Daily Bible Reading Podcast

Phil Fields

Listen to the whole NLT or GNT Bible in 365 20-minute-long podcasts!

  1. 1H AGO

    087: Numbers 31; Psalm 44; Acts 4:19-37

    NUMBERS 31: Yesterday the listing of sacrifices continued with those for the Festival of Trumpets, the Day of Atonement, and the 8 day Festival of Shelters. Then in Numbers 30 we heard laws concerning the annulment of rash vows. These laws show how seriously God takes any vows made to Him! PSALM 44: This is a psalm with extreme contrast between part one and part two. Part one has a tone of praise— reciting the wonderful way God helped Israel. But part two accuses God of abandoning Israel. This psalm can be a pattern for us in how to plead with God to fulfill his promises or to again act as He has in the past. ACTS 4b: Yesterday we heard the start of the dramatic trial that happened after Peter and John were arrested following the healing of the lame man in chapter 3. Their arrest was due to Peter and John's teaching about the resurrection of Jesus. The council recognized that the two apostles had been with Jesus. NLT Translation notes: Ps. 44:11 You have [stood by and watched as they] butchered us like sheep and scattered us among the nations. 21 [You, O Lord] God would surely have known it, for [you know//he knows] the secrets of every heart. ==== Acts 4:30 Stretch out your hand with healing power; may miraculous signs and wonders be done [by the authority//through the name] of your holy servant Jesus."   Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

    18 min
  2. 3H AGO

    085: Numbers 27-28; Psalm 42; Acts 3

    NUMBERS 27-28: Yesterday we heard of the second registration of Israel's troops. PSALM 42: This Psalm contains words we often sing. It is a song about renewing hope in the Lord after discouragement. ACTS 3: Yesterday we heard the conclusion of Peter's first sermon. 3,000 believed in Christ that day and were baptized. And the believers devoted themselves totally to the apostles' teaching. NLT/GNT Translation notes: Num. 27:1 Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah were the daughters of Zelophehad[. Zelophehad traced his genealogy as the] son of Hepher, son of Gilead, son of Machir, son of Manasseh, son of Joseph. 2 [His daughters//They] went and stood before Moses, Eleazar the priest, the leaders, and the whole community at the entrance of the Tent of the Lord's presence and said, ==== Ps. 42 [I hope that you remember who the clan of Korah was! Note that the presence of this Psalm is an interesting proof that God forgave and accepted the service of Korah's clan. This is another Psalm where the writer speaks honorific fashion to the Lord, speaking to him using the third person. To us, this makes it seem that the writer switches back and forth rapidly to talking about the Lord and talking to the Lord. I agree with CEV in adapting this Psalm to modern English and maintaining the perception that the whole poem is a prayer. Rather than reading from the CEV, I have simply made the required changes in the GNT at verses 4-9, and verse 11.] ==== Act. 3:6 But Peter said to him, "I have no money at all, but I give you what I have: [by the power//in the name] of Jesus Christ of Nazareth I order you to get up and walk!" 16 GNT: It was the power of [Jesus//his name] that gave strength to this lame man. [This miracle that you can plainly//What you] see and know was done by [believing in Him//faith in his name]; it was [belief//faith] in Jesus that has made him well, as you can all see. 16 revised NLT: "Through [fully believing//faith] in [Jesus//the name of Jesus], this man was healed—and you know how crippled he was before. [Fully believing in Jesus//Faith in Jesus' name] has healed him before your very eyes. [Peter uses a common Jewish metonymy here— where 'name' stands for the whole person of Jesus. We use metonymy in English (in sayings like "The _pen_ is mightier than the _sword_.") While many English speakers will understand 'name of Jesus' to simply refer to Jesus himself, others (and especially some of my podcast listeners from other cultures) could mistakenly think that the Bible teaches followers of Christ use 'the name of Jesus' like magic words. NET has this note at 3:6: In the name. … The reference to "the name" is not like a magical incantation, but is designed to indicate the _agent_ who performs the healing. The theme is quite frequent in Acts (2:38 plus 21 other times). If any of you say, "I've never heard 'in the name of Jesus' used like magic words!" I answer: Start listening! It's happening all the time.] NLT Translation notes: Num28:24 On each of the seven days of the festival, this is how you must prepare the food offering that is presented as a special gift, a pleasing aroma to [Me,/0] the LORD. These will be offered in addition to the regular burnt offerings and liquid offerings. ==== Act.3:6 But Peter said, "I don't have any silver or gold for you. But I'll give you what I have. In the name of [Christ Jesus//Jesus Christ] the Nazarene,a get up and walk!" 16 "Through [fully believing//faith] in [Jesus//the name of Jesus], this man was healed—and you know how crippled he was before. [Fully believing in Jesus//Faith in Jesus' name] has healed him before your very eyes. [Peter uses a common Jewish metonymy here, where 'name' stands for the whole person of Jesus. We use metonymy in English (in sayings like "The pen is mightier than the sword.") While many English speakers will understand 'name of Jesus' simply to refer to Jesus himself, others (and especially some of my listeners from other cultures) could be tempted to think that the Bible teaches followers of Christ use 'the name of Jesus' like magic words.]   Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

    17 min
  3. 6H AGO

    082: Numbers 22-23; Psalm 39; Acts 1

    NUMBERS 22-23: In Numbers 21, the Lord gave victory to the Israelites over the Amorites, and then over King Sihon. And because of Israel's grumbling, the Lord sent poisonous snakes among them. When the people cried out to Moses, the Lord told him to make a snake and set it up on a pole. This is an unannounced picture of Christ. PSALM 39: This is a prayer for relief by David when he felt he was under the discipline of the Lord. ACTS 1: We follow up Luke's first report to Theophilus with his second to the same man. (Or perhaps Luke meant this account to be for any 'lover of God'.) The book covers the story of what happened after Jesus' death in 33AD to Paul's two-year house arrest that ended in 62AD. Since only a few of the apostles are told about in this book, rather than 'Acts of the Apostles', others have suggested the name 'Acts of the Holy Spirit'. Constable quotes William Neil, who starts out quoting Streeter: "Streeter suggested that an alternative title for the book of Acts might be 'The Road to Rome', for this is indeed the significance of Luke's work. Whatever minor motifs Luke had in mind— such as the establishment of Christianity in men's minds as a constructive and not destructive element in the social order, his main concern was to show that, in God's plan for the renewal of the life of mankind, Jerusalem, the heart of old Israel, was the goal of Stage I [i.e., the Book of Luke], while Rome, the centre of the world, was the goal of Stage II [i.e., the Book of Acts]." And here is a more pointed quote from Rosner: ". . . Luke in Acts is not merely concerned to draw a link between the time of Jesus and the time of the early church, as is commonly noticed, but also between the time of Israel and the time of Jesus and His church. Acts insists that the God who was at work in the history of his ancient people, Israel, bringing them salvation, is the same God who is at work in the church."   Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

    24 min
4.5
out of 5
52 Ratings

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Listen to the whole NLT or GNT Bible in 365 20-minute-long podcasts!