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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 weekend September 17 -- 19 Sep 17 -- Ezekiel 20 and Psalms 66-67 Sep 18 -- Ezekiel 21 and Psalm 68 Sep 19 -- Ezekiel 22 and Psalm 69 ================   "But I acted for the sake of my name, that it should not be profaned in the sight of the nations among whom they lived, in whose sight I made myself known to them in bringing them out of the land of Egypt." (Ezekiel 20:9) FOR THE SAKE OF HIS NAME (ch 20). The elders come to Ezekiel to inquire from the Lord. But surely one cannot legitimately pray to God -- the only God -- while also looking to other gods for help (Ex 19:4-6; 20:3-6). God alone is the Source of all life and blessing. This chapter gives an historical recap of Israel's continued rejection of the Lord. He judged them in righteousness, but also in mercy spared them (vv 13, 17). God's redemption, then as now, has the purpose of revealing God's glory, making his name known -- "for the sake of my name." Whether in judgment ...

  Bible reading for weekend May 17 -- 18 May 17 -- Isaiah 16 and 1 Peter 4 May 18 -- Isaiah 17-18 and 1 Peter 5 ================    "But now the LORD has spoken, saying, 'In three years, like the years of a hired worker, the glory of Moab will be brought into contempt, in spite of all his great multitude, and those who remain will be very few and feeble.'"  (Isaiah 16:14) LAMENTS FOR MOAB, SYRIA, AND CUSH. Within a short period of time these three strong kingdoms, along with Israel, would be humbled. The Assyrian invasion led by Sargon (720 BC) and Sennacherib (713--701 BC) would devastate and bring down these nations. Most amazing would be the conquest of Ethiopian-ruled upper Egypt, called "Cush" or "Nubia", which today would include the Sudan. See the NET Bible for details . This Assyrian sweep would topple Moab first, within three years of Isaiah's words. Some of these prophecies would come to pass soon, but others were long-range, like th...

Bible reading for Dec 11.  2 Chronicles 11-12. "And those who had set their hearts to seek the LORD God of Israel came after them from all the tribes of Israel to Jerusalem to sacrifice to the LORD, the God of their fathers." (11:16)  DRIVEN OUT (ch 11) . Something we are told here that is not recorded in 1 Kings 12 is that Israelites who were faithful to the Lord and living in the north would pay a price for their loyalty (11:13-16; 13:9). Ousted from their role as priests and Levites, many gave up homes and property in the north to move to Jerusalem. This is a principle throughout Scripture -- when idolatry reigns God's people are often driven from public life and cultural influence. Both secularism and religious pluralism, supposedly tolerant and neutral, end up driving Judeo-Christian influence away from the public sector. This intolerance was seen in the northern kingdom then, and later in the Roman empire toward the early church, and today in opposition both from se...

Bible reading for Dec 3.  2 Chronicles 2. "The house that I am to build will be great, for our God is greater than all gods.  But who is able to build him a house, since heaven, even highest heaven, cannot contain him? Who am I to build a house for him, except as a place to make offerings before him?" (2:5-6)  THE WORK BEGINS. The temple that Solomon would build was not to be some kind of container for God, but rather a place to meet with God and to worship him. It would be a beautiful structure, built with precious materials and fine craftsmanship. Most of the labor was provided by resident aliens who were drafted for the work and compensated as indentured servants. Hiram, the king of Tyre and friend of King David, recognized the excellence of Solomon's leadership: "Because the LORD loves his people, he has made you king over them" (v 11).   ===============   1 John 2. "And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will o...

Bible reading for weekend Aug 15.  I Samuel 5-8. "If you are returning to the LORD with all your heart, then put away the foreign gods and the Ashtaroth from among you and direct your heart to the LORD and serve him only, and he will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines." (1 Samuel 7:3) PAINFUL JUDGMENT (ch 5-7). The ark of the covenant was captured in battle by the Philistines. But they soon regretted this. Like God did to Egypt, so now he judges the Philistines and their gods. Dagon, the speechless and impotent deity, is toppled before the ark. The people experience painful tumors (the word can also be translated as "sores" or "hemorrhoids", ouch). A plague of mice also was involved. The Lord is vindicating his own name and reputation. The ark miraculously finds its way back to Israel, since nursing cows do not leave their calves behind (6:7-12). This time is also an occasion for the people of Israel to re-dedicate themselves to the ...

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 May 15.  Numbers 24. "How lovely are your tents, O Jacob, your encampments, O Israel!" (Numbers 24:5)  TWO MORE ORACLES. This chapter records the third and fourth oracles of Balaam .  The Midianite seer, hired by Moab to curse Israel, instead prophesies God's blessing upon them. For more on Balaam, read the two previous days' posts on the book of Numbers. Again we are struck with the beauty of the language describing God's people : like palm groves, aloes, cedar trees, and gardens beside a river. Also, the nation has strength like a wild ox, and the fierceness of lions.  "Blessed are those who bless you, and cursed are those who curse you" (v 9) repeats God's words in calling Abraham (Gen 12:3). Balaam also speaks of a future king of Israel: "I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not near: a star shall come out of Jacob, and a scepter shall rise out of Israel..." (v 17). This could refer to King David, at...

"For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world--our faith.  Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?"  (1 John 5:4-5 ESV) I finished reading Bavinck on the Christian Life , by John Bolt (Crossway, 2015).   The excerpt below is from a sermon given by Dr. Bavinck in Kampen (the Netherlands) on June 30, 1901.   It is the concluding chapter in Bolt's excellent book.  The excerpt below comes after Bavinck reviews the victorious faith of believers down through biblical history.  He asserts that this faith is not merely psychological faith, nor faith in general, but a specific faith...    "Acknowledge this history therefore as witness to the world-conquering power of faith!  But history does not bear this kind of testimony to every kind of faith -- not to the faith that is only a psychological phenomenon without refere...

"In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world."  (Jn 16:33)   This was true when Jesus uttered these words to his disciples on the eve of his crucifixion.  These words are just as true 2000 years later.  We may have greater knowledge and better technology, but humanity's problems persist: wars, strife, injustice, poverty, lust, anger, fear, loneliness, and despair.   Many people feel that it was (and is) the church's job to change the world for the better, to improve things, to make this world a better place to live.  They would say Christianity has not been the answer to the world's problems, and that the church has held up the world in its progress, and therefore needs to be discarded.  But our Lord did not promise that the world would ever become a  better place or improve over time, even given exposure to the gospel. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, in preaching on John 16, makes these statements... Wh...

"Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night." (Psalm 1:1-2 ESV)  "Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect."  (Romans 12:2 ESV) Believers have always had to live in the presence of "the world".  The world, as used in the Bible in this sense, means the shape of thinking, life-style, culture, morality, opinions, trends, and judgments which characterize fallen humanity. The culture of men and women living in darkness and rebellion against the holy God takes a certain shape.  And this in turn exercises a shaping influence upon all within its sphere.  We cannot escape that pressure.  But in God's grace we experience a countering power, a transform...

Ian Hamilton writes, "The Christian believer is always living in an inescapable tension! ...The truth is that every Christian lives simultaneously in two worlds. Our life is a tale of two cities." He goes on to say,  "The fact is that the Christian life is a life of irresolvable tension. We are, by God’s grace, aliens and strangers. We march to the beat of a heavenly drum in a world shaped by an earth-bounded horizon. We live to the glory of God in a world which lives for itself. More acutely, we live to be holy as God is holy in bodies of death, yet marked by indwelling sin. The tension is within as well as without. We cannot, this side of glory, escape the tension without becoming a disloyal traitor to our God and Saviour." Read Ian Hamilton here: "Living in Two Worlds" 

Here is a quote that was shared in our 1 & 2 Thessalonians class, regarding how the early church viewed themselves as sojourners (resident aliens) in the world... "They dwell in their own countries, but simply as sojourners. As citizens, they share in all things with others and yet endure all things as if foreigners. Every foreign land is to them as their native country, and every land of their birth as a land of strangers. They marry, as do all others; they beget children; but they do not destroy their offspring. They have a common table, but not a common bed. They are in the flesh, but they do not live after the flesh. They pass their days on earth, but they are citizens of heaven. They obey the prescribed laws, and at the same time surpass the laws by their lives. They love all men and are persecuted by all. They are unknown and condemned; they are put to death and restored to life. They are poor yet make many rich; they are in lack of all things and yet abound in all; th...

"But the ways of the world are cruel. Its cruelties have assumed finer forms, but this refinement has made them more intolerable. In former days there was much that reminded people of the sanctities of life, that made them think of higher things, and kept eternity before their eyes. All this is mostly gone. In the busy life of the world today there is little to keep in memory the things that are holy and eternal.  "In public life all thought of God is ignored. In some places church-bells are no more rung. Few days of prayer are appointed. God’s name is no more spoken. No memento mori  ["remember that you will die"] any more reminds us of death. Cemeteries are turned into parks. Sacred things are scorned. That which in private conversation and in the public press gives tone to theories is the delusion that heaven reaches no higher than the stars, that death ends all, that life without God is more apt to bring prosperity than life in the fear of the Lord. The habit ...

"For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world--our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?" (1 John 5:4-5 ESV) I am working my way through Martyn Lloyd-Jones', Experiencing the New Birth , a new release (2015) from Crossway Books.  I am so enriched by Lloyd-Jones' sermons (these were preached in London in 1966) that it is a delight to read them.  In many ways this is a modern version of the Religious Affections , whereby the Doctor gives us signs and evidences of the new birth.   The new Christian will have a new view of "the world".  Here are some highlights... "This new life differentiates us, and everybody is aware of it, not only us but others also. "Worldliness means thinking of yourself and your life in this world, and the whole of life in the world, without God.  "The Devil will make people good if he c...