Day 60: Intercessory Prayer (2026)

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Hi, my name is Father Mike Schmitz and you're listening to the Bible in a year podcast where we encounter God's voice and live life through the lens of Scripture. The Bible in a year podcast is brought to you by ascension

Using the great adventure Bible timeline we'll read all the way from Genesis to Revelation

Discovering how the story of salvation unfolds and how we fit into that story today

Today is day 60 as I say yesterday

That is two months not three. It's two months of being able to be formed of being formed by God's word

Congratulations. This is it is an accomplishment. They say it takes 30 days to make a make a habit and if you've made it here today

60 you have a double habit today on day 60. We're reading

Numbers chapter 10 in Deuteronomy chapter 9 will also be praying from Psalm 10

Psalm 10 is what we're praying with today as always the Bible translation that I am using is the revised standard version

The second Catholic edition. I'm using the great adventure Bible from Ascension

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Your job will be done as we read from Numbers chapter 10 Deuteronomy chapter 9 in Psalm 10

The Book of Numbers chapter 10 the silver trumpets

The Lord said to Moses make two silver trumpets of hammered work

You shall make them and you shall use them for summoning the congregation and for breaking camp and when both are blown

All the congregation shall gather themselves to you at the entrance of the tent of meeting

But if they blow only one then the leaders the heads of the tribes of Israel should gather themselves to you

When you blow an alarm the camps that are on the east side shall set out and when you blow an alarm the

Second time the camps that are on the south side shall set out

An alarm is to be blown whenever they are to set out

But when the assembly is to be gathered together you shall blow but you shall not sound an alarm and the sons of Aaron the priests

Shall blow the trumpets the trumpets shall be to you for a perpetual statute throughout your generations

And when you go to war in your land against the adversary who oppresses you then you shall sound an alarm with the trumpets

That you may be remembered before the Lord your God and you shall be saved from your enemies

On the day of your gladness also and at your appointed feasts and at the beginnings of your months

You shall blow the trumpets over your burnt offerings and over the sacrifices of your peace offerings

They shall serve you for remembrance before your God. I am the Lord your God

Departure from Sinai

In the second year in the second month on the 20th day of the month

The cloud was taken up from over the tabernacle of the covenant and the sons of Israel set out by stages from the wilderness of Sinai

And the cloud settled down in the wilderness of Peron

They set out for the first time at the command of the Lord by Moses the standard of the camp of the men of Judah set out first by their companies

And over their host was Nashon the son of a Minadeb and over the host of the tribe of the men of Isaacar

Was Nethanel the son of Zuer and over the host of the tribe of the men of Zebulin was Eliab the son of Helan

And when the tabernacle was taken down the sons of Gershon and the sons of Marari who carried the tabernacle set out

And the standard of the camp of Rubin set out by their companies and over their host was Elizur the son of Shedur and

Over the host of the tribe of the men of Simeon was Shilomil the son of Zerushadai and

Over the host of the tribe of the men of Gad is Eliasaph the son of Deul

Then the coethites set out carrying the holy things and the tabernacle was set up before their arrival

And the standard of the camp of the men of Ephraim set out by their companies and over their host was Elishama the son of Amihud

And over the host of the tribe of the men of Menasa was Gamaliel the son of Pedizur and

Over the host of the tribe of the men of Benjamin was Abidhan the son of Gideonai

Then the standard of the camp of the men of Dan acting as the rear guard of all the camps set out by their companies

And over their host was Ahiezar the son of Amishadai

And over the host of the tribe of the men of Asher was Pagiel the son of Okran and

Over the host of the tribe of the men of Naftali was Ahaira the son of Inan

This was the order of March of the sons of Israel according to their hosts when they set out and

Moses said to Hobab the son of Raoul the Midianite

Moses's father-in-law

We are setting out for the place of which the Lord said I will give it to you

Come with us and we will do you good for the Lord has promised good to Israel

But he said to him I will not go I will depart to my own land and to my kindred

And he said do not leave us I beg you for you know how we are to encamp in the wilderness

And you will serve as eyes for us and if you go with us whatever good the Lord will do to us the same will we do to you

So they set out from the mount of the Lord three days journey and the ark of the covenant of the Lord went before them three days

Journey to seek out a resting place for them and the cloud of the Lord was over them by day

Whenever they set out from the camp and whenever the ark set out

Moses said arise O Lord and let your enemies be scattered and let them who hate you flee before you

And when it rested he said

Return all Lord to the 10,000 thousands of Israel

The book of Deuteronomy chapter 9

Consequences of rebelling against God

Moses continued

Here O Israel you are to pass over the Jordan this day to go in to dispossess nations greater and mightier than yourselves

Cities great and fortified up to heaven a people great and tall the sons of the anachim whom you know

And of whom you have heard it said who can stand before the sons of anach

Know therefore this day that he who goes over before you as a devouring fire is the Lord your God

He will destroy them and subdue them before you

So you shall drive them out and make them perish quickly as the Lord has promised you

Do not say in your heart after the Lord your God has thrust them out before you

It is because of my righteousness that the Lord has brought me into possess this land

Whereas it is because of the wickedness of these nations that the Lord is driving them out before you

Not because of your righteousness or the uprightness of your heart

Are you going into possess their land but because of the wickedness of these nations the Lord your God is driving them out before you

And that he may confirm the word which the Lord swore to your fathers to Abraham to Isaac

and to Jacob

Know therefore that the Lord your God is not giving you this good land to possess because of your righteousness

for you are a stubborn people

Remember and do not forget how you provoked the Lord your God to wrath and the wilderness from the day

You came out of the land of Egypt until you came to this place

You have been rebellious against the Lord

Even at horub you provoked the Lord to wrath and the Lord was so angry with you that he was ready to destroy you

When I went up the mountain to receive the tables of stone the tables of the covenant which the Lord made with you

I remained on the mountain 40 days and 40 nights

I neither ate bread nor drank water and the Lord God gave me two tables of stone written with the finger of God

In on them were all the words which the Lord had spoken with you on the mountain out of the midst of the fire on the day of the assembly

And at the end of 40 days and 40 nights

The Lord gave me the two tables of stone the tables of the covenant

Then the Lord said to me

arise go down quickly from here for your people whom you have brought from Egypt have acted corruptly

They have turned aside quickly out of the way which I commanded them

They have made themselves a molten image

Furthermore the Lord said to me I have seen this people and behold it is a stubborn people

Let me alone that I may destroy them and blot out their name from under heaven

And I will make of you a nation mightier and greater than they

So I turned and came down from the mountain and the mountain was burning with fire and the two tables of the covenant were in my two hands

And I looked and behold you had sinned against the Lord your God

You had made yourselves a molten calf

You had turned aside quickly from the way which the Lord had commanded you

So I took hold of the two tables and cast them out of my two hands and broke them before your eyes

Then I lay prostrate before the Lord as before

40 days and 40 nights I neither ate bread nor drank water because of all this in which you had committed

In doing what was evil in the sight of the Lord to provoke him to anger

For I was afraid of the anger and hot this pleasure which the Lord bore against you

So that he was ready to destroy you

But the Lord listened to me that time also

And the Lord was so angry with Aaron that he was ready to destroy him and I prayed for Aaron also at the same time

Then I took the sinful thing the calf which you had made and burned it with fire and crushed it grinding it very small

Until it was as fine as dust and I threw the dust of it into the brook that descended out of the mountain

Atabra also and at Masa the Kibraath Hattava you provoked the Lord to wrath

And when the Lord sent you up from Kadesh Barnea saying go up and take possession of the land which I have given you

Then you rebelled against the commandment of the Lord your God and did not believe him or obey his voice

You have been rebellious against the Lord from the day that I knew you

So I lay prostrate before the Lord for these 40 days and 40 nights

Because the Lord had said he would destroy you and I prayed to the Lord

Oh Lord God do not destroy your people and your heritage whom you have redeemed through your greatness

whom you have brought out of Egypt with a mighty hand

Remember your servants Abraham Isaac and Jacob do not regard the subordinous of this people or their wickedness or their sin

Lest the land from which you brought us say

Because the Lord was not able to bring them into the land which he promised them and because he hated them

He has brought them out to dislay them in the wilderness

For they are your people and your heritage

whom you brought out by your great power and by your outstretched arm

Psalm 10 prayer for deliverance from enemies

Why do you stand afar off O Lord? Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble in arrogance

The wicked hotly pursue the poor

Let them be caught in the schemes which they have devised

For the wicked boasts of the desires of his heart and the man greedy for gain curses and renounces the Lord

In the pride of his countenance the wicked does not seek him all his thoughts are there is no God

His ways prosper at all times

Your judgments are on high out of his sight as for all his foes he puffs at them

He thinks in his heart. I shall not be moved

Throughout all generations. I shall not meet adversity

His mouth is filled with cursing and deceit and oppression

Under his tongue are mischief and iniquity

He sits in ambush in the villages in hiding places. He murders the innocent

His eyes stealthily watch for the helpless

He lurks in secret like a lion in his den

He lurks that he may seize the poor he seizes the poor when he draws him into his net

The hapless is crushed sinks down and falls by his might and he thinks in his heart

God has forgotten. He has hidden his face. He will never see it

Arise, O Lord

O God lift up your hand forget not the poor

Why does the wicked renounce God and say in his heart you will not call to account

You see yes you note trouble and vexation that you may take it into your hands

The hapless commits himself to you

You have been the helper of the fatherless

Break the arm of the wicked and evil doer seek out his wickedness till you find none

The Lord is king forever and ever the nations shall perish from his land

O Lord you will hear the desire of the meek

You will strengthen their heart

You will incline your ear to do justice to the fatherless and the oppressed

So that man who is of earth may strike terror no more

Father in heaven we thank you and we give you praise just like the psalmist

praying this psalm 10 Lord God it seems like so often those who do not listen to you

And those who do whatever they want those who hurt other people

among us

seem to be the most blessed sometimes

The ones who say who cares about God where's God

seem to have even happiness they seem to even have joy they seem to have maybe even sometimes more

Love than those who are listening to your word and those who look for you and everything Lord those who follow you

Sometimes seem to have more problems than those who forget about you

Those who ignore you even those who outright reject you

Lord God this is such a

mystery to us

So just like the psalmist we recognize the truth the truth is that there are some people who

Want nothing to do with you God that seem to have everything going right for them

And some people who love you with their whole heart and seem to be

Forg seem to be forgotten

But we know the truth Lord God

that you are just and you do not forget

The cry of the poor you do not neglect those whom you love

And so we continue to cry out to you

We continue to listen to your word we continue

To place our trust our hope in our entire lives in you alone

In Jesus name we pray amen the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit amen. So as we said

We are going through numbers chapter 10 and Deuteronomy chapter 9 a couple things just to kind of keep in mind

Numbers they're going into the wilderness and so this is this is the the move

This is where they first start moving. This is the narrative book. Remember numbers is

Along those the line of the books that are the narrative books of the Bible

This story in numbers is when he hear the people they're consecrated

They're divided into their tribes right to write into their families

And now the Lord God is said just like he said yesterday in yesterday's readings

When the column of fire the column of cloud lifts up you're going to follow it and that's what happens

And the standard of the camp the children of Judah set out first

Remember we said this before Judah his name means praise and so Judah leads the way

Because we always lead with praise lead with praising of the Lord

But they begin the journey and something is important to note remember when the people of Israel the the camping in the wilderness

How that was described at the center of everything was the tent of meeting or the tabernacle

And that's where the Levites were and then around them in those four directions north south east and west

Where the remaining remaining families remaining tribes of Israel

And so now as they're being led it goes forth half the tribes of Israel lead

And then comes the tabernacle temp tent of meeting with the

Gershianites and the coathites and the Mererites

And then the remaining tribes following so in the center even as they're traveling

is

The presence of the Lord and the sacred objects

In the tent of meeting or in the tabernacle and that's something so powerful once again just to remember

They set out on a journey of three days and they went to the wilderness of paran

One thing to note is that there are three kind of main locations in the book of numbers

The first is where we've been for the last

Ultimately now about two years and that is the wilderness of Sinai. They're at the Mount Sinai

Now they're headed to the wilderness of paran

They're going to spend most of their time the wilderness of paran and the third place is the wilderness of Moab

Right Moab is right across the Jordan River and from Moab you can see Jericho

You can see the promised land and that's where they're going to cross the Jordan River

I don't want to spoil our alert. They're going to cross the Jordan River and go into the wilderness or sorry go into the promised land

But keeping this in mind that the children in Israel the three deserts are three wildernesses the wilderness or the desert of Sinai the wilderness of paran

That's where they're headed today and

The wilderness of Moab that's where Moses is giving his speech

He's giving that speech in the wilderness the plains of Moab as they look out over the Jordan River across the Jordan River

Into the promised land and one of the things that we hear in today's I'm reading from Deuteronomy now again

Numbers at the beginning of their journey Deuteronomy is at the end of their journey

What we hear is through Moses God is saying I

Know that you are going to fail

Here through Moses

God is saying

This is your story

part of your story is

Immediately when I set you free from slavery in Egypt and brought you to this place

Immediately you turned away and I know that's what your hearts are like

And so Moses recounts a number of places where this happened where it was the golden calf at Sinai. They talks about tabara

A tabara that we're going to hear read about that in Numbers chapter 11 which is coming tomorrow. It's the place where

The people of Israel immediately complained

Against gods

Providing for them

Then he talks what a place called Massa and then we already heard about that next to this chapter 17 where they were tempted

Then we're going to talk about Kibrat Hatava, which means the graves of craving

And this is also in Numbers chapter 11

It's where we're going to hear about tomorrow that they craved for all those treats they had back in

Is back in Egypt and so here is these places of a failure here. These places where

God had brought his people to provide for them and they failed to trust in him

and also Moses goes on to

Communicate that I interceded on your behalf

That it took a mediator

between God and man

To give you his mercy

One of the reasons why we realized that Jesus is the fulfillment of Moses that Jesus is the new Moses

Not only because he gives us a new law right in the be attitudes and the sermon on the mount

But also because Moses is that or Sir Jesus is like

Is mo like Moses in the sense that he stands in the gap just like Abraham stood in the breach before the Lord

Here is Moses who multiple times when we read through the book of Numbers

We'll stand between the Lord and the people interceding on their behalf and calling upon the Lord's mercy

And the Lord here is the prayers of Moses just like here is Jesus Christ on the cross

Saying Father forgive them for they do not know what they are doing

And we realized that

Not only does Moses and Abraham and the whole Bible

Ultimately Jesus reveals that the the depth of the heart of God is the heart of mercy

That even when we are unfaithful

God gives us his mercy that we when we fall away that God remains steadfast

And so he gave Moses the opportunity to stand in the gap

Jesus Christ was sent as the one mediator between God and man

And we are also called

We are called to pray for each other we're called to stand in that gap and be like Moses to stand in that gap

And be like Jesus and to be able to say I'm lifting up my brothers and sisters right now

Because here we are on day 60 and I gotta tell you

Those of us who are walking this journey

We need each other

I know that I need your prayers so much

And I I know that so many of you are going through so much right now that just it's just this weight of

Of life this burden of feeling crushed

That just knowing that you have brothers and sisters who are praying these words with you who are listening to these words with you are going through this

Bible in the year with you and they're also praying for you

They're also mediating and interceding on your behalf. So let's keep praying for each other

Because we need each other

We have our Lord Jesus and he intercedes he lives to intercede at the right hand of the Father

We have each other

We keep praying for each other we give God praise and let you to go up first

And we keep showing up my name is Father Mike and I cannot wait to see you tomorrow when you show up again

God bless

you