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  Bible reading for weekend Nov 1 -- 2 Nov 1 -- Hosea 7 and Psalms 120-122 Nov 2 -- Hosea 8 and Psalms 123-125 ================   "Were I to write for him my laws by the ten thousands, they would be regarded as a strange thing." (Hosea 8:12) THE RESULTS OF SIN (ch 7-8). Notice the words and metaphors to describe Israel's sinful condition: they are surrounded with, and proud of, their evil (7:1-3); like adulterers in the heat of passion (7:4-5); their anger is like a hot oven (7:6-7); they are like a half-cooked (one side only) cake (7:8); their strength is gone (7:9); they are like silly doves easily trapped (7:11-12); they are undependable like a warped bow (7:16). In spite of all of this they are so proud of themselves! (We might say they have a strong self-esteem.) They have spurned what is good (8:3); they sow to the wind and have no real fruit (8:7); they are a useless vessel (8:8) and a wild donkey wandering alone (8:9); they regard God's law as a strange thing...

Bible reading for September 15 -- 16 Sep 15 -- Ezekiel 18 and Psalms 62-63 Sep 16 -- Ezekiel 19 and Psalms 64-65 ================   "For I have no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Lord GOD; so turn, and live." (Ezekiel 18:32) THE SOUL WHO SINS (ch 18). It seems there was a popular belief that since the Lord spoke of generational sins and judgment (Ex 20:5; 34:7), then the punishment the Jews were then experiencing at the hands of Babylon was due -- unfairly, in their minds -- to past generations of Jews. Jeremiah also refers to this belief (Jer 31:29-30). But the Lord asserts, "The soul who sins shall die" (vv 4, 20). That current generation of Jews, by persisting in idolatry and injustice, had reaffirmed (rather than repudiated) the actions of their forebears. If a descendant sees the sins of his or her forebears and repents, then that generational guilt is broken (v 14; cf Ezek 33:14-16). The scribes and Pharisees of Jesus' day thought they would...

  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 July 12 -- 13 July 12 -- Jeremiah 8 and Matthew 22 July 13 -- Jeremiah 9 and Matthew 23 ================    "...let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the LORD." (Jeremiah 9:24) A BAND-AID ON CANCER (ch 8). The Babylonian invasion would be terrifying -- many would die, families would be divided, people carried off into captivity, and even ancestral tombs would be ransacked and exposed. The Babylonians would seek to eradicate Jewish history and culture. It was a severe judgment. One of the things that the people were saying was, "We are wise, and the law of the LORD is with us" (v 8). But they did not really love God nor practice his commandments . They lived in "perpetual backsliding" (v 5) and treated sin lightly. The prophets and priests were putting band-aids on their society...

Bible reading for weekend July 9 -- 11 July 9 -- Jeremiah 5 and Matthew 19 July 10 -- Jeremiah 6 and Matthew 20 July 11 -- Jeremiah 7 and Matthew 21 ================    "Thus says the LORD: 'Stand by the roads, and look, and ask for the ancient paths, where the good way is; and walk in it, and find rest for your souls. But they said, "We will not walk in it."'" (Jeremiah 6:16) FAILURE OF THE ELITES (ch 5). The leaders of Jerusalem and Judah also have fallen away from the Lord. The prophets (so-called), priests, scribes, judges, and royal officials alike are all on the moral skids. Education in and of itself will never save a society (v 5). These elites are more interested in sex and extra-marital affairs than in leading with righteousness. Popular opinion holds sway, and there is no remorse or shame, for "they love to have it so" (v 31). SOCIETY-WIDE FAILURE (ch 6). Note how widespread is this apostasy: "For from the least to the greatest of...

Bible reading for July 7 -- 8 July 7 -- Jeremiah 3 and Matthew 17 July 8 -- Jeremiah 4 and Matthew 18 ================    "For thus says the LORD to the men of Judah and Jerusalem: 'Break up your fallow ground, and sow not among thorns. Circumcise yourselves to the LORD; remove the foreskin of your hearts...'" (Jeremiah 4:3-4a) RETURN TO THE LORD (ch 3). Judah's unfaithfulness to God was like the breaking of a marriage vow. They needed to repent with a whole heart and to forsake the idols they worshiped (made of stones and carved trees, vv 9-10). Like children we can be superficial with our repentance, saying a quick "I'm sorry" and then going back to our routines. Like Judah we should be honest and thorough in dealing with our sin. We see these admonitions reflected in the NT, for example, in James 4:1-10. He writes, "Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded"...

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 Nov 9.  2 Kings 22. "When the king heard the words of the Book of the Law, he tore his clothes." (2 Kings 22:11)  JOSIAH AND THE POWER OF THE WORD. Another bright spot in Judah's history is King Josiah. When we read of kings beginning their reign as children (v 1) we should understand that this took place under the tutelage of the high priest (e.g., 2 Kgs 11:1-3; 12:2), royal family, the elders of Judah, or sometimes a co-regency. Josiah's first reform was to repair the temple and to begin purification of the place of worship. A scroll is discovered, perhaps the scroll of Deuteronomy, which is then read. Josiah and his fellow leaders realize the seriousness of their sin. For many years the reading of the Law (the Torah) had been neglected (cf Deut 17:19), but now God's words are heard, and their power and truthfulness are felt. (Read Nehemiah 8:8-12 for a similar event.) The Lord shows mercy to Josiah for his humble and believing response to the...

Bible reading for Nov 2.  2 Kings 15. "And he did what was evil in the sight of the LORD. He did not depart from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, which he made Israel to sin." (2 Kings 15:28) THE LONG AND SHORT OF IT. This chapter records for us the long reign of King Uzziah (= Azariah) in Judah for 52 years, and a succession of several short reigns in Israel. There's more detail on King Uzziah's leprosy in 2 Chron 26. Uzziah is followed by the good reign of Jotham. During this time the Assyrian empire is expanding its power into Israel, beginning about 730 BC (vv 19, 29). Also, the prophet Isaiah's ministry occurs during this period (Isa 1:1; 6:1; 7:17-18). PERSISTANT SINS. You'll notice that some of the moral failures we read about span the generations. In the south they can't seem to get rid of the high places (popular alternative worship sites)(vv 4, 35) and in the north they "did not depart from the sins of Jeroboam" (alternate worshi...

Bible reading for October 2.  1 Kings 4-5. "For he had dominion over all the region west of the Euphrates from Tiphsah to Gaza, over all the kings west of the Euphrates. And he had peace on all sides around him. And Judah and Israel lived in safety, from Dan even to Beersheba, every man under his vine and under his fig tree, all the days of Solomon." (1 Kings 4:24-25)  SOLOMON'S DOMINION (ch 4). We are given a list of Solomon's key officials (vv 1-20), and a glimpse into his large organization. Abiathar the priest apparently served a little longer before being removed (v 4; cf 2:27). Azariah, the son of Zadok, became high priest. The material needs were immense, but so was the blessing upon the land and people (vv 21-28). There was peace and plenty. Solomon is again noted for his wisdom (vv 29-34). Such growth of power and government, however, should remind us of the warnings the prophet Samuel gave in 1 Samuel 8:10-17.  PLANS FOR THE TEMPLE (ch 5). So far Solomon...

Bible reading for September 17.  2 Samuel 13. "But Absalom fled and went to Talmai the son of Ammihud, king of Geshur. And David mourned for his son day after day." (2 Samuel 13:37)  FAMILY SINS. This event likely took place some years later but is recorded here, following the events of chapter 12, to show the fulfillment of God's words to David through the prophet Nathan: "Now therefore the sword shall never depart from your house, because you have despised me and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife" (12:10). We read of Amnon's sexual assault upon his half-sister. Then nothing is done about this. Two years later Absalom conspires to murder Amnon, does so, and flees the territory. Again, it appears that David is passive. Surely, this is something of a replay of Genesis 3-4, with temptation presented (with shrewdness), an appeal to sight and pleasure, the passivity of male leadership, and resulting family violence (see also James 4:1-3; ...

Bible reading for September 16.  2 Samuel 12. "Then David arose from the earth and washed and anointed himself and changed his clothes. And he went into the house of the LORD and worshiped. He then went to his own house. And when he asked, they set food before him, and he ate." (2 Samuel 12:20)  DISCIPLINING THE KING. After David's grievous sin, the Lord brings judgment, but does not forsake David (2 Sam 7:12-16). David's confession is shown in more detail in Psalm 51. After the child dies, David goes first to the house of the Lord to worship God. Later in the chapter we see him return to his proper place in defending Israel. The consequences of his sin will reverberate throughout the rest of his years. In reading this story we cannot help but feel badly for Bathsheba, who lost both a husband and a child because of David's sin. His selfishness and violence forever changed her life. Comfort will come to her later as her next child, Jedidiah ("loved by the Lor...

Bible reading for weekend September 5.  I Samuel 29-31. "And David was greatly distressed, for the people spoke of stoning him, because all the people were bitter in soul, each for his sons and daughters. But David strengthened himself in the LORD his God." (1 Samuel 30:6)  OVERVIEW. Chapter 29 : The Lord has mercy on David and he is spared from having to fight on the side of the Philistines against Israel. Chapter 30 : upon returning with his troops to Ziklag he finds his city burned with fire and their families taken captive by the Amalekites. This was a very low point in David's exile, with seemingly no one on his side. He seeks the Lord and finds strength in him. A number of David's psalms are written during the period of his exile. The Lord grants David a speedy and complete victory, and a return of the captives.  Chapter 31 : Saul and his sons are killed in the battle with the Philistines on Mount Gilboa. His body was taken, beheaded, and mounted upon...

Bible reading for Aug 31.  I Samuel 24. "The LORD forbid that I should do this thing to my lord, the LORD's anointed, to put out my hand against him, seeing he is the LORD's anointed." (1 Samuel 24:6) SPARING SAUL. David has opportunity to take Saul's life, but refrains.  He is trusting the Lord to rule in the affairs of Israel: "May the LORD judge between me and you, may the LORD avenge me against you, but my hand shall not be against you" (v 12). David knew that the Lord, "...changes times and seasons; he removes kings and sets up kings..." (Dan 2:21; 4:17) .  David did not seek to be king, nor would he bring about the fall of the current king in order usher in his own reign. Saul recognizes that by sparing him David showed great mercy. David promises to not destroy the house of Saul when he ascends to the throne. Saul seems moved by all of this, but this penitent attitude will soon disappear.    REFLECT. Men and women of fai...