Daily Devotions · February 22
Reading for February 22
Read the whole Bible in a year, a few chapters a day.
Numbers 10–11 · Psalm 27 · Mark 1
Numbers 10–11 · Psalm 27 · Mark 1, Berean Standard Bible
Numbers 10
Then the LORD said to Moses, 2 “Make two trumpets of hammered silver to be used for calling the congregation and for having the camps set out. 3 When both are sounded, the whole congregation is to assemble before you at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. 4 But if only one is sounded, then the leaders, the heads of the clans of Israel, are to gather before you. 5 When you sound short blasts, the camps that lie on the east side are to set out. 6 When you sound the short blasts a second time, the camps that lie on the south side are to set out. The blasts are to signal them to set out. 7 To convene the assembly, you are to sound long blasts, not short ones. 8 The sons of Aaron, the priests, are to sound the trumpets. This shall be a permanent statute for you and the generations to come. 9 When you enter into battle in your land against an adversary who attacks you, sound short blasts on the trumpets, and you will be remembered before the LORD your God and saved from your enemies. 10 And on your joyous occasions, your appointed feasts, and the beginning of each month, you are to blow the trumpets over your burnt offerings and peace offerings to serve as a reminder for you before your God. I am the LORD your God.” 11 On the twentieth day of the second month of the second year, the cloud was lifted from above the tabernacle of the Testimony, 12 and the Israelites set out from the Wilderness of Sinai, traveling from place to place until the cloud settled in the Wilderness of Paran. 13 They set out this first time according to the LORD’s command through Moses. 14 First, the divisions of the camp of Judah set out under their standard, with Nahshon son of Amminadab in command. 15 Nethanel son of Zuar was over the division of the tribe of Issachar, 16 and Eliab son of Helon was over the division of the tribe of Zebulun. 17 Then the tabernacle was taken down, and the Gershonites and the Merarites set out, transporting it. 18 Then the divisions of the camp of Reuben set out under their standard, with Elizur son of Shedeur in command. 19 Shelumiel son of Zurishaddai was over the division of the tribe of Simeon, 20 and Eliasaph son of Deuel was over the division of the tribe of Gad. 21 Then the Kohathites set out, transporting the holy objects; the tabernacle was to be set up before their arrival. 22 Next, the divisions of the camp of Ephraim set out under their standard, with Elishama son of Ammihud in command. 23 Gamaliel son of Pedahzur was over the division of the tribe of Manasseh, 24 and Abidan son of Gideoni was over the division of the tribe of Benjamin. 25 Finally, the divisions of the camp of Dan set out under their standard, serving as the rear guard for all units, with Ahiezer son of Ammishaddai in command. 26 Pagiel son of Ocran was over the division of the tribe of Asher, 27 and Ahira son of Enan was over the division of the tribe of Naphtali. 28 This was the order of march for the Israelite divisions as they set out. 29 Then Moses said to Hobab, the son of Moses’ father-in-law Reuel the Midianite, “We are setting out for the place of which the LORD said: ‘I will give it to you.’ Come with us, and we will treat you well, for the LORD has promised good things to Israel.” 30 “I will not go,” Hobab replied. “Instead, I am going back to my own land and my own people.” 31 “Please do not leave us,” Moses said, “since you know where we should camp in the wilderness, and you can serve as our eyes. 32 If you come with us, we will share with you whatever good things the LORD gives us.” 33 So they set out on a three-day journey from the mountain of the LORD, with the ark of the covenant of the LORD traveling ahead of them for those three days to seek a resting place for them. 34 And the cloud of the LORD was over them by day when they set out from the camp. 35 Whenever the ark set out, Moses would say, “Rise up, O LORD! May Your enemies be scattered; may those who hate You flee before You.” 36 And when it came to rest, he would say: “Return, O LORD, to the countless thousands of Israel.”
Numbers 11
Soon the people began to complain about their hardship in the hearing of the LORD, and when He heard them, His anger was kindled, and fire from the LORD blazed among them and consumed the outskirts of the camp. 2 And the people cried out to Moses, and he prayed to the LORD, and the fire died down. 3 So that place was called Taberah, because the fire of the LORD had burned among them. 4 Meanwhile, the rabble among them had a strong craving for other food, and again the Israelites wept and said, “Who will feed us meat? 5 We remember the fish we ate freely in Egypt, along with the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions, and garlic. 6 But now our appetite is gone; there is nothing to see but this manna!” 7 Now the manna resembled coriander seed, and its appearance was like that of gum resin. 8 The people walked around and gathered it, ground it on a handmill or crushed it in a mortar, then boiled it in a cooking pot or shaped it into cakes. It tasted like pastry baked with fine oil. 9 When the dew fell on the camp at night, the manna would fall with it. 10 Then Moses heard the people of family after family weeping at the entrances to their tents, and the anger of the LORD was kindled greatly, and Moses was also displeased. 11 So Moses asked the LORD, “Why have You brought this trouble on Your servant? Why have I not found favor in Your sight, that You have laid upon me the burden of all these people? 12 Did I conceive all these people? Did I give them birth, so that You should tell me, ‘Carry them in your bosom, as a nurse carries an infant,’ to the land that You swore to give their fathers? 13 Where can I get meat for all these people? For they keep crying out to me, ‘Give us meat to eat!’ 14 I cannot carry all these people by myself; it is too burdensome for me. 15 If this is how You are going to treat me, please kill me right now—if I have found favor in Your eyes—and let me not see my own wretchedness.” 16 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Bring Me seventy of the elders of Israel known to you as leaders and officers of the people. Bring them to the Tent of Meeting and have them stand there with you. 17 And I will come down and speak with you there, and I will take some of the Spirit that is on you and put that Spirit on them. They will help you bear the burden of the people, so that you do not have to bear it by yourself. 18 And say to the people: Consecrate yourselves for tomorrow, and you will eat meat, because you have cried out in the hearing of the LORD, saying: ‘Who will feed us meat? For we were better off in Egypt!’ Therefore the LORD will give you meat, and you will eat. 19 You will eat it not for one or two days, nor for five or ten or twenty days, 20 but for a whole month—until it comes out of your nostrils and makes you nauseous—because you have rejected the LORD, who is among you, and have cried out before Him, saying, ‘Why did we ever leave Egypt?’” 21 But Moses replied, “Here I am among 600,000 men on foot, yet You say, ‘I will give them meat, and they will eat for a month.’ 22 If all our flocks and herds were slaughtered for them, would they have enough? Or if all the fish in the sea were caught for them, would they have enough?” 23 The LORD answered Moses, “Is the LORD’s arm too short? Now you will see whether or not My word will come to pass.” 24 So Moses went out and relayed to the people the words of the LORD, and he gathered seventy of the elders of the people and had them stand around the tent. 25 Then the LORD came down in the cloud and spoke to him, and He took some of the Spirit that was on Moses and placed that Spirit on the seventy elders. As the Spirit rested on them, they prophesied—but they never did so again. 26 Two men, however, had remained in the camp—one named Eldad and the other Medad—and the Spirit rested on them. They were among those listed, but they had not gone out to the tent, and they prophesied in the camp. 27 A young man ran and reported to Moses, “Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp.” 28 Joshua son of Nun, the attendant to Moses since youth, spoke up and said, “Moses, my lord, stop them!” 29 But Moses replied, “Are you jealous on my account? I wish that all the LORD’s people were prophets and that the LORD would place His Spirit on them!” 30 Then Moses returned to the camp, along with the elders of Israel. 31 Now a wind sent by the LORD came up, drove in quail from the sea, and brought them near the camp, about two cubits above the surface of the ground, for a day’s journey in every direction around the camp. 32 All that day and night, and all the next day, the people stayed up gathering the quail. No one gathered less than ten homers, and they spread them out all around the camp. 33 But while the meat was still between their teeth, before it was chewed, the anger of the LORD burned against the people, and the LORD struck them with a severe plague. 34 So they called that place Kibroth-hattaavah, because there they buried the people who had craved other food. 35 From Kibroth-hattaavah the people moved on to Hazeroth, where they remained for some time.
Psalm 27
Of David. The LORD is my light and my salvation—whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life—whom shall I dread? 2 When the wicked came upon me to devour my flesh, my enemies and foes stumbled and fell. 3 Though an army encamps around me, my heart will not fear; though a war breaks out against me, I will keep my trust. 4 One thing I have asked of the LORD; this is what I desire: to dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the LORD and seek Him in His temple. 5 For in the day of trouble He will hide me in His shelter; He will conceal me under the cover of His tent; He will set me high upon a rock. 6 Then my head will be held high above my enemies around me. At His tabernacle I will offer sacrifices with shouts of joy; I will sing and make music to the LORD. 7 Hear, O LORD, my voice when I call; be merciful and answer me. 8 My heart said, “Seek His face.” Your face, O LORD, I will seek. 9 Hide not Your face from me, nor turn away Your servant in anger. You have been my helper; do not leave me or forsake me, O God of my salvation. 10 Though my father and mother forsake me, the LORD will receive me. 11 Teach me Your way, O LORD, and lead me on a level path, because of my oppressors. 12 Do not hand me over to the will of my foes, for false witnesses rise up against me, breathing out violence. 13 Still I am certain to see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. 14 Wait patiently for the LORD; be strong and courageous. Wait patiently for the LORD!
Mark 1
This is the beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. 2 As it is written in Isaiah the prophet: “Behold, I will send My messenger ahead of You, who will prepare Your way.” 3 “A voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for Him.’” 4 John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 5 People went out to him from all of Jerusalem and the countryside of Judea. Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River. 6 John was clothed in camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey. 7 And he proclaimed: “After me will come One more powerful than I, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. 8 I baptize you with water, but He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.” 9 In those days Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 10 As soon as Jesus came up out of the water, He saw the heavens breaking open and the Spirit descending on Him like a dove. 11 And a voice came from heaven: “You are My beloved Son; in You I am well pleased.” 12 At once the Spirit drove Jesus into the wilderness, 13 and He was there for forty days, being tempted by Satan. He was with the wild animals, and the angels ministered to Him. 14 After the arrest of John, Jesus went into Galilee and proclaimed the gospel of God. 15 “The time is fulfilled,” He said, “and the kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe in the gospel!” 16 As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, He saw Simon and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. 17 “Come, follow Me,” Jesus said, “and I will make you fishers of men.” 18 And at once they left their nets and followed Him. 19 Going on a little farther, He saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John. They were in a boat, mending their nets. 20 Immediately Jesus called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men and followed Him. 21 Then Jesus and His companions went to Capernaum, and right away Jesus entered the synagogue on the Sabbath and began to teach. 22 The people were astonished at His teaching, because He taught as one who had authority, and not as the scribes. 23 Suddenly a man with an unclean spirit cried out in the synagogue: 24 “What do You want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have You come to destroy us? I know who You are—the Holy One of God!” 25 But Jesus rebuked the spirit. “Be silent!” He said. “Come out of him!” 26 At this, the unclean spirit threw the man into convulsions and came out with a loud shriek. 27 All the people were amazed and began to ask one another, “What is this? A new teaching with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey Him!” 28 And the news about Jesus spread quickly through the whole region of Galilee. 29 As soon as Jesus and His companions had left the synagogue, they went with James and John to the home of Simon and Andrew. 30 Simon’s mother-in-law was sick in bed with a fever, and they promptly told Jesus about her. 31 So He went to her, took her by the hand, and helped her up. The fever left her, and she began to serve them. 32 That evening, after sunset, people brought to Jesus all the sick and demon-possessed, 33 and the whole town gathered at the door. 34 And He healed many who were ill with various diseases and drove out many demons. But He would not allow the demons to speak, because they knew who He was. 35 Early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up and went out to a solitary place to pray. 36 Simon and his companions went to look for Him, 37 and when they found Him, they said, “Everyone is looking for You!” 38 But Jesus answered, “Let us go on to the neighboring towns so I can preach there as well, for that is why I have come.” 39 So He went throughout Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and driving out demons. 40 Then a leper came to Jesus, begging on his knees: “If You are willing, You can make me clean.” 41 Moved with compassion, Jesus reached out His hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” He said. “Be clean!” 42 And immediately the leprosy left him, and the man was cleansed. 43 Jesus promptly sent him away with a stern warning: 44 “See that you don’t tell anyone. But go, show yourself to the priest and present the offering Moses prescribed for your cleansing, as a testimony to them.” 45 But the man went out and openly began to proclaim and spread the news. Consequently, Jesus could no longer enter a town in plain view, but He stayed out in solitary places. Yet people came to Him from every quarter.
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.