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Bible reading for December 27 -- 28 Dec 27 -- Zechariah 14 and John 17 Dec 28 -- Malachi 1 and John 18 ================ "For from the rising of the sun to its setting my name will be great among the nations, and in every place incense will be offered to my name, and a pure offering. For my name will be great among the nations, says the LORD of hosts." (Malachi 1:11)  WITH BELLS ON (Zech 14). Like most of the prophets of the Bible, Zechariah does not leave us with the bad news, but gives us the good news, the promise of a glorious future. After judgment -- if we learn from it -- comes blessing. And it's a beautiful world (see my previous post, "With Bells On").  TIRED OF GOD (Mal 1). The first two books of the Bible open with the glory of God, seen first in creation (Genesis), and then in redeeming his people from Egypt (Exodus). In the last book of the OT we find a people who are tired of God. They have lost the sense of his greatness. Regarding the worship of ...

  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 Nov 15 -- 16 Nov 15 -- Amos 4 and Psalms 148-150 Nov 16 -- Amos 5 and Luke 1:1-38 ================ "Take away from me the noise of your songs; to the melody of your harps I will not listen. But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream." (Amos 5:23-24)   PREPARE TO MEET YOUR GOD (ch 4).  Amos calls out the women for self-indulgence and all the people for their idolatry (vv 1-5). The Lord brought various judgments upon the nation in the forms of drought, famine, blight, mildew, and pestilence. "Yet you did not return to me," says the Lord repeatedly. "Therefore thus I will do to you, O Israel; because I will do this to you, prepare to meet your God, O Israel!" (v 12) LET JUSTICE ROLL DOWN (ch 5). Amos calls the people to do a 180: "Hate evil, and love good, and establish justice in the gate; it may be that the LORD, the God of hosts, will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph." The people ...

Bible reading for weekend Nov 12 -- 14 Nov 11 -- Amos 1 and Psalm 144 Nov 12 -- Amos 2 and Psalm 145 Nov 13 -- Amos 3 and Psalms 146-147  ================ "'I will strike the winter house along with the summer house, and the houses of ivory shall perish, and the great houses shall come to an end,' declares the LORD." (Amos 3:15).   FOR THREE TRANSGRESSIONS, AND FOUR (ch 1-2) . Amos (along with his contemporary, Isaiah) was one of the earliest writing prophets in Israel. It was an affluent time in both Judah and Israel (ca 790-750 BC), but there was also violence and oppression. Border conflicts among the nearby nations resulted in land seizure, enslavement, and unjust treatment of prisoners. Each of these nations, along with Judah and Israel, are called out. "For three transgressions, and four..." was a poetic way of saying, "I've got three things against you... no, wait, make that four." In other words, God had a list of their sins and it was ...

Bible reading for weekend Nov 5 -- 7  Nov 5 -- Hosea 11 and Psalms 132-134 Nov 6 -- Hosea 12 and Psalms 135-136 Nov 7 -- Hosea 13 and Psalms 137-138 ================ "I led them with cords of kindness, with the bands of love, and I became to them as one who eases the yoke on their jaws, and I bent down to them and fed them." (Hosea 11:4)  GOD'S TENDERNESS (ch 11). What beautiful pictures of God's care we see here! Israel is a beloved child, and a son (v 1). Jesus -- God's beloved Son (Matt 3:17) -- in his own life recapitulates the history of Israel, going to Egypt (Matt 2:15) and being tried for a period of forty days in the wilderness (Matt 4:2). God is the Father who taught Israel to walk, and he is the one who held them and healed them, though they did not know it (v 3). Like a kind farmer he cared for them as a cherished animal (v 4). He does not rejoice to bring judgment upon them (vv 7-8), for God's holiness is not merely manifest in judgment but also ...

Bible reading for weekend Oct 22 -- 24 Oct 22 -- Daniel 7 and Psalms 114-115 Oct 23 -- Daniel 8 and Psalm 116 Oct 24 -- Daniel 9 and Psalm 117-118 ================   "I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him. And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed." (Daniel 7:13-14) THE BEASTS (ch 7). The four beasts are four empires in succession -- Babylonian, Medo-Persian, Greek (Alexandrian), and Roman. Some liberal scholars date the writing of the book of Daniel after these events because they cannot believe a Jewish prophet could possibly predict world empires so accurately, including the breakup of Alexander's empire into four smaller, regional empires. These four beasts a...

    Bible reading for Oct 20 -- 21 Oct 20 -- Daniel 5 and Psalms 110-111 Oct 21 -- Daniel 6 and Psalms 112-113 ================   "...for he is the living God, enduring forever; his kingdom shall never be destroyed, and his dominion shall be to the end. He delivers and rescues; he works signs and wonders in heaven and on earth..." (Daniel 6:26-27) THE HANDWRITING ON THE WALL (ch 5). In this chapter you see where that popular expression came from! Belshazzar, son (or grandson?) of Nebuchadnezzar, was likely a co-regent or crown prince in Babylon, and to no one's surprise was yet another haughty monarch. Daniel says to him, "you have lifted up yourself against the Lord of heaven. And the vessels of his house have been brought in before you, and you and your lords, your wives, and your concubines have drunk wine from them. And you have praised the gods of silver and gold, of bronze, iron, wood, and stone, which do not see or hear or know, but the God in whose hand is y...

  Bible reading for Oct 13 -- 14 Oct 13 -- Ezekiel 46 and Psalm 102 Oct 14 -- Ezekiel 47 and Psalm 103 ================   "And wherever the river goes, every living creature that swarms will live, and there will be very many fish. For this water goes there, that the waters of the sea may become fresh; so everything will live where the river goes." (Ezekiel 47:9) THE PRINCE, THE PRIESTS, AND THE RIVER (ch 46-47). We are continuing to read about Ezekiel's vision of the temple, the city, the leaders, the ministers, and the geography. It is visionary language, and it is in the future from Ezekiel's perspective. There are connections here with Revelation, and also with the Mosaic laws in Leviticus. In these chapters we see that the prince is to lead worship by his example; there are instructions about gates, gifts, offerings, holy spaces, and preparation of food. There springs from the temple a remarkable, ever-expanding stream of fresh water. Also, there is to be fair di...

  Bible reading for Oct 11 -- 12 Oct 11 -- Ezekiel 44 and Psalms 97-98 Oct 12 -- Ezekiel 45 and Psalms 99-101 ================   "They shall teach my people the difference between the holy and the common, and show them how to distinguish between the unclean and the clean." (Ezekiel 44:23) PRINCES, LEVITES, PRIESTS (ch 44). We are reading Ezekiel's vision of a future temple and the worship which takes place there. Commentators differ on how these things are to be understood. Here are four possibilities: 1) This was to be the standard and plan for Jewish worship after the return from Babylonian exile, until Messiah should come (covering about 500 years). 2) This is applied symbolically to the church age. 3) This is fulfilled during the thousand-year period spoken of in Revelation 20. 4) This is a foreshadowing of the future eternal state (Rev 21-22). It may be that some (or all) of these apply at some point (in some way) in interpreting Ezekiel. One thing that helps us is...

  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 September 3 -- 5 Sep 3 -- Ezekiel 6 and Psalm 44 Sep 4 -- Ezekiel 7 and Psalm 45 Sep 5 -- Ezekiel 8 and Psalm 46-47 ================   "According to their way I will do to them, and according to their judgments I will judge them, and they shall know that I am the LORD." (Ezekiel 7:27) JUDGMENT UPON IDOLATRY (ch 6-8). The big thing to note in these chapters is that God's judgment is coming upon Israel (specifically, Jerusalem and Judah) for her idolatry. She, called to be a people who worship God alone, has become just like the pagan nations. There are even idols in the courts of the temple of the Lord. What's so bad about idolatry? Mainly it dishonors God. But also it's a lie. When I was a boy some of my friends would carry a lucky rabbit's foot. I was never sure how the foot of a dead rabbit might bring good fortune, but it was a popular belief. Idolatry runs the gamut from silly superstitions to Satanic orgies. At the heart of it...

  Bible reading for Aug 25 -- 26 Aug 25 -- Lamentations 2 and Psalm 33 Aug 26 -- Lamentations 3 and Psalm 34 ================    "The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness." (Lamentations 3:22-23) THE ABANDONED CITY (ch 2). Lamentations is composed of five poems, or songs, and each section is written as an acrostic in the Hebrew language.  The five poems together form a chiasm. (See Tom Constable's helpful notes on Lamentations .) This chapter is full of sorrow for the ruined city. The city of God has been reduced to a ghost town. For the next seven decades there would be no sound of worship nor the public proclamation of God's word -- no more feasts, music, the reading of the law, joyful shouts, and sacrifices at the temple. Not for a long time would people hear the Aaronic blessing echo in the courts, "The LORD bless you and keep you; the LORD make his face to shine upo...

  Bible reading for weekend Aug 20 -- 22 Aug 20 -- Jeremiah 49 and Psalms 26-27 Aug 21 -- Jeremiah 50 and Psalms 28-29 Aug 22 -- Jeremiah 51 and Psalm 30 ================    "Thus says the LORD of hosts: The broad wall of Babylon shall be leveled to the ground, and her high gates shall be burned with fire. The peoples labor for nothing, and the nations weary themselves only for fire." (Jeremiah 51:58) SURROUNDING NATIONS (ch 49). We are continuing in Jeremiah's pronouncements against the nations near to Judah. As we read such biblical prophecies, often written poetically, we may need a scorecard or program to know who's who and what's being said. For example, "Why then has Milcom dispossessed Gad, and his people settled in its cities?" (v 1) Milcom (aka Molech) was the national god of the Ammonites, and Gad was one of the tribes of Israel. At some time in the past the Ammonites had forcefully taken and settled in some of the cities of Israel. Now it...