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Bible reading for October 28.  2 Kings 9. "And you shall strike down the house of Ahab your master, so that I may avenge on Jezebel the blood of my servants the prophets, and the blood of all the servants of the LORD." (2 Kings 9:7)  IS IT PEACE?   Two kings and one queen will die in this chapter. "Is it peace?" is asked twice (vv 22, 31). Jehu answers, "What peace can there be, so long as the whorings and the sorceries of your mother Jezebel are so many?" (v 22) It's a brutal and grisly ending to their reigns. The irony is that Jezebel, hearing that Jehu was on his way, had just finished putting on her make-up (v 30) when she is thrown down and eaten by dogs. Jezebel has become a symbol of seduction, immorality, and idolatry (Rev 2:20). She is a kind of foreshadowing of the great prostitute in Revelation 17. She apparently used her beauty (and influence) to manipulate, deceive, and lead a nation astray. She murdered God's prophets, and led Ahab (a...

Bible reading for Sept 1.  I Samuel 25. "Blessed be your discretion, and blessed be you, who have kept me this day from bloodguilt and from avenging myself with my own hand!" (1 Samuel 25:33)  LADY WISDOM. Samuel dies, and the story continues with David. David is committed to not taking personal vengeance nor working salvation (deliverance) by his own hand (vv 26, 33). But here he is en route on a murderous rampage, and is stopped by a worthy woman, who is married to a worthless man. Nabal's property, along with much of Judea, was being protected by David and his troops (vv 16, 21). So, a gift of support would have been proper. Nabal, whose name means "fool" -- whether he got this at birth, later in life, or used mainly behind his back -- acted with arrogance. His wise and beautiful wife Abigail intercedes with David. She appeals to his conscience and his commitment to not take vengeance but to trust God for deliverance (Rom 12:17-21). David is won ov...

Bible reading for March 2: Exodus 13; Luke 16. "And the LORD went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead them along the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, that they might travel by day and by night. The pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night did not depart from before the people."  (13:21-22) Memorial and testimony (13:8-9). People are prone to forget, sometimes even forgetting important past events of their lives.  God's people are also prone to forgetting what great things God has done for them (Mark 5:19).  So, Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread became a "memorial" (an occasion to remember) and a "sign" (a distinguishing mark) so that people would talk about God's great salvation.  Just as a husband and wife wear wedding rings, or place wedding pictures in their home to remind them of their covenant relationship, so too, God's people have signs and testimonies of God's sav...

Bible reading for Feb 11:  Genesis 44; Mark 14. "For your servant became a pledge of safety for the boy to my father, saying, 'If I do not bring him back to you, then I shall bear the blame before my father all my life.' Now therefore, please let your servant remain instead of the boy as a servant to my lord, and let the boy go back with his brothers." (Gen 44:32-33)  Judah steps in (Gen 44).   Another crisis arises, and Judah takes responsibility to be Benjamin's surety, as he promised his father. We see here not only Judah's care for his younger brother, but also his love for his father .  He is concerned for the overwhelming sadness that Jacob would face at the loss of another son (44:31).  Read yesterday's post here.  ===================    "And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives."   (Mark 14:26)  Money reveals hearts (14:1-11).   There is a contrast between the woman who spared no ex...