Reading: Numbers 25-27, Psalm 48 Yesterday we read a story about Balaam and the Moabite king Balak. This story, involving a talking donkey, is familiar to many a Sunday School attending child. The story appeared to end with the departure of Balak and Balaam, having accepted that they were not going to be
Reading: Numbers 22-24, Psalm 47 One of the more popular Bible stories in children’s Sunday Schools, the story of Balaam and his talking donkey, has a certain silly fable-like quality to it that makes it fun to tell. Unfortunately it also lends itself to learning the wrong lesson when we pull the story
Reading: Numbers 19-21, Psalm 46 Today we open the reading with what appears to be another shorthanded reference to Leviticus. But if you’re paying really close attention, you’ll see there is something new here. This particular sacrifice, involving a red heifer, is not present in Leviticus, and seems most closely related to the
Reading: Numbers 17-18, Psalm 45 American professional sports are a fascinating study in the human perception of authority. More specifically, the watching of American professional sports by the American public. Based on my observation, the amount of sports expertise present on living room couches and on bar stools far eclipses that of the
Reading: Numbers 14-16, Psalm 44 One of the great tropes of storytelling is the “lost in the woods” scenario of going in circles. The lost subjects of the story will be wandering all day, only to come across something that reminds them they are, at the end of the day, in exactly the same
Reading: Numbers 11-13, Psalm 43 Video games have an interesting history, but not all video games are interesting. In 1995, comedians Penn and Teller created a series of video games among which was the simulation game Desert Bus. If you have never heard of this, let me assure you, it is like no other “game.”
Reading: Numbers 8-10, Psalm 42 Alright everyone, we’ve got the camp organized, dealt with the annoying details and the constantly complainers, and we’re ready to go, right? Well, we are really, really close, but we’ve been camping here at Sinai for an entire year, so it’s about time for the Passover feast. Going
Reading: Numbers 5-7, Psalm 41 Yesterday we read how God got the people of Israel organized for their big family trip to the promised land. So today we should have then setting out, right? Well, not quite. It turns out there are some behavioral things God wants to make sure the people are good
Reading: Number 1-4, Psalm 40 Welcome to the book of grumbles. What’s that? The title is Numbers? Well, yes it is, and that is probably because of today’s reading. The Hebrew name means “in the wilderness,” which is really what the active parts of the book are about- the Israelite journey in the wilderness
Leviticus 26-27, Psalm 39 What brings you hope? Hope is a theme with a great deal of currency in our world. The human race as a whole currently enjoys the highest standard of living ever, and despite some outliers, it’s not particularly close. Still, one of the most powerful forces in any society