him, for they saw that his suffering was very great.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 6: Trust in the Lord (2025)
Proverbs chapter 1 verses 1 through 7
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 6: Trust in the Lord (2025)
The Proverbs of Solomon, son of David, king of Israel. to understand a proverb and a figure, the words of the wise and their riddles. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 6: Trust in the Lord (2025)
Fools despise wisdom and instruction. Father in heaven, we thank you and give you praise.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 6: Trust in the Lord (2025)
Thank you for your word. Thank you for the gift of revealing yourself to us and revealing your heart to us, even in broken situations. We ask that you please send your Holy Spirit that when we're broken, when we fail, when we fall, and when we're suffering, that we turn more deeply to you, that we refuse to curse you, that we refuse to run away from you, that we refuse to hide from you.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 6: Trust in the Lord (2025)
But instead, come to you in our brokenness and come to you in our need. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. So, today's readings, wow. Gosh, Genesis chapter 12 and 13 and then Job chapters 1 and 2. Such an incredible opportunity for us to see what we're going to see throughout the course of these narrative books and the narrative books of Scripture today.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 6: Trust in the Lord (2025)
will again and again show what the great giants of our faith, like here's Abram, whose name is going to be Abraham soon, and Sarai, whose name is going to be Sarah soon, that even they, as they're following the Lord, making that act of faith, even as Abram hears the words of God, his promise that through Abram, God is going to bless the world, that when Abram and Sarai, in their need, they go into Egypt, there still is this brokenness of Abraham
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 6: Trust in the Lord (2025)
Abram passing off Sarai as his sister so that she can become the wife of Pharaoh, which is one of those things we think like, wait, why would in the world would anyone even consider doing this? Much less the patriarch, right? The original, like essentially father of our faith, who's actually the church describes as the father of faith, Abraham. Why would he do this?
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 6: Trust in the Lord (2025)
Or even we have the book of Job, where it's even confusing because here is the righteous Job and the sons of God are traveling throughout the earth, right? Which is a kind of a way of saying the angels of the Lord are traveling throughout the earth. And here's Satan, who seems to have access to God himself, even though we're accustomed to Satan being Lucifer, the one who had fallen from grace.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 6: Trust in the Lord (2025)
Without anything further, we begin by reading, proclaiming, and hearing and receiving Genesis chapter 12 and chapter 13. Now the Lord said to Abram, Go from your country and your kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show you, and I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 6: Trust in the Lord (2025)
In this case, Satan is that Hebrew word in Hasatan, which would mean the accuser or the one who, yeah, the one who accuses. And what does he want to do? He wants to accuse Job, even accuses God of saying, well, the only reason that Job loves you, the only reason that Job serves you, the only reason he's righteous is because you bless him.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 6: Trust in the Lord (2025)
And the moment you take away your blessing, the moment you let him encounter suffering, he is going to be faithless. So what we see is these two men in particular, and Sarai, of course, these two men at the beginning of our journey, and neither of them are perfect. Both of them are called perfect. but neither of them are perfect.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 6: Trust in the Lord (2025)
At the same time, both of them demonstrate faith today, especially in our readings today. You have Abram who says, yeah, I will divvy up the property between myself and you, my nephew Lot. And he doesn't have any compunction to say, I claim this better land. He doesn't have any kind of jockeying for position. He just says, whatever you choose, if you choose the left, I'll go right.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 6: Trust in the Lord (2025)
If you go right, I'll go left. because I don't want there to be any disunity between us, no strife between us. And that's a great sign of Abram's faithfulness. That's a great sign of Abram's being willing to say, I know that the Lord will continue to take care of me. Same with Job.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 6: Trust in the Lord (2025)
As soon as Job was afflicted, meaning all of his properties is stolen or it's destroyed, even when his children are killed, Job's response is in all of this, Job did not curse God, but instead he worshiped. Of course, things are going to get worse for Job as time goes on. But Job's initial response was to worship, was to say, naked I came forth from my mother's womb, naked I shall return again.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 6: Trust in the Lord (2025)
The Lord gives and he takes away. Blessed be the name of the Lord. And this is our call, right? This is the call of every single one of us. Not that life is always going to make sense, but we know that the Lord is always going to be present.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 6: Trust in the Lord (2025)
That when he allows us to experience these incredible trials, and Job is going to endure incredible trials, Job once again has to battle that voice inside and outside of him, his friends and his wife, who are saying, just turn away from the Lord. Even that voice inside that wants to accuse God. Remember, Satan, Hasatan, is the one that accuses.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 6: Trust in the Lord (2025)
And there's something that gets inside Job that he wants to accuse. And yet, here is God who is so faithful that even when we are not faithful, he is steadfast. And he steadfastly calls us, Abram, Sarai, and Job to belong to him.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Introduction to the Patriarchs (with Jeff Cavins) (2025)
these time periods and how the other books fit into the context, it changed everything for me because I went from knowing the stories to knowing the story. And I'm so grateful. That's one of the reasons why every time we hit these new time periods, what we're gonna do, we're gonna have Jeff back as he gives us some context and tells us what to look out for as we journey through the time period.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Introduction to the Patriarchs (with Jeff Cavins) (2025)
This is so good. And I'm so grateful for you highlighting, well, everything you've highlighted. But here's the promises to Abraham. And they don't die with him. They don't die with his son. They don't die with his grandson. But as you said, they're fulfilled in a remarkable way that actually has something to do with you and with me right now. And to see like this was where...
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Introduction to the Patriarchs (with Jeff Cavins) (2025)
God promised our great, great, great, great, great, you know, ancestor in, because we're, you know, spiritually, we're grafted onto the tree that be able to say like, that's remarkable. And we get to be brought into this. Actually, that fulfillment of the worldwide blessing is one of the reasons why you and I have access to the scripture right now.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Introduction to the Patriarchs (with Jeff Cavins) (2025)
I have access to the gift of faith and what a gift, what an incredible gift. Jeff, is there any one last thing that you would say, okay, for context, as you walk through the age of the patriarchs, period of the patriarchs, keep this in mind?
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Introduction to the Patriarchs (with Jeff Cavins) (2025)
Yeah, that's so good. Thank you for that. And especially, we get to see Abram's faith grow, Abram's faith get tested. And so at that sense of like, so when we look at our own lives and realize, okay, so that when it comes to faith, like it gets it gets to grow, it doesn't just have to be static. And so with a Wow.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Introduction to the Patriarchs (with Jeff Cavins) (2025)
I'm so grateful, Jeff, once again, not only for the Great Adventure Bible timeline as a gift from the Lord through you, I really believe, to us, but also for your time to be able to give us a context as we march through these next number of days, 20 or so days of going through the age of the patriarchs, keeping in mind that God is working with real people. It's got a mirror.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Introduction to the Patriarchs (with Jeff Cavins) (2025)
Scripture gets to be a mirror in this way. And we get to see through the lens of faith. Mm-hmm.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Introduction to the Patriarchs (with Jeff Cavins) (2025)
Right now, we are in the time period of the patriarchs. And once again, that means we're welcoming back Jeff Cavins. Jeff, thank you so much again to being here and giving us this direction.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Introduction to the Patriarchs (with Jeff Cavins) (2025)
Thank you so much. Awesome. So if you all want to continue following us, following this podcast, following this journey, and you want to see it in front of you, sometimes they have the reading plan in front of you is like having a map. You can kind of see like, here's where we've been, here's where we are, and here's where we're going. That can be really, really helpful.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Introduction to the Patriarchs (with Jeff Cavins) (2025)
So if you want that, you can download that Bible in a Year reading plan by going to ascensionpress.com slash Bible in a Year. You also can sign up for the email list by texting the word Catholic Bible to the number 33777. And finally, please subscribe. If you haven't yet subscribed to the podcast, you can at any given moment.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Introduction to the Patriarchs (with Jeff Cavins) (2025)
But when you do, one of the things that you're doing is you are giving yourself an opportunity to every time that one of these episodes drops, it drops into your phone or wherever you get your podcasts. So please do that. Once again, we are always praying for you as you're journeying through this scripture, journeying through the Bible. I'm praying for you.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Introduction to the Patriarchs (with Jeff Cavins) (2025)
My invitation is that you pray for each other because I have the sense that as we journey through the early world already and we're going into the patriarchs and beyond. That just like during Egypt and the Exodus and desert wanderings, they had each other. Just like in the early church, they had each other. Right now, I think to be able to sustain this journey, we need to have each other.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Introduction to the Patriarchs (with Jeff Cavins) (2025)
So please keep praying for our fellow travelers as we are brought through the age of the early world, through the patriarchs and beyond to the ultimately to the messianic fulfillment of all of God's promises. Once again, my name is Father Mike Schmitz, and I cannot wait to continue to join you on this journey, and God bless.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Introduction to the Patriarchs (with Jeff Cavins) (2025)
Using the Great Adventure Bible Timeline, we'll read all the way from Genesis to Revelation, discovering how the story of salvation unfolds and how we fit into that story today. This is Ascension. at the next page of the next stage, next time period in the Bible.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Introduction to the Patriarchs (with Jeff Cavins) (2025)
Yeah, because it changes now, right? It changes from that Hebrew poetry, from that prehistory into, like, these are characters that we know their names, we know their stories, their families, and it's God interacting with them in a really new way, right?
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Introduction to the Patriarchs (with Jeff Cavins) (2025)
We had talked with Jeff Cavins earlier about the early world, and he gave us an incredible opportunity to see the context in which Genesis 1 through Genesis 11 were placed in Scripture, how that was Hebrew poetry. But in Genesis 12 through 50, we have what's called the patriarchs. It's the second time period in the Scripture when it comes to following the Great Adventure Bible timeline.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Introduction to the Patriarchs (with Jeff Cavins) (2025)
It's our favorite part. As you mentioned, it's the most marked up part of most people's Bibles.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Introduction to the Patriarchs (with Jeff Cavins) (2025)
Hi, my name is Father Mike Schmitz, and you're listening to the Bible in a Year podcast, where we encounter God's voice and live life through the lens of scripture. The Bible in a Year podcast is brought to you by Ascension.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Introduction to the Patriarchs (with Jeff Cavins) (2025)
Pretty quick, yeah. Yeah.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Introduction to the Patriarchs (with Jeff Cavins) (2025)
You know, Jeff, one of the things you mentioned here is like, I'm so grateful for that, like the overview. Again, we have Abraham and Sarah. We have Isaac and Rebecca. We have Esau, you know, on the side there, and Jacob. And then the four, two wives, two handmaids.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Introduction to the Patriarchs (with Jeff Cavins) (2025)
And it introduces us to a number of incredible characters. This is where we meet Abram and Sarai, whose names change. We meet Isaac. We meet Jacob. We meet their wives. We meet their kids. And we get to know, basically, the patriarchs, our father in faith, Abraham, as well as his kids, the beginning of the people of Israel we get to encounter. And so in order for us to get an opportunity—
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Introduction to the Patriarchs (with Jeff Cavins) (2025)
And you also have some kind of, I remember I was talking with my sister about this because she's been studying the Great Adventure Bible timeline. She started a little while back, not too long back. And she's like, oh my gosh, I'm going through Genesis still. She got to the end and she said, I didn't realize.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Introduction to the Patriarchs (with Jeff Cavins) (2025)
how like messed up some stuff is or like, you know, how much there's family members, you know, whether hurting each other, murdering each other or incest. And like some of the things she's like, I didn't realize how much there was, how much brokenness, you know, to use one word to kind of sum up all this stuff.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Introduction to the Patriarchs (with Jeff Cavins) (2025)
Some of the people who will be journeying with us, this will be maybe one of the first times that they've actually heard They've heard the story, maybe the names, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, maybe the names of Sarah and Rebecca and Rachel and Leah. I don't know if they've all heard about kind of the weakness or the sins of these people. How do we navigate that?
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Introduction to the Patriarchs (with Jeff Cavins) (2025)
Also the birthright, yeah.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Introduction to the Patriarchs (with Jeff Cavins) (2025)
Yeah.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Introduction to the Patriarchs (with Jeff Cavins) (2025)
They show you.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Introduction to the Patriarchs (with Jeff Cavins) (2025)
Yeah, and it's so interesting that you're, I remember when you had revealed that to me, that yes, there's brokenness in all these stories because there's brokenness in our lives. Like that when it comes to Bible stories, again, sometimes our first introduction to the Bible is Bible stories for children. And so we don't necessarily get the like, wow, this is more about my life.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Introduction to the Patriarchs (with Jeff Cavins) (2025)
You mentioned at the very beginning of this, like you can get the Bible, like you can understand this. And I think we can really understand it when we realize This is not a book of tales. This is not a Hallmark movie. This is real life.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Introduction to the Patriarchs (with Jeff Cavins) (2025)
And also what you had revealed to me that just pay attention because more often scriptures will show you the consequences of an action or the right or wrongness of an action more quickly than they'll tell you specifically when it comes to some of these early narrative books where they're talking about the patriarchs and talking about some of the actions of those who are our fathers and mothers in the faith.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Introduction to the Patriarchs (with Jeff Cavins) (2025)
to have some context for the patriarchs this time period. Once again, we are honored to have Jeff Cavins back.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Introduction to the Patriarchs (with Jeff Cavins) (2025)
Am I the deceiver?
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Introduction to the Patriarchs (with Jeff Cavins) (2025)
Jeff Cavins is the individual who created the Great Adventure Bible Timeline, as well as the Great Adventure Bible Study, which again, as I've said many times, but I will not stop saying it because it was so important to me, so influential for me, that when I finally heard Jeff teaching about the Great Adventure Bible Timeline, so we have all these narrative books, these 14 narrative books, and understanding
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Introduction to the Patriarchs (with Jeff Cavins) (2025)
Yeah, I do. It's St. Ephraim the Syrian, I think it was. Yeah, yeah, yeah. You can finish it. It's great. Drinking from a fountain where you shouldn't be discouraged by the fact that you can't drain the spring, you can't drain the fountain, but be encouraged by the fact that every time you return to it, there's more and more and more.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Introduction to the Patriarchs (with Jeff Cavins) (2025)
Exactly. I drank it all. And to recognize that I'll take in a little bit, whatever I can take in. And that's the thing that I've learned over the course of these years too, is I take in what I can, and then I'm not going to be overly bothered with what I can't take in. That's one of the reasons why actually, kind of confession, why I really like the audio versions of books.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Introduction to the Patriarchs (with Jeff Cavins) (2025)
And actually one of the reasons we're doing the podcast is is that sometimes I know for myself that when I'm reading with my eyes, I can get stuck. I'm like, wait, what does this mean? What exactly is this? And if I just kept on reading, I would get a bigger picture of it.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Introduction to the Patriarchs (with Jeff Cavins) (2025)
I would start understanding because the text itself would tell me things, as well as the fact that just because, again, I can't mine all of the gold out of the scriptures in one reading doesn't mean I can't go back. And I can always keep coming back. And that's what it sounds like you're saying when it comes to the whole Bible, but especially here, we're getting these stories of the patriarchs.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 31: Frogs, Gnats, and Flies (2025)
And so Lord Jesus, we ask that you send your Holy spirit, send your spirit, uh, the advocate that, that helper, that the comforter, the convictor, the one who sustains and strengthens us, the one who is the presence of God living in our midst. Um, right now. And in every moment we pray for each other, um, Please pray for me. I'm praying for you. And man, my name is Father Mike.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 31: Frogs, Gnats, and Flies (2025)
I cannot wait to see you again tomorrow. God bless.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 31: Frogs, Gnats, and Flies (2025)
Seven days passed after the Lord had struck the Nile. Then the Lord said to Moses, go into Pharaoh and say to him, thus says the Lord, let my people go that they may serve me. But if you refuse to let them go, behold, I will plague all your country with frogs. And the Lord said to Moses,
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 31: Frogs, Gnats, and Flies (2025)
So Aaron stretched out his hand over the waters of Egypt, and the frogs came up and covered the land of Egypt. But the magicians did the same by their secret arts and brought frogs upon the land of Egypt. Then Pharaoh called Moses and Aaron and said, Entreat the Lord to take away the frogs from me and from my people, and I will let the people go to sacrifice to the Lord.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 31: Frogs, Gnats, and Flies (2025)
Moses said to Pharaoh, Be pleased to command me when I am to entreat for you and for your servants and for your people that the frogs be destroyed from you and from your houses and be left only in the Nile. And he said, Tomorrow. Moses said, Be it as you say, that you may know that there is no one like the Lord our God.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 31: Frogs, Gnats, and Flies (2025)
The frogs shall depart from you and your houses and your servants and your people. They shall be only left in the Nile. So Moses and Aaron went out from Pharaoh and Moses cried to the Lord concerning the frogs as he had agreed with Pharaoh. And the Lord did according to the word of Moses.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 31: Frogs, Gnats, and Flies (2025)
The frogs died out of the houses and courtyards and out of the fields and they gathered them together in heaps and the land stank. But when Pharaoh saw that there was a respite, he hardened his heart and he would not listen to them as the Lord had said.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 31: Frogs, Gnats, and Flies (2025)
Today, this is day 31. Let's keep on reading today. We're going to be reading from the book of Exodus chapter eight, the book of Leviticus chapter six and the book of Psalms chapter 48.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 31: Frogs, Gnats, and Flies (2025)
Then the Lord said to Moses, Say to Aaron, Stretch out your rod and strike the dust of the earth, that it may become gnats throughout all the land of Egypt. And they did so. Aaron stretched out his hand with his rod and struck the dust of the earth, and there came gnats on man and beast. All the dust of the earth became gnats throughout all the land of Egypt.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 31: Frogs, Gnats, and Flies (2025)
The magicians tried by their secret arts to bring forth gnats, but they could not. So there were gnats on man and beast. And the magicians said to Pharaoh, This is the finger of God. But Pharaoh's heart was hardened, and he would not listen to them, as the Lord had said.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 31: Frogs, Gnats, and Flies (2025)
Then the Lord said to Moses, rise up early in the morning and wait for Pharaoh as he goes out to the water and say to him, thus says the Lord, let my people go that they may serve me.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 31: Frogs, Gnats, and Flies (2025)
Else, if you will not let my people go, behold, I will send swarms of flies on you and your servants and your people and into your houses and the houses of the Egyptians shall be filled with swarms of flies and also the ground on which they stand. But on that day, I will set apart the land of Goshen where my people dwell and
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 31: Frogs, Gnats, and Flies (2025)
so that no swarms of flies shall be there, that you may know that I am the Lord in the midst of the earth. Thus I will put a division between my people and your people. By tomorrow shall this sign be. And the Lord did so. There came great swarms of flies into the house of Pharaoh and into his servants' houses, and in all the land of Egypt the land was ruined by reason of the flies.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 31: Frogs, Gnats, and Flies (2025)
We're going to continue with the plagues in the land of Egypt to set the Israelites free and also looking at some of the laws the Lord continues to give in the book of Leviticus rules for worship and rules for proper way to approach the Lord, as well as the prayer of Psalm 48. I am reading from the Revised Standard Version, the Catholic edition.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 31: Frogs, Gnats, and Flies (2025)
Then Pharaoh called Moses and Aaron and said, Go, sacrifice to your God within the land. But Moses said, It would not be right to do so, for we shall sacrifice to the Lord our God offerings abominable to the Egyptians. If we sacrifice offerings abominable to the Egyptians before their eyes, will they not stone us?
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 31: Frogs, Gnats, and Flies (2025)
We must go a three days journey into the wilderness and sacrifice to the Lord our God as he will command us. So Pharaoh said, I will let you go to sacrifice to the Lord your God in the wilderness, but only you shall not go very far. Make a treaty for me.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 31: Frogs, Gnats, and Flies (2025)
Then Moses said, behold, I'm going out from you and I will pray to the Lord that the swarms of flies may depart from Pharaoh, from his servants and from his people tomorrow. Only let not Pharaoh deal falsely again by not letting the people go to sacrifice to the Lord. So Moses went out from Pharaoh and prayed to the Lord.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 31: Frogs, Gnats, and Flies (2025)
And the Lord did as Moses asked and removed the swarms of flies from Pharaoh, from his servants and from his people. Not one remained. But Pharaoh hardened his heart this time also and did not let the people go.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 31: Frogs, Gnats, and Flies (2025)
Hi, my name is Father Mike Schmitz, and you're listening to the Bible in a Year podcast, where we encounter God's voice and live life through the lens of Scripture. The Bible in a Year podcast is brought to you by Ascension. Using the Great Adventure Bible Timeline, we'll read all the way from Genesis to Revelation, discovering how the story of salvation unfolds and how we fit into that story.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 31: Frogs, Gnats, and Flies (2025)
The Lord said to Moses, if anyone sins and commits a breach of faith against the Lord by deceiving his neighbor in a matter of deposit or security or through robbery, or if he has oppressed his neighbor or has found what was lost and lied about it, swearing falsely,
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 31: Frogs, Gnats, and Flies (2025)
In any of all the things which men do and sin therein, when one has sinned and became guilty, he shall restore what he took by robbery, or what he got by oppression, or the deposit which was committed to him, or the lost thing which he found, or anything about which he has sworn falsely. He shall restore it in full and shall add a fifth to it.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 31: Frogs, Gnats, and Flies (2025)
and give it to him to whom it belongs on the day of his guilt offering. And he shall bring to the priest his guilt offering to the Lord, a ram without blemish out of the flock, valued by you at the price for a guilt offering. And the priest shall make atonement for him before the Lord, and he shall be forgiven for any of the things which one may do, and thereby become guilty.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 31: Frogs, Gnats, and Flies (2025)
The Lord said to Moses, command Aaron and his sons saying, this is the law of the burnt offering. The burnt offering shall be on the hearth upon the altar all night until the morning and the fire of the altar shall kept burning on it. And the priest shall put on his linen garment and put his linen britches upon his body.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 31: Frogs, Gnats, and Flies (2025)
And he shall take up the ashes to the fire that has consumed the burnt offering on the altar and put them beside the altar. Then he shall put off his garments, and put on other garments, and carry forth the ashes outside the camp to a clean place. The fire on the altar shall be kept burning on it. It shall not go out.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 31: Frogs, Gnats, and Flies (2025)
The priest shall burn wood on it every morning, and he shall lay the burnt offering in order upon it, and shall burn on it the fat of the peace offerings. Fire shall be kept burning upon the altar continually. It shall not go out. And this is the law of the cereal offering. The sons of Aaron shall offer it before the Lord in front of the altar.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 31: Frogs, Gnats, and Flies (2025)
And one shall take from it a handful of the fine flour of the cereal offering with its oil and all the frankincense which is on the cereal offering and burn this as its memorial portion on the altar, a pleasing order to the Lord. and the rest of it Aaron and his sons shall eat. It shall be eaten unleavened in a holy place, in the court of the tent of meeting they shall eat it.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 31: Frogs, Gnats, and Flies (2025)
It shall not be baked with leaven. I have given it as their portion of my offerings by fire. It is a thing most holy, like the sin offering and the guilt offering. Every male among the children of Aaron may eat of it, as decreed forever throughout your generations from the Lord's offerings by fire. Whoever touches them shall become holy.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 31: Frogs, Gnats, and Flies (2025)
In fact, I'm reading the Great Adventure Bible from Ascension. You can get that at ascensionpress.com or wherever fine books are sold. You can also go to ascensionpress.com to get your own Bible in a Year reading plan. If you go to ascensionpress.com slash Bible in a Year, you can get that for free. And please, if you like, if you've been following us for the last 30 days, here we are on day 31.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 31: Frogs, Gnats, and Flies (2025)
The Lord said to Moses, The priest from among Aaron's sons said, who is anointed to succeed him, shall offer it to the Lord as decreed forever. The whole of it shall be burned. Every serial offering of the priest shall be wholly burned. It shall not be eaten. The Lord said to Moses, Say to Aaron and his sons, This is the law of the sin offering.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 31: Frogs, Gnats, and Flies (2025)
In the place where the burnt offering is killed shall the sin offering be killed before the Lord. It is most holy.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 31: Frogs, Gnats, and Flies (2025)
the priest who offers it for sin shall eat it in a holy place it shall be eaten in the court of the tent of meeting whatever touches its flesh shall be holy and when any of its blood is sprinkled on a garment you shall wash that on which it was sprinkled in a holy place and the earthen vessel in which it is boiled shall be broken but if it is boiled in a bronze vessel that shall be scoured and rinsed in water
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 31: Frogs, Gnats, and Flies (2025)
Every male among the priests may eat of it. It is most holy. But no sin offering shall be eaten from which any blood is brought into the tent of meeting to make atonement in the holy place.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 31: Frogs, Gnats, and Flies (2025)
The glory and strength of Zion. A song. A psalm of the sons of Korah. Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised in the city of our God. His holy mountain, beautiful in elevation, is the joy of all the earth. Mount Zion, in the far north, the city of the great king. Within her citadels, God has shown himself a sure defense. For behold, the kings assembled, they came together.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 31: Frogs, Gnats, and Flies (2025)
As soon as they saw it, they were astounded. They were in panic, they took to flight. Trembling, took hold of them there. Anguish as of a woman with labor pains. By the east wind you shattered the ships of Tarshish. As we have heard, so we have seen in the city of the Lord of hosts, in the city of our God, which God establishes forever.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 31: Frogs, Gnats, and Flies (2025)
We have thought on your mercy, O God, in the midst of your temple. As your name, O God, so your praise reaches to the ends of the earth. Your mighty hand is filled with victory. Let Mount Zion be glad. Let the daughters of Judah rejoice because of your judgments. Walk about Zion. Go round about her.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 31: Frogs, Gnats, and Flies (2025)
number her towers, consider well her ramparts, go through her citadels, that you may tell the next generation that this is God, our God forever and ever. He will be our guide forever. Father in heaven, we give you praise. We thank you so much. Thank you for your word. Thank you for how you reveal that you fight for your people. You fight for us. Also, Lord, that you want us. You desire us.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 31: Frogs, Gnats, and Flies (2025)
You are the God who is just, but you are even more than just. You are merciful. More than mercy, you are love. And so, Lord God, we ask that you please visit us with your mercy, with your justice, and with your love. Help us to receive your justice. Help us to receive your love and receive your mercy. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 31: Frogs, Gnats, and Flies (2025)
then you know that the best way to do that is to subscribe in your podcast app. That way, when we drop an episode, you can pick up this episode so that we can continue our prayers together because this is something we are doing absolutely together. It is day 31 in this journey through the Bible in one year.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 31: Frogs, Gnats, and Flies (2025)
Oh my gosh, you guys, this is, what a phenomenal opportunity to be able to pray together. and to read from the Bible and to allow the Bible to shape us. And sometimes the Bible is a flashlight and it shines light on certain parts of our lives, kind of unearths some things. Sometimes it is a mirror and it reflects ourselves back to ourselves and we get to see in it ourselves and the way we are.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 31: Frogs, Gnats, and Flies (2025)
And sometimes it's a sandpaper where it kind of roughs off some rough edges or convicts us. I heard a friend of mine once say that community is like that too, like really healthy community is like that. It can be a flashlight, a mirror, and sandpaper.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 31: Frogs, Gnats, and Flies (2025)
Today, in the story of the plagues in Exodus chapter 8 that we read from today, one of the things that happens right away with the second plague of frogs is the fact that Moses goes to Pharaoh and says, I can take these frogs away if you want. And Pharaoh says, do it. And Moses asks him a question. He says, when do you want? He says, be pleased to command me when I'm into entreat.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 31: Frogs, Gnats, and Flies (2025)
When I am to entreat for you and for your servants and for your people that the frogs be destroyed from you and your houses and left only in the Nile. Just tell me when. And the remarkable answer of Pharaoh, whose entire, I mean, it says there are frogs in his bed. There are frogs everywhere. Pharaoh's answer when Moses asks him, when would you like me to get rid of the frogs for you?
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 31: Frogs, Gnats, and Flies (2025)
Moses' answer is tomorrow. I just want to ask the question, isn't that just like us? Isn't that, that's the mirror. That's the mirror of the scripture today where it's just like, oh my goodness, that is me. The Lord God maybe at times can say, hey, I'd like to deliver you. I would like to get this pain rid out of your life or whatever the thing is, right? Sometimes the Lord says, okay, it's time.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 31: Frogs, Gnats, and Flies (2025)
Get rid of the thing. It's time. End the relationship. It's time. Get rid of what's killing you or killing the people around you. When do you want to do it? And we say, how about tomorrow, God? I mean, this thing I hate. This thing is killing me. This thing is devastating. Okay, when should we get rid of it? Well, right now is not the right time. How about later?
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 31: Frogs, Gnats, and Flies (2025)
And isn't that in so many ways, our answer for so many things, not just getting rid of bad things, but also starting good things. Now we've been on this journey for 31 days now. And so you've started this, you started this journey 31 days ago. And it's just what a gift that you didn't put it off. What a gift that you are being consistent here.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 31: Frogs, Gnats, and Flies (2025)
What a gift that we have this community of people who are praying. We continue to pray with each other as we continue to allow the Lord's word. But there's still that temptation in every one of us to say, well, maybe not today. Maybe I'll just catch up tomorrow or we decide I'm going to put this podcast on two times speed because I missed a couple of days and now I'm going to catch up that way.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 31: Frogs, Gnats, and Flies (2025)
Well, there's nothing wrong with catching up and there's nothing wrong with listening to scripture at two times speed. But why not what it is today? Make use of today. This is a reminder because scripture can be a flashlight, can be a sandpaper piece, and it can also be a mirror for us. And so if I see in myself that
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 31: Frogs, Gnats, and Flies (2025)
that tendency to put things off to tomorrow, to get rid of the bad things or to start the good things. What I see is I see a Pharaoh's heart inside of me, and I don't want to have Pharaoh's heart. I want to have heart like the Lord. And so we pray for each other because we can't change without God's grace. We can't become like God without his presence living inside of us, without his Holy Spirit.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 31: Frogs, Gnats, and Flies (2025)
And so that means we're coming up, either we passed one month or today is one month when it comes to where we're reading. And that is a mile marker. That's a milestone. We need to mark that and be able to say, yeah, Lord, I've allowed your word to shape my life for the last 30 days and including today, day 31. As I mentioned, today we're going to be reading from Exodus chapter 8.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 31: Frogs, Gnats, and Flies (2025)
And so we just pray that, um, the Lord gives us his Holy spirit and fills us with his Holy spirit. He goes without his Holy spirit, we cannot pray as we ought without his Holy spirit. We cannot be the people that we ought to be.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 24: Tears of Joy (2025)
Let your eyes look directly forward and your gaze be straight before you. Take heed to the path of your feet. Then all your ways will be sure. Do not swerve to the right or to the left. Turn your foot away from evil. Father in heaven, we thank you and we give you praise. Thank you so much for the gift of this day. Thank you for the gift of your word.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 24: Tears of Joy (2025)
And then in the message part of it, just type in one word, Catholic Bible to that number three, three, seven, seven, seven Catholic Bible. Once again, as I said, we are reading from Genesis chapter 45 and 46. And the story continues to get deeper to the heart of heart of Israel's family, the heart of Joseph himself, the heart of these brothers. Genesis chapter 45 and 46.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 24: Tears of Joy (2025)
Thank you for the gift of revealing your heart to us because that is what you do in your word. You speak to us and you continue to speak to us. Even Lord, when your word is challenging, even when your word is confusing and we don't understand what's going on, we don't understand what you're trying to say to us, Still, you continue to speak and we continue to listen.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 24: Tears of Joy (2025)
Give us hearts that can understand what we're hearing. Give us hearts to understand what you're saying. In Jesus' name we pray. In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Okay. So man, oh man, the story of Joseph is one of my favorite stories in the book of Genesis.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 24: Tears of Joy (2025)
I have a lot of favorite stories in the old Testament, which I can't wait to journey with you all through. But the story of Joseph is one of my favorites. One of the scenes that is such a favorite is this, is the moment where Joseph reveals himself to his brothers and And in that revelation, he weeps so loudly that even Pharaoh hears about it.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 24: Tears of Joy (2025)
He weeps so loudly that everyone's like, what the heck is going on with Joseph? Something big is happening. And he throws himself upon his brother Benjamin's neck and they weep together. This reunion, they've never met each other at this point, right? And yet all the other brothers are half brothers, which is still family. But Benjamin is his full brother.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 24: Tears of Joy (2025)
This reunion of two brothers who have never met Is this powerful moment only to be superseded by the moment when Joseph is reunited with his father, Jacob, with his father, Israel. It is just remarkable. What's also remarkable is the tears. Why would you cry? Why would we cry when good things are happening? Joseph is weeping as his brothers and he are reconciled.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 24: Tears of Joy (2025)
Joseph is weeping as his father and he are reunited. Why do we weep? Remember someone telling me, someone really wise telling me once, he said, why do we weep when there's joy? Why does a mom weep when she's lost her child and finds the child again? The child is lost in the park or lost somewhere and they're reunited again. Why are Joseph and Israel, this father and son, why are they weeping?
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 24: Tears of Joy (2025)
This is the happy moment. We weep. This person said, he said, we weep because we know it could have been otherwise. We weep because we know it could have been otherwise. That not only are we joyful, but we're also so aware, so aware that Jacob could have gone down to Sheol, not knowing that his son was still alive.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 24: Tears of Joy (2025)
Joseph could have continued to serve in Egypt, never again seeing his brothers, never again seeing his father, never ever meeting his brother, Benjamin. And we know this, we know that it could have been otherwise. And so we weep out of joy, but also knowing how fragile we are. And knowing that if the Lord is not with us, that fragility means death.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 24: Tears of Joy (2025)
If the Lord is not with us, that fragility means we're destroyed. But when God is with us, as he was with Joseph, as he was with Israel, and as he is with you right now, when the Lord is with you, There's room. There's room in our life for tears and there's room in our life for joy and there's room in our lives for joyful tears.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 24: Tears of Joy (2025)
What joy breaks your heart today because you know that it doesn't have to be this way. It could have been otherwise. What sorrow breaks your heart today? Because unlike maybe Jacob and Joseph, you're not reunited with that loved one. Unlike the brothers of Joseph, you haven't been yet forgiven or you haven't offered forgiveness. Where's your heart being broken today?
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 24: Tears of Joy (2025)
This is something definitely worth talking to the Lord about and actually praying for each other about because you guys, as we said, you know, this is a journey, not just individual journey. This is a community of people who are going through the Bible this entire year. We're on day 24. We have so much room to cover, but also we've come so far.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 24: Tears of Joy (2025)
We're at almost the end, almost the very end of the book of Genesis and almost the very end of the book of Job. So we need to pray for each other because we're not journeying alone. I am praying for you. My name is Father Mike. Cannot wait to see you tomorrow. God bless.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 24: Tears of Joy (2025)
Then Joseph could not control himself before all those who stood by him. And he cried, make everyone go out from me. So no one stayed with him when Joseph made himself known to his brothers. And he whooped aloud so that the Egyptians heard it and the household of Pharaoh heard it. And Joseph said to his brothers, I am Joseph. Is my father still alive?
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 24: Tears of Joy (2025)
using the great adventure bible timeline we will read all the way from genesis to revelation discovering how the story of salvation unfolds and how we fit into that story today this is day 24. oh my goodness what a gift let's keep on going we're reading today from genesis chapter 45 and 46 also two more chapters from the book of our friend job job chapter 37 and 38
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 24: Tears of Joy (2025)
But his brothers could not answer him, for they were dismayed at his presence. So Joseph said to his brothers, Come here to me, I beg you. And they came near, and he said, I am your brother Joseph, whom you sold into Egypt. And now do not be distressed or angry with yourselves, because you sold me here, for God sent me before you to preserve life.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 24: Tears of Joy (2025)
For the famine has been in the land these two years, And there are yet five years in which there will be neither plowing nor harvest. And God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant on earth and to keep alive for you many survivors. So it was not you who sent me here, but God. And he has made me a father to Pharaoh and Lord of all his house and ruler over all the land of Egypt.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 24: Tears of Joy (2025)
Make haste and go up to my father and say to him, thus says your son Joseph, God has made me Lord of all Egypt. Come down to me, do not tarry. You shall dwell in the land of Goshen and you shall be near me, you and your children and your children's children and your flocks, your herds and all that you have. And there I will provide for you.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 24: Tears of Joy (2025)
For there are yet five years of famine to come, lest you and your household and all that you have come to poverty. And now your eyes see, and the eyes of my brother Benjamin see, that it is my mouth that speaks to you. You must tell my father of all my splendor in Egypt and of all that you have seen. Make haste and bring my father down here. Then he fell upon his brother Benjamin's neck and wept.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 24: Tears of Joy (2025)
And Benjamin wept upon his neck. And he kissed all his brothers and wept upon them. And after that, his brothers talked with him. When the report was heard in Pharaoh's house, Joseph's brothers have come. It pleased Pharaoh and his servants as well.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 24: Tears of Joy (2025)
And Pharaoh said to Joseph, say to your brothers, do this, load your beasts and go back to the land of Canaan and take your father and your households and come to me and I will give you the best of the land in Egypt and you shall eat the fat of the land. Command them also, do this, take wagons from the land of Egypt for your little ones and your wives and bring your father and come.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 24: Tears of Joy (2025)
Give no thought to your goods, for the best of all the land of Egypt is yours. The son of Israel did so, and Joseph gave them wagons, according to the command of Pharaoh, and gave them provisions for the journey. To each and all of them he gave festal garments, but to Benjamin he gave three hundred shekels of silver and five festal garments.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 24: Tears of Joy (2025)
to his father he sent as follows ten donkeys loaded with the good things of egypt and ten she donkeys loaded with grain bread and provisions for his father on the journey then he sent his brothers away and as they departed he said to them do not quarrel on the way so they went up out of the land of egypt and came to the land of canaan to their father jacob
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 24: Tears of Joy (2025)
And they told him, Joseph is still alive, and he is ruler over all the land of Egypt. And his heart fainted, for he did not believe them. But when they told him all the words of Joseph, which he had said to them, and when he saw the wagons which Joseph had sent to carry him, the spirit of their father Jacob revived. And Israel said, It is enough. Joseph, my son, is still alive.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 24: Tears of Joy (2025)
I will go and see him before I die. So Israel took his journey with all that he had and came to Beersheba and offered sacrifices to the God of his father, Isaac. And God spoke to Israel in visions of the night and said, Jacob, Jacob. And he said, here am I. Then he said, I am God, the God of your father. Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt for I will there make of you a great nation. I
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 24: Tears of Joy (2025)
We'll also be reading from the book of Proverbs, closing out chapter four, verses 20 through 27. So again, we're starting out with Genesis 45 and 46.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 24: Tears of Joy (2025)
I will go down with you to Egypt and I will also bring you up again and Joseph's hand shall close your eyes. Then Jacob set out from Beersheba and the sons of Israel carried Jacob, their father, their little ones and their wives in the wagons, which Pharaoh had sent to carry him.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 24: Tears of Joy (2025)
They also took their cattle and their goods, which they had gained in the land of Canaan, and came into Egypt, Jacob and all his offspring with him, his sons and his sons' sons with him, his daughters and his sons' daughters, all his offspring he brought with him into Egypt." Now these are the names of the descendants of Israel who came into Egypt. Jacob and his sons.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 24: Tears of Joy (2025)
Hi, I'm Father Mike Schmitz, and you're listening to the Bible in a Year podcast, where we encounter God's voice and live life through the lens of Scripture. The Bible in a Year podcast is brought to you by Ascension.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 24: Tears of Joy (2025)
Reuben, Jacob's firstborn, and the sons of Reuben, Hanak, Palu, Hezron, and Carmi. The sons of Simeon, Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jakin, Zohar, and Shaul, the son of a Canaanitish woman. The sons of Levi, Gershon, Kohath, The sons of Judah, Ur, Onan, Shelah, Perez, and Zerah. But Ur and Onan died in the land of Canaan. And the sons of Perez were Hezron and Hamul.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 24: Tears of Joy (2025)
The sons of Issachar, Tola, Puva, Eob, and Shimron. The sons of Zebulun, Sered, Elan, and Jalil. These are the sons of Leah, whom she bore to Jacob, and Paddan Aram, together with his daughter Dinah. Altogether his sons and his daughters numbered thirty-three. The sons of Gad, Siphion, Haggi, Shunai, Ezbon, Irai, Arodi, and Arali.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 24: Tears of Joy (2025)
We are reading from the Revised Standard Version of the Bible, the Catholic edition, and I'm using the Great Adventure Bible from Ascension, which is so helpful to have when we're reading this time, we're reading this podcast based off of the Great Adventure Bible timeline, because it all goes together and all fits together really, really well.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 24: Tears of Joy (2025)
The sons of Asher, Imnah, Ishva, Ishvi, Berea, and Sera, their sister. And the sons of Berea, Heber, and Malkiel. These are the sons of Zilpah, whom Laban gave to Leah, his daughter, and these she bore to Jacob, sixteen persons. the sons of Rachel, Jacob's wife, Joseph, and Benjamin.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 24: Tears of Joy (2025)
And to Joseph, in the land of Egypt were born Manasseh and Ephraim, whom Ansanath, the daughter of Potipharah, the priest of On, bore to him. And the sons of Benjamin, Bilah, Becher, Ashbal, Gerah, Naaman, Ehi, Rosh, Mupim, Hupim, and Ard. These are the sons of Rachel, who were born to Jacob fourteen persons in all. The sons of Dan, Hushim. The sons of Naphtali, Jazil, Guni, Jezer, and Shalem.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 24: Tears of Joy (2025)
These are the sons of Bilhah, whom Laban gave to Rachel his daughter, and these she born to Jacob, seven persons in all. All the persons belonging to Jacob who came into Egypt, who were his own offspring, not including Jacob's sons' wives, were sixty-six persons in all. And the sons of Joseph who were born to him in Egypt were two.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 24: Tears of Joy (2025)
All the persons of the house of Jacob that came into Egypt were seventy. He sent Judah before him to Joseph, to appear before him in Goshen. And they came into the land of Goshen. Then Joseph made ready his chariot and went up to meet Israel his father in Goshen. And he presented himself to him and fell on his neck and wept on his neck a good while.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 24: Tears of Joy (2025)
Israel said to Joseph, Now let me die, since I have seen your face and know that you are still alive.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 24: Tears of Joy (2025)
Joseph said to his brothers and to his father's household, I will go up and tell Pharaoh and will say to him, my brothers and my father's household who were in the land of Canaan have come to me and the men are shepherds for they have been keepers of cattle and they have brought their flocks and their herds and all that they have. When Pharaoh calls you and says, what is your occupation?
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 24: Tears of Joy (2025)
You shall say, your servants have been keepers of cattle from our youth, even until now, both we and our fathers, in order that you may dwell in the land of Goshen.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 24: Tears of Joy (2025)
At this also my heart trembles and leaps out of its place. Listen to the thunder of his voice and the rumbling that comes from his mouth. Under the whole heaven he lets it go and is lightning to the corners of the earth. After it, his voice roars. He thunders with his majestic voice and he does not restrain the bolts of lightning when his voice is heard. God thunders wondrously in his voice.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 24: Tears of Joy (2025)
If you wanna get your own Bible in a Year reading plan, It is free. You just have to go to ascensionpress.com slash Bible in a year, and it's right there for you. All you have to do is go there, ascensionpress.com slash Bible in a year. Please subscribe to this podcast. Just click on subscribe, and you'll get whenever we drop an episode, you can pick it up with your favorite podcasting app.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 24: Tears of Joy (2025)
he does great things which we cannot comprehend for to the snow he says fall on the earth and to the shower and the rain be strong he seals up the hand of every man that all men may know his work then beasts go into their lairs and remain in their dens from its chamber comes the whirlwind and cold from the scattering winds. By the breath of God, ice is given, and the broad waters are frozen fast.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 24: Tears of Joy (2025)
He loads the thick cloud with moisture. The clouds scatter his lightning. They turn round and round by his guidance to accomplish all that he commands them on the face of the habitable world. Whether for correction, or for his land, or for love, he causes it to happen. Hear this, O Job, stop and consider the wondrous works of God.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 24: Tears of Joy (2025)
Do you know how God lay his commands upon them and caused the lightning of his clouds to shine? Do you know the balancings of the clouds, the wondrous works of him who is perfect in knowledge? You whose garments are hot when the earth is still because of the south wind, can you like him spread out the skies hard as a molten mirror? Teach us what we shall say to him.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 24: Tears of Joy (2025)
We cannot drop our case because of darkness. Shall it be told him that I would speak? Did a man ever wish that he would be swallowed up? And now men cannot look on the light when it's bright in the skies and when the wind has passed and cleared them. Out of the north comes golden splendor and God is clothed with awesome majesty. The Almighty, we cannot find him.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 24: Tears of Joy (2025)
He is great in power and justice and abundant righteousness he will not violate. Therefore, men fear him. He does not regard any who are wise in their own conceit. Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind. Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge? Gird up your loins like a man. I will question you and you shall declare to me.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 24: Tears of Joy (2025)
Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Tell me if you have understanding. Who determines its measurements? Surely you know. Or who stretched the line upon it? On what were its bases sunk? Or who laid its cornerstone when the morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy? Or who shut in the sea with doors when it burst forth from the womb?
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 24: Tears of Joy (2025)
When I made the clouds its garment and thick darkness its swaddling band, and prescribed bounds for it, and set bars and doors, and said, Thus far shall you come, and no farther, and here shall your proud waves be stayed.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 24: Tears of Joy (2025)
Have you commanded the morning since your days began and caused the dawn to know its place, that it might take hold of the skirts of the earth and the wicked shall be shaken out of it? It is changed like clay under the seal and it is dyed like garment. For the wicked, their light is withheld and their uplifted arm is broken.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 24: Tears of Joy (2025)
Have you entered into the springs of the sea or walked in the recesses of the deep? Have the gates of death been revealed to you or have you seen the gates of deep darkness? Have you comprehended the expanse of the earth? Declare if you know all this. Where is the way to the dwelling of light? And where is the place of darkness?
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 24: Tears of Joy (2025)
Also, lastly, if you want to sign up for our email list, you can simply text the word Catholic Bible to the number 33777 just in the I guess the address button or the address section of your text messages, type in the numbers three, three, then seven, seven, seven.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 24: Tears of Joy (2025)
You may take it to its territory and that you may discern the paths to its home. You know, for you were born then and the number of your days is great. Have you entered the storehouses of the snow? Or have you seen the storehouses of the hail, which I have reserved for the time of trouble for the day of battle and war?
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 24: Tears of Joy (2025)
What is the way to the place where the light is distributed, or where the east wind is scattered upon the earth? Who has cleft a channel for the torrents of rain, and a way for the thunderbolts to bring rain on a land where no man is, on the desert in which there is no man, to satisfy the waste and desolate land, and to make the ground put forth grass? Has the rain a father?
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 24: Tears of Joy (2025)
Or who has begotten the drops of dew? From whose womb did the ice come forth? And who has given birth to the hoarfrost of heaven? The waters become hard like stone, and the face of the deep is frozen. Can you bind the chains of the Pleiades, or loose the cords of Orion? Can you lead forth the Mazaroth in their season? Or can you guide the bear with its children?
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 24: Tears of Joy (2025)
Do you know the ordinances of the heavens? Can you establish their rule on the earth? Can you lift up your voice to the cloud that a flood of waters may cover you? Can you send forth bolts of lightning that they may go and say to you, here we are? Who has put wisdom in the clouds? Who has given understanding to the mists? Who can number the clouds by wisdom?
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 24: Tears of Joy (2025)
Or who can tilt the water skins of the heavens when the dust runs into a mass and the clods cling tightly together? Can you hunt the prey for lion or satisfy the appetite of the young lions when they crouch in their dens or lie in wait in their hiding places? Who provides for the raven its prey when its young ones cry to God and wander about for lack of food?
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 24: Tears of Joy (2025)
My son, be attentive to my words. Incline your ear to my sayings. Let them not escape from your sight. Keep them within your heart, for they are life to him who finds them and healing to all his flesh. Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life. Put away from you crooked speech and put devious talk far from you.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 17: Jacob Meets Esau (2025)
Jacob brings a gift in Genesis chapter 33, verse 11. And the gift, and this is what Jeff Cavins points out, the term for gift that Jacob offers his brother, that word for gift, that term for gift is literally the word blessing. That Jacob is returning the blessing to Esau. Remember, it was the blessing that he deceived their father out of. And this is what Jeff says.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 17: Jacob Meets Esau (2025)
The portion of the blessing that relates to material prosperity is now shared with Esau as an act of restoration. It's an act of restoration. And Jeff goes on to point out for the first time in the story, there is hope that reconciliation and forgiveness can win the day because this is the first time we see reconciliation.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 17: Jacob Meets Esau (2025)
This is the first time in this entire broken story that we see mercy, that we see forgiveness, that we see reconciliation. We also, again, that was the end of chapter 33. We went right into the chapter 34 where we hear and see and encounter this incredible brokenness. This defilement, this abuse of an innocent girl, Dinah. Gosh, isn't this how life works so often?
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 17: Jacob Meets Esau (2025)
That there is blessings, there's unprecedented forgiveness, never happened before. And then there's ugliness again the next day. And we don't know what to do. How do we respond to this ugliness? How do we respond to a blessing? I think part of it is we do what we do today. We keep moving forward. We keep moving forward. We identify what's good, and we praise God for it.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 17: Jacob Meets Esau (2025)
We name what is bad, what is evil, and then we do everything in our power to eradicate it, do everything in our power to get it out of our hearts first, and then out of our relationships, and then out of our civilization, our culture. But we first have to recognize that in my life, like Jacob and Esau, I need reconciliation, I need forgiveness.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 17: Jacob Meets Esau (2025)
We have to realize that in my life, like Shechem and Dinah and these brothers of Dinah's, there are brokennesses, there are angers, there is a desire for vengeance, there's a need for justice. And all those things reside in my heart. And I need to ask the Lord to do something about that. And what we do today, as we said, is we keep moving forward.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 17: Jacob Meets Esau (2025)
And so he divided the children among Leah and Rachel and the two maids, and he put the maids with the children in the front, then Leah with her children, and Rachel and Joseph last of all. He himself went on before them, bowing himself to the ground seven times until he came near to his brother. But Esau ran to meet him and embraced him and fell on his neck and kissed him, and they wept.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 17: Jacob Meets Esau (2025)
We are on day 17 of this journey through the Bible. And we will not stop now. We don't stop when we encounter these difficult passages. We don't stop when we encounter this pain. We don't stop when we encounter things we don't understand. We keep on moving forward because we We know that God does write straight, but he writes straight with crooked lines.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 17: Jacob Meets Esau (2025)
And God's will is going to triumph, but sometimes it seems like it has to triumph in spite of our brokenness. Not because of any goodness that we bring to the story, but only because of the reality that he can redeem even the worst stories. you and I have broken stories, just like the broken story that we're reading for the next 300 and whatever it is days.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 17: Jacob Meets Esau (2025)
Um, you have broken stories, but because we're getting ourselves closer and closer to him, even our broken story can be part of his story. I'm so grateful that you're joining me for this journey. And please know that I'm praying for you. Please be praying for me and please pray for each other because we need it. We are all in the midst of this together. Um,
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 17: Jacob Meets Esau (2025)
with reconciliation, needing reconciliation, with forgiveness and needing forgiveness. So we praise God. I'm praying for you, as I said. And my name is Father Mike. See you tomorrow.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 17: Jacob Meets Esau (2025)
And when Esau raised his eyes and saw the women and children, he said, Who are these with you? Jacob said, The children whom God has graciously given your servant. Then the maids drew near, they and their children, and bowed down. Leah likewise and her children drew near and bowed down. And last, Joseph and Rachel drew near, and they bowed down.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 17: Jacob Meets Esau (2025)
Esau said, What do you mean by all this company which I met? Jacob answered, To find favor in the sight of my Lord. But Esau said, I have enough, my brother. Keep what you have for yourself. Jacob said, No, I beg you. If I have found favor in your sight, then accept my present from my hand, for truly to see your face is like seeing the face of God. With such favor have you received me.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 17: Jacob Meets Esau (2025)
Accept, I beg you, my gift that is brought to you, because God has dealt graciously with me and because I have enough. Thus he urged him, and he took it. Then Esau said, Let us journey on our way, and I will go before you. But Jacob said to him, My lord knows that the children are frail, and that the flocks and herds giving suck are a care to me.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 17: Jacob Meets Esau (2025)
And if they are overdriven for one day, all the flocks will die. Let my lord pass on before his servant, and I will lead on slowly, according to the pace of the cattle which are before me, and according to the pace of the children, until I come to my lord in Seir. So Esau said, Let me leave with you some of the men who are with me. But he said, What need is there?
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 17: Jacob Meets Esau (2025)
Let me find favor in the sight of my lord. So Esau returned that day on his way to Seir. But Jacob journeyed to Sukkoth and built himself a house and made booths for his cattle. Therefore the name of the place is called Sukkoth. And Jacob came safely to the city of Shechem, which is in the land of Canaan, on his way from Paddan Aram. And he camped before the city.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 17: Jacob Meets Esau (2025)
This is day 17. Let's keep on going. On day 17, we'll be reading Genesis chapter 33 and 34, Job chapter 23 and 24, and and Proverbs 3, verses 13 through 18. As always, I am reading from the Revised Standard Version, Catholic edition of the Bible. I'm using the Great Adventure Bible you can get from Ascension.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 17: Jacob Meets Esau (2025)
And from the sons of Hamor, Shechem's father, he bought for a hundred pieces of money the piece of land on which he had pitched his tent. Then he erected an altar and called it El Elohe Israel. Now Dinah, the daughter of Leah, whom she had borne to Jacob, went out to visit the women of the land.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 17: Jacob Meets Esau (2025)
And when Shechem, the son of Hamor the Hivite, the prince of the land, saw her, he seized her and lay with her and humbled her. And his soul was drawn to Dinah, the daughter of Jacob. He loved the maiden and spoke tenderly to her. So Shechem spoke to his father Hamor, saying, Get me this maiden for my wife. Now Jacob heard that he had defiled his daughter Dinah.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 17: Jacob Meets Esau (2025)
But his sons were with his cattle in the field, so Jacob held his peace until they came. And Hamor the father of Shechem went out to Jacob to speak with him. The sons of Jacob came in from the field when they heard of it, and the men were indignant and very angry, because he had wrought folly in Israel by lying with Jacob's daughter, for such a thing ought not to be done.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 17: Jacob Meets Esau (2025)
Hi, I'm Father Mike Schmitz, and you're listening to the Bible in a Year podcast, where we encounter God's voice and live life through the lens of Scripture. The Bible in a Year podcast is brought to you by Ascension. Using the Great Adventure Bible Timeline, we'll read all the way from Genesis to Revelation, discovering how the story of salvation unfolds and how we fit into that story today.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 17: Jacob Meets Esau (2025)
But Hamor spoke with them, saying, The soul of my son Shechem longs for your daughter. I beg you, give her to him in marriage. Make marriages with us, give your daughters to us, and take our daughters for yourselves. You shall dwell with us, and the land shall be open to you. Dwell and trade in it, and get property in it.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 17: Jacob Meets Esau (2025)
Shechem also said to her father and to her brothers, Let me find favor in your eyes, and whatever you say to me I will give. Ask of me ever so much as marriage present and gift, and I will give according as you say to me. Only give me the maiden to be my wife. The sons of Jacob answered Shechem and his father Hamor deceitfully because he had defiled their sister Dinah.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 17: Jacob Meets Esau (2025)
They said to them, We cannot do this thing to give our sister to one who is uncircumcised for that would be a disgrace to us. Only on this condition will we consent to you that you will become as we are and every male of you will be circumcised. then we will give you our daughters and we will take your daughters to ourselves and we will dwell with you and become one people.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 17: Jacob Meets Esau (2025)
But if you will not listen to us and be circumcised, then we will take our daughter and we will be gone. Their words pleased Hamor and Hamor's son Shechem. And the young man did not delay to do the thing because he had delight in Jacob's daughter. Now he was the most honored of all his family.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 17: Jacob Meets Esau (2025)
So Hamor and his son Shechem came to the gate of their city and spoke to the men of their city saying, these men are friendly with us. Let them dwell in the land and trade in it for we hold the land is large enough for them. Let us take their daughters and marriage and let us give them our daughters. Only on this condition will the men agree to dwell with us to become one people and
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 17: Jacob Meets Esau (2025)
that every male among us be circumcised as they are circumcised will not their cattle their property and all their beasts be ours only let us agree with them and they will dwell with us and all who went out of the gate of his city hearkened to hamor and his son shechem and every male was circumcised all who went out of the gate of his city
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 17: Jacob Meets Esau (2025)
on the third day when they were sore two of the sons of jacob simeon and levi dinah's brothers took their swords and came upon the city unawares and killed all the males they slew hamor and his son shechem with the sword and took dinah out of shechem's house and went away And the sons of Jacob came upon the land and plundered the city because their sister had been defiled.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 17: Jacob Meets Esau (2025)
Speaking of Ascension, if you want to download your own Bible in a Year reading plan, the reading plan that we're following this entire year, you can visit ascensionpress.com slash Bible in a Year. Again, that's ascensionpress.com slash Bible in a Year. You can subscribe in your podcast app. You also can You can sign up for our email list by texting the word Catholic Bible to 33777.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 17: Jacob Meets Esau (2025)
They took their flocks and their herds, their donkeys and whatever was in the city and in the field, all their wealth, all the little ones, their wives, all that was in the houses, they captured and made their prey. Job chapter 23 and 24. Job replies, Then Job answered, Today also my complaint is bitter. His hand is heavy in spite of my groaning.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 17: Jacob Meets Esau (2025)
Oh, that I knew where I might find him, that I might come even to his seat. I would lay my case before him and fill my mouth with arguments. I would learn what he would answer me and understand what he would say to me. Would he contend with me in the greatness of his power? No, he would give heed to me. There an upright man could reason with him, and I should be acquitted forever by my judge.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 17: Jacob Meets Esau (2025)
Behold, I go forward, but he is not there, and backward, but I cannot perceive him. On the left I seek him, but I cannot behold him. I turn to the right hand, but I cannot see him.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 17: Jacob Meets Esau (2025)
but he knows the way that i take when he has tried me i shall come forth as gold my foot has held fast to his steps i have kept his way and have not turned aside i have not departed from the commandments of his lips i have treasured in my bosom the words of his mouth but he is unchangeable and who can turn him?
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 17: Jacob Meets Esau (2025)
What he desires he does, for he will complete what he appoints for me, and many such things are in his mind. Therefore I am terrified at his presence, when I consider I am in dread of him. God has made my heart faint. The Almighty has terrified me, for I am hemmed in by darkness, and thick darkness covers my face.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 17: Jacob Meets Esau (2025)
Why are not times of judgment kept by the Almighty, and why do those who know him never see his days? Men remove landmarks. They seize flocks and pasture them. They drive away the donkeys of the fatherless. They take the widow's ox for a pledge. They thrust the poor off the road. The poor of the earth all hide themselves.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 17: Jacob Meets Esau (2025)
And behold, like donkeys in the desert, they go forth to their toil, seeking prey in the wilderness as food for their children. He says, They go about naked, without clothing, hungry, and carry off sheaves. Among the olive rows of the wicked, they make oil. They tread the wine presses, but suffer thirst.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 17: Jacob Meets Esau (2025)
From out of the city, the dying groan, and the soul of the wounded cries for help, yet God pays no attention to their prayer. There are those who rebel against the light, who are not acquainted with its ways and do not stay in its paths. The murderer rises in the dark that he may kill the poor and the needy, and in the night he is as a thief.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 17: Jacob Meets Esau (2025)
The eye of the adulterer also waits for the twilight, saying, No eye will see me, and he disguises his face. In the dark they dig through houses, by day they shut themselves up, for they do not know the light. For deep darkness is mourning to all of them. For they are friends with the terrors of deep darkness. You say they are swiftly carried away upon the face of the waters.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 17: Jacob Meets Esau (2025)
That's all one word, all together, all caps or no caps. It doesn't matter. Catholic Bible to 33777. Again, as I said today, we are reading from Genesis chapter 33 and chapter 34. As we heard yesterday, Jacob wrestled with the angel all night. And his name was changed. His name was changed from Jacob to Israel, which marked something unique.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 17: Jacob Meets Esau (2025)
Their portion is cursed on the land. No treader turns toward their vineyards. Drought and heat snatch away the snow waters. So does Sheol, those who have sinned. The squares of the town forget them. Their name is no longer remembered. So wickedness is broken like a tree. They feed on the barren childless woman and do no good to the widow, yet God prolongs the life of the mighty by his power.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 17: Jacob Meets Esau (2025)
They rise up when they despair of life. He gives them security and they are supported and his eyes are upon their ways. They are exalted a little while and then they are gone. They wither and fade like the mallow. They are cut off like the heads of the grain. If it is not so, who will prove me the liar and show that there is nothing in what I say? Proverbs 3, verses 13 through 18.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 17: Jacob Meets Esau (2025)
Happy is the man who finds wisdom, and the man who gets understanding. For the gain from it is better than gain from silver, and its profit better than gold. She is more precious than jewels, and nothing you desire can compare with her. Long life is in her right hand, in her left hand are riches and honor. Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 17: Jacob Meets Esau (2025)
She is a tree of life to those who lay hold of her. Father in heaven, we thank you for this day. We thank you for your word. We thank you for revealing your heart to us. And we thank you also that you have revealed to us that not only are you present when things are good, you are present when things are dark.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 17: Jacob Meets Esau (2025)
That even as our friend Job complains and complains rightly in the midst of his suffering, You hear his complaint. You will answer, Lord, even though so often you are quiet. You will answer us. And today you answer us by giving us your word, proclaiming to us through this incredible technology. And so we thank you and we praise your name.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 17: Jacob Meets Esau (2025)
We praise your name that is revealed to us through the words of your Bible, through the words of your church. We thank you this day and every day. Please receive our thanks in Jesus name. Amen. In the name of the Father and the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Man, gosh, I don't know. We could talk about Job a little bit, but we will because we have a number of days more with Job.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 17: Jacob Meets Esau (2025)
But it seems like almost, I don't want to say more of the same with Job, but this is an important kind of lesson. It is the same. Job continues to note that there are good people who die and there are bad people who seem to be rewarded. And the logic would say, no, no, no, no, no. Good people are rewarded and bad people die. But Job points out that life isn't so straightforward.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 17: Jacob Meets Esau (2025)
It isn't so clear cut. And he's trying to make sense of this. And so he's wrestling with the Lord. Yesterday, we saw Jacob wrestle with the Lord. This is what Job does. Jacob wrestled with the Lord one night. That was good. It was good that he did that. It was good that he engaged with the Lord. But here is Job, our friend Job.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 17: Jacob Meets Esau (2025)
And maybe yourself too, in the midst of your suffering, the midst of your pain, your trial, you continue to wrestle with the Lord saying, it would seem to me that if you were close, that if you cared, that if you are love, then you would deliver me from this pain. And yet we still find ourselves in the midst of suffering. We find ourselves in the midst of a broken world.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 17: Jacob Meets Esau (2025)
It's one of the reasons why I'm just so moved by this story we heard today in Genesis chapter 33. In fact, in Jeff Kaven's book with Tim Gray, it's called Walking with God, Journey through the Bible. He says, he notes this. He says that, um, that when Jacob goes to meet Esau, right? He doesn't just go on his own. He doesn't just go with his family. He goes with big gifts.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 17: Jacob Meets Esau (2025)
And it marks something we have never seen yet in the Bible. And this whole story of salvation, chapter 33, reveals something we have not yet seen. We've seen plenty of brokenness. We've never seen reconciliation. So here we start with Genesis chapter 33 and 34. And Jacob lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, Esau was coming about 400 men with him.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 17: Jacob Meets Esau (2025)
He goes with a lot of gifts that he gives to his brother Esau. And he points out that Jacob's life had been a life of theft, scheming, and deceit. But it's the love of God that blesses Jacob. And Jacob is different moving forward from this. We notice that in chapter 34, that horrible chapter where Shechem has the rape of Dinah, the daughter of Jacob slash Israel.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 17: Jacob Meets Esau (2025)
And how the brothers are taking vengeance on the people. And Jacob wants to deal fairly with them. And the sons of Jacob want to deal maybe vengefully, maybe justly. It's hard to tell in a difficult, lawless place like that. And yet at the same time, Jacob doesn't deceive.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 17: Jacob Meets Esau (2025)
Even if Jacob is ultimately maybe going to capitulate and make a covenant with this, the family of the man who had raped his daughter, he doesn't want to do it by deception. Again, brokenness. Man, all the scripture shows this brokenness. And scripture in this case does say that what happened to Dinah was evil. In fact, the words were, it ought not to be done. That rarely happens.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 17: Jacob Meets Esau (2025)
When describing the stories of the fathers of the church, fathers and mothers of Israel, rarely are a person's actions ever described as evil. Rarely are they ever described as this ought not to be done. Obviously, it was not the actions of the people of Israel, but it was the actions of the people of Shechem. Nonetheless, it was horrible. But it was preceded by something that was remarkable.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 3: Noah's Ark (2025)
So today, how are you going to walk with God like Noah walked with God? And how are you going to cling to him so that even amidst the storms of life, the floods that come, he can continue to lift you up? Thank you so much for joining us today. Once again, this Bible in a Year podcast. If you want to get updates, you can text the word Catholic Bible to the number 33777.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 3: Noah's Ark (2025)
You can subscribe to this podcast. Please do, because we're going to be journeying with you for quite a few days upcoming. But we just live in right now, one day at a time, one day at a time. We'll walk in one day at a time. and we're choosing to live with God and to let his word shape our view of his world. My name is Father Mike. God bless.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 3: Noah's Ark (2025)
Seth lived after the birth of Enosh 807 years and had other sons and daughters. Thus, all the days of Seth were 912 years and he died. When Enosh had lived 90 years, he became the father of Kenan. Enosh lived after the birth of Kenan 815 years and he had other sons and daughters. Thus, all the days of Enosh were 905 years and he died.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 3: Noah's Ark (2025)
When Kenan had lived 70 years, he became the father of Mahalalal. Kenan lived after the birth of Mahalalel 840 years and had other sons and daughters. Thus all the days of Kenan were 910 years, and he died. When Mahalalel had lived 65 years, he became the father of Jared. Mahalalel lived after the birth of Jared 830 years and had other sons and daughters.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 3: Noah's Ark (2025)
Thus all the days of Mahalalel were 895 years, and he died. When Jared had lived 162 years, he became the father of Enoch. Jared lived after the birth of Enoch 800 years and had other sons and daughters. Thus all the days of Jared were 962 years and he died. When Enoch had lived 65 years, he became the father of Methuselah.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 3: Noah's Ark (2025)
Enoch walked with God after the birth of Methuselah 300 years and had other sons and daughters. Thus all the days of Enoch were 365 years. Enoch walked with God and he was not, for God took him. When Methuselah had lived 187 years, he became the father of Lamech. Methuselah lived after the birth of Lamech 782 years and had other sons and daughters.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 3: Noah's Ark (2025)
Thus, all the days of Methuselah were 969 years and he died. When Lamech had lived 182 years, he became the father of a son and called his name Noah, saying, Out of the ground which the Lord has cursed this one shall bring us relief from our work and from the toil of our hands. Lamech lived after the birth of Noah 595 years and had other sons and daughters.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 3: Noah's Ark (2025)
Thus all the days of Lamech were 777 years, and he died. After Noah was 500 years old, Noah became the father of Shem, When men began to multiply on the face of the ground, and daughters were born to them, the sons of God saw that the daughters of men were fair, and they took to wife such of them as they chose.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 3: Noah's Ark (2025)
This is day three. Let's get started. Today, we'll be reading Genesis chapter five and chapter six. Still in the early world, that period of prehistory, essentially, we'll also be reading from Psalm 136. The Bible translation that I read every day is the Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition, the RSVCE And I'm using the Great Adventure Bible from Ascension.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 3: Noah's Ark (2025)
Then the Lord said, The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of men, and they bore children to them. These were the mighty men that were of old, the men of renown. The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 3: Noah's Ark (2025)
And the Lord was sorry that he had made man on the earth and it grieved him to his heart. So the Lord said, I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the ground, man and beast and creeping things and birds of the air, for I am sorry that I have made them. But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord. These are the generations of Noah.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 3: Noah's Ark (2025)
Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his generation. Noah walked with God. And Noah had three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth. Now the earth was corrupt in God's sight and the earth was filled with violence. And God saw the earth and behold, it was corrupt for all flesh had corrupted their way upon the earth.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 3: Noah's Ark (2025)
And God said to Noah, I have determined to make an end of all flesh for the earth is filled with violence through them. Behold, I will destroy them with the earth. Make yourself an ark of gopher wood. Make rooms in the ark and cover it inside and out with pitch. This is how you are to make it. The length of the ark, 300 cubits. Its breadth, 50 cubits. And its height, 30 cubits.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 3: Noah's Ark (2025)
Make a roof for the ark and finish it to a cubit above and set the door of the ark in its side. Make it with lower, second, and third decks. For behold, I will bring a flood of waters upon the earth to destroy all flesh in which is the breath of life from under heaven. Everything that is on the earth shall die.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 3: Noah's Ark (2025)
But I will establish my covenant with you, and you shall come into the ark, you, your sons, your wife, and your sons' wives with you. And of every living thing of all flesh, you shall bring two of every sort into the ark to keep them alive with you. They shall be male and female.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 3: Noah's Ark (2025)
Of the birds according to their kinds, and of the animals according to their kinds, of every creeping thing of the ground according to its kind, two of every sort shall come in to you to keep them alive. Also take with you every sort of food that is eaten and store it up, and it shall serve as food for you and for them. Noah did this.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 3: Noah's Ark (2025)
Hi, I'm Father Mike Schmitz, and you're listening to the Bible in a Year podcast, where we encounter God's voice and live life through the lens of Scripture. The Bible in a Year podcast is brought to you by Ascension. Using the Great Adventure Bible Timeline, we'll read all the way from Genesis to Revelation, discovering how the story of salvation unfolds and how we fit into that story today.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 3: Noah's Ark (2025)
Psalm 136, God's work in creation and in history. To him who by understanding made the heavens for his mercy endures forever. To him who spread out the earth upon the waters for his mercy endures forever. To him who made the great lights for his mercy endures forever. The sun to rule over the day for his mercy endures forever.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 3: Noah's Ark (2025)
The moon and stars to rule over the night for his mercy endures forever. And made Israel pass through the midst of it, for his mercy endures forever. But overthrew Pharaoh and his host in the Red Sea, for his mercy endures forever. To him who led his people through the wilderness, for his mercy endures forever. To him who struck great kings, for his mercy endures forever.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 3: Noah's Ark (2025)
If you want to follow along and not just listen along, but read along, you can download your Bible in a Year reading plan by visiting ascensionpress.com slash Bible in a Year. That's all one word, Bible in a Year. ascensionpress.com Bible in a Year. And you can subscribe to your podcast app. If you subscribe, we'll keep popping up in your podcast apps every single day for the next 365 days.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 3: Noah's Ark (2025)
And slew famous kings, for his mercy endures forever. Sihon, king of the Amorites, for his mercy endures forever. And Og, king of Bashan, for his mercy endures forever. and gave their land as a heritage, for his mercy endures forever. A heritage to Israel his servant, for his mercy endures forever.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 3: Noah's Ark (2025)
It is he who remembered us in our low estate, for his mercy endures forever, and rescued us from our foes, for his mercy endures forever. He who gives food to all flesh, for his mercy endures forever. O give thanks to the God of heaven, for his mercy endures forever.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 3: Noah's Ark (2025)
Wow. So again, it's, I mentioned yesterday that, uh, things escalate pretty, pretty quickly here. Once you introduce sin into the world, all of a sudden it just sounds like it gets, it gets remarkably crazy really, really quickly. If you remember in Genesis chapter four, at the very end, it said that Adam knew his wife again, and she gave birth to another son. His name was Seth. And that's
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 3: Noah's Ark (2025)
of the fact that we have in chapter five, what we just heard is a lot of names that are really easy to read and kind of difficult to read out loud. So part of that though is following the genealogy of Seth. Why is that gonna be important? It's gonna be important because it seems that there are two kind of distinct threads of humanity that come off of this. there's the Cainite line, right?
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 3: Noah's Ark (2025)
Cain, because he's still alive and the Sethite line, Seth, because he is alive. Now, it's not two different kinds of people in the sense of like races or whatnot, but what this is, clearly it's the same family. But what happens is, um, There is a distinction that's made in chapter six that is very, very complicated for us because we think, what does that mean?
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 3: Noah's Ark (2025)
And if we understand that here is Seth born to Adam and Eve after Cain, who's born to Adam and Eve, and that they kind of split. And the Sethite line was referred to, could be referred to as the sons of God. And that the Cainite line, right? Cain, who had killed his brother. would be referred to as the daughters of men, right?
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 3: Noah's Ark (2025)
So that's in chapter six, this very, very complicated thing where like, it says the sons of God saw that the daughters of men were fair. They took to wife such of them as they chose. And we think that is remarkable. What does that mean? And the answer lies in the genealogy that we had previously read in chapter five. What am I talking about?
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 3: Noah's Ark (2025)
You can also sign up for our email list by texting the word Catholic Bible to 33777. That's all one word, Catholic Bible to the number 33777. Let's get started. Genesis 5 and 6. This is the book of the generations of Adam. When God created man, he made him in the likeness of God. Male and female, he created them and he blessed them and named to them man when they were created.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 3: Noah's Ark (2025)
Well, here's an answer that comes out of Jeff Cavins and Tim Gray's book called Walking with God. It is a book based off of the Great Adventure Bible timeline, and it probably is the best description of what the difference is between who are the sons of God and who are the daughters of men in the book of Genesis today. It says this. It says in the book of Walking with God, describing the Nephilim,
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 3: Noah's Ark (2025)
It says, and is prefaced by a reminder that God made man male and female after his own image and likeness. Okay, so that's going to be, oh, sons of God. That makes sense because Seth being born in Adam's image and likeness, Adam being created in God's image and likeness. That makes sense.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 3: Noah's Ark (2025)
These important details are recalled not only or only in Genesis chapter five with Seth's line, but not in Genesis four with Cain's line in order to draw a sharp contrast or distinction between the two lines. that Cain's line produces murderers and polygamists like Lamech. The Nephilim may refer to this fallen line as the word Nephilim comes from the Hebrew word nephal, which means to fall.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 3: Noah's Ark (2025)
Whereas Seth's line produces righteous men like Enoch and Noah who worship God and call upon the name of the Lord. Seth's line, the line that worships God, is the one that is singled out as being in the image and likeness of Adam and Eve, who are in turn the image and likeness of God. And as we noted before, Cain's, I just go on, I'll paraphrase now.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 3: Noah's Ark (2025)
As we noted before, that Cain's line is one who, he has fallen. And so the Nephilim, those who are fallen, would make sense. So what happens then is all of humanity, though, does not stay pure when it comes to, here's this Sethite line. When I say pure, I don't mean, obviously it's not a racial thing because they come from the same two parents. So it can't possibly be a racial thing.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 3: Noah's Ark (2025)
What it is, is a way of life thing that Seth walked in the way of the Lord and Cain did not walk in the way of the Lord. And it's that kind of, I guess you might call it intermarrying, right? that brought wickedness on earth. It's not necessarily who you marry, but marrying someone is an incredibly important thing.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 3: Noah's Ark (2025)
As many of you who are married already know who you choose to be your spouse determines in so many ways, the trajectory of your life. And it determines the trajectory of your family's life. for good and for ill. It's hard to look back on that and recognizing that hindsight is 20-20.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 3: Noah's Ark (2025)
At the same time, it still is true that who we marry determines in so many ways the trajectory of our lives, both positively and negatively. And in this case, what's being described is those who walked in the way of the Lord, those in the Sethite line, ended up ceasing to walk in the way of the Lord because of the fact that the intermarried people in the Cainite line
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 3: Noah's Ark (2025)
Now, obviously, that's not to say that all of Seth's children were like automatic saints and all of Cain's children were automatic sinners. We are all born into this broken world. So we all would do this. But we do know exactly what happens, right? We know what happens when we surround ourselves with people who have the same worldview.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 3: Noah's Ark (2025)
And that's one of the reasons why we're doing this Bible in a Year podcast is to give us a biblical worldview, right? And to highlight the decisions that others have made, even ancient decisions others have made that have then brought about kind of great destruction and the decisions that they made that have brought about a great hope.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 3: Noah's Ark (2025)
Because even the destruction that God is preparing Noah for is also meant to be a great hope. Because yes, it is an end to much of humanity. It says that now the earth was corrupt in God's sight and the earth was filled with violence. God saw the earth and behold, it was corrupt for all flesh had corrupted their way upon the earth. So God determined to destroy that corruption.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 3: Noah's Ark (2025)
When Adam had lived 130 years, he became the father of a son in his own likeness after his image and named him Seth. The days of Adam after he became the father of Seth were 800 years and he had other sons and daughters. Thus, all the days that Adam lived were 930 years and he died. When Seth had lived 105 years, he became the father of Enosh.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 3: Noah's Ark (2025)
God determined to root out the cancer. And the reality is when we cling to the cancer, you can't destroy the cancer without destroying everything that's holding onto it. At the same time, it's a promise of hope because God is saying, Noah, make this ark because since you have clinged to me, I will lift you up.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 3: Noah's Ark (2025)
One of the things that we can recognize in our day and in our age is that even if the people around us are wicked, now, obviously, parenthetically, right? No one is 100% wicked and no one's 100% good. We are good, but we're broken. But even if the culture around us, we'll say it like that, even if the culture around us is more broken than it is whole. We can still choose like Noah,
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 3: Noah's Ark (2025)
to live as those who are following and pursuing the Lord. We can continue to, as it says about Noah, Noah walked with God. Noah walked with God. And so today, as we move forward from listening to God's word proclaimed, we can ask the question, God, how do you want me to walk with you? How can I walk with you today?
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 3: Noah's Ark (2025)
Regardless of what people are in the culture around me are doing, regardless of what the people in my family are doing, regardless of maybe I'm married and my spouse does not walk with the Lord, I can walk with the Lord today because yes, there are consequences to our actions, but also yes, the Lord always holds out an offering of hope to every one of us, no matter what our situation.