bible reading day 13 (monday)

Today's Bible reading: Genesis 14; Matthew 13. [Monday's post]

I'm trying to get a day ahead on these posts, as they go out from the blog at midnight on the day I write them. The reading plan I'm using is found here.  And here's a bit more information about this plan, originally compiled by Robert Murray M'Cheyne. So this post is about tomorrow's (Monday) passages.

The first year you read all of the New Testament, the Psalms, and half of the Old Testament. The second year is the same but with the other half of the Old Testament. It's about two chapters a day. It's very do-able for most schedules. My wife and I each read one passage in the morning, and then we read together the second passage after dinner.

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"And Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. (He was priest of God Most High.)"  (Gen 14:18)

In Genesis 14 we are introduced to Melchizedek, the King of Salem (what would later become Jerusalem) and also a Priest of God. Abraham shows great deference to the Priest-King. What is unusual is that nothing else is mentioned about him -- his origin, birthplace, lineage, family, or any descendants. We might dismiss him as minor character were it not for King David who later in Psalm 110 says that his son -- the greater Son of David, whom he calls "Lord" -- would be just such a priest-king like Melchizedek. (110:4) He would be a priest not by virtue of descent from Aaron the high priest, but by virtue of his everlasting life. (See Hebrews 7 for full explanation!)

In Matthew 13 we read several of Jesus' parables, mainly about his Kingdom and in what form it comes. Many of his day were expecting the Christ (Messiah) to bring about the Kingdom of God in a sudden, dramatic, and global way. That will happen, of course, at Christ's second coming. But these parables highlight the fact that the Lord Jesus came to inaugurate a hidden, spiritual period of the Kingdom. It will be like a small seed buried in the ground, or leaven hidden in a batch of flour, or a treasure hidden in a field. It will grow like a plant and be harvested like a crop.

My take-aways: God's plan for history can be quite surprising, with characters like Melchizedek and parables about a hidden kingdom. I need to make sure, especially, as I reflect upon the parable of the soils (Matt 13:3-23) that my heart is properly receptive of God's word... that I am hearing it and understanding it, that I'm letting it take root deep in my heart, and that I'm not yielding my attention to worldly cares, riches, and other desires that would choke out the word. I want to bear good fruit for the Lord.

Image above: "The Sower", by Vincent van Gogh (1888). Below: a chart I made for a sermon about the Kingdom.

bible reading dec 3-5

Bible reading for weekend December 3 -- 5 Dec 3 -- Nahum 1 and Luke 17 Dec 4 -- Nahum 2 and Luke 18 Dec 5 -- Nahum 3 and Luke 19 ================ "The LORD is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; he knows those who take refuge in him. But with an overflowing flood he will make a complete end of the adversaries, and will pursue his enemies into darkness." (Nahum 1:7-8) TIME'S UP FOR NINEVEH (Nah 1-3). The prophecy of Nahum is God's word to the people of Nineveh, part two. Jonah was part one, chronicling a city-wide repentance of Assyrians in the capital about a hundred years earlier. The closing bookend is Nahum, and the Assyrian empire is big, powerful, and aggressive. Notice the references to chariots (2:3-4, 13; 3:2). The Assyrians were a militarily advanced culture, and cruel in their warfare. Whatever spiritual receptivity they had at the time of Jonah was gone by the time of Nahum. Nahum may not have actually visited Nineveh, for it seems the book was w

bible reading nov 1-2

Bible reading for weekend Nov 1 -- 2 Nov 1 -- Hosea 7 and Psalms 120-122 Nov 2 -- Hosea 8 and Psalms 123-125 ================ "Were I to write for him my laws by the ten thousands, they would be regarded as a strange thing." (Hosea 8:12) THE RESULTS OF SIN (ch 7-8). Notice the words and metaphors to describe Israel's sinful condition: they are surrounded with, and proud of, their evil (7:1-3); like adulterers in the heat of passion (7:4-5); their anger is like a hot oven (7:6-7); they are like a half-cooked (one side only) cake (7:8); their strength is gone (7:9); they are like silly doves easily trapped (7:11-12); they are undependable like a warped bow (7:16). In spite of all of this they are so proud of themselves! (We might say they have a strong self-esteem.) They have spurned what is good (8:3); they sow to the wind and have no real fruit (8:7); they are a useless vessel (8:8) and a wild donkey wandering alone (8:9); they regard God's law as a strange thing

Howard Hendricks on OT books chronology

When I was in seminary, Howard Hendricks (aka "Prof") gave us a little card with the books of the OT chronologically arranged. The scanned copy I have was a bit blurry and I wanted to make something like this available for our church class in OT theology ("Story of Redemption"). A few minor edits and here it is...

my burg

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