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Bible reading for December 29 -- 31 Dec 29 -- Malachi 2 and John 19 Dec 30 -- Malachi 3 and John 20 Dec 31 -- Malachi 4 and John 21 ================ "But for you who fear my name, the sun of righteousness shall rise with healing in its wings. You shall go out leaping like calves from the stall."  (Malachi 4:2)  DOING ALL THINGS POORLY (Mal 2-3). As we draw near the end of the Mosaic covenant period, we see that even when the remnant of Israel is spared and returned to the land, they still do not continue in faithfulness and zeal. The Jews have lost their sense of God's greatness and their religion is half-hearted at best. The Lord himself will come to them: "Behold, I send my messenger and he will prepare the way before me. And the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple; and the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight, behold, he is coming, says the LORD of hosts" (3:1). God's Son, Jesus, would himself stand in the temple courts in Jerusa...

  Bible reading for weekend December 20 -- 21  Dec 20 -- Zechariah 7 and John 10 Dec 21 -- Zechariah 8 and John 11 ================ "And the streets of the city shall be full of boys and girls playing in its streets." (Zechariah 8:5)  WHAT'S THE USE (ch 7)? These two chapters go together, as seen by the opening question regarding fast days (7:3), and the Lord's reference to these same fasts (8:19). The opening question may be seen as a kind of complaint, i.e., does it really do any good to observe the appointed fasts? The people have a kind of formalistic view of their relationship with God. They are ticking the boxes of ceremonial observation and nothing much has changed in their post-exilic life back in Jerusalem (vv 1-3). The Lord answers, questioning their motives (vv 5-7). They are using religion as a way to improve their own lot in life. They are not seeking the Lord for himself. So, they need to make real changes, that is, to observe justice and to not harden ...

Bible reading for Aug 2 -- 3 Aug 2 -- Jeremiah 29 and Mark 15 Aug 3 -- Jeremiah 30-31 and Mark 16 ================    "But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the LORD: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people." (Jeremiah 31:33) A FUTURE AND A HOPE (ch 29). The first half of this chapter regards a letter sent from Jeremiah to exiles already in Babylon (before Jerusalem is destroyed in 586 BC). There had already been two waves of deportations -- 605 BC (Daniel leaves with that group) and 597 BC (when Ezekiel leaves). He encourages them to settle in for seventy years there in a new land. His advice is applicable for Christians today... "But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the LORD on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare" (v 7). We are, as followers of Christ, exiles and al...

Bible reading for weekend July 16 -- 18 July 16 -- Jeremiah 12 and Matthew 26 July 17 -- Jeremiah 13 and Matthew 27 July 18 -- Jeremiah 14 and Matthew 28 ================    "I have forsaken my house; I have abandoned my heritage; I have given the beloved of my soul into the hands of her enemies." (Jeremiah 12:7) THE LORD'S HERITAGE (ch 12-14). These messages from God through Jeremiah are delivered over a period of forty years, and Jeremiah here wants the Lord to execute his judgment, already! (12:1-4) Not only was Jeremiah the target of political opponents, he also suffered the loss of family support (12:5-6). He's ready to see the judgment program move forward. But God is patient and longsuffering, and several times he refers to his people as "my heritage" (or, "inheritance")(12:7-9, 14-15). The Lord loved the people of Israel and Judah -- the "beloved of his soul" -- and he brought them close to himself "that they might be for me...

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 weekend April 2 -- 4 Apr 2 -- Proverbs 20 and Colossians 3 Apr 3 -- Proverbs 21 and Colossians 4 Apr 4 -- Proverbs 22 and 1 Thessalonians 1 "A king who sits on the throne of judgment winnows all evil with his eyes." (Proverbs 20:8) AUTHORITY AND JUSTICE. As you read the next several chapters in Proverbs keep your eyes peeled for proverbs relating to rulers, kings, and responding to authority. Most of us, at one time or another, have had difficulty submitting to authority. And most of us don't know how to use authority without harming others. Solomon is speaking directly to his sons, and their descendants, who will rule in Israel. They are to forsake drunkenness, quarrelling, rash decisions, deception, and indolence, among other vices. And they are to be men of understanding, faithful to the Lord, speaking truth, caring for the poor, seeking good counsel, and walking with integrity and justice. The only perfect Ruler is our Lord Jesus (Isa 9:6-7), who em...

Bible reading for weekend February 26 -- 28 Feb 26 -- Job 27 and 1 Corinthians 13 Feb 27 -- Job 28 and 1 Corinthians 14 Feb 28 -- Job 29 and 1 Corinthians 15 "From where, then, does wisdom come? And where is the place of understanding? ... 'God understands the way to it, and he knows its place.'" (Job 28:20, 23)  GOD WILL JUDGE (ch 27). In this chapter Job affirms God's judgment upon the wicked. But he will not, as his friends seem to be urging him to do, call upon the Lord (and confess some sin) to get out from under his judgment. God's plan for redemption is not merely to bring people to call upon the Lord in their troubles, but rather to call upon the Lord at all times and to delight in him: "For what is the hope of the godless when God cuts him off, when God takes away his life? Will God hear his cry when distress comes upon him? Will he take delight in the Almighty? Will he call upon God at all times?" (vv 8-10) This has been the pattern of Job...

Bible reading for weekend February 19 -- 21 Feb 19 -- Job 19 and 1 Corinthians 6 Feb 20 -- Job 20 and 1 Corinthians 7 Feb 21 -- Job 21 and 1 Corinthians 8 "For I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last he will stand upon the earth." (Job 19:25)  EARTHLY HOPE DASHED (ch 19) . Job continues his lament (19:1-12), and expresses how painful is the isolation that he experiences because of his suffering (19:13-19). Family and friends stand at a distance. Not only do they avoid him, but they too most likely doubt his integrity before God. Pain isolates us, and even today, chronic pain can cause others to view us as "problem people" to be avoided. Job feels that his earthly hope has been pulled up like an uprooted tree (v 10).  Amazingly, however, he proclaims a hope beyond this world (vv 25-26). His hope is in the Lord, who is righteous, and it is the Lord himself who will redeem Job. He feels cursed, and others view him as cursed, but he is actually blessed by the Lor...

Bible reading for October 21.  2 Kings 2. "Then he took the cloak of Elijah that had fallen from him and struck the water, saying, 'Where is the LORD, the God of Elijah?' And when he had struck the water, the water was parted to the one side and to the other, and Elisha went over." (2 Kings 2:14)  CHARIOTS OF FIRE. There are many curious features about this chapter, and questions: why does Elisha ask for a double portion of Elijah's spirit? Why does Elijah keep putting Elisha off? Why does Elijah get to go directly to heaven? What's with the fiery chariots and horses? This is history, not a vision. And, no, these were not spaceships. People of that day knew what horses and chariots looked like. (They will be seen again in 6:17.) Apparently, Elisha aspires to a double portion of God's power which was upon Elijah. He's tested in this regard, and his tenacity is rewarded.  Elisha will in fact perform more miracles than did Elijah.   Parting the waters of...

Bible reading for September 10.  2 Samuel 4-5. "And David knew that the LORD had established him king over Israel, and that he had exalted his kingdom for the sake of his people Israel." (2 Samuel 5:12)  DAVID ANOINTED KING. Ish-Bosheth is killed by those who thought to gain reward from David, but they are condemned for their treachery. We are introduced to Jonathan's son Mephibosheth, whom we will read more about later. Representatives from all the tribes come to David at Hebron and anoint him king over Israel. David captures Jerusalem from the Jebusites and will make it the capital. The Lord blesses David with children. And he wins two major victories over the Philistine armies. We are reading about key persons and places that figure into biblical history: the house and lineage of King David, and the importance of the city of Jerusalem in the history of redemption. At this point David is seeking the Lord, his righteousness, and his guidance for his reign. His...

Bible reading for July 17.  Joshua 24 "And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the LORD, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD." (Joshua 24:15) COVENANT RENEWAL (vv 1-28). The Mosaic covenant, given in grace to the descendants of Jacob, nevertheless had a bilateral character. Blessing from God upon each generation depended upon the peoples' wholehearted obedience. The Israelites are confident and sincere at this point in their desire to be faithful to the Lord. But the book of Judges which follows will tell a different story. One of the great lessons of the OT is that people will need a unilateral covenant with God, that is, one that is made (and kept) secure by the power of God. It is not enough that God should provide land, cities, vineyards, and orchards (v 13), what is needed is a changed...

Bible reading for April 14 -- Leviticus 18; Psalm 22.  "Do not make yourselves unclean by any of these things, for by all these the nations I am driving out before you have become unclean, and the land became unclean, so that I punished its iniquity, and the land vomited out its inhabitants."  (Leviticus 18:24-25)  Sexual morality. This chapter lists a number of violations of sexual purity , including incest, homosexuality, and bestiality. They are called abominations.  These standards of sexual morality should continue today, since they apply as much to the new covenant as to the old (Matt 5:19; Acts 15:20; Rom 13:13; 1 Cor 5:1-11; 6:13-18; Eph 5:3; Rev 9:21). Note: by these standards the act of Laban in giving -- and the patriarch Jacob in receiving -- two sisters in marriage was wrong (Lev 18:18; cf Gen 29). Indeed, much rivalry came of it (Gen 30).  Sexual sins, like other sins, however, do not put people out of the reach of God's grace. Repentance ...