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  Bible reading for September 8 -- 9 Sep 8 -- Ezekiel 11 and Psalm 50 Sep 9 -- Ezekiel 12 and Psalm 51 ================   "And I will give them one heart, and a new spirit I will put within them. I will remove the heart of stone from their flesh and give them a heart of flesh, that they may walk in my statutes and keep my rules and obey them. And they shall be my people, and I will be their God." (Ezekiel 10:18) BAD LEADERS, BRIGHT PROMISE (ch 11). Israel was chronically plagued by bad leadership (vv 1-12). In the days of Jeremiah and Ezekiel, the rulers of Judah and their advisors, along with the popular prophets, urged the people of Jerusalem to hold out against the Babylonian siege. God had plainly told them through Jeremiah to not fight the Babylonians but to peacefully surrender. But in their pride and zeal they resisted and faced a long siege, starvation, disease, and finally, violence and enslavement by the Babylonians. But there's a bright ray of hope (vv 16-20),...

Bible reading for March 1--2 Mar 1 -- Job 30 and 1 Corinthians 16 Mar 2 -- Job 31 and 2 Corinthians 1 "I would give him an account of all my steps; like a prince I would approach him." (Job 31:37)  JOB'S SUMMATION (ch 30) . In chapter 29 Job tells of his past sense of blessedness in his walk with the Lord. In chapter 30 he describes his life as a social pariah. Even the outcasts of the community consider him an outcast of outcasts, and sing disparaging songs about him. His prosperity has passed away like a cloud in the sky. His health is broken; he cannot sleep without pain; the few friends that remain are of no help. We must ask ourselves, how do we respond when we see others suffering, and suffering in a way that we might presume that they are under God's judgment? Do we stay away, stand far off, and avoid contact? Do we just think how thankful we are that it is not us suffering that way? Or, do we like Jesus see and have compassion upon others in their misery and l...

Bible reading for weekend February 5 -- 7 Feb 5 -- Job 4 and Romans 8 Feb 6 -- Job 5 and Romans 9 Feb 7 -- Job 6 and Romans 10 "For affliction does not come from the dust, nor does trouble sprout from the ground, but man is born to trouble as the sparks fly upward." (Job 5:6-7)  ELIPHAZ SPEAKS UP. Job's friend Eliphaz has kept silent for too long, or so he thinks.  He accuses Job of impatience and pride, and claiming supernatural insight (4:12), he rebukes Job of sin. He's saying that what's happening to Job is happening in order to humble him so that he might confess his guilt. Many points of Eliphaz's counsel are seemingly biblical and true. It's true that God is just and that we are sinful. It's true that we should humble ourselves and confess sin. But here are a few of Eliphaz's unexamined assumptions about life: a) this world is the arena where all justice is settled; b) we can know the reasons why we suffer in this life; and c) if you walk u...

Bible reading for July 14.  Joshua 20-21 "Not one word of all the good promises that the LORD had made to the house of Israel had failed; all came to pass." (Joshua 21:45)  LEVITICAL CITIES. The importance of the cities of refuge (ch 20) was emphasized previously in Numbers 35. These locations provided sanctuary for those guilty of manslaughter (without malice) who might become victims themselves of clan vengeance. In chapter 21 the Levitical cities and their pasture lands are designated. This may seem a bit dry to read, but remember, these were the national archives of Israel, to insure that provision for, and preservation of, the Levites would be maintained. God cares about justice, about boundaries, and about food upon the table. He is good, and he is good to his people. And he fulfills his promises to them (Heb 6:11-18; Titus 1:2) .       ==============   Acts 1 "He said to them, 'It is not for you to know times or season...

Bible reading for May 21.  Numbers 30. "If a man vows a vow to the LORD, or swears an oath to bind himself by a pledge, he shall not break his word. He shall do according to all that proceeds out of his mouth." (Numbers 30:2)  ON KEEPING VOWS. This chapter relates specifically to women and the vows they make. If someone made a vow -- or promised a gift in support of the Lord's work, or dedicated themselves to a time of service -- he or she was expected to fulfill those commitments. Qualifications were made regarding women , not because they were incapable of making and keeping promises, but because of marriage and family bonds, their vows needed to be affirmed by the head of the family. This related to underage women at home and married women, but not to women who were independent (widowed, divorced, unmarried). In the case of married women it was not good to make a vow independently from the family, as her time, work, and finances would affect the rest of the ...

Bible reading for April 30.  Numbers 7. "And the LORD said to Moses, 'They shall offer their offerings, one chief each day, for the dedication of the altar.'" (Numbers 7:11) A HOLY HOUSEWARMING. This passage reminds me of a kind of wedding shower, where gifts are provided in matching sets for the new couple.  Here, God's house is being dedicated and each tribe brings offerings -- sacrifices to be offered on the altar and matched utensils for ongoing service.  Twelve tribes on twelve days bring valuable gifts.  Judah is first (Gen 49:8) and then each following day the pattern is repeated -- of dedication, sacrifice, and feasting.  It was both solemn and celebratory. If you remember, the peace offerings were shared with all gathered at the tabernacle. So, it was twelve days of consecration to God and a community celebration at the same time.  MY TAKEAWAY.   This may seem random, but in considering the public solemnity and joy of dedicating G...

"In hope he [Abraham] believed against hope, that he should become the father of many nations, as he had been told, 'So shall your offspring be.'  He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body, which was as good as dead (since he was about a hundred years old), or when he considered the barrenness of Sarah's womb.  No distrust made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised."  (Romans 4:18-21 ESV)  Early in my Christian life I learned that my feelings and emotions, and my mental state of mind, did not change the certainty of God's promises.   The "train" of our Christian life is pulled and energized by the facts of the great salvation that Christ accomplished for us.  Our faith is placed in (attached to) the great promises of God, not in how we feel at any moment.  As important as feelings may be -- and we are not to b...

...so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.  (Isaiah 55:11 ESV) So when God desired to show more convincingly to the heirs of the promise the unchangeable character of his purpose, he guaranteed it with an oath,  so that by two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us.  (Hebrews 6:17-18 ESV)  "These promises may most steadfastly be relied upon, because of the unchangeable nature of God who makes them. All his perfections are engaged for the fulfilling of his word, so that what he has spoken has an actual being and existence.  He says, and it is done—saying and doing are the same with him. Let there be ever so great a distance of time between the word spoken and the thing done, yet this is as real as an...

"We obsess about the future and we get anxious, because anxiety, after all, is simply living out the future before it gets here. We must renounce our sinful desire to know the future and to be in control. We are not gods. We walk by faith, not by sight. We risk because God does not risk. We walk into the future in God-glorifying confidence, not because the future is known to us but because it is known to God. And that’s all we need to know. Worry about the future is not simply a characteristic, it is the sin of unbelief, an indication that our hearts are not resting in the promises of God." ~ Kevin DeYoung, Just Do Something , (Chicago: Moody, 2009) p. 48.  Quoted in  Burning Hearts: Preaching to the Affections by Josh Moody, Robin Weekes.