Today's Reading February 24

Morning's reading, from the Old Testament
Numbers, chapters 11, 12, and 13
There's a lot here.

Chapter 11 recounts more complaining by the Israelites. They actually spoke of going back to their slavery in Egypt on the grounds that the food was better! I guess there will always be those who prefer to be in bondage. (which ties in with the lesson I'll be teaching Sunday morning). The Lord did several things here. The first was to place His spirit upon more of the Israelites, so that they did prophesy. The second was to dump loads of quail upon the camp, so that they might eat meat and cease their whining about food. The third was to smite them with a great plague.
.
Chapter 12 gets into what I'd call a power struggle, with Moses on the one hand and Miriam and Aaron on the other. The result was that Miriam was stricken with a temporary form of leprosy, such that she had to remain outside the camp, out of fellowship, for a full week. If you've ever been in a church controversy, you'll probably admit to a sneaking desire that the ones overstepping themselves might meet a similar result. That's probably not a laudable wish, but it would make the Lord's will clear. I'd like to think we've progressed beyond such squabbles, but the evidence to the contrary is pretty strong.
.
Chapter 13 is a momentous one. This is the point at which the spies are sent into Canaan, and come back with an evil report. This is the matter which led in turn to events which caused the Israelites to spend an addition 40 years in the wilderness. There are consequences for our actions. That's not a popular view these days, but the popularity of it is of no consequence: death isn't popular either but that doesn't deter germs or drunk drivers.


Evening reading, from the New Testament,
the Gospel of Mark, chapter 5, verses 21 through 43
two of Jesus' healings.
The first of the daughter of Jairus, a ruler of the synagogue. She was dead, by all accounts. Yet He raised her to life. I guess that the One who invented life has power to restore it when He wills to do so. Both physical life, as in this case, and spiritual life, which is the real reason He was on earth in any event.

The other of a woman with ''an issue of blood'' who obtained a healing by touching ''the hem of his garment'' but with faith. Such a woman was ceremonially unclean and by all rights should have not even been in such a crowd of people. Yet her need drove her to Jesus, a story many of us can tell. And as for touching the hem of his garment, I'm told that there was an old prophecy that when Moshiach came, even the tassels at the corner of his garment (recall that this was required for the Hebrews) would bring healing. Clearly, this prophecy was fulfilled here.