Daily Bible Reading
Week of June 29, 2025
Readings:
June 30 — Num. 21:21-35
July 1 — Num. 22
July 2 — Num. 23
July 3 — Num. 24
July 4 — Num. 25
Reader's Guide:
This week, we’re getting into a section of Numbers that features several narratives about Israel and the nations around them.
First, we have the defeat of the two kings who ruled on the east side of the Jordan River — Sihon and Og. These were the first battles that Israel faced on approach to their conquest of the land of Canaan. These decisive victories should have created firm expectation in the minds of the Israelites for how all of their future battles would turn out because God fought for them.
Next, we encounter the relatively long narrative of Balaam—a man who apparently possessed some supernatural abilities to prophesy, though he didn’t receive those abilities from YHWH. In this particular case, though, YHWH did intervene and supernaturally prevent Balaam from cursing the people as he had planned to.
In chapter 25, we’ll encounter a different sort of problem between Israel and the nations: their neighbors have induced them to sin against God. Interestingly, there’s a note in the New Testament about who tempted them and brought about this great, widespread sin: it was Balaam (cf. Rv. 2:14). At the same time, we’ll see one of God’s priests act out with great zeal for God and God’s ways, putting a stop to the terrible consequences of their sin.
