BR-43 Chronological Bible Read (October 22-28)

It’s nice, bite-size chunks, Chronos, for the rest of the year. Looks like we will be averaging three to four pages a day from now on! How great to be entering these final two months with such easy daily reads.

LOOKING FURTHER AHEAD:

I would appreciate any feedback and recommendations you are willing to share with me over the next couple of months. In 2021, I will look to you for any recommended changes to these study notes. 

Blessings,

Steve

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We’re reading The One Year Chronological Bible, New Living Translation (Tyndale). It’s best with your own copy. Or, paste in this link to the daily reading schedule:

http://www.oneyearbibleonline.com/readingplan/oneyearchronologicalbiblereadingplan.pdf

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This week's highlights: 

Zacchaeus, that wee little man. Anointing at Bethany. Triumphal entry to Jerusalem. Pay taxes to Caesar? Moneychangers in the Temple. The greatest commandment. The widow’s mite. Jesus prophecies about the future. The final judgment. 

Comments: 

October 22, 2017 —Matthew 20:1-16—  “The kingdom of heaven is like...” Don’t miss that this entire parable is about revealing the Kingdom to us. God asks, rhetorically, “Can’t I do whatever I want with my own resources?” Sovereignty can be scary to us; we’re not used to that. But that’s the situation. 

October 23, 2017 —Mark 14:3-9, Matthew 26:5-13, John 12:1-11—  Jesus is anointed prior to His crucifixion. John 11:2 confirms this woman was Mary, the sister of Martha and Lazarus. Interesting revelation about Judas. Yes, he was likely frustrated that Jesus didn’t plan to be an Earthly king. But that’s just part of the picture. Judas was a thief ... and worse. However we wish to parse his personality and his motivations, his choices (betraying for money) still led to a person’s false arrest, harsh treatment, imprisonment, and painful death. 

October 24, 2017 —Luke 19:47— Never doubt which people were proximately responsible for the death of Jesus: the leading priests, the teachers of religious law, and the other leaders of the people.

October 25, 2-17 —Mark 12:1-12, Matthew 21:33-46, Luke 20:9-19— The religious leaders (leading priests, teachers of the law, Pharisees) recognized themselves in the parable! They were the wicked farmers!

October 25, 2017  —Mark 12:13-17, Matthew :15-22, Luke 20-22-26— We bear the imprint and inscription of God ... We are what God wants rendered unto Him. NOTE: the word we translate as “give” is better understood as “restore, return to.” The coin they produced was already the property of Caesar. The tax only caused them to return it to Caesar. 

October 26, 2017 —Mark 12:28-34, Matthew 34-40— These two commandments are the greatest and they equal all the law and the prophets. Think on that a bit.

October 27, 2017 — The whole day is worth a re-read because of this one verse: “So when all these things begin to happen, stand and look up, for your salvation is near!”” (Luke‬ ‭21:28‬ ‭NLT‬‬ — http://bible.com/116/luk.21.28.nlt)

October 28, 2017 —Matthew 25_14-30— “Again, the Kingdom of Heaven can be illustrated by ...” We often over look the actual purpose of this parable in trying to find a modern applications for the distribution of “talents” and trying to decide which of these servants is us. Don’t miss those opening words: that’s the real purpose of the parable. 

Next week: 

The plot to kill Jesus. Judas takes a bribe. The last supper. The Holy Spirit promised. The garden of Gethsemane. Betrayal and arrest. The “trial.” Encounter with Pilate. The crucifixion and death of Jesus.  

BR-42 Chronological Bible Read (October 15-21)

This week’s Key verse, Chronos, is: “You should tithe, yes, but do not neglect the more important things.” (October 16th - Luke‬ ‭11:42‬b)

This week’s readings are chock full of those “more important things.” Can you list some of them?

Blessings, Steve

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We’re reading The One Year Chronological Bible, New Living Translation (Tyndale). It’s best with your own copy. Or, paste in this link to the daily reading schedule:

http://www.oneyearbibleonline.com/readingplan/oneyearchronologicalbiblereadingplan.pdf

 _________________________

This week's highlights: 

Jesus has more conflicts with the religious leaders. Sending out the 72 disciples. Satan’s fall from Heaven. The greatest commandment. The Good Samaritan. Mary, Martha, & Lazarus.  Money, possessions, inheritance. Another mustard seed reference. The Good Shepherd. The Prodigal Son. The rich man and Lazarus. Divorce and Marriage. The Rich Young Ruler. Eye of the Needle. 

Comments: 

October 15th — John 8:44 — we have a little primer on Satan this week, and from an unimpeachable source! Satan loves “to do evil things,” is “a murderer,” is a liar who “always hated the truth,” and is “the father of lies.” Later on the same reading day in Luke 10:18, Jesus states “I saw Satan fall from heaven like lightning.” His disciples would know He was referencing Isaiah 14:12-17 and Ezekiel 28:11-19. 

October 16th — Luke 11:29-30 — People are sometimes confused by this passage. The “sign of Jonah” just means that the people of Nineveh knew all about what God did to Jonah before he finally came and preached to them. Jonah’s travails were a sign to them that he was sent by God. The people of Nineveh repented when they (finally) heard Jonah’s message from God. Jesus is telling the crowd that what will happen to Him will be a sign to the Israelites that God sent Jesus to them ... also, Jesus compares his upcoming death/resurrection to Jonah spending three days inside the great fish.

October 17th — Luke 13:18-21 — The Kingdom of Heaven explained in two illustrations. Both are about starting small and then expanding. Mostly, though, we miss the point: we think there is something we are going to do that establishes the Kingdom. A careful reading reveals that it is in the nature of the mustard seed and in the yeast to expand ... all on their own. The Kingdom will start small and keep on expanding because that is how the Kingdom works. By the way: the mustard seed illustration is meant to be shocking (and possibly humorous). No one would plant a mustard seed in their garden! It would push out every other plant until only the mustard plant remained.

October 18th — John 10:16 — Other sheep: most scholars believe this refers to all the non-Jews who have elected to follow Jesus over the millennia. Xr Luke 13:29-30 for more.

October 19th — Luke 15:20 — “While he was a long way off....” One of the best parts of the Prodigal Son Parable is that the father was watching for the son’s return, that he loved his lost son so much he had positioned himself in such a way (perhaps in a tower or on a hillside) that he could see “a long way off” in hope that his son might someday come to his senses and return. If that happened, he didn’t want to miss it! Call this “leaning in” to forgiveness. It’s how God acts when we are wayward. 

October 20th — John 11:47-48 — Their faith in God had fallen so low, to the point that they no longer believed God could protect them as a nation. They concluded that, if “everyone will believe” in Jesus, such an event would lead to the destruction of Israel. If only they could have seen just who it was they were planning to kill “for the good of the nation.”

October 21st — Mark 10:23, Luke 18:24-28 — His disciples, like most people those days, equated wealth with God’s pleasure. In other words, if you were wealthy, it was because God looked upon you with favor (i.e., you couldn’t possibly be a sinner). It was a nifty bit of circular reasoning that had been around since the days of Job (at least!). But, as we know from the book of Job, and from these teachings of Jesus, wealth is no insulation from hard times and it can be even harder for a wealthy person to get into heaven. They can fall prey to their “things” or their social position slipping into first place in front of God, turning their wealth into an idol. This is not a foregone conclusion, as some would have us believe. But, like anything in our lives, the potential is there for idolatry ... just a bit more so with wealth. Eye of the needle, you know. 

Next week: 

Zacchaeus (that wee little man). An anointing at Bethany, Triumphal entry to Jerusalem, Pay taxes to Caesar (the government)? Moneychangers in the Temple. The greatest commandment. The widow’s mite. Jesus prophecies about the future. The final judgment. 

BR-41 Chronological Bible Read (October 8-14)

Lots in the notes, this week, Chronos, 

Did you find many interesting links between these Gospel readings and our Old Testament readings? 

Be sure to let me know if you have questions about anything I’ve not covered (or anything I have covered, for that matter).

Blessings, Steve

_________________________

We’re reading The One Year Chronological Bible, New Living Translation (Tyndale). It’s best with your own copy. Or, paste in this link to the daily reading schedule:

http://www.oneyearbibleonline.com/readingplan/oneyearchronologicalbiblereadingplan.pdf

 _________________________

This week's highlights: 

More healing. Jesus rejected in His hometown. Jesus had sisters! The sending out of the twelve. Death of John the Baptist. Feeding the 5000 & the 4000. Jesus walks on water. Many disciples desert Jesus. Scraps from the Master's table. "Who do you say that I am?" The Transfiguration. "Who is the greatest in the kingdom? Parable of the lost sheep. Parable of the unforgiving debtor. Openly teaching in the Temple. A woman caught in adultery (somehow just by herself). 

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Comments: 

October 8th — Mark 6:11 — origin of “Shake the dust from your feet.” We often say something like this to mean we will no longer continue in a relationship. 

October 9th — Mark 6:30-31 — Something to keep in mind when considering the workload and work hours of our pastoral, missionary, and ministry staffs: Jesus had his crew go off for a while to rest and recharge. Let’s imitate that in our churches and missionary organizations. 

October 10th — John 6:70 — “I chose the twelve of you, but one of you is a devil.” Best translation of this would be “the Devil.” But don’t get hung up on that “the”. Remember, Jesus often spoke figuratively (e.g., “destroy this temple,” meaning His body ... “get behind me Satan” spoken to Peter; but Peter, of course, was not actually Satan). Using the phrase “the Devil” is just a way to help them understand that one of them (Judas Iscariot, as they would eventually come to learn) is really, really bad.

October 10th — Mark 7:22 — while explaining that what goes into a persons mouth is not what defiles them, but rather what comes from the heart, Jesus lists several negative matters (e.g., sexual immorality, greed, deceit, etc.). He caps off His list with the word “foolishness.” It was well understood by Jesus’ audience, but is often a translational problem for us. “Ivvelet” is the word for “fool” and it appears mostly in the book of Proverbs. And, as we learned when reading Proverbs, “fool” does not mean a person who clowns around or acts silly; it means a person devoid of virtue and from who wisdom is absent. Perhaps, like me, you were taught this differently while growing up. I can’t count the times well-meaning christians lectured us young people on the “sin” of foolishness, meaning “clowning around or acting silly,” and incorrectly cited this passage from Mark.

October 11th — Matthew 15:21-28 — I like the Matthew version of this better than the one in Mark. It’s harsh enough without Mark’s matter-of-fact reporting style. Think how much she must have loved her daughter to just stand there and take, first, being ignored by Jesus; and then, once He addressed her query, to find herself compared to a dog! How strong must have been the desire to give this Jew a tongue-lashing for his elitist response! And yet, she found it within her to bring back a humble response, filled with a hope that He would still help her daughter. Amazing faith, indeed. (If you wish to explore this further, I wrote a reflection about it. Running With the Little Dogs is at: http://steveorr.blogspot.com/2017/08/running-with-little-dogs-steve-orr.html?m=0

October 12th — Luke 9:31 — I never noticed this, before. How did I miss the topic of that amazing conversation?! Did those two have roles to fulfill? Some tasks they were charged with accomplishing?

October 13th — Matthew 17:20 — I think the better translation, here, is “like” a mustard seed or “as” a mustard seed. We have just assumed Jesus was using the size of the mustard seed because everyone would have known how tiny they are ... But that’s not necessarily so. He may well have been referencing (1) the inherent nature of the mustard seed: that, though tiny when it starts, it grows into a bush so massive, many call it a tree ... and it just keeps on growing. Another aspect of the mustard seed to which Jesus may have been referencing (and to which the listeners would have been fully aware) is that, as it grows, (2) it pushes out every other plant. It creates its own ecosystem for birds, animals, and insects; but no other plants. A growing faith (vs their stagnating faith) and a personal environment of faith (vs their still worldly one) are much more likely what Jesus meant than the size of their faith.

October 13th — Matthew 18:21-35 — Here is something to recommend to someone who is having trouble forgiving a person. Start a “Forgiveness Journal.” Each time the person does or says that thing (or fails to say or do the desired thing) for which you are having trouble forgiving, make an entry into the journal about it. Be specific. Then, pray about it with God. Repeat this process each and every time the person does or says that thing (or fails to say or do the desired thing). Do not stop making journal entries and praying to God about it until you reach 490 entries ... or until you are ready to forgive and let it go. 

October 14th — Luke 9:61-62 — you can’t plow a strait row while looking back. In other words, to be effective in service to the kingdom, a person cannot be overly concerned about other matters. If you are going into kingdom service, then kingdom service must be the priority. If interested, here’s a blog I wrote about this: https://steveorr.blogspot.com/2019/06/stuck-in-reverse-steve-orr-scripture.html?m=0

October 14th — John 8:1-11 — somehow, this women got caught in the act of adultery ... by herself! No matter how I try to make that work, I just come up with nothing. How do you go about getting caught ... in the act ... of a two-person activity by yourself ?! For my part, I think Jesus showed a massive amount of patience with these fools (see definition of fool, above). I think I would have been tempted to repeat the cleansing of the Temple with these jerks. 

If I am being too subtle, here, let me ask it plainly: where’s the guy?! Talk about your setups. What this says it that these supposed religious leaders were so calloused as human beings that they were perfectly willing to have this woman stoned to death if they could somehow trip up Jesus and catch Him in violation of the Law ... anything they could use against Him.

Jesus was brilliant, here. There are so many ways in which we should imitate Him, but I would encourage all of us to meditate on this one, in particular, as a life pattern worth imitating every day.

Next week: 

More conflicts with the religious leaders. Sending out the 72 disciples. Satan’s fall from Heaven. The greatest commandment. The Good Samaritan. Mary, Martha, & Lazarus.  Money, possessions, inheritance. Another mustard seed reference. The Good Shepherd. The Prodigal Son. The rich man and Lazarus. Divorce and Marriage. The Rich Young Ruler. Eye of the Needle. 

BR-40 Chronological Bible Read (October 1-7)

We’re three-Fourths complete, Chronos!

I hope all is well with you. Did you find many interesting links between these Gospel readings and our Old Testament readings? Side note: there is just too much in the NT that calls for comment; I can't possibly address it all. So, I am depending on you to ask me if you have questions.

SOMETHING THAT MIGHT HELP IN READING THE GOSPELS: 

From time to time, Jesus refers to Himself in the third person as "the Son of Man." This has confused some because, in a very real sense, we are all children of mankind. Plus, just to keep things confusing, God and His messengers often called Ezekiel "son of man" when addressing him. What could Jesus mean by this phrase ... and in a way that distinguishes Him from the rest of us? And from Ezekiel? 

The reference is to one of Daniel's visions (Daniel 7) where Daniel sees "one like the son of man," a personage that is pretty much universally considered to be the Messiah. There is always a bit of drift in a language (unless it’s a dead language like Latin ... or a language tightly controlled by the government like French), so its not such a surprise that this got shortened to "Son of Man" over the centuries between Daniel’s vision and the appearance of Jesus. There was no confusion among those who heard Jesus use the term ... they all understand the reference to the person in Daniel's vision.

See BR-36, the first September 7th comment for some more on this (Two paragraphs in length).

Blessings,

Steve

_________________________

We’re reading The One Year Chronological Bible, New Living Translation (Tyndale). It’s best with your own copy. Or, paste in this link to the daily reading schedule:

http://www.oneyearbibleonline.com/readingplan/oneyearchronologicalbiblereadingplan.pdf

 _________________________

This week's highlights: 

Jesus claims to be the son of God. Keeping the Sabbath. Jesus continues to break the "rules." The first twelve Apostles called and sent. Sermon on the Mount. Non-Jews start to believe in and interact with Jesus. Like Elijah and Elisha before Him, Jesus resurrects a Widow's dead son. Jesus explains how John the Baptist relates to Elijah. Jesus anointed by an immoral woman. More women follow Jesus. The parable of the seeds. The first mustard seed illustration. Pearl of great price. Jesus calms the storm. Legion! The hem of His garment. Talitha Koum. 

October 1st - John 5:6-7 - "Would you like to get well?" Jesus asked. "I can't, sir," the sick man said, "for I have no one to put me into the pool ...." Seems to me that conversation sums up many that we have with the Lord. He offers a new way to do things and we respond that the old way isn't working out for us. Missed opportunities.

October 1st - John 5:24 - "I tell you the truth, those who listen to my message and believe in God who sent me have eternal life. They will never be condemned for their sins, but they have already passed from death into life."

October 2nd - Point of clarity: Thaddaeus in Mark 3:18 and Judas (son of James) in Luke 6:16 are the same person.

October 2nd - Matthew 5: 3-12; Luke 6:17-23 - Interesting translation of the "beatitudes." I like it because it makes plain something that most translations leave as confusing: regardless of their state of being  —poor, mourning, humbled, needing justice, are merciful, hearts are pure, peacemakers, persecuted (for doing right), mocked, maligned—  God has already blessed them all ... and continues to. None of them exist outside of God's blessings ... even if they are experiencing negative circumstances in their lives, God is already blessing them. Their circumstance, good or bad, does not drive how God regards them. In other words, instead of “Blessed are the ...” we should read it, “Already blessed are the ....”

October 2nd - Matthew 5:13-16 - The salt and light passage is actually Jesus upbraiding the Jewish people for not being what God intended for them to be: salt and light. They have lost their flavor and have hidden their light under a basket. Yes, we, too, should strive to be salt and light; but this passage was never about us.

October 2nd - Matthew 5:38-42 - "Anything beyond [a simple declaration of 'yes' or 'no' regarding our commitments] is from the evil one."

October 2nd - Matthew 5:44-45 - "Pray for those who persecute you! In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven." Makes you think about how God views those who persecute Him (Saul, for instance, before he became Paul). 

October 3rd - Matthew 7:12 - "This is the essence of all that is taught in the law and the prophets."

October 4th - Matthew 8:5-13 - The faith of the Roman officer provides an excellent opportunity for Jesus to underscore what the religious leaders should have already known from their studies of scripture: God's plan was always that Gentiles would be included in His blessing because of their faith, and that many Jews would be excluded because they lacked faith. 

October 4th - Matthew 11:10-14 - Jesus makes clear that John is the Elijah everyone has been waiting for. How can that be? We christians usually reject reincarnation. Your thoughts?

October 4th - Luke 7:47 - "and they are many" ... there is no limit to how much God can forgive. 

October 5th - Luke 8:1-3 - Jesus took with him: "some women who had been cured of evil spirits and diseases" on a tour of towns and villages to preach and announce the Good News about the Kingdom.

October 6th - Matthew 13:38 - "The weeds are the people who belong to the evil one." Makes me think of Stephen King’s The Stand.

October 6th - Mark 4:36 - "although other boats followed"

October 7th - The demoniac Jesus encounters in the Mark 5 and Luke 8 readings possesses incredible strength. Chains and shackles that would have held other people could not hold the one possessed by Legion!:"...he simply broke them ...."(!)

Next week: 

More healing. Jesus rejected in His hometown. Jesus had sisters! The sending out of the twelve. Death of John the Baptist. Feeding the 5000+ & the 4000+. Jesus walks on water. Many disciples desert Jesus. Scraps from the Master's table. "Who do you say that I am?" The Transfiguration. "Who is the greatest in the kingdom? Parable of the lost sheep. Parable of the unforgiving debtor. Openly teaching in the Temple. A woman caught in adultery (somehow just by herself). 

BR-39 Chronological Bible Read (September 24-30)

Doing the happy dance, Chronos! (New Testament, New Testament, New Testament!!)

Key thought of the week: As we start the New Testament (NT), it is a good idea to keep an eye toward what has come before. As you read along, watch for references to and connections with the Old Testament (OT) readings we have already done. I've noted a couple examples in the This Week's Highlights (below - one obvious, and one not so obvious), but better: you find some and tell me. I'll share them with the group.

Of course, as you have questions, send them to me. We'll track down answers ... hopefully, ones that provide a better understanding for us all.

Blessings,

Steve

_________________________

We’re reading The One Year Chronological Bible, New Living Translation (Tyndale). It’s best with your own copy. Or, paste in this link to the daily reading schedule:

http://www.oneyearbibleonline.com/readingplan/oneyearchronologicalbiblereadingplan.pdf

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From last week - Just a reminder as we pivot into the New Testament: it was Nehemiah (8:9-12) who assured us ”the JOY of the Lord is your strength!"

This week's highlights: 

What a packed week! We start Matthew, Mark, and Luke ... witness the Ave Maria ... we’re present for the birth and childhood of Jesus ... encounter John the Baptist executing his ministry of reconciliation ... experience the temptation of Jesus by the adversary. We hear the calling of the first disciples ... can almost taste the new wine at the Cana wedding reception ... cringe a bit when Jesus clears the "money changers" from the Temple ... watch as Nicodemus makes a visit to Jesus under the cloak of night ... are shocked that Jesus interacts with a Samaritan woman(!) ... hear the sermons ... we're astounded by the miracles. 

And that's just the first week of New Testament reading!

September 24th - THE OBVIOUS OT CONNECTIONS - The genealogies of Jesus are packed full of people we’ve read about over the past 38 weeks. Adam, Seth, Enoch, Methuselah, Noah, Shem, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Judah, Tamar(!), Salmon (one of the two Jericho spies), Rahab the Harlot(!), Boaz & Ruth, Jesse, King David-Bathsheba-Uriah, King Solomon, King Uzziah ("In the year Uzziah died, I saw the Lord, high and lifted up...."), King Jehoiachin (start of the Babylonian exile), Zerubbabel (returned to start rebuilding the Temple). One of the values of reading genealogies is that you can more easily see that the entire Bible is actually one story.

September 28th - THE NOT SO OBVIOUS OT CONNECTION -  When Jesus holds His conversation with the Samaritan woman at the well (and later when He tells the parable of the Good Samaritan), he does something incredibly shocking! Granted, it doesn't seem all that shocking to us. But we have to keep in mind that the Samaritans were not just a people despised by the Jews. They had earned the enmity they received! Remember the people (bullies) who (A) opposed the rebuilding of the Altar and the resumption of the sacrifices to God, (B) later opposed the rebuilding of the Temple, and then (C) even later opposed the rebuilding of Jerusalem? Those were the ancestors of the Samaritans! Jesus knows just how shocking he is being when he interacts with  —and dares to suggest one of them might actually be better than a Jew—  Samaritans. He is setting the expectation that God has opened a way of reconciliation for all people. And no one needed to learn that lesson more than the Jews: God's chosen people.

So ... which ones did you find?

Next week: 

Jesus claims to be the son of God. Keeping the Sabbath. Jesus continues to break the "rules." The first twelve Apostles called and sent. Sermon on the Mount. Non-Jews start to believe in and interact with Jesus. Like Elijah and Elisha before Him, Jesus resurrects a Widow's dead son. Jesus explains about John the Baptist and Elijah. Jesus anointed by an immoral woman. More women follow Jesus. The parable of the seeds. The first mustard seed illustration. Pearl of great price. Jesus calms the storm. Legion! The hem of His garment. Talitha Koum. 

BR-38 Chronological Bible Read (September 17-23)

BROAD SWEEP OF HISTORY: 

Nehemiah stays in Jerusalem for 12 years and then goes back to his day job serving King Artaxerexes (the ruler of Persia and conqueror of Babylon). After an absence of one short year, he returns to the Promised Land to find everything in shambles ... Temple, Sabbath, intermarriage (again!). He works to correct the problems. Meanwhile, God sends two prophets, (Malachi followed later by Joel) to underscore his anger at their apostasy and to provide instruction, again, on how to live rightly.

 

Key thought: "Now return to me, and I will return to you,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.” (Malachi‬ ‭3:7b‬) Compare to similar language in James. 

The end of the Old Testament! 

Blessings,

Steve

_________________________

We’re reading The One Year Chronological Bible, New Living Translation (Tyndale). It’s best with your own copy. Or, copy and paste this link to the daily reading schedule:

http://www.oneyearbibleonline.com/readingplan/oneyearchronologicalbiblereadingplan.pdf

 _________________________

This week's highlights: 

Ezra weighs in on "Inter-marriage." Nehemiah and the rebuilding of the wall around Jerusalem ("watch and pray"). For the first time in decades, the Law is read aloud to the people. The Prophet Malachi. The Prophet Joel (and the promise of the Holy Spirit!). 

September 17th - Ezra 9:1-2 - It was not the intermarriage, by itself, that was the problem. If they had been able to marry the non-Jews and those non-jewish spouses had adopted the Jewish religion and rejected their previous religious practices, God would have accepted the situation. The problem was  —as God predicted—  these intermarriages resulted in just the opposite: God's people adopting the “detestable practices" of the non-Jewish people they married. 

September 17th (Nehemiah 1:5-2:5) First, he prays ... then he acts.

September 18th - Watch and Pray!  - Nehemiah 4:1-23 (especially “But we prayed to our God and appointed guards to watch for them day and night.” ‭‭Nehemiah‬ ‭4:9‬). The famous song based (partly) on this passage was originally penned by clergyman Philip Doddridge in 1755. Listen to how the Edwin Hawkins Singers updated it over two centuries later!: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EfGDvDGE7zk&app=desktop

September 19th - Nehemiah 8:9-12 - "Don't be dejected and sad, for the joy of the Lord is your strength!" They are weeping after hearing the words of the Law for the first time in a long time, possibly ever. Nehemiah, Ezra, and the priests encourage them to, instead, celebrate! And to "... share gifts of food with people who have nothing prepared." And they did just that!

September 20th - God sent His Spirit to instruct them and warn them! (Nehemiah 9:20 and 30)  

 

September 21st - Lists of those who returned, where they settled, and their jobs.

September 22nd - Nehemiah 13:4-31 - After an absence of 12 years, Nehemiah returns to his real job, Cupbearer to King Artaxerxes at Susa. But after only a year, he asks permission to journey, once again, to Jerusalem to check on things. 

Smart guy ... things definitely needed checking on!

September 22nd (Malachi 1:1 - 2:9) on the heels of the apostasy that set in during Nehemiah's absence (see above), God sends the Prophet Malachi with some warnings to the religious leaders and some reminders to the people. They profaned the Temple, violated the Sabbath, and married foreigners (who did not worship God)! 

Nehemiah was only gone for one year!

September 23rd - Famous scripture, often quoted out of context - “Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the LORD Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it.” (Malachi‬ ‭3:10‬)

September 23rd - JOHN THE BAPTIST! (x-ref Matthew 11:11-15) - “See, I will send the prophet Elijah to you before that great and dreadful day of the LORD comes. He will turn the hearts of the parents to their children, and the hearts of the children to their parents; or else I will come and strike the land with total destruction.” (‭‭Malachi‬ ‭4:5-6‬)

September 23rd - PROMISE OF THE SPIRIT! (x-ref Acts 2:14-26 Peter's sermon at Pentecost) - “And afterward, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days. I will show wonders in the heavens and on the earth, blood and fire and billows of smoke. The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD. And everyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved; for on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there will be deliverance, as the LORD has said, even among the survivors whom the LORD calls.” ‭‭(Joel‬ ‭2:28-32‬)

September 23rd - God's call to war in the last days includes: “Beat your plowshares into swords and your pruning hooks into spears. Let the weakling say, “I am strong!”” (‭Joel‬ ‭3:10‬)

Contrast the above scripture to Isaiah Chapter 2:  “In the last days the mountain of the LORD’s temple will be established as the highest of the mountains; it will be exalted above the hills, and all nations will stream to it. Many peoples will come and say, “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the temple of the God of Jacob. He will teach us his ways, so that we may walk in his paths.” The law will go out from Zion, the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. He will judge between the nations and will settle disputes for many peoples. They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore. Come, descendants of Jacob, let us walk in the light of the LORD.” (Isaiah‬ ‭2:2-5‬)

What do you think God is doing with this prophecy in Joel?

From last week - Fun with Esther:

Haman was the villain of the Esther story. For centuries, now, Jewish people have been celebrating Purim in honor of Esther's victory over the evil Haman. The main food for that festival is the Hamantashen, a triangular pastry supposedly shaped like the villain's hat. Here is a photo of some we found in the Granville Island Market in Vancouver, British: 

Next week: 

A packed week! Mark! Matthew! Luke! The birth and childhood of Jesus. John the Baptist. Temptation of Jesus. Calling of the first disciples. Wedding reception at Cana. Jesus clears the Temple! Nicodemus makes a night move. Jesus and the Samaritan woman at the well. Jesus teaching and preaching. Miracles: healings, demons cast out. The calling of Matthew. What about fasting?

BR-37 Chronological Bible Read (September 10-16)

We’re over 2/3 of the way through, Chronos!

“For if you remain completely silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish. Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?””

‭‭Esther‬ ‭4:14‬ ‭NKJV‬‬)

There's a lot to like about the book of Esther ... and a lot to dislike. If interested, see my thoughts at the bottom. 

BROAD SWEEP OF HISTORY: In this week, we get more of The Return (from 70 years of exile). First, the altar is rebuilt and the Temple foundation laid. Next, some people return and rebuild the Temple. Finally (next week), some more returnees rebuild the walls around Jerusalem. But not without some resistance ...

Blessings,

Steve

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We’re reading The One Year Chronological Bible, New Living Translation (Tyndale). It’s best with your own copy. Or, copy and paste this link to the daily reading schedule:

http://www.oneyearbibleonline.com/readingplan/oneyearchronologicalbiblereadingplan.pdf

 _________________________

This week's highlights: 

Daniel's visions of the End Times. Both Haggai and Zechariah prophesy the imminent return of the exiles and call for the (physical) rebuilding of the Temple. Darius (successor to Persian Conqueror Cyrus) confirms the Temple is to be rebuilt. The Temple is rededicated in the book of Ezra. Esther wins a beauty contest and becomes a queen. Ezra and the exiles start their journey back to the Promised Land.

September 10th - Daniel chapters 10, 11, and 12 - "Sometimes they fight ...." An unnamed angel comes to bring God's message to Daniel. I love this section because it is one of the very few times we get a glimpse into what the spiritual realm is doing while we "physical realm" folk are going about our lives. You see a bit in Job, of course, and in Zechariah (the horse riders). Elisha gives us a peek into that world, as well. This one is especially interesting because it reveals conflicts between spiritual beings that we cannot see ... and they affect how (and when!) God's messengers deliver their assigned messages. Here's a link to Amy Grant singing about them (with printed lyrics): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MUKcUxnvHEw&app=desktop

September 11th - “The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.” (‭‭Haggai‬ ‭2:8‬) ... kind of puts everything in perspective, you know?

September 11th - “Therefore, say to the people, ‘This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says: Return to me, and I will return to you, says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.’” (Zechariah‬ ‭1:3‬) ... couldn't be simpler. This may be what James is referencing when he writes “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.” (James 4:8)

September 11th - Another glimpse into the activity of spiritual beings in our world. Zechariah has a vision: he sees riders and horses. In answer to his query, he is told: “They are the ones the Lord has sent out to patrol the earth.” Then the other riders reported to the angel of the Lord, who was standing among the myrtle trees, “We have been patrolling the earth, and the whole earth is at peace.”” (Zechariah‬ ‭1:8-11‬)

September 11th - Zechariah 4:6-10 - Two messages sent by God to Zerubbabel to encourage him in rebuilding the temple. First, God addresses power, and then He addresses process. Two great lessons for us, as well. (A) The power to do great things comes from God's spirit (The Maranatha Singers set it to music, here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YyStz6BXWH0&app=desktop

Next (B), great things take time so, "Do not despise these small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin(!). There's a companion verse about process at Zechariah 8:9: "Be strong and finish the task!" Get started, be happy with having started, then continue until its done ... full process (Beginning, middle, and end).

September 12th - From Ezra 5:3 through 6:14a - God shows us how he uses those in power to deal with bullies!

September 12th - Zechariah 7:8-13 - This is why God was so angry with them: "Your ancestors refused to listen to this message. Judge fairly, and show mercy and kindness to one another. Do not oppress windows, orphans, foreigners, and the poor. And do not scheme against each other."

September 12th - Zechariah is such a rich book! It's hard to not comment on what's in here. Last one from the 12th: Zechariah 8:16-17 "Stop your love of telling lies ...."

September 13th - Zechariah 9:9-10 - JESUS (x-ref Matthew 21:5 and John 12:15)

September 13th - Zechariah 11:4 through 13: 1 - JESUS (30 pieces of silver & the Potter, whom they have pierced, a fountain to cleanse them from all their sins, the GOOD SHEPHERD)

September 14th & 15th - All about Esther

September 16th - Ezra 4:7-23 - Misled by the bullies, King Artaxerxes shuts down the rebuilding of Jerusalem. However, by Chapter 7, the King has been swayed by Ezra to reverse the original declaration. How? Once decreed, the King's rules must remain. The key is in all the language about law and order. All of the King's new order reference "lawful subjects." Another example of how God turns the hearts of those in positions of power. 

Next week: 

Ezra weighs in on "Inter-marriage." Nehemiah and the rebuilding of the wall around Jerusalem ("watch and pray"). For the first time in decades, the Law is read aloud to the people. The Prophet Malachi. The Prophet Joel (and the promise of the Holy Spirit!). 

All About Esther

My grandmother was named Esther. Her other name was Ruth. I can't recall the time I didn't know she was named after two Biblical women. Knowing that led to an early interest in those two women in particular. 

As I wrote, above: there's a lot to like about the book of Esther ... and a lot to dislike:

(1) The King's disrespect for Queen Vashti ("Come meet my friends. Wear your crown ... Just your crown.") and the general disrespect for all women is disgusting. 

(2) And then there's Haman's antisemitism ("So he decided it was not enough to lay hands on Mordecai alone. Instead, he looked for a way to destroy all the Jews throughout the entire empire of Xerxes."). It was a harsh system set within a culture of opulence ("It was the best of times, it was the worst of times....")

A lot of people have noticed that "God" does not appear anywhere in the book of Esther. 

I think we are better served that God's presence was not obvious. He was there ... watching. The exile period was the time for the Israelites to show to God that they had changed, repented of their intransigence. 

This period was about faith. In the midst of the exile (God's discipline, the consequence of their actions), would the Jews demonstrate their faith by conforming to God's commands? Or would they, once again, act as if God was not a real part of their lives?

It was bound to happen at some point; a person in authority decides to destroy the Jews, a group with no power and no power of redress before the monarchy. Without the protection of God (which had been withdrawn), they were ideal targets for the kind of bully who must destroy others to feed his own ego. So, here was the "perfect" opportunity for those who called themselves "God's people" to prove their faith. 

Not that it feels that way when you're the one experiencing that "perfect" opportunity. It feels pretty awful, actually. I don't doubt for a second that Esther felt the same despair as Mordecai and all the other Jews. But I think she may have felt an even heavier weight. The destruction of the Jews was scheduled for a date almost a year in the future. Esther's death would come a lot sooner if she provoked the King. 

I think it must have taken great courage to say, "If I perish, I perish," knowing her immediate actions could lead to her immediate death. 

Are we to think Esther is a special case? No. There is alway someone who has "come to the kingdom for such a time as this." 

Who knows? It might be you.