Week 11, March 10–16: Num 30–36, Luke 1–13; Ps 25–30

• Sun 3/10: Num 30–32    
• Mon 3/11: Num 33–36, Psalm 25
• Tue 3/12: Luke 1–2, Psalm 26
• Wed 3/13: Luke 3–4, Psalm 27
• Thu 3/14: Luke 5–7, Psalm 28
• Fri 3/15: Luke 8–10, Psalm 29
• Sat 3/16: Luke 11–13, Psalm 30

This next set of readings has us finishing Numbers and jumping again to the NT to start Luke’s Gospel. We also continue with a daily psalm. Numbers leaves us hanging a bit at the end. The last verse of Numbers leaves us hanging a bit. “These are the commandments and the rules that the LORD commanded through Moses to the people of Israel in the plains of Moab by the Jordan at Jericho.” (Num. 36:13) The Israelites are right on the edge of the Land they’ve been journeying towards for almost four decades now (not to mention the generations that have passed since God’s promises to Abraham). It seems like the next step in the story would be the account of Israel crossing the Jordan to enter the land. But then we’d be missing Deuteronomy and the important messages of Moses that would prepare the people to enter the land and live in it faithfully before the Lord.

Luke’s Gospel begins with the most extensive and familiar account of Jesus’ birth and early life. Luke says he is writing these things to give an orderly account so Theophilus (and we) can know with certainty about the things he has been taught, so he (and we) can be confident that these things are true and that they really matter. Luke’s Gospel has similarities with Matthew and Mark, and John too, but there are also some differences. Like we’ve said before, it’s important to notice the distinct emphases and messages of each of the four Gospels. We aren’t just trying to understand “what really happened,” but we’re trying to understand the inspired meaning of each of these four accounts of Jesus’ life and ministry. As a biblical author writing under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, Luke is trying to say something that is distinct from what Matthew, Mark, and John are saying—similar and complementary to be sure, but unique, nonetheless. 

Some of the distinctive aspects of Luke’s Gospel include the universal scope of God’s saving work in Christ. Salvation is for all peoples. We see this in places like Simeon’s song in chapter 2, where he blesses God as he holds the child Jesus in his arms. He quotes from Isaiah and rejoices that he has now seen the Lord’s salvation, which he prepared “in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel” (Luke 2:29–32). Luke also pays special attention to the lowly. Notice as your read along how often Jesus highlights people like shepherds, women, the poor, and others who are often marginalized or thought of as lower-class citizens, particularly in the first-century Roman-ruled world. The values of God’s kingdom are often opposite from the systems and values of the world. The birth, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus the Messiah exemplifies true kingdom values in many ways, and Luke pays special attention to this theme.

We are now over two months into this read thru, and I wonder how it’s going for everyone. It’s likely, I would imagine, that some have kept up and read pretty consistently and some have not. And that’s ok! Maybe you have fallen behind the scheduled reading, or maybe you’re just joining in and starting now. Here are a few ideas if you are behind a bit or if you are just now starting.

First, don’t feel guilty! Reading through the Bible like this is not a competition or a way to prove your Christian maturity, to yourself, to your pastors or fellow Christians, and certainly not to God. As we have been saying, the aim is to grow in a regular habit of reading Scripture. We’re cultivating a practice of spending regular time meeting with God to hear from him through his word, which he’s graciously given us as the main means by which we know him. This is a patient, lifelong journey, not just an accomplishment to achieve or an obligation to fulfill. The Lord is gracious and kind, and we can rest in the finished work of Christ and read the Bible not to gain his favor but out of joyful response to his love and out of a desire to know him more.

That’s the first and most important thing to keep in mind if you’re not up to date with the reading schedule. And there are a couple ways you could get back on the schedule. You could simply jump ahead to this week’s reading. Or if you haven’t started and are thinking of joining the read thru, just jump in where we are now. This means you’ll miss some reading this time through, but it also means you can be reading where others at GBC are reading, which is one of the benefits of doing this together as a church. And again, the Bible is meant to be read repeatedly over the course of a lifetime. You can fill in next year what you may have missed this year.

The other option is to try to catch up. You could set aside a larger block of time one day, or maybe an hour or so on a couple days, and settle in and read for a while. This in itself can be a really rewarding practice, even if you’re not doing it to catch up on the read thru. It’s a way to slow down and resist the relentless pull we probably all feel to hurry up and get things done. We will come back to this idea more later, but for now, these are a couple ways to catch up with the reading schedule if you’re behind or just now starting. But again, the main thing is to rejoice in God’s grace in Christ and to read his word because you love him and want to know him.