Read To Me DAILYنموونە

NUMBERS 4:
Yesterday in Numbers 3, we learned that the Levite clans were given separate tasks in the care of the sacred tent. The 22,000 Levites became substitutes for Israel's 22,273 first-born sons.

PSALM 28:
In our psalm for today, Psalm 28, David cries out to the Lord with all his heart. I love the imagery of the Lord as David’s ‘rock’, ‘shield’, and ‘shepherd’. (v1, 7, 9) As a translator, one sometimes has to make the choice of whether to retain a figure of speech more literally, or just to give its meaning. The easiest to understand of the three metaphors just mentioned is the Lord as a shepherd. I find that easier than the other two because a shepherd is alive. It’s easier to see how the Lord could be like a shepherd than like a rock. Every metaphor has a comparison. So the comparison for the metaphor I just mentioned is, Just as a shepherd watches over sheep, so the Lord watches over us. The hardest of the three metaphors is “The Lord is my rock.” The comparison is not that the Lord is hard, heavy, or unmovable. This metaphor pictures the Lord as like a rocky summit. Praying like David, the Lord gives a position of great advantage and protection in war.

Luke 19a:
Yesterday in Luke 18, we heard of Jesus’ encounter with the rich young man, Jesus again predicted his death, and blind Bartimaeus (as named in Mark) was healed at Jericho.

Please join me in prayer. Please say the same pronouns as I use. I will pray using ‘me’ and ‘my’. And you also pray the same things for yourself personally using ‘me’ and ‘my’.

O Lord, you are my light. Without you, I walk in darkness.
You are my salvation. Without you, I am lost.
Lord, you are my fortress. Without you, I am exposed and vulnerable.
You are my rocky summit also. I am secure because of your strong support.
You alone are my strength. You are my shield.
And please carry me in your strong arms, like a shepherd carries a lamb.