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  Bible reading for Aug 4 -- 5 Aug 4 -- Jeremiah 32 and Psalms 1-2 Aug 5 -- Jeremiah 33 and Psalms 3-4 ================    "I will make with them an everlasting covenant, that I will not turn away from doing good to them. And I will put the fear of me in their hearts, that they may not turn from me. I will rejoice in doing them good, and I will plant them in this land in faithfulness, with all my heart and all my soul." (Jeremiah 32:40-41) LAND INVESTMENT (ch 32). To demonstrate God's promise of Judah's return to the land in seventy years, Jeremiah is instructed to buy a field and to seal the deed of the land (vv 1-15). Notice Jeremiah's prayer for understanding (vv 16-25), how he begins with the character of God and historical background before his question, or implied question, at the very end. We would do well to model his way of praying -- instead of rushing to our petition, to take time to praise and thank God, to recount his attributes and his working in hi...

Bible reading for May 24 -- 25 May 24 -- Isaiah 25 and 1 John 3 May 25 -- Isaiah 26 and 1 John 4 ================    "He will swallow up death forever; and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from all faces..." (Isaiah 25:8) THE DEATH OF DEATH (ch 25). Jerusalem would survive the Assyrian onslaught. And though in King Hezekiah's day food would be scarce, yet a banquet is coming, the Lord says. Isaiah is seeing over 700 years into the future to an event in Jerusalem which will destroy death itself. And the Apostle John sees a glorious future, as well: "He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning nor crying nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away" (Rev 21:4). Through the succession of nations and empires, through all the vicissitudes of time and history, there is one certain, unchanging plan of God. We can say with Isaiah, "O LORD, you are my God; I will exalt you; I will praise you...

Bible reading for October 16.  1 Kings 19. "And when Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. And behold, there came a voice to him and said, 'What are you doing here, Elijah?'" (1 Kings 19:13) FROM FAITH TO FEAR. Elijah goes from a mountain-top experience of great success, down to the pit of fear and despair, because of Jezebel's threat. And the threat was real. Who knew that God's prophets could go through such ups and downs? So Elijah flees to Mount Sinai, many miles to the south in the wilderness. The Lord sustains him through the journey. He is going back to the place where God gave his law and promises, where God's power and glory had been manifested centuries before, and where the nation was founded. Twice the Lord will ask him, "what are you doing here, Elijah?" In other words, why have you come? This is not an indictment, but an invitation to speak and to plainly state his pro...

Bible reading for June 4.  Deuteronomy 8.  "And you shall remember the whole way that the LORD your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness, that he might humble you, testing you to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep his commandments or not." (Deuteronomy 8:2) TRIALS AND TESTING. "Why me? Why this? Why now?"  We've all asked those questions! We get through one problem, or a set of problems, only to have something else, or someone else, break down. In this chapter God tells Israel what his purpose is in sending trials . One purpose is to reveal what is in their hearts (v 3).  God knows it, but often we (and others) do not. It needs to be brought out. It is humbling, humiliating circumstances that bring those things out. Another purpose is to remind us of our dependence upon the Lord. Israel's temptation, like ours, is to think that the good things we have in life are due to our own abilities, goodness, power, or merit. ...

Bible reading for April 23.  Leviticus 27. "These are the commandments that the LORD commanded Moses for the people of Israel on Mount Sinai." (27:34)  Congratulations on completing the book of Leviticus !   Redeeming service.  In Israel people might dedicate themselves for a time or give possessions in support of the Lord's service in the temple. See, for example, the story of Hannah, who pledged her son Samuel to assist in the temple ministry (1 Samuel 1:11).  Vows toward God were taken seriously.  If people wanted to rescind their vow, they would need to pay a redemption price as fair exchange for the value of their labor or property. Adjustments were made for gender (sex) and age.  Why was the value of a woman less than a man ?  The valuation here was the relative value of labor within that society . Men and women were both created in the image of God, and capital punishment was the penalty for any person who murdered ...

NT reading for Mar 24 -- John 14.  "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid." (John 14:27) Untroubled (Jn 14:1, 27). We, like the disciples in the upper room, are looking at a world which has great uncertainty about it .  The corona virus pandemic has people asking, "How is this all going to end up?  Will my family and my loved ones be all right? Am I ready for this?"  Of course there are practical matters to attend to: enough canned goods on the shelf, making sure children know where important papers are, and so on. On the night of Jesus' betrayal the disciples were certainly beginning to ask similar questions -- what if things turn out badly? ...what if Jesus is not going to be here? ...what will we do and how will we manage?  These days are -- as those days were -- uncertain and troubling. And Jesus begins by saying, "Let not your heart...