The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 53: The Twelve Tribes of Israel (2025)
Sat, 22 Feb 2025
Fr. Mike talks about the twelve tribes of Israel and explains why the book of Numbers introduces them based on the number of decedents they each had. Today we read Numbers 2, Deuteronomy 2, and Psalm 85. For the complete reading plan, visit ascensionpress.com/bibleinayear. Please note: The Bible contains adult themes that may not be suitable for children - parental discretion is advised.
Chapter 1: What is the focus of Day 53 in the Bible in a Year podcast?
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 today. It is day 53, and we are continuing along with our journey into Numbers and Deuteronomy.
As I mentioned yesterday, one of the things that happens at the very beginning of numbers is kind of a lot of numbers and a lot of details. We're going to pick up the narrative in a couple days, but... In the meantime, Deuteronomy has Moses giving us the narrative. He is giving us that kind of big overview of the journey of the people of Israel through the wilderness.
And he's going to do it in basically, I don't know, like one verse. Actually, he will do it in a couple different chapters. But there is even one of the verses in chapter two of Deuteronomy where Moses just basically says, and we were there for 38 years. And it was kind of like, oh, it was over just like that. So what we have is in Numbers, we're having the setup. We have the scene.
We have all the tribes of Israel, right? There's the 12 tribes of Israel. They're gathered around the tabernacle. That's what we're looking at for Numbers. And then in Deuteronomy, it is the story of Numbers, but just kind of retold because Deuteronomy is the end of the wilderness journeys. And it begins with Moses. Well, it is Moses basically summing up.
Here is our journey and here is the law that the Lord is calling you to live. So that's what we're reading today. Again, Numbers chapter 1, Deuteronomy chapter 2, and then we're praying Psalm 85. As always, the Bible translation that I'm using is the Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition. I'm using the Great Adventure Bible from Ascension.
If you want to be able to follow along and see where we're going, you can download your Bible in a Year reading plan by visiting ascensionpress.com slash Bible in a Year. You can also subscribe to the podcast app. Once again, reading from Numbers chapter 2, Deuteronomy chapter 2, and Psalm 85. Numbers chapter two, order of encampment and marching.
The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, the sons of Israel shall encamp each by his own standard with the ensigns of their father's houses. They shall encamp facing the tent of meeting on every side.
Those to encamp on the east side, toward the sunrise, shall be of the standard of the camp of Judah by their companies, the leader of the people of Judah being Nashon, the son of Amminadab, his host as numbered being 74,600. Those to encamp next to him shall be the tribe of Issachar, the leader of the people of Issachar being Nethanol, the son of Zohar. his host being numbered 54,400.
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Chapter 2: Why are the Twelve Tribes of Israel significant in the book of Numbers?
The Book of Psalms, Psalm 85.
Prayer for the Restoration of God's Favor. To the Choir Master. A Psalm of the Sons of Korah. Lord, you were favorable to your land. You brought back the captives of Jacob. You forgave the iniquity of your people. You pardoned all their sin. You withdrew all your wrath. You turned from your hot anger. Restore us again, O God of our salvation, and put away your indignation toward us.
Will you be angry with us forever? Will you prolong your anger to all generations? Will you not revive us again that your people may rejoice in you? Show us your merciful love, O Lord, and grant us your salvation. Let me hear what the Lord God will speak, for he will speak peace to his people, to his saints, to those who turn to him in their hearts.
Surely his salvation is at hand for those who fear him, that glory may dwell in our land. Mercy and faithfulness will meet. Righteousness and peace will kiss each other. Faithfulness will spring up from the ground and righteousness will look down from heaven. Yes, the Lord will give what is good and our land will yield its increase. Righteousness will go before him and make his footsteps a way.
Father in heaven, we thank you. We thank you for your word. We thank you for trusting us and entrusting your word to us. We thank you for sharing who you are. We thank you for sharing that you are faithful to your promises, that you are faithful to your people. And we thank you for giving us the opportunity today to come into contact with you through the power of your word proclaimed.
And we thank you in the midst of confusion. We thank you in the midst of not being inspired. Or we thank you in the midst of clarity and in the midst of being illuminated and inspired and moved forward by your grace and your spirit. Because Lord God, whenever your word is proclaimed, whenever it's read or heard, We know that you are present and we know that you are telling us something.
You're revealing something of your heart to us and you're revealing something of our hearts to ourselves. So Lord God, where there is confusion, give us clarity. And where there is dullness, give us inspiration. Where there is a lack of zeal, give us a great joy and a love for you this day and every day, Lord God.
we ask this of you in the mighty name of your son jesus christ our lord amen in the name of the father and of the son and of the holy spirit amen so we have as i said yesterday there's good news and there's bad news we have the book of numbers which at at first glance could seem like okay so just you're just organizing uh when you how you camp and that's true and ask also how they march so as we noted before
the tent the center of the camp is the tabernacle right the presence of god and right around them right around that where the presence of god are the levites and that then to the east to the west to the north and to the south are the 12 tribes of israel and we got the numbering of them but also it's important to know not just the numbering of them but to know the order you might have noticed this and we talked about this back in the book of genesis
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