my burg

    Bible reading for Oct 20 -- 21 Oct 20 -- Daniel 5 and Psalms 110-111 Oct 21 -- Daniel 6 and Psalms 112-113 ================   "...for he is the living God, enduring forever; his kingdom shall never be destroyed, and his dominion shall be to the end. He delivers and rescues; he works signs and wonders in heaven and on earth..." (Daniel 6:26-27) THE HANDWRITING ON THE WALL (ch 5). In this chapter you see where that popular expression came from! Belshazzar, son (or grandson?) of Nebuchadnezzar, was likely a co-regent or crown prince in Babylon, and to no one's surprise was yet another haughty monarch. Daniel says to him, "you have lifted up yourself against the Lord of heaven. And the vessels of his house have been brought in before you, and you and your lords, your wives, and your concubines have drunk wine from them. And you have praised the gods of silver and gold, of bronze, iron, wood, and stone, which do not see or hear or know, but the God in whose hand is y...

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 July 16.  Joshua 23 "And now I am about to go the way of all the earth, and you know in your hearts and souls, all of you, that not one word has failed of all the good things that the LORD your God promised concerning you. All have come to pass for you; not one of them has failed." (Joshua 23:14) FINAL WORDS. This chapter and the next record the last two messages Joshua gives before he dies. He concludes with words that echo the first chapter: "Therefore, be very strong to keep and to do all that is written in the Book of the Law of Moses, turning aside from it neither to the right hand nor to the left, that you may not mix with these nations remaining among you or make mention of the names of their gods or swear by them or serve them or bow down to them, but you shall cling to the LORD your God just as you have done to this day" (23:6-8; cf 1:5-9). TAKEAWAY. The call for courage, obedience, and separation from worldliness applies to ...

Bible reading for July 1.  Joshua 3. "Behold, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth is passing over before you into the Jordan." (Joshua 3:11)  CROSSING THE JORDAN. This chapter records a miracle like that of crossing the Red Sea. Most of the miracles in the Bible take place during these three periods: Moses and Joshua, Elijah and Elisha, and Jesus and the Apostles. Miracles, even in the Bible, do not happen all the time.  "A miracle is an event in the external world that is wrought by the immediate power of God" (J. Gresham Machen).  They are meant to be believed, not deconstructed by science (as if). The inheritance and settling of the promised land will involve the use of ordinary means: marching, fighting, destroying idols, dividing the land, settling, planting, etc. But as they passed through the Jordan (at flood stage), just like passing through the Red Sea leaving Egypt, they were to realize that their redemption was an extraordinary...

Bible reading for March 5:  Exodus 16; Luke 19. "The people of Israel ate the manna forty years, till they came to a habitable land. They ate the manna till they came to the border of the land of Canaan." (Exodus 16:35) Exiting Egypt.   A large group of emancipated Israelites, along with others ("a mixed multitude", Ex 12:38), are on the move to Mt. Sinai.  " Exodus" means "going out" .  The size of the nation at this point is estimated at 2 to 3 million. The people complain again about food, and God provides quail.  But then the Lord begins providing a new food that will be gathered from the ground each morning and baked into a kind of bread...   Manna-cotti?  The name "manna" comes from the people's reaction, being the Hebrew phrase for " what is it? "  It may not have been exactly what everyone wanted in terms of diet but it tasted good, was nutritious, and they survived forty years in the wilderness on this...

Bible reading for March 3:  Exodus 14; Luke 17. And Moses said to the people, "Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will work for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall never see again. The LORD will fight for you, and you have only to be silent." (Exodus 14:13-14) Have you ever felt the power of the ocean in the aftermath of a storm?  Some years ago I went swimming when the waves were high (too high), and was shocked at how strong the undertow was, and how many times the waves knocked me down. My muscles soon felt like helpless noodles.  It was frightening, and I was glad to get out and dry off when I did.  Water like that is simply not manageable. The Hebrews in the Old Testament had something of that view toward large bodies of water.           The parting of the Red Sea is one of the main miracles cited throughout the Old Testament . It marked the birth of the nation of Isr...

Bible reading for Feb 8:  Genesis 41; Mark 11. "And he made him ride in his second chariot. And they called out before him, 'Bow the knee!'" Thus he set him over all the land of Egypt."  (Gen 41:43)  Joseph released and exalted (Gen 41).   He goes from prison to prime minister in one day !  This was the Lord's doing and it is a picture of the exaltation of God's Son, who like Joseph was despised, rejected, given over to the pit, and left to rot.  But now he is lifted up to the highest position and becomes a source of life to all who will come to him.  And "every knee will bow" (41:43 above; Phil 2:5-11; Heb 7:25-26).   However, Joseph did not physically die at that time, nor did he die for sins, nor was he exalted to heaven, but our Lord Jesus was!  Lifted up was he to die;  "It is finished!" was his cry;  now in heaven exalted high.  Hallelujah! What a Savior!  (Hymn by Philip P. Bliss) In one day. ...

Bible reading for Feb 7:  Genesis 40; Mark 10. "And Joseph said to them, 'Do not interpretations belong to God? Please tell them to me.'" (Gen 40:8b)  God has spoken to the Patriarchs via dreams or visions, angels, and direct speech. The NT letter to the Hebrews begins,  "Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world." (Heb 1:1-2)   It is God who takes the initiative to speak and reveal his mind and will to us.   Everything we know for sure about God, and can have faith in, comes at God's own disclosure. It is not we who find him out, he reveals himself. Even in nature, and history, and special revelation, everything rests upon God's revelation : "God stoops to state his purposes in our language and thought-forms which he first fashioned that we might think his tho...

Usually, what I post on the blog site is automatically emailed out later that day around midnight. But not always, you may have noted.  I don't know what's with that, but since I'm using Google's free services (email widget), I can't complain!  If you miss getting an email from myburg , please just check the website to see if the post is there.  Thanks for your patience in following these posts! Bible reading for Feb 3:  Genesis 35-36; Mark 6.  "Put away the foreign gods that are among you and purify yourselves and change your garments. Then let us arise and go up to Bethel, so that I may make there an altar to the God who answers me in the day of my distress and has been with me wherever I have gone." (Gen 35:2-3) Back to Bethel (Gen 35). Jacob's faithfulness to God is being seen more and more. He recognizes that God's covenant presence and blessing upon his family deserves a strong faithfulness in return .  The days of the "pocket go...

Bible reading for Feb 2:  Genesis 34; Mark 5.  Rape and revenge (Gen 34). Life in the promised land could be lawless and violent.  The Patriarchs dwelt peacefully in the land promised to them, living as resident aliens in their midst.  Generally, relations with the surrounding cities was good.  Chapter 34 chronicles a serious flare-up. Jacob's daughter Dinah was sexually assaulted , and two of Jacob's sons wreak vengeance upon that city. We should note that even in the OT such revenge was not approved among God's people.  Many years later, nearing his death, Jacob would say, "Simeon and Levi are brothers; weapons of violence are their swords. Let my soul come not into their council; O my glory, be not joined to their company. For in their anger they killed men, and in their willfulness they hamstrung oxen. Cursed be their anger, for it is fierce, and their wrath, for it is cruel! I will divide them in Jacob and scatter them in Israel." (Gen 49:5-7) ...

Today's Bible reading: Genesis 9; Matthew 9.  And God said, "This is the sign of the covenant that I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all future generations: I have set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth."  (Gen 9:12-13 ESV)  Covenant.   This is a big theme in biblical history, that God commits himself to people and makes vows, or promises, to be faithful to them and he looks for for faithfulness (or, accountability) in return.  This covenant, usually called the Noahic covenant , is the first specifically mentioned in the Bible as a covenant. Other covenants to note:  with Adam (Hos 6:7), with Abraham (Gen 15), with Moses and Israel (Ex 19-20), with Israel entering the land (Deut 28-29), with King David (2 Sam 7), and the New Covenant (Jer 31-32) through Christ (all of NT). In making covenants God calls people, makes vows (words of promise) to them, states ...