June 26, 2026 - Numbers 35 & Psalm 120

We reflect on Camp Compass and the joy of seeing volunteers and students serve, then we sit with Psalm 120’s cry for deliverance from deceit and a life shaped by peace. We also connect the Psalms of Ascent to worshipful preparation and revisit Numbers 35 to see how God pairs mercy with justice through cities of refuge and trustworthy witnesses. 

For more information about Compass Bible Church South Valley, visit compassbiblesv.org. Keep reading. Keep growing. God’s Word is a lamp to your feet, and a light to your path. 

Transcript

Welcome And Date

SPEAKER_01 0:01

Welcome to the Lamp and Light Vibrating Plan, where you're seeking to love the Lord our God with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength with God's word lighting the way. I'm Josiah Smith joined by Tyler Sanborn. Today's Friday, June 26th, 2026.

Numbers 35 Overview

SPEAKER_01 0:25

Here's a quick summary of Numbers 35. Numbers 35 details the cities that were to be the allotment, the land portion for the tribe of Levi. Now remember, they are specifically enlisted in the service of the tabernacle, most especially the lineage of Aaron, who served as the priest and the high priest. But the tribe of Levi as a whole was to be set apart, just like the firstborn of Egypt, as God makes that parallel and that analogy. And they were to be enlisted in the service of God in the tabernacle. So their allotment, their land portion is here specified. And there's even these cities of refuge, as they are called, which kind of have some specific laws and details and instructions concerning those who take the life of another, a human being, but without intent. So accidentally, uh, or you know, in some other kind of it calls it manslayer way, but not with murderous intent. Then there are these cities where they're essentially were to await trials. So it's both affirming the sanctity and dignity of human life, but also there's law and order and witnesses and things like that that needed to be all in their proper place. And so there were these cities of refuge where people who accidentally, or at least it was being determined, if they accidentally took the life of someone else, that they could be there as they awaited their trial day. So that's a quick summary of Numbers 35.

Psalm 120 Read Aloud

SPEAKER_00 2:04

Listen intently to God's written word, Psalm 120. In my distress I called to the Lord, and he answered me. What shall be given to you and what more shall be done to you, you deceitful tongue? A warrior's sharp arrows with glowing coals of the broom tree. Woe to me that I sojourn in Meshech, that I dwell among the tents of Kedar. Too long have I have I had my dwelling among those who hate peace. I am for peace, but when I speak, they are for war.

Camp Compass Wins And Gratitude

SPEAKER_01 2:47

At the time of recording this, it is in the late afternoon, early evening of Thursday, the day before. Hopefully you're listening to this, or at least the day before it is being released. And so it is the conclusion of the fourth day of Camp Compass. And now we are on the other side of the uh cookout that we just did last night. So, Tyler, let's reflect on Camp Compass. Let's reflect on the last couple of days of Camp Compass and even the cookout. You just mentioned it was a long, it was a long day. It was a good yesterday, but it was very good. Tell us just some things that you're encouraged by from this week.

SPEAKER_00 3:28

Yeah, I'm I'm so encouraged by just the sheer number of uh faithful volunteers and the number of yeses that we uh have seen to fill in and uh and and invest into the lives of the children at our church. Uh there are many, many kids aged fifth grade and under, and um they need to hear the gospel, and the gospel is being faithfully uh taught in a variety of different modalities uh throughout Camp Compass. And uh something that's so encouraging to me too is specifically the number of students within student ministries. There are uh a number of our um middle school and high school students here at Compass Bible Church South Valley that are um serving, serving the students that um are attending this week, all 125 or maybe a touch more than that. Um they were once in the same position of these students. And that's kind of fun to reflect and think about as I see my oldest daughter serving in a way um that is. On the worship team, and in other ways, but on the worship team. So encouraging, so encouraging. Um it's it really warms my heart to see um our our kids, uh, our students serving in ways um now that they have that opportunity. Uh they aren't able to do that when they're campers. So they uh they're able to serve and invest in ways that are uh are really rewarding as they too are still working with getting their hearts and minds around the gospel all the while, just saying yes to being all in for Camp Compass. So that warms my heart. And uh and I had a specific uh moment today, uh sitting in on uh on missionary time where the story of David Livingston is being shared. David Livingston uh is a sort of pioneer missionary who did not settle and put down deep roots, but continually went from to town to town, village to village, uh proclaiming the gospel uh in Africa. And uh the students are just so excited. They uh are recalling the different details throughout the week of his life and how he is faithfully uh bringing the gospel through uh different uh and difficult circumstances throughout his life. It did not stop or prevent him from um being a faithful man who is delivering the word of God to a people that we're not reached with the gospel yet.

SPEAKER_01 5:51

Yeah, I mean, it's just been an encouraging week, whether it's been studying David Livingston or listening to the kids uh just really sing out loud for these worship songs that they are uh singing that correspond really well with the the theme of the week, God's glory or the teaching from Bible time, the games that are being run by uh the true north team that was sent here on a short-term mission trip just to help us and to partner with us uh to the cookout last night. Man, that was such a great, encouraging event. And I talked a little bit about that uh in yesterday's podcast, but just an encouraging, encouraging week. So again, I just would continue to ask that you would pray. I pray that the Lord would do uh far more than we could ever ask or imagine. Pray that our um efforts and labor would be fruitful and that God would be honored uh through our service and that he would establish the work of our hands.

What Psalms Of Ascent Mean

SPEAKER_01 6:45

Now, we are beginning a kind of new section in the Psalms called the Psalms of Ascent. Uh or even here in Psalm 120, it says a song of ascent. Now, this is a collection, about 15 Psalms, a collection of psalms that typically are thought to be songs, choruses that were sung in the journey to Jerusalem, specifically during the calendar that we've been studying in Leviticus, uh, the calendar of festivals that God commanded and instituted for the nation of Israel. There was some traveling that would happen for those who lived outside of the city and some of the neighboring towns, that they would travel upward. Jerusalem was kind of in an elevated place, so they would travel upward, they would ascend to Jerusalem in preparation for a holy festival and a holy celebration. And so it is thought that these psalms would be sung by those who are sort of marching who are marching upward to the city of Jerusalem. And so that's kind of what we'll be studying for the next little section here. Uh Psalm 121 says a song of ascent, Psalm 122, a song of ascent. Some of them are labeled and are attributed to specific authors, some are attributed to David, some are attributed to Solomon, uh, and then there are some that are anonymous. And so Psalm 120 is one of those that is anonymous, and it focuses on this theme of distress and calling out to the

Psalm 120 Truth And Peace

SPEAKER_01 8:26

Lord. It says in verse 1, in my distress, I call to the Lord, deliver me, O Lord, from lying lips, from a deceitful tongue. Now remember again, they're they're making this journey upward to Jerusalem to celebrate God, to observe the festivals and the feast. And so they're just essentially reciting and rehearsing truths about God and his character, sort of in this spiritual preparation that they would undergo in this journey upward, uh kind of before they would even arrive for the actual celebration. So in this specific psalm, again, it's focusing on the deliverance, it's focusing on uh even says in verse 3, what shall be given to you, and what more shall be done to you, you deceitful tongue. So there's deception, there's I don't know, some sort of slander, um, accusation, whatever being levied, and they are uh in this song of a sense, they are remembering that God is the one that they are to call to, God is the one that they are to look to in times of distress. So it's just a short, kind of an encouraging psalm here.

SPEAKER_00 9:34

Yeah, to continue on, PJ, in this the the contrast between those who are calling upon the Lord, who are seeking uh to pursue truth, and those who are uh against and and um looking forward to the warrior sharp blow through through arrows towards those who would be uh speaking dishonestly or falsehoods. There's some kind of recognition here that there's a a travel happening, and maybe the the neighboring nations uh would be those who are speaking falsehoods, those who are speaking hatred and uh are not um embracing peace. They hate peace, we see here in verse 6. And uh it's uh a reminder for the people of Israel as they're going to celebrate, uh going to take part in these feasts in Jerusalem year after year. They are reminded of the sacrifices and reminded of what God has done in their lives, delivering them uh from Egypt, from their enemies, and leading them into the land of Canaan, the land of promise. Those people outside of the land of promise who there were not to mingle with, not to intermarry with, uh, not to worship the gods of these uh other nations. They are to take hold and worship the God that has given them peace, the God who loves peace and who uh is truly the one to be praised, the one who will enact justice swiftly at his timing. Um, but we see here the the people of Israel reflecting on the contrast between God's truth, uh the deceitfulness uh of the nations, God's peace, and those who uh who hate peace, those who are uh more savage in nature, those who are ruthless or an untamed people, a wicked or evil people that do not follow God's law.

SPEAKER_01 11:25

Yeah, so some just great encouragements here to look to the Lord who is uh truth. God is truth. All truth uh, of course, corresponds. Uh you think of Psalm 119, the sum of your word is truth. God is righteous, he is holy, he is good, uh, he is true. And uh they are just kind of reminding themselves of that reality here in Psalm 120.

Numbers 35 Justice And Witnesses

SPEAKER_01 11:48

Now, even thinking about that, thinking about God's justice, just some quick comments on Numbers 35. Of course, we have these cities that uh are cities of refuge for those who are on trial, essentially, who are awaiting. Um, and there there could not be a pronouncement, because if you took a life, uh it was essentially the death penalty. There could not be a pronouncement of guilty without the evidence of two established witnesses. So there was some procedural things that were going on, and um, even here again, it talks about uh it says in verse six the cities that you give to the Levites shall be the six cities of refuge where you shall permit the manslayer to flee, and in addition to them, you shall give 42 cities. So the manslayer, again, that there could be a sense in which this was intentional, premeditated murder, and if that was the case, they would ultimately lose their life to the death penalty. Uh, but then there's also the the reality that it was some sort of accident, whether it was a farming accident or um whatever sort of things that happen. We know that uh life can be taken from our perspective accidentally through uh even a car accident or something like that that has happened. I've known people that have uh accidentally uh been uh in a situation where something happened. They were involved in a situation that uh caused the taking of another's life. And so there is laws in place in America that, of course, deal with that differently than premeditated murder uh or even a fit of violent rage. And so we see that outlined here in numbers 35, just as a way of protection. We want that this needed to be something that was taken with with seriousness. So again, it's an affirmation of the the dignity of life, but it's also uh some some procedural things that are laid out um for those who are the considered the offenders uh or the accused, and uh how all of that was to

Closing And Next Steps

SPEAKER_01 13:46

work together. Well, thank you so much for joining us today on the Lamp and Light Bible Reading Podcast. For more information about Compass Bible Church South Valley, visit compass Bible SB.org. Keep reading, keep growing. God's word is a lamp to your feet and a light to your path.