The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 66: Forbidden Forms of Worship (2025)
Fri, 07 Mar 2025
Fr. Mike discusses the forbidden forms of worship explained in Numbers 17, and why it's important for us to understand how God desired to be worshipped in the Old Testament. Today's readings are Numbers 17, Deuteronomy 17-18, and Psalm 98. 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: Who is the host of 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 today is day 66 and we are reading today from numbers chapter 17 as well as from deuteronomy chapter 17 and chapter 18
Chapter 2: What are the readings for Day 66?
We're also praying Psalm 98. As always, I am reading from the Bible translation of the Revised Standard Version, Second Catholic Edition, 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. You can also feel free to subscribe to this podcast if you haven't yet.
It's been 66 days or roughly exactly. And maybe it's time. Maybe it's time to commit and subscribe to this podcast. by clicking subscribe. But as I said, today is day 66. We're reading Numbers chapter 17, very short chapter today, as well as Deuteronomy 17 and 18 and Psalm 98. The book of Numbers chapter 17, the blossoming of Aaron's rod.
The Lord said to Moses, speak to the sons of Israel and get from them rods, one for each father's house, from all their leaders, according to their father's houses, 12 rods. Write each man's name upon his rod and write Aaron's name upon the rod of Levi. For there shall be one rod for the head of each father's house.
Then you shall deposit them in the tent of meeting before the covenant where I meet with you. And the rod of the man whom I choose shall sprout. Thus I will make to cease from me the murmurings of the sons of Israel, which they murmur against you. Moses spoke to the sons of Israel and all their leaders gave him rods, one for each leader according to their father's houses, 12 rods.
Chapter 3: What is the significance of Aaron's rod blossoming?
And the rod of Aaron was among their rods. And Moses deposited the rods before the Lord in the tent of the covenant. And the next day, Moses went into the tent of the covenant. And behold, the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi had sprouted and put forth buds and produced blossoms and it bore ripe almonds. Then Moses brought out all the rods from before the Lord to all the sons of Israel.
And they looked, and each man took his rod. And the Lord said to Moses, Put back the rod of Aaron before the covenant, to be kept as a sign for the rebels, that you may make an end of their murmurings against me, lest they die. Thus did Moses, as the Lord commanded him, so he did. And the sons of Israel said to Moses, behold, we perish. We are undone. We are all undone.
Everyone who comes near, who comes near to the tabernacle of the Lord shall die.
Are we all to perish? Deuteronomy chapter 17 and chapter 18, chapter 17, forbidden forms of worship.
Chapter 4: What are the forbidden forms of worship in Deuteronomy?
You shall not sacrifice to the Lord your God an ox or a sheep in which is a blemish, any defect, whatever, for that is an abomination to the Lord your God.
If there is found among you, within any of your towns, which the Lord your God gives you, a man or a woman who does what is evil in the sight of the Lord your God, in transgressing his covenant, and has gone and served other gods and worshipped them, or the sun, or the moon, or any of the hosts of heaven which I have forbidden, and it is told you, and you hear of it, then you shall inquire diligently, and if it is true and certain,
that such an abominable thing has been done in Israel. Then he shall bring forth to your gates that man or woman who has done this evil thing, and you shall stone that man or woman to death with stones. On the evidence of two witnesses or of three witnesses, he that is to die shall be put to death. A person shall not be put to death on the evidence of one witness.
Chapter 5: How are legal decisions made according to Deuteronomy?
The hand of the witnesses shall be the first against him to put him to death, and afterward the hand of all the people. So you shall purge the evil from the midst of you.
Legal Decisions by Priests and Judges If any case arises requiring decision between one kind of homicide and another, one kind of legal right and another, or one kind of assault and another, any case within your towns which is too difficult for you, then you shall arise and go up to the place which the Lord your God will choose, and coming to the Levitical priests and to the judge who is in office in those days, you shall consult them.
And they shall declare to you the decision. Then you shall do according to what they declare to you from that place which the Lord will choose. And you shall be careful to do according to all that they direct you, according to the instructions which they give you, and according to the decision which they pronounce to you, you shall do.
You shall not turn aside from the verdict which they declare to you, either to the right hand or to the left. The man who acts presumptuously by not obeying the priest who stands to minister there before the Lord your God or the judge, that man shall die. So you shall purge the evil from Israel. And all the people shall hear and fear and not act presumptuously again.
Chapter 6: What are the limitations of royal authority in Israel?
limitations of royal authority. When you come to the land which the Lord your God gives you and you possess it and dwell in it and then say, I will set a king over me, like all the nations that are round about me, you may indeed set as king over you him whom the Lord your God will choose. Run from among your brethren, you shall set as king over you.
You may not put a foreigner over you who is not your brother. Only he must not multiply horses for himself or cause the people to return to Egypt in order to multiply horses, since the Lord has said to you, you shall never return that way again. And he shall not multiply wives for himself, lest his heart turn away, nor shall he multiply for himself silver and gold.
And when he sits on the throne of his kingdom, he shall write for himself in a book a copy of this law from that which is in the charge of the Levitical priests.
Chapter 7: What privileges do priests and Levites have in Israel?
And it shall be with him, and he shall read it in all the days of his life, that he may learn to fear the Lord his God by keeping all the words of this law and these statutes and doing them, that his heart may not be lifted up above his brethren.
and that he may not turn aside from the commandment either to the right hand or to the left, so that he may continue long in his kingdom, he and his children in Israel. Chapter 18. Privileges of Priests and Levites. The Levitical priests, that is, all the tribe of Levi, shall have no portion or inheritance with Israel. They shall eat the offerings by fire to the Lord and his rightful dues.
They shall have no inheritance among their brethren. The Lord is their inheritance, as he promised them. And this shall be the priest's due from the people.
from those offering a sacrifice whether it be ox or sheep they shall give to the priest the shoulder and the two cheeks and the stomach the first fruits of your grain of your wine and of your oil and the first of the fleece of your sheep you shall give him For the Lord your God has chosen him out of all your tribes to stand and minister in the name of the Lord, him and his sons forever.
Chapter 8: What practices are considered abominable in Israel?
And if a Levite comes from any of your towns out of all Israel where he lives, and he may come when he desires, to the place which the Lord will choose, then he may minister in the name of the Lord his God, like all his fellow Levites who stand to minister there before the Lord. They shall have equal portions to eat, besides what he receives from the sale of his patrimony.
Abominable practice is prohibited. When you come into the land which the Lord your God gives you, you shall not learn to follow the abominable practices of those nations. There shall not be found among you anyone who burns his son or his daughter as an offering, anyone who practices divination, a soothsayer, an augur, or a sorcerer, or a charmer, or a medium, or a wizard, or a necromancer.
For whoever does these things is an abomination to the Lord. And because of these abominable practices, the Lord your God is driving them out before you. You shall be blameless before the Lord your God. For these nations which you are about to dispossess give heed to soothsayers and to diviners, But as for you, the Lord your God has not allowed you to do so.
The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your brethren. Him you shall heed. Just as you desired of the Lord your God at Horeb on the day of the assembly when you said, let me not hear again the voice of the Lord my God or see this great fire anymore lest I die. And the Lord said to me, They have rightly said all that they have spoken.
I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brethren, and I will put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I command him. And whoever will not heed to my words, which he shall speak in my name, I myself will require it of him.
But the prophet who presumes to speak a word in my name which I have not commanded him to speak, or who speaks in the name of other gods, that same prophet shall die. And if you say in your heart, How may we know the word which the Lord has not spoken? When a prophet speaks in the name of the Lord, if the word does not come to pass or come true, that is a word which the Lord has not spoken.
The prophet has spoken it presumptuously.
You need not be afraid of him. Psalm 98. Praise the judge of the world.
A psalm. O sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous things. His right hand and his holy arm have gotten him victory. The Lord has made known his victory. He has revealed his vindication in the sight of the nations. He has remembered his mercy and faithfulness to the house of Israel. All the ends of the earth have seen the victory of our God. Make a joyful noise to the Lord.
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