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MARCH 13
And the common people heard Him gladly.
38 Then He said to them in His teaching, “Be-
ware of the scribes, who desire to go around
in long robes, love greetings in the market-
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places, the best seats in the synagogues, and 12:40 devour widows’ houses. Jesus
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the best places at feasts, who devour widows’ exposed the greedy, unscrupulous practice of
the scribes. Scribes often served as estate
houses, and for a pretense make long prayers. planners for widows, which gave them the
These will receive greater condemnation.” opportunity to convince distraught widows
41 Now Jesus sat opposite the treasury and
saw how the people put money into the trea- that they would be serving God by supporting
the temple or the scribe’s own holy work. In
sury. And many who were rich put in much. either case, the scribe benefited monetarily
42 Then one poor widow came and threw in two and effectively robbed the widow of her hus-
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mites, which make a quadrans. So He called band’s legacy to her. long prayers. The
His disciples to Himself and said to them, “As- Pharisees attempted to flaunt their piety by
suredly, I say to you that this poor widow has praying for long periods.Their motive was not
put in more than all those who have given to devotion to God,but a desire to be revered by
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the treasury; for they all put in out of their the people.
abundance, but she out of her poverty put in
all that she had, her whole livelihood.”
DAY 12:Wasn’t it idol worship for the Israelites to look at
the bronze serpent in Numbers 21:4–9?
The circumstances leading up to the casting of the bronze serpent were all too familiar. The
people were tired and discouraged. They were angry with God and complained to Moses. They
were convinced that things couldn’t get any worse,but God showed them otherwise.He sent “fiery
serpents”among the people and some of the Israelites died. Others suffered excruciating bites.
Realizing their mistake, the people came in repentance to Moses and begged for help. They
were not worshiping the bronze serpent but were acting in faith,in obedience to God’s and Moses’
directions.
In John 3:14,Jesus said,“So must the Son of Man be lifted up.”This is a veiled prediction of His
death on the cross.It is in reference to the story of where the Israelite people who looked at the ser-
pent lifted up by Moses were healed.The point of this illustration or analogy is in the “lifted up.”Just
as Moses lifted up the snake on the pole so that all who looked upon it might live physically, those
who look to Christ, who was “lifted up”on the cross for the sins of the world, will live spiritually and
eternally.

MARCH 13

23:5 the LORD put a word in Balaam’s mouth.
Numbers 23:1–24:25 Even though Balak and Balaam offered sacri-
fices on pagan altars,it was the Lord who gave
Then Balaam said to Balak, “Build Balaam his oracle.
23 seven altars for me here, and prepare
for me here seven bulls and seven rams.”
And Balak did just as Balaam had spoken,
2
and Balak and Balaam offered a bull and a ram mouth, and said, “Return to Balak, and thus
you shall speak.” So he returned to him, and
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on each altar. Then Balaam said to Balak, there he was, standing by his burnt offering,
“Stand by your burnt offering, and I will go; he and all the princes of Moab.
perhaps the LORD will come to meet me, and 7 And he took up his oracle and said:
whatever He shows me I will tell you.” So he
went to a desolate height. And God met “Balak the king of Moab has brought
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Balaam, and he said to Him, “I have prepared me from Aram,
the seven altars, and I have offered on each From the mountains of the east.
altar a bull and a ram.” ‘Come, curse Jacob for me,
Then the LORD put a word in Balaam’s And come, denounce Israel!’
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