Today, Fr. Mike points out how the boundaries of the land of Canaan in Numbers remind us that the Promised Land is not a nice idea, but a real tangible place. He also reveals that Psalm 120 begins the Psalms of Ascent, or the Psalms that people would pray as they went up to the Temple to worship. The readings are Numbers 34, Deuteronomy 33, and Psalm 120. 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 are the readings for Day 79 of Bible in a Year?
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 79. We have only two days left, including today. until we're completed with the book of Numbers and the book of Deuteronomy and moving on to the next time period, the conquest and judges. But today, it is day 79.
So we are reading today from Numbers chapter 34, Deuteronomy chapter 33. We'll also be praying Psalm 120. As always, I am reading from the Bible translation called 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.
If you want to subscribe to this podcast, that would be a really good idea, and I would recommend it. You can just click subscribe, and you are subscribed. As I said, today is the second to last day until we are concluding this Desert Wanderings time period. It is day 79. We're reading today, as I said, once again, this is the final blessing of Moses in Deuteronomy.
and almost the very, very end of Numbers chapter 34, where we find out about the boundaries of the land of Canaan. We find out about the tribal leaders amongst the people of Israel, and we continue with our journey today. The book of Numbers chapter 34, Boundaries of the Land of Canaan.
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Chapter 2: Why are the boundaries of the land of Canaan significant?
The Lord said to Moses, command the sons of Israel and say to them, when you enter the land of Canaan, this is the land that shall fall to you for an inheritance, the land of Canaan in its full extent. Your south side shall be from the wilderness of Zin along the side of Edom.
and your southern boundary shall be from the end of the salt sea on the east, and your boundary shall turn south of the ascent of Akrabim and cross to Zin, and its end shall be south of Kadesh Barnea. Then it shall go on to Hazar Adar and pass along to Asmon, and the boundary shall turn from Asmon to the brook of Egypt, and its termination shall be at the sea.
For the western boundary, you shall have the great sea and its coast. This shall be your western boundary." This shall be your northern boundary. From the great sea you shall mark out your line to Mount Hor. From Mount Hor you shall mark it out to the entrance of Hamath, and the end of the boundary shall be at Zadad. Then the boundary shall extend to Ziphron, and its end shall be at Hazar-anan.
This shall be your northern boundary. You shall mark out your eastern boundary from Hazar Anan to Shepham, and the boundary shall go down from Shepham to Ribla on the east side of Ain, and the boundary shall go down and reach to the shoulder of the Sea of Chinareth on the east, and the boundary shall go down to the Jordan, and its end shall be at the Salt Sea.
This shall be your land with its boundaries all round. Moses commanded the sons of Israel saying, this is the land which you shall inherit by lot, which the Lord has commanded to give to the nine tribes and to the half tribe for the tribe of the sons of Reuben by father's houses and the tribe of the sons of Gad by their father's houses have received their inheritance.
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Chapter 3: Who are the tribal leaders mentioned in Numbers 34?
And also the half tribe of Manasseh, the two tribes and the half tribe have received their inheritance beyond the Jordan at Jericho eastward toward the sunrise. Tribal leaders. The Lord said to Moses, These are the names of the men who shall divide the land to you for inheritance. Eleazar the priest and Joshua the son of Nun.
You shall take one leader of every tribe to divide the land for inheritance. These are the names of the men. Of the tribe of Judah, Caleb the son of Jephunneh. Of the tribe of the sons of Simeon, Shemuel the son of Amihud. Of the tribe of Benjamin, Elidad the son of Chislon. Of the tribe of the sons of Dan, a leader, Buki, the son of Jogli.
Of the sons of Joseph, of the tribe of the sons of Manasseh, a leader, Haniel, the son of Ephod. And of the tribe of the sons of Ephraim, a leader, Kimuel, the son of Shifton. Of the tribes of the sons of Zebulun, a leader, Elisaphan, the son of Parnak. Of the tribe of the sons of Issachar, a leader, Paltiel, the son of Azan.
And of the tribe of the sons of Asher, a leader, Ahihud, the son of Shalomi. Of the tribe of the sons of Naphtali, a leader, Pedehel, the son of Amihud. These are the men whom the Lord commanded to divide the inheritance for the sons of Israel in the land of Canaan.
Chapter 4: What is Moses' final blessing to the tribes of Israel?
The Book of Deuteronomy, Chapter 33, Moses' Final Blessing This is the blessing with which Moses, the man of God, blessed the children of Israel before his death. He said, The Lord came from Sinai, and dawned from Seir upon us. He shone forth from Mount Paran. He came from the ten thousands of holy ones, with flaming fire at his right hand. Thus the Lord became king in Jeshurun.
When the heads of the people were gathered, all the tribes of Israel together. Let Reuben live and not die, nor let his men be few. And this he said of Judah, Hear, O Lord, the voice of Judah, and bring him into his people. With your hands contend for him, and be a help against his adversaries.
And of Levi he said, Give to Levi your Thummim, and your Urim to your godly one, whom you tested at Massa, with whom you strove at the waters of Meribah, who said of his father and mother, I regard them not. He disowned his brothers and ignored his children, for they observed your word and kept your covenant. They shall teach Jacob your ordinances and Israel your law.
They shall put incense before you and whole burnt offering upon your altar. Bless, O Lord, his substance and accept the work of his hands. Crush the loins of his adversaries, of those that hate him, that they rise not again.
of benjamin he said the beloved of the lord he dwells in safety by him he encompasses him all the day long and makes his dwelling between his shoulders and of joseph he said blessed by the lord be his land with the choicest gifts of heaven above
and of the deep that lies beneath with the choicest fruits of the sun and the rich yield of the months with the finest produce of the ancient mountains and the abundance of the everlasting hills with the best gifts of the earth and its fullness and the favor of him that dwelt in the bush
Let these come upon the head of Joseph, and upon the crown of his head, of him that is prince among his brothers. His firstling bull has majesty, and his horns are the horns of a wild ox. With them he shall push the peoples, all of them, to the ends of the earth. Such are the ten thousands of Ephraim, and such are the thousands of Manasseh.
and of zebulun he said rejoice zebulun in your going out and issachar in your tents they shall call peoples to their mountain there they offer right sacrifices for they suck the affluence of the seas and the hidden treasures of the sand And of Gad he said, Blessed be he who enlarges Gad. Gad lurks like a lion, and he tears the arm and the crown of the head.
He chose the best of the land for himself, for there a commander's portion was reserved. And he came to the head of the people. With Israel he executed the commands and the just decrees of the Lord. And of Dan he said, Dan is a lion's whelp that leaps forth from Bashan. And of Naphtali he said, O Naphtali, satisfied with favor and full of the blessings of the Lord, possess the lake and the south.
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Chapter 5: What is the significance of Psalm 120 in the Psalms of Ascent?
Your enemies shall come fawning to you and you shall tread upon their high places. Psalm 120, prayer for deliverance from slanderers, a song of ascents. In my distress, I cry to the Lord that he may answer me. Deliver me, O Lord, from lying lips, from a deceitful tongue. What shall be given to you?
And what more shall be done to you, you deceitful tongue, a warrior's sharp arrows with glowing coals of the broom tree? Woe is me that I sojourn in Meshach, that I dwell among the tents of Kadar. Too long have I had my dwelling among those who hate peace.
I am for peace, but when I speak, they are for war. Father in heaven, we thank you and we praise your name.
We thank you for being with us on this journey. You are the one who initiated this journey, God. You're always the one who leads us. You're always the one who speaks first. You're the one who moves first. You're the one who loves us first. All of our prayers to you, all of our listening to you, and all of our loving you back is simply a response to your initiative. So we just thank you.
We thank you that if we're hearing these words, we know that you have chosen us because you've loved us. Lord God, you choose your people and you continue to guide them and fight for them. And we know that you continue to choose us as messed up as we are, and you continue to love us and fight for us. Lord God, help us to love you back and help us to
respond to your fighting for us by being the kind of people who are willing to not fight against you, but fight with you. Help us to love you well and the people around us well. We make this prayer in the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord.
Amen.
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Amen. So, so good. We have a couple things happening today. This is wrapping up. We're wrapping up the book of Numbers. We're wrapping up the book of Deuteronomy. And so at the end here in Numbers chapter 34, we have the boundaries of the land of Canaan.
And right, so it just says, okay, on the southern side, this is the boundary. On the eastern side, this is the boundary, etc. And one of the things that reminds us of is the fact that the promised land is not some kind of abstract idea, right? I mean, maybe in modern times it's become kind of an abstract idea or it's a metaphor for something else.
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