Daily Devotions · February 20
Reading for February 20
Read the whole Bible in a year, a few chapters a day.
Numbers 7 · Psalm 23 · Acts 27
Numbers 7 · Psalm 23 · Acts 27, Berean Standard Bible
Numbers 7
On the day Moses finished setting up the tabernacle, he anointed and consecrated it and all its furnishings, along with the altar and all its utensils. 2 And the leaders of Israel, the heads of their families, presented an offering. These men were the tribal leaders who had supervised the registration. 3 They brought as their offering before the LORD six covered carts and twelve oxen—an ox from each leader and a cart from every two leaders—and presented them before the tabernacle. 4 And the LORD said to Moses, 5 “Accept these gifts from them, that they may be used in the work of the Tent of Meeting. And give them to the Levites, to each man according to his service.” 6 So Moses took the carts and oxen and gave them to the Levites. 7 He gave the Gershonites two carts and four oxen, as their service required, 8 and he gave the Merarites four carts and eight oxen, as their service required, all under the direction of Ithamar son of Aaron the priest. 9 But he did not give any to the Kohathites, since they were to carry on their shoulders the holy objects for which they were responsible. 10 When the altar was anointed, the leaders approached with their offerings for its dedication and presented them before the altar. 11 And the LORD said to Moses, “Each day one leader is to present his offering for the dedication of the altar.” 12 On the first day Nahshon son of Amminadab from the tribe of Judah drew near with his offering. 13 His offering was one silver platter weighing a hundred and thirty shekels, and one silver bowl weighing seventy shekels, both according to the sanctuary shekel and filled with fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering; 14 one gold dish weighing ten shekels, filled with incense; 15 one young bull, one ram, and one male lamb a year old for a burnt offering; 16 one male goat for a sin offering; 17 and a peace offering of two oxen, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs a year old. This was the offering of Nahshon son of Amminadab. 18 On the second day Nethanel son of Zuar, the leader of Issachar, drew near. 19 The offering he presented was one silver platter weighing a hundred and thirty shekels, and one silver bowl weighing seventy shekels, both according to the sanctuary shekel and filled with fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering; 20 one gold dish weighing ten shekels, filled with incense; 21 one young bull, one ram, and one male lamb a year old for a burnt offering; 22 one male goat for a sin offering; 23 and a peace offering of two oxen, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs a year old. This was the offering of Nethanel son of Zuar. 24 On the third day Eliab son of Helon, the leader of the Zebulunites, drew near. 25 His offering was one silver platter weighing a hundred and thirty shekels, and one silver bowl weighing seventy shekels, both according to the sanctuary shekel and filled with fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering; 26 one gold dish weighing ten shekels, filled with incense; 27 one young bull, one ram, and one male lamb a year old for a burnt offering; 28 one male goat for a sin offering; 29 and a peace offering of two oxen, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs a year old. This was the offering of Eliab son of Helon. 30 On the fourth day Elizur son of Shedeur, the leader of the Reubenites, drew near. 31 His offering was one silver platter weighing a hundred and thirty shekels, and one silver bowl weighing seventy shekels, both according to the sanctuary shekel and filled with fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering; 32 one gold dish weighing ten shekels, filled with incense; 33 one young bull, one ram, and one male lamb a year old for a burnt offering; 34 one male goat for a sin offering; 35 and a peace offering of two oxen, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs a year old. This was the offering of Elizur son of Shedeur. 36 On the fifth day Shelumiel son of Zurishaddai, the leader of the Simeonites, drew near. 37 His offering was one silver platter weighing a hundred and thirty shekels, and one silver bowl weighing seventy shekels, both according to the sanctuary shekel and filled with fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering; 38 one gold dish weighing ten shekels, filled with incense; 39 one young bull, one ram, and one male lamb a year old for a burnt offering; 40 one male goat for a sin offering; 41 and a peace offering of two oxen, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs a year old. This was the offering of Shelumiel son of Zurishaddai. 42 On the sixth day Eliasaph son of Deuel, the leader of the Gadites, drew near. 43 His offering was one silver platter weighing a hundred and thirty shekels, and one silver bowl weighing seventy shekels, both according to the sanctuary shekel and filled with fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering; 44 one gold dish weighing ten shekels, filled with incense; 45 one young bull, one ram, and one male lamb a year old for a burnt offering; 46 one male goat for a sin offering; 47 and a peace offering of two oxen, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs a year old. This was the offering of Eliasaph son of Deuel. 48 On the seventh day Elishama son of Ammihud, the leader of the Ephraimites, drew near. 49 His offering was one silver platter weighing a hundred and thirty shekels, and one silver bowl weighing seventy shekels, both according to the sanctuary shekel and filled with fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering; 50 one gold dish weighing ten shekels, filled with incense; 51 one young bull, one ram, and one male lamb a year old for a burnt offering; 52 one male goat for a sin offering; 53 and a peace offering of two oxen, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs a year old. This was the offering of Elishama son of Ammihud. 54 On the eighth day Gamaliel son of Pedahzur, the leader of the Manassites, drew near. 55 His offering was one silver platter weighing a hundred and thirty shekels, and one silver bowl weighing seventy shekels, both according to the sanctuary shekel and filled with fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering; 56 one gold dish weighing ten shekels, filled with incense; 57 one young bull, one ram, and one male lamb a year old for a burnt offering; 58 one male goat for a sin offering; 59 and a peace offering of two oxen, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs a year old. This was the offering of Gamaliel son of Pedahzur. 60 On the ninth day Abidan son of Gideoni, the leader of the Benjamites, drew near. 61 His offering was one silver platter weighing a hundred and thirty shekels, and one silver bowl weighing seventy shekels, both according to the sanctuary shekel and filled with fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering; 62 one gold dish weighing ten shekels, filled with incense; 63 one young bull, one ram, and one male lamb a year old for a burnt offering; 64 one male goat for a sin offering; 65 and a peace offering of two oxen, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs a year old. This was the offering of Abidan son of Gideoni. 66 On the tenth day Ahiezer son of Ammishaddai, the leader of the Danites, drew near. 67 His offering was one silver platter weighing a hundred and thirty shekels, and one silver bowl weighing seventy shekels, both according to the sanctuary shekel and filled with fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering; 68 one gold dish weighing ten shekels, filled with incense; 69 one young bull, one ram, and one male lamb a year old for a burnt offering; 70 one male goat for a sin offering; 71 and a peace offering of two oxen, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs a year old. This was the offering of Ahiezer son of Ammishaddai. 72 On the eleventh day Pagiel son of Ocran, the leader of the Asherites, drew near. 73 His offering was one silver platter weighing a hundred and thirty shekels, and one silver bowl weighing seventy shekels, both according to the sanctuary shekel and filled with fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering; 74 one gold dish weighing ten shekels, filled with incense; 75 one young bull, one ram, and one male lamb a year old for a burnt offering; 76 one male goat for a sin offering; 77 and a peace offering of two oxen, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs a year old. This was the offering of Pagiel son of Ocran. 78 On the twelfth day Ahira son of Enan, the leader of the Naphtalites, drew near. 79 His offering was one silver platter weighing a hundred and thirty shekels, and one silver bowl weighing seventy shekels, both according to the sanctuary shekel and filled with fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering; 80 one gold dish weighing ten shekels, filled with incense; 81 one young bull, one ram, and one male lamb a year old for a burnt offering; 82 one male goat for a sin offering; 83 and a peace offering of two oxen, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs a year old. This was the offering of Ahira son of Enan. 84 So these were the offerings from the leaders of Israel for the dedication of the altar when it was anointed: twelve silver platters, twelve silver bowls, and twelve gold dishes. 85 Each silver platter weighed a hundred and thirty shekels, and each silver bowl seventy shekels. The total weight of the silver articles was two thousand four hundred shekels, according to the sanctuary shekel. 86 The twelve gold dishes filled with incense weighed ten shekels each, according to the sanctuary shekel. The total weight of the gold dishes was a hundred and twenty shekels. 87 All the livestock for the burnt offering totaled twelve bulls, twelve rams, and twelve male lambs a year old—together with their grain offerings—and twelve male goats for the sin offering. 88 All the livestock sacrificed for the peace offering totaled twenty-four bulls, sixty rams, sixty male goats, and sixty male lambs a year old. This was the dedication offering for the altar after it was anointed. 89 When Moses entered the Tent of Meeting to speak with the LORD, he heard the voice speaking to him from between the two cherubim above the mercy seat on the ark of the Testimony. Thus the LORD spoke to him.
Psalm 23
A Psalm of David. The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. 2 He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet waters. 3 He restores my soul; He guides me in the paths of righteousness for the sake of His name. 4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. 5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. 6 Surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.
Acts 27
When it was decided that we would sail for Italy, Paul and some other prisoners were handed over to a centurion named Julius, who belonged to the Imperial Regiment. 2 We boarded an Adramyttian ship about to sail for ports along the coast of Asia, and we put out to sea. Aristarchus, a Macedonian from Thessalonica, was with us. 3 The next day we landed at Sidon, and Julius treated Paul with consideration, allowing him to visit his friends and receive their care. 4 After putting out from there, we sailed to the lee of Cyprus because the winds were against us. 5 And when we had sailed across the open sea off the coast of Cilicia and Pamphylia, we came to Myra in Lycia. 6 There the centurion found an Alexandrian ship sailing for Italy and put us on board. 7 After sailing slowly for many days, we arrived off Cnidus. When the wind impeded us, we sailed to the lee of Crete, opposite Salmone. 8 After we had moved along the coast with difficulty, we came to a place called Fair Havens, near the town of Lasea. 9 By now much time had passed, and the voyage had already become dangerous because it was after the Fast. So Paul advised them, 10 “Men, I can see that our voyage will be filled with disaster and great loss, not only to ship and cargo, but to our own lives as well.” 11 But contrary to Paul’s advice, the centurion was persuaded by the pilot and by the owner of the ship. 12 Since the harbor was unsuitable to winter in, the majority decided to sail on, hoping that somehow they could reach Phoenix to winter there. Phoenix was a harbor in Crete facing both southwest and northwest. 13 When a gentle south wind began to blow, they thought they had their opportunity. So they weighed anchor and sailed along, hugging the coast of Crete. 14 But it was not long before a cyclone called the Northeaster swept down across the island. 15 Unable to head into the wind, the ship was caught up. So we gave way and let ourselves be driven along. 16 Passing to the lee of a small island called Cauda, we barely managed to secure the lifeboat. 17 After hoisting it up, the crew used ropes to undergird the ship. And fearing that they would run aground on the sandbars of Syrtis, they lowered the sea anchor and were driven along. 18 We were tossed so violently that the next day the men began to jettison the cargo. 19 On the third day, they threw the ship’s tackle overboard with their own hands. 20 When neither sun nor stars appeared for many days and the great storm continued to batter us, we abandoned all hope of being saved. 21 After the men had gone a long time without food, Paul stood up among them and said, “Men, you should have followed my advice not to sail from Crete. Then you would have averted this disaster and loss. 22 But now I urge you to keep up your courage, because you will not experience any loss of life, but only of the ship. 23 For just last night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve stood beside me 24 and said, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul; you must stand before Caesar. And look, God has granted you the lives of all who sail with you.’ 25 So take courage, men, for I believe God that it will happen just as He told me. 26 However, we must run aground on some island.” 27 On the fourteenth night we were still being driven across the Adriatic Sea. About midnight the sailors sensed they were approaching land. 28 They took soundings and found that the water was twenty fathoms deep. Going a little farther, they took another set of soundings that read fifteen fathoms. 29 Fearing that we would run aground on the rocks, they dropped four anchors from the stern and prayed for daybreak. 30 Meanwhile, the sailors attempted to escape from the ship. Pretending to lower anchors from the bow, they let the lifeboat down into the sea. 31 But Paul said to the centurion and the soldiers, “Unless these men remain with the ship, you cannot be saved.” 32 So the soldiers cut the ropes to the lifeboat and set it adrift. 33 Right up to daybreak, Paul kept urging them all to eat: “Today is your fourteenth day in constant suspense, without taking any food. 34 So for your own preservation, I urge you to eat something, because not a single hair of your head will be lost.” 35 After he had said this, Paul took bread and gave thanks to God in front of them all. Then he broke it and began to eat. 36 They were all encouraged and took some food themselves. 37 In all, there were 276 of us on board. 38 After the men had eaten their fill, they lightened the ship by throwing the grain into the sea. 39 When daylight came, they did not recognize the land, but they sighted a bay with a sandy beach, where they decided to run the ship aground if they could. 40 Cutting away the anchors, they left them in the sea as they loosened the ropes that held the rudders. Then they hoisted the foresail to the wind and made for the beach. 41 But the ship struck a sandbar and ran aground. The bow stuck fast and would not move, and the stern was being broken up by the pounding of the waves. 42 The soldiers planned to kill the prisoners so none of them could swim to freedom. 43 But the centurion, wanting to spare Paul’s life, thwarted their plan. He commanded those who could swim to jump overboard first and get to land. 44 The rest were to follow on planks and various parts of the ship. In this way everyone was brought safely to land.
Scripture from the Berean Standard Bible (BSB), dedicated to the public domain.
How to SOAP
Grab a journal and a pen. Read the chapters above and watch for the verse that stops you. Then take it through four steps.
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Scripture
Write out the verse that stood out to you.
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Observation
What is it saying? Who is speaking, and to whom?
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Application
What does it mean for your life today? Be specific.
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Prayer
Talk to God about it. Ask Him to help you live it.
Your SOAP journal
Write your SOAP here. Tap any verse in the reading to add it to Scripture. Your journal saves on this device only, so no one else sees it.
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Why daily devotions?
Devotions are time set aside each day to read God's Word and let Him speak. The point isn't checking off chapters. It's meeting with Him.
Ten or fifteen minutes is enough to start. Pick a time and a place and keep the appointment. Mornings work well for a lot of us, before the phone and the day start talking.
Missed a day? Don't start over. Read today's chapters and keep going.