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Bible reading for weekend Nov 19 -- 21 Nov 19 -- Amos 8 and Luke 3 Nov 20 -- Amos 9 and Luke 4 Nov 21 -- Obadiah and Luke 5 ================ "In that day I will raise up the booth of David that is fallen and repair its breaches, and raise up its ruins and rebuild it as in the days of old..."  (Amos 9:11)  THE HARVEST HAS COME (ch 8). There's a wordplay in the first two verses: "summer fruit" (Heb., qayits ) and "the end" (Heb., qets ). It's an illustration that the summer has ended and the harvest -- not what they expected -- was upon them (cf Jer 8:20). Their life of affluence and leisure was about to come to an end. At the fall of Samaria (capital of Israel) in 722 BC, the people would be exiled and scattered among the other nations. They would experience a "famine" of God's word in that God's prophets would no longer come to them (like Ezekiel did for the Jews in Babylon) nor would they have the strong group identity that come...

Bible reading for Nov 17 -- 18 Nov 17 -- Amos 6 and Luke 1:39-80 Nov 18 -- Amos 7 and Luke 2 ================ "Then the Lord said, 'Behold, I am setting a plumb line in the midst of my people Israel; I will never again pass by them...'" (Amos 7:8)  THE LEISURE CLASS (ch 6). It seems Amos' generation had the same mindset as our advertisers today, that is, "You deserve the best!" Note how the people of Israel are described: idle, taking it easy, self-secure, partying, and enjoying the best beauty products (vv 1-7). This sinful lifestyle was rooted in pride (v 8) and injustice (v 12). Not all prosperity is bad, for example, we may enjoy what God gives when it is something permissible, prayed about, and used with gratitude and humility (2 Tim 4:4-5). But much luxury can come at the cost of spiritual compromise (idolatry), self-indulgence, and from taking advantage of vulnerable people (injustice).  CANCELLING AMOS (ch 7). In compassion and mercy, Amos inte...

Bible reading for Oct 27 -- 28 Oct 27 -- Daniel 12 and Psalm 119:49-72 Oct 28 -- Hosea 1 and Psalm 119:73-96 ================   "Blessed is he who waits and arrives at the 1,335 days." (Daniel 12:12) THE END (ch 12). Often when we read chapters like this we are drawn immediately to the numbers. Is this days or years? Is this past history or future? Is this about Israel or the Church? But let's not overlook the obvious: "Blessed is he who waits ..." (v 12). This chapter echoes our Lord's words in the Olivet discourse (Matt 24-25) and the final chapters of Revelation. Here are the major items: 1) there's an unfolding drama of history which includes the supernatural world (e.g., angels), as well as natural events. 2) Some people will get better and better, and others, worse and worse. Either sanctification or degeneration will take place. 3) In the end there are only two eternal destinies. History is the winnowing, or dividing process, that is presently oc...

  Bible reading for Oct 25 -- 26 Oct 25 -- Daniel 10 and Psalm 119:1-24 Oct 26 -- Daniel 11 and Psalm 119:25-48 ================   "And he said, 'O man greatly loved, fear not, peace be with you; be strong and of good courage.' And as he spoke to me, I was strengthened and said, 'Let my lord speak, for you have strengthened me.'" (Daniel 10:19) BEHIND THE SCENES (ch 10). Daniel is not studying the future like a disinterested spectator. These revelations involve the future and welfare of his own people (e.g., 7:25; 8:24-25). He has been praying about these things, and confessing their sins. In this chapter we get a peek into the angelic drama behind the scenes. These chapters of Daniel introduce us to the only two angels named in the Bible -- Gabriel (8:16; 9:21) and Michael (10:13, 21; 12:1). Some Christians may get too carried away by the notion of spiritual warfare (and so engage in unbiblical practices), but some believers ignore this dimension entirely. ...

Bible reading for June 9 -- 10 Jun 9 -- Isaiah 41 and Revelation 11 Jun 10 -- Isaiah 42 and Revelation 12 ================    "Behold my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my Spirit upon him; he will bring forth justice to the nations."  (Isaiah 42:1) "DO NOT FEAR" (ch 41). A recurring theme is that there is no other God, and he is sovereign over history. He is the one who determines the future, "calling the generations from the beginning" (v 4). He is the First and Last (Rev 1:17; 22:13). Idols, and other gods, are no gods at all. They cannot tell the future nor determine the future. Idolatry is any wrong concept of God, or anything we deem of ultimate value which takes the place of God as the center of our lives. Usually, it is something we can see (or manufacture) that becomes our main security and source of pleasure -- it may be actual idols, or it may be false hopes of deliverance, whether in money or possessions (...

Bible reading for April 5 -- 6 Apr 5 -- Proverbs 23 and 1 Thessalonians 2 Apr 6 -- Proverbs 24 and 1 Thessalonians 3 "Fret not yourself because of evildoers, and be not envious of the wicked, for the evil man has no future; the lamp of the wicked will be put out." (Proverbs 24:19-20)  BE NOT ENVIOUS. There are sections within the book of Proverbs. Those originating with Solomon transition to other sources in chapters 22 through 24. Here there are parallels with Egyptian wisdom teachings of Amenemope (see Derek Kidner, Proverbs, pp 23-24). They are adapted -- either by Solomon or perhaps Hezekiah later -- for use by Israelite believers. In these chapters there is a repeated call by the father to his son to pursue wisdom, to listen, to observe, to control desires, and to make good decisions. Familiar themes are repeated: labor vs. laziness, sobriety vs. drunkenness, justice vs. injustice. One repeated admonition is to avoid envy and the temptation to join with others in a worl...

Bible reading for February 3 -- 4 Feb 3 -- Job 2 and Romans 6 Feb 4 -- Job 3 and Romans 7 "After this Job opened his mouth and cursed the day of his birth." (Job 3:1)  WISDOM IN SUFFERING. Though we don't know many of the details about where and when Job lived, we know that he was a real person in history (Ezek 14:14, 20; James 5:11). The book of Job may be the oldest of the books in Scripture, and is first in the lineup of the wisdom books. Wisdom literature is written, usually in poetic form, to address the big mysteries of life, as well as those practical matters in life that require discernment. Job deals with pain and suffering, specifically, the suffering of the righteous. The Song of Solomon deals with pleasure, specifically, the pleasures of courtship, sex, and marriage. In between, Proverbs gives wisdom for successfully navigating the problems of life, and Ecclesiastes teaches the limitations both of our lives and of what we can know. One thing we learn up front...

Bible reading for Nov 13.  1 Chronicles 1-2. "These are their genealogies..." (1:29) PARALLEL HISTORY. Now we step back to read a parallel account of Israel's history, focusing on Judah (the southern kingdom), King David and his descendants, and the temple in Jerusalem. First and Second Chronicles are two volumes of one original work, Chronica , in the Hebrew OT (the Tanakh), coming right after Nehemiah. This was most likely written by, or compiled under the oversight of, Ezra the scribe, sometime in the fifth century BC after the Jews had returned from Babylon. It is an additional witness to the history recorded in 2 Samuel, and 1 & 2 Kings.  GENEALOGIES. The first two chapters open with genealogies, as all good Jewish history should! You can compare this with the genealogies of Jesus in Matthew and Luke, for example. God's work spans the generations. Here the names focus on David and Caleb, and a portion on Edom (descendants of Esau). These were the main famil...

Bible reading for October 23.  2 Kings 4. "So she went from him and shut the door behind herself and her sons. And as she poured they brought the vessels to her. When the vessels were full, she said to her son, 'Bring me another vessel.' And he said to her, 'There is not another.' Then the oil stopped flowing." (2 Kings 4:5-6) SUPERNATURAL SUPPLY . We read of four remarkable miracles in this chapter. The "sons of the prophets" (v 1) were the disciples who followed and studied under the prophets (v 38). These miracles are similar, but not exactly, to Elijah's in 1 Kings 17. And these look forward to (foreshadow), even more amplified, the miracles of our Lord in feeding the multitudes, raising the dead, and giving children back to parents. He said, "I came that they may have life and have it abundantly" (John 10:10). These miracles also teach us of God's continued, ongoing care for us. He provides what his people need, and more. The p...

Bible reading for September 30.  1 Kings 2. "I am about to go the way of all the earth. Be strong, and show yourself a man, and keep the charge of the LORD your God, walking in his ways and keeping his statutes, his commandments, his rules, and his testimonies, as it is written in the Law of Moses, that you may prosper in all that you do and wherever you turn..." (1 Kings 2:2-3) A NEW REIGN. David gives his son Solomon a simple but straightforward charge (cf Deut 31:7-8; 2 Tim 4:1-2). He then dies and is buried in the City of David, which was the lower slope of the temple mount in Jerusalem. Though there is a traditional site of David's tomb in Jerusalem (I visited there in 1997) some archaeologists believe the tomb is yet to be discovered in the excavations of the older section of the City of David.  UNFINISHED BUSINESS. Solomon's reign will begin with a clean slate, and so his first actions are to conclude unfinished business from David's reign. Joab will fina...

Bible reading for September 28.  2 Samuel 24. "And David built there an altar to the LORD and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. So the LORD responded to the plea for the land, and the plague was averted from Israel." (2 Samuel 24:25)  WHAT'S WRONG WITH A CENSUS? In the previous chapter we read David's "last words", but here the book ends by looking at another failure in the latter part of his life. Though David is a biblical hero, there are no sinless heroes except Jesus. David, a "man after God's own heart", must be viewed in the context of his times. There is a progress of revelation in biblical history: David, though not qualified to be a church elder in the NT period (too many wives!), yet he was different from other Mideastern kings of his day. His commitment to the one God, to the law, to righteousness and justice, and his compassion toward people in need excelled in his day and age. We end 2 Samuel, however, with a note of fa...

Bible reading for weekend September 26-27.  2 Samuel 22-23. "Now these are the last words of David: The oracle of David, the son of Jesse, the oracle of the man who was raised on high, the anointed of the God of Jacob, the sweet psalmist of Israel: 'The Spirit of the LORD speaks by me; his word is on my tongue. The God of Israel has spoken; the Rock of Israel has said to me: When one rules justly over men, ruling in the fear of God, he dawns on them like the morning light, like the sun shining forth on a cloudless morning, like rain that makes grass to sprout from the earth.'" (2 Samuel 23:1-4)  SIGNATURE PSALM (ch 22) . "The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold and my refuge, my savior; you save me from violence. I call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised, and I am saved from my enemies" (vv 22:2-4). This is a nearly-verbatim parallel version o...

Bible reading for Aug 17.  I Samuel 9. "When Samuel saw Saul, the LORD told him, 'Here is the man of whom I spoke to you! He it is who shall restrain my people.'" (1 Samuel 9:17) ENTER SAUL. He is handsome, tall, and wealthy (v 2). He will be the one to restrain (that is, rule over) the people and deliver them from the Philistines (vv 16-17).  His appearance is impressive and at this point he seems humble. He will in fact be an excellent military leader. This is exactly what the people have been looking for. In the end, though, he will not be a very good king, but he will prepare the way for a better king.  REFLECT. How often do you make judgments based upon appearance and initial impression? If you are a U.S. voter, how do you get around the sound bites and the public relations hype to really know the candidates in an election? Or can you?    ==============   Romans 7. "So the law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous a...

Bible reading for June 25.  Deuteronomy 30. "But the word is very near you. It is in your mouth and in your heart, so that you can do it. See, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil."  (Deuteronomy 30:14-15)  RETURN, BE RESTORED. Judgment will eventually follow apostasy, but the Lord is quick to receive and to bless those who turn back to him (vv 1-10). He delights in prospering his people. The Mosaic covenant, though it revealed the weakness and sinfulness of people, nonetheless was not a performance-based relationship, though some teachers down through history sought to turn it into such.  At the heart was God's desire for his people to trust him, love him, and be faithful to him.  It was relational not meritorious. So, later, when Paul quotes this passage (vv 11-14) in his letter to the Romans (Rom 10:5-10) he compares the giving of the Law to the giving of God's Son, who came from heaven, died, and rose from the dead on our beha...