Genesis 1-2 and Matthew 1

Genesis opens with the line “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” The original Hebrew is in seven words. These seven words give us seven truths in which the rest of the Bible is based. 1. God exists. 2. God existed before there was a universe and will exist beyond it. 3. God is the main character of the Bible. 4. As Creator, God has done what no human can do. 5. God is mysterious. The Hebrew word for God used here is “Elohim”. The name used for God is plural, but the verb form is singular. This points to God’s triune nature. He is the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. 6. God is the creator of heaven and earth. He didn’t just find some unfinished works and form it the way He wanted it. Instead, He created it all. 7. God is not dependent on the universe, but the universe is dependent on Him.

After this opening line, we are treated to how God put it all together. He forms light first and separates the light from the darkness. Then He separated the waters making an expanse and calling it the sky. From there, He gathered the waters so that there would be dry land. Then He puts plants on the earth, then living things in the ocean and waters, then He makes animals to roam the earth. In His final act of creation, God creates man and woman.

Genesis two gives a second account on the creation of man and woman. It is not good for Adam to be alone. So God forms Eve from Adam’s rib. It is interesting to note that God forms her from Adam’s rib. Some folks have used the creation narrative to try to put one sex over the other. Some will say that since man was created first, man is superior. Others will claim that since woman was created second, women are more refined than men and therefore are superior. However, the fact that God pulls the rib instead of anything else shows that the two are to be equal partners. He uses the rib, pulled from Adam’s side. God didn’t use Adam’s feet or part of Adam’s head to create Eve. Instead, He pulled from the side. They were to be side by side, not one above the other.

From Genesis, we go all the way to Matthew one. This chapter gives us the genealogy of Jesus. Matthew’s intent is to show us just how Jesus ties in with the line of David. God’s covenant with David ensured that one of David’s offspring would reign on the throne forever. Jesus traces His lineage back to David and even further back to Abraham. Mary, a virgin, become pregnant. Her fiancé Joseph is going to call it off, but he will do it in secret because he is honorable and does not want to dishonor Mary. Joseph is visited by an angel and he is told what is about to happen. Mary is going to give birth the long awaited Messiah. He will be called Immanuel, meaning “God with us”.

Genesis 3-5 and Mathew 2

Genesis three gives us the account of the fall of people. Adam and Eve had been given a pretty easy set of commands. Be fruitful and multiply and DON’T eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Some things to note about this encounter. The first thing the serpent does is question God’s commands. Eve tries to fight back, but she adds to God’s commands. He had told them not to eat from the tree. She added that they were not to even touch it. We don’t know whether she was adding that or if Adam had added it. I think once Eve gave more to the command, the serpent knew that he had them. The enemy appealed to their sense of pride, telling them that if they eat the fruit, they would be just like God, knowing good and evil. Both Adam and Eve were culpable in the fall. Adam was there when the interaction with the serpent began. It’s questionable why he didn’t intervene and help out. While it is easy to sit back and blame all the problems on these two, I am pretty certain that even if Adam and Eve had not succumbed to the temptation, someone would have. Fortunately, God already had the salvation plan in place. We read the protoevangelium in Genesis 3:15.

Adam and Eve could not have known the consequence of their sin. They did not die physically, but their fellowship with God had been destroyed. They are banished from the garden and now they see just how terrible their sin was in Cain and Abel. Cain and Abel both take a sacrifice to God. Abel brings what is good to God and he is honored. Cain throws some stuff together and God does not have regard for him. God gives Cain the chance to do right and make a better sacrifice. Instead, Cain kills his brother. God gives Cain a mark and sends him on his way. Cain goes and establishes a city. One of his offspring is Lamech, the first ever recorded person in the Bible to be a polygamist. The line of Cain will prove to be a wicked group. Genesis five tells us about the line of Seth. Seth’s line honors God. One person worth mentioning is Enoch. Enoch was so faithful and had such a deep fellowship with God that one day God took him. He was taken, body and all to heaven.

Matthew two talks about the Wise men seeking the newborn King of the Jews. They were astrologers. They knew nothing of Yahweh, but they knew enough to seek out the new king because of the new star. It took them approximately two years to get to Jerusalem. They ask Herod where the new king is. Herod is greatly disturbed because his kingdom was now threatened. The rest of Jerusalem was disturbed because they knew that Herod was one to fly off the handle and go to extremes to preserve his reign. In fact, he had murdered several family members, including some of his children. Herod asks that the Wise Men let him know where the Baby is so that he can worship Him. They are warned about Herod, so they divert. Joseph is warned about Herod and told to flee to Egypt. Herod has every boy in and around Bethlehem two years old and younger slaughtered. After Herod died, Joseph, Mary, and Jesus left Egypt and settled down in Nazareth.

Genesis 6-8 and Matthew 3

Mankind has been multiplying on the earth. The sons of God saw that the daughters of mankind were beautiful and took them as wives. This verse shows that something has gone terribly wrong from God’s initial command to multiply. There is controversy around who the sons of God actually were. This is one of those things that we will not know the answer to on this side of heaven. There are three mainline ideas as to who these men were.

1. The sons of God refer to the sons of kings or aristocrats. The proponents for this interpretation argue that the word used for God in Hebrew is also sometimes used for people with strong social power.

2. The sons of God were the godly line of Seth.

3. The sons of God were actual angels that created offspring with women. The book of Jude refers to an incident with angels finding women attractive because of their long hair. Another argument for this interpretation are that this term is used solely for angelic beings in the Old Testament.

The world is in a sorry state. God decides that He is going to wipe away humanity from the earth. He tells Noah to build an ark so that he and his family can be spared. Noah is faithful and builds the ark. Once the ark is completed, he and his family enter the ark along with all of the animals needed to repopulate the earth when the flooding receded. Seven days went by when no rain happened. Then, in Noah’s 600th year, the flood came. The water surged. Noah and his family floated along for quite a while before the flood recedes and they land on Mt Ararat. This narrative about the flood is often looked at as if it was mere allegory. However, many civilizations have some kind of an earthly flood narrative. There is the Epic of Gilgamesh and the story of Pyramus and Thisbe in Ovid’s Metamorphoses. Further, Native American tribes have great flood stories in their folklore as well.

Matthew three introduces John the Baptist. John acts as an Elijah figure, proclaiming Messiah’s arrival. John wore a camel hair coat and ate locusts and wild honey. The people in Jerusalem, Judea, and all the vicinity of the Jordan were flocking to him. In John’s Gospel, we will see that these folks are flocking to him at first because they think he might be the Messiah. John informs everyone that he is not the Messiah, he is merely the herald. Jesus approaches John and is baptized by him. John protests at first, but ultimately performs the baptism. Jesus had no real need to be baptized. He was perfect in every way. Jesus is baptized because it was part of the Father’s will. Jesus was following His Father’s commands. He will spend all of His life upholding God’s law.

Genesis 9-11 and Matthew 4

God establishes His covenant with Noah in Genesis Nine. He again tells them to be fruitful and multiply. God also informs them that the animals will be terrified of them. The animals are placed under their authority and they are now allowed to eat the animals. Prior to the flood, they were on a vegetarian diet. One caveat to eating the meat is that they are not allowed to eat anything with its blood still in it. God also promises that He will not flood the earth again. We certainly still deal with floods today. As bad as the flooding can be, it is not global. Genesis 10 provides us with the Table of Nations, explaining the descendants of Noah’s sons.

We read about the Tower of Babel. The people had not spread out throughout the land like they were supposed to. They all shared the same language and enjoyed many conveniences of centralized. However, that ease of life leads them to some wayward thinking. Collectively, they decide that they are going to build a city with a tower that reaches all the way to heaven. Their intent is to make a name for themselves and not be scattered over the face of the earth. The LORD comes down and sees what the people are doing. He changes their language and they all scatter across the earth. Ironic since this is exactly what they did not want to happen!

Matthew Four deals with the temptation of Jesus. Jesus is led into the wilderness by the Spirit. He remains in the wilderness for 40 days and 40 nights. When he is hungry, the devil tempts Him to make some bread out of the stones. Jesus certainly could have done that. The enemy goes right after where he knows the most temptation will be, to fill a hungry stomach. Jesus does not give in to the temptation. Instead, He quotes Scripture to the devil to ward him off. Then the devil takes Jesus to a high point and tells Him to throw Himself down, citing Scripture trying to get Jesus to fall. Jesus fights back with more Scripture. Finally, the enemy takes Jesus and shows Him all of the kingdoms and promises them to Jesus if He will simply bow down and worship. Once again Jesus does not fall for it. The ridiculous part of this third temptation is that Jesus is already King of Kings. He has ultimate authority over them.

Some things we can learn about sin from here. In the first temptation, it is going to meet an immediate need. However, it would require Jesus to go against the Father’s will. Sometimes we will be presented with the idea that we need something, there is something lacking in our lives that needs to be fulfilled, and we can be tempted to fill that void with sin. Sin over promises and under delivers. Another thing we learn is that sometimes folks will come along with Scriptures to try to justify sinfulness. As believers, we need to know exactly what the Word says so that when someone tries to bamboozle us we will know better. Finally, sin sometimes will tempt us to take the easy way. The easy way is not always the best way.

Genesis 9-11 and Matthew 4

God establishes His covenant with Noah in Genesis Nine. He again tells them to be fruitful and multiply. God also informs them that the animals will be terrified of them. The animals are placed under their authority and they are now allowed to eat the animals. Prior to the flood, they were on a vegetarian diet. One caveat to eating the meat is that they are not allowed to eat anything with its blood still in it. God also promises that He will not flood the earth again. We certainly still deal with floods today. As bad as the flooding can be, it is not global. Genesis 10 provides us with the Table of Nations, explaining the descendants of Noah’s sons.

We read about the Tower of Babel. The people had not spread out throughout the land like they were supposed to. They all shared the same language and enjoyed many conveniences of centralized. However, that ease of life leads them to some wayward thinking. Collectively, they decide that they are going to build a city with a tower that reaches all the way to heaven. Their intent is to make a name for themselves and not be scattered over the face of the earth. The LORD comes down and sees what the people are doing. He changes their language and they all scatter across the earth. Ironic since this is exactly what they did not want to happen!

Matthew Four deals with the temptation of Jesus. Jesus is led into the wilderness by the Spirit. He remains in the wilderness for 40 days and 40 nights. When he is hungry, the devil tempts Him to make some bread out of the stones. Jesus certainly could have done that. The enemy goes right after where he knows the most temptation will be, to fill a hungry stomach. Jesus does not give in to the temptation. Instead, He quotes Scripture to the devil to ward him off. Then the devil takes Jesus to a high point and tells Him to throw Himself down, citing Scripture trying to get Jesus to fall. Jesus fights back with more Scripture. Finally, the enemy takes Jesus and shows Him all of the kingdoms and promises them to Jesus if He will simply bow down and worship. Once again Jesus does not fall for it. The ridiculous part of this third temptation is that Jesus is already King of Kings. He has ultimate authority over them.

Some things we can learn about sin from here. In the first temptation, it is going to meet an immediate need. However, it would require Jesus to go against the Father’s will. Sometimes we will be presented with the idea that we need something, there is something lacking in our lives that needs to be fulfilled, and we can be tempted to fill that void with sin. Sin over promises and under delivers. Another thing we learn is that sometimes folks will come along with Scriptures to try to justify sinfulness. As believers, we need to know exactly what the Word says so that when someone tries to bamboozle us we will know better. Finally, sin sometimes will tempt us to take the easy way. The easy way is not always the best way.

Genesis 12-14 and Matthew 5:1-26

Abram is called by the LORD. He is told to leave his father and everything he knows and go to the land that God will show him. Abram follows the command and takes his family along with his nephew Lot and his family. He had been in the land for 75 years, but he willfully did what God had told him to. They came to the oak of Moreh. The Canaanites are there, but God promises that He will give this land to Abram and his descendants. In response to God’s promise, Abram builds an altar to The LORD. Time goes by and famine breaks out. So Abram follows along with what the other people are doing and heads to Egypt. Since his wife is so beautiful, he fears for his life and asks that Sarai tell everyone that she is his sister. Pharaoh takes a romantic interest in Sarai, but God strikes him with severe plagues. He kicks Abram out of Egypt, but he also sends Abram with all that he had acquired during his time in Egypt.

Times are good for Lot and Abram. They are both so wealthy that a dispute breaks out between their workers due to a shortage of land for their livestock to graze on. They decide to separate. Abram had every right to take the first pick and send Lot wherever. However, Abram gives Lot the first choice. Lot looks out and sees the lush lands and the opulence of Sodom and Gomorrah and chooses that land for himself. He first sets his camp up outside of the city, but will eventually move into the city walls. Over time, kings rise up and decide to go against the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah. They rush the land and take many captive, including Lot. Abram goes and rescues Lot. When the kings are defeated, Melchizedek, a priest of the Most High, brings out bread and wine and blesses Abram. The king of Sodom tries to bless Abram afterwards, but Abram refuses anything from the king.

Matthew five contains the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus starts with what are known as the Beatitudes. He delivers a message of hope to the hopeless, comfort to those that are mourning, and the gentle because they will inherit the earth. Jesus calls the people to be salt and light. Salt when it is no longer salty is not useful and it is thrown out. A light bulb isn’t useful when it no longer gives light and it is thrown out. My hope and prayer is that we will continue being the salt and light that God has called us to be.

Genesis 15-17 and Matthew 5:27-48

God establishes His covenant with Abram in Genesis 15. He promises that Abram will receive a great reward. Abram is not interested in the reward since he does not have a son to pass the reward onto. Instead, his servant Eliezer will inherit everything. God assures Abram that he and Sarai will have a son. Abram is super happy about the news and takes it to Sarai. Sarai says that there is no way that she will be giving him a child since she has been barren and offers up her concubine Hagar. This is where Abram really messed up. Rather than say, “Oh no, Sarai, the child is going to be with you” he goes along with Sarai’s plan. Hagar becomes pregnant with Ishmael and now Sarai shows her disdain. Hagar leaves the house because Sarai is so abusive. In her travels, she encounters the Angel of the LORD. He tells her to go back to her mistress and He will greatly multiply her offspring. However, her son Ishmael will be like a wild donkey and he will live at odds with all of her brothers. One thing to note about this is that the unrest in the Middle East was prophesied all the way back here in Genesis. We see the result of this prophecy today in Israel and the surrounding areas.

At the age of 99, God appears to Abram and tells him that he is going to establish his covenant. This covenant would require that every male, sons and servants, must be circumcised. Abram takes all of the men in his household and has them circumcised. Anyone that did not submit to this was sent away. God also promises a son through Sarai. Abram laughs because he thinks it is impossible for his wife to give birth at such an advanced age. He wishes that Ishmael would be a suitable heir instead. God promises that Ishmael will become a great nation. But He will confirm His covenant with Isaac, the son to be born of Sarai.

Our reading in Matthew continues with the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus explains that sin is born in the heart. To merely think of killing someone or lusting after someone is to commit the act of murder or adultery. For so long, the law was focused on not committing sins in the flesh. Jesus is warning here that sin begins in the heart. The heart has to be clean in order to live a holy life. Jesus warns the people that it would be better for them if they cut their eye out or their hand off if it caused them to sin. Sin is just that serious. As believers, we are to cut out the sinful things in our lives. If we want to get away from sin, we must take it seriously!

Genesis 18-19 and Matthew 6

Abraham (formerly Abram) is sitting at the entrance of his tent when he sees three visitors at the oaks of Mamre. One of them was God Himself and the other two were angels. Abraham immediately runs to them and bows. He asks them to stay and freshen up with some water and have some bread. They agree. Abraham goes above and beyond. He has Sarah (formerly Sarai) take out three measures of fine flour and make the visitors bread. Abraham also ran to the field and got a tender choice calf and had it prepared. He fed the visitors remaining in a servant position. They ask where Sarah is. She was in her tent at the time. The LORD tells Abraham that Sarah is going to be pregnant within the year. Sarah laughs when she hears what is said. God asks her why she laughed, but she denied laughing. He simply responds, “No, you did laugh.” We cannot hide anything from God.

Abraham is brought in on what is about to happen to Sodom and Gomorrah. Abraham asks if God will spare the city if He finds 50 righteous people. God agrees to not destroy the city. Eventually, Abraham whittles that number down to ten righteous people in the city. The men depart and arrive in Sodom. Lot tries to play host to the two visitors that enter the city. However, he does not have the same kind of time that Abraham had to prepare a meal. Instead, he gives them unleavened bread. Lot enjoyed a prominent position in Sodom. As he is in his house, all of the men demand Lot send them out. Lot tries to give his daughters instead. The angels let Lot know they are about to destroy the city. Lot goes to his would be sons in law and tells them what is about to happen. They do not believe it. To a degree, it looks like Lot and his family do not believe it either because they have to be led out of the city. As they are leaving, Lot’s wife looks back on the destruction and turns to salt.

Matthew six continues on with the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus encourages the people to be careful when they are giving. They should not strive to appear righteous in front of people. Instead, they should just be righteous. If they are giving to the poor to gain accolade from other people, then that is their reward. Jesus also gives them the model prayer. This prayer is the basis for the ACTS model of praying. Adoration- give God the glory! Confess- confess your sins to God. Thanksgiving- give thanks for all He has done! Supplication- ask Him for what you need. God hears and answers all prayers. He either says “yes”, “no”, or “wait”. Jesus also encourages the people not to worry about what they will eat or drink. God provides for the birds of the air and He cares about us a lot more than them. No need to fear, God will take care of us!

Genesis 20-22 and Matthew 7

Abraham travels to the Negev, settling between Kadesh and Shur. Having learned absolutely nothing from his time in Egypt, he once again tells the people in Gerar that Sarah is his sister. Abimelech, the king of Gerar had Sarah brought to him. God came to Abimelech and told him what sin he was about to commit since Sarah was a married woman. Abimelech has Abraham brought to him and confronts him about the lie he had told. Abimelech then returns Sarah, giving Abraham 1,000 pieces of silver and servants.

Sarah became pregnant with Isaac. As Isaac grew, Sarah catches Ishmael mocking him. She goes to Abraham and demands that he and Hagar be sent away. Abraham struggles with this at first, but God promises to take care of them and tells him to go with what Sarah wants. Hagar and Ishmael depart and then God sends a big test to Abraham. He is told to take Isaac out to the land of Moriah, build an altar, and sacrifice Isaac as a burnt offering. Abraham dutifully packs up what he needs to and heads out with Isaac. Isaac asks Abraham where the lamb for the burnt offering is. Abraham declares that God will provide the offering. God had promised Abraham that Isaac would have a lot of offspring. He must have held onto that promise, he just did not know how God would keep His promise if Isaac was sacrificed. Abraham begins performing the sacrifice and is told to stop at the last minute. Abraham has proven that he loves God and obeys Him before anything else. After that, they see a ram caught in a thicket and sacrifice it.

Matthew seven closes out the Sermon on the Mount. It begins with one of the most often quoted Scriptures. The people are told not to judge. I have heard “do not judge” thrown around a lot. As believers, we are not to judge. If we judge others by our standards then that is a standard that we will be judged by. As it stands, everyone is sinful. Everyone struggles with sinfulness and wickedness. Everyone is guilty of offending God. However, there will be judgment one day. We are not to judge one another, but we should hold one another accountable. Folks that hold us accountable are not looking to judge us. Instead, they are looking to help us get better. As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another. (Proverbs 27:17)

Genesis 23-24 and Matthew 8.

Sarah, Abraham’s wife, passes away at the ripe age of 127. Abraham goes into mourning and then approaches the Hittites about a burial site for his wife. Though the Hittites were a pagan people, they recognized Abraham as ”God’s chosen one” among them. Abraham had a lot of money and status at this time, but he approaches in humility, bowing to them. They reach an agreement to for Abraham to purchase the field at Machpela.

In Abraham’s culture, the surviving family members were required to preserve the deceased bones, preferably in a cave. The cave would become a family burial tomb where other family members would rest. This tomb for Sarah was no different. Abraham buries Sarah in this cave. He too will rest in that cave one day.

Abraham is getting older. So is Isaac. One mark of Abraham’s life is his concern about his posterity, preserving his family line. He makes his servant pledge an oath that he will not allow Isaac to take a wife from among the Canaanites. Instead, he is to go back to Abraham’s land and family to find a wife for Isaac. He assures the servant that a bride will be found for his son there. The servant sets out for Aram-naharaim. Sure enough, he finds Rebekah. She willingly returns with Abraham’s servant even though it was customary for a bride to wait several days before leaving her family.

Matthew gives us information about what Jesus did after the Sermon on the Mount. A man with a serious skin disease (most likely leprosy) approaches Him and proclaims that if Jesus is willing, He can heal him. Jesus says that He is willing and heals the man. He also tells the man not to tell anyone what He has done. Instead, he is to show himself to the chief priests so that they can proclaim him clean. This was a customary Levitical Law practice. When a person had a skin disease, it was the priests that determined whether the person was clean. It may seem odd that Jesus tells the man not to tell anyone who healed him. However, when we remember to earlier in our reading in Matthew, Jesus warned the people that if they are practicing righteousness to be seen by people, then that is their reward (Matt 6:1-2). This is just one example of many where Jesus practices what He preaches!

Genesis 25-26 and Matthew 9:1-17

Abraham married another woman. He fathered children with her, but he did not have the same devotion to these children as he did to Isaac. He gave everything he owned to Isaac, whereas he only gave gifts to the sons of his concubines. One way to phrase it would be to say that these other children had been taken out of the will. He gave them things, but they would not inherit anything from him. they are sent eastward to the Arabian peninsula. Abraham passes away at 175 years. Ishmael and Isaac unite briefly to bury their father. The descendants of Ishmael are recorded.

Isaac’s wife becomes pregnant with Jacob and Esau. Though Esau will be born first, he will serve Jacob. Esau was a hunter and favored by Isaac. Jacob was favored by his mother. Esau is a lesson in why it is important to not make rash decisions. When he comes back from a hunt, Jacob is making a stew. At this point, Esau decides that he is so hungry that if he does not eat anything then he will die. So, he offers up his birthright in exchange for the ”red stuff”. Esau was impatient and it costs him dearly.

There is a famine in the land. When famine hit during Abraham’s time, he went to Egypt. God warns Isaac not to go to Egypt. Instead, he is to go where he has told him to go. Isaac winds up in Gerar, just like his dad did in Genesis 20. Unfortunately, we see Isaac make the same mistake Abraham did. He tells Abimelech that his wife is his sister.

In the New Testament reading, Jesus heals a man. This time He does it in front of some scribes and tells the man that his sins are forgiven. The scribes accuse Jesus of blasphemy. From there, Jesus meets Matthew, a tax collector and tells him to follow him. Matthew obeys. This displeased the “religious” types. Tax collectors were a hated group. They were disliked by the Israelites because they were notoriously greedy. The tax collector was able to collect whatever he wanted to from a family. The Romans did not simply give them a paycheck from the taxes these men collected. Instead, the tax collectors took their paychecks from the people. Jesus is caught dining with more tax collectors and sinners. The religious elite are upset by this. Jesus informs them that He did not come to call the righteous, but sinners.

The trick here, of course, is that the ”righteous” that Jesus was talking to were not righteous at all. They were in need of cleansing from the Messiah as well. They were just too wrapped up in themselves and their position to see it. All fall short of the glory of God.

Genesis 27-28 and Matthew 9:18-38

Isaac has grown older and it is time for him to bless Esau. He sends Esau away to bring him back some game. We see just how calculating Jacob and Rebekah are. Rebekah warns Jacob that Isaac is about to give the blessing to Esau. She hatches a scheme. Isaac’s eyesight is failing in his old age. She puts some goat skins on Jacob’s arms and dresses him in Esau’s clothes. Jacob goes to his father with some lambs that his mother prepared. Isaac questions whether it is really Esau or not, stating that the voice is Jacob’s but the hands are Esau’s. Jacob keeps up with the lie and Isaac gives him the blessing. As soon as Jacob leaves, Esau shows up and Isaac trembles as he realizes what he has just done. Esau is enraged!

This is one event where I question how anyone can think that the Bible is a boring book! This has all the makings of a modern-day drama with deceit and treachery amongst family members!

Jacob leaves having been instructed to not take a wife from the Canaanites (just as Abraham had commanded for Isaac). Esau learns this. Thinking that it is his father that despises the Canaanite women, he goes to Ishmael and married several women of Canaanite descent. A relationship is forged between Isaac’s descendants and Ishmael’s descendants all based on spite for his father and the lost blessing.

In the New Testament, we read about more healings. Jesus heals a young girl that is dying. He also heals a woman that has been suffering with bleeding for 12 years and restores the sight of two blind men. In chapter 9:36 we see the compassion that Jesus has for the people. He sees that there are so many that do not have a shepherd. He doesn’t have anger toward them. He doesn’t look down upon them for being lost. Instead, Jesus has compassion for them.

Genesis 27-28 and Matthew 9:18-38

Isaac has grown older and it is time for him to bless Esau. He sends Esau away to bring him back some game. We see just how calculating Jacob and Rebekah are. Rebekah warns Jacob that Isaac is about to give the blessing to Esau. She hatches a scheme. Isaac’s eyesight is failing in his old age. She puts some goat skins on Jacob’s arms and dresses him in Esau’s clothes. Jacob goes to his father with some lambs that his mother prepared. Isaac questions whether it is really Esau or not, stating that the voice is Jacob’s but the hands are Esau’s. Jacob keeps up with the lie and Isaac gives him the blessing. As soon as Jacob leaves, Esau shows up and Isaac trembles as he realizes what he has just done. Esau is enraged!

This is one event where I question how anyone can think that the Bible is a boring book! This has all the makings of a modern day drama with deceit and treachery amongst family members!

Jacob leaves having been instructed to not take a wife from the Canaanites (just as Abraham had commanded for Isaac). Esau learns this. Thinking that it is his father that despises the Canaanite women, he goes to Ishmael and married several women of Canaanite descent. A relationship is forged between Isaac’s descendants and Ishmael’s descendants all based on spite for his father and the lost blessing.

In the New Testament, we read about more healings. Jesus heals a young girl that is dying. He also heals a woman that has been suffering with bleeding for 12 years and restores the sight of two blind men. In chapter 9:36 we see the compassion that Jesus has for the people. He sees that there are so many that do not have a shepherd. He doesn’t have anger toward them. He doesn’t look down upon them for being lost. Instead, Jesus has compassion for them.

Genesis 29-30 and Matthew 10:1-23

Jacob continues on his journey when he meets Rachel. He is thrilled to have found her. Rachel reports to Laban who Jacob is and that he is present. When Laban hears this, he is thrilled and runs to greet Jacob. Jacob stays with Laban for about a month. We can infer that he had been working, earning his keep around the house since Laban feels it is not right for him to work for nothing. They strike a deal. After seven years of work, Jacob can take Rachel as his wife. The seven years pass quickly because he loves her so much. At the end of his work, Jacob demands Rachel. Laban then sets up the wedding feast inviting all the men of the place. However, he does not give him Rachel. Instead, he gives Leah. The deceiver has become the deceived.

Laban dismisses his actions saying that it is customary to marry the older daughter first. Jacob still wants Rachel so he agrees to work for another seven years. He loved Rachel more than Leah. Unfortunately for Rachel, she was barren, but Leah provides six sons to Jacob. In desperation, Rachel cries out to The LORD. He opens her womb and she conceives a son and names him Joseph.

In Matthew, Jesus appoints the 12 disciples. He sends them out to heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those with skin diseases, and drive out demons. They are not to charge anyone for the works they will perform since they have received freely. Jesus tells them not to take any provisions for travel. God will provide what they need. He also tells them to not waste their time in a town. If the town is refusing the message of Christ, they are to shake the dust off of their sandals and move on. Jesus warns them of the trouble ahead for them. Walking with Him is not for the faint of heart!

Genesis 31-32 and Matthew 10:24-42

Laban begins to look at Jacob with contempt. Even Laban’s sons are complaining about Jacob taking wealth from their father. Jacob’s wages were the spotted and striped sheep. Even though he had set the poplar branches out when the stronger of the flock were breeding, Genesis 31 makes it abundantly clear that it was God that made Jacob’s flocks stronger than Laban’s. Jacob leaves with his wives and sons. Laban pursues them. After Jacob airs his grievances about Laban’s treatment, they establish a covenant and build a stone mound to commemorate the agreement. Laban calls the mound Jegar-sahadutha, but Jacob calls is Galeed. Both mean “Mount of Witness”. Jacob named it in Hebrew and Laban named it in Aramaic.

Jacob continues on his way. He has just dealt with his father in law and now he is about to meet up with his scorned brother Esau. Jacob is terrified after he receives the report of how many men Esau has with him. So, he sends many gifts to his brother with some servants ahead of the traveling party. Keep in mind that money was not a thing back then. Instead, wealthy as measured by livestock and land. Jacob is parting with a hefty amount of his wealth in his attempt to appease Esau. Jacob actively works to set several barriers between himself and his brother.

During the night, Jacob sends his family to Jabbok. After the family had crossed the stream, Jacob was left alone, or so he thought. He spends the night wrestling a man. The Hebrew language changes to show that this was no ordinary man. Jacob is wrestling with God. He puts up a good fight and he demands that God bless him. Jacob will now be named Israel.

We get assurance from Jesus in our New Testament reading. We have no need to fear because God is going to take care of us. He takes care of all the wildlife. They are fed and have what they need to survive. God will do the same for us. Jesus also promises that if we acknowledge Him in front of others, He will acknowledge us before the Father in heaven. He also warns that if we do not acknowledge Him, He will not acknowledge us.

Genesis 33-35 and Matthew 11

Jacob, now Israel, continues moving toward Esau. He looks up and sees that Esau is before him with 400 men. Jacob divides up his family behind him according to their status. He goes ahead of them and bows seven times before Esau, a sign of unparalleled respect at the time. Esau rushes to greet Israel. This encounter is completely different than we would expect it to have been. Esau is no longer bitter. He explains that he has enough. The men go their separate ways.

Shechem is infatuated with Leah’s daughter, Dina. He rapes the woman and Jacob finds out about it. Hamor, Shechem’s father, approaches Jacob about giving Dinah to his son as a wife. When Jacob’s sons return, Hamor explains to them how much Shechem loves their sister. He encourages them all to intermarry. The men explain to him that it would be a disgrace since his son is uncircumcised. They tell Shechem that if he has all of the men in his camp circumcised, then they will allow the marriage. This seems like a great idea to Shechem, so he goes and does just that. On the second day after the circumcision, when the men were still in pain, Jacob’s sons Levi and Simeon, went in and slaughtered every Hivite man.

From there Jacob is told to go to Bethel. He packs up his things, buries the foreign gods by a tree, and terror falls on the surrounding people so that they will not pursue him. God blesses Jacob once again, repeating the blessing that his name will now be Israel. Rachel gives birth to one more son, but the birth is difficult and she passes away shortly after delivering Benjamin.

We learn more about an interaction between Jesus and John the Baptist’s disciples. John is in prison, so he sends some of his men to ask if Jesus is the Messiah. He sends them back with a message that affirms He is the One. Jesus also tells the people that John was the one identified in Isaiah as the messenger that would herald the Messiah. Of course, many did not believe John because he came in a hairy garment with wild hair, eating wild honey and locusts. They claimed he had a demon because he did not come eating or drinking like the other Israelites. At the same time, they denied Jesus’s Messiahship because He came eating and drinking, saying that He is a drunkard and glutton.

Some people will do what they can to find fault no matter what. Some people just refuse to accept something for what it is. They will change up the standard of measurement, not because it is right, but because it protects what they want to believe.

Genesis 36-37 and Matthew 12:1-21

Genesis 36 details the descendants of Esau. While some of us might be tempted to gloss over this reading, it is important to showing God fulfilling His promise to Abraham. The Edomites, a nation founded by Esau, will later have squabbles with the Israelites. However, they also grow, fulfilling God’s promise that Abraham would have many descendants. The text here also shows that the Edomites had established their kings well before Israel installed king Saul.

Israel, aka Jacob, remained in Canaan. He has his favorite son Joseph that begins having a series of dreams. All of these dreams point to the future where all of his brothers will bow down before him. As you can imagine, this does not set well with them. They already have a certain amount of disdain for him since he is Israel’s favorite. The brothers decide that they will kill him, but Reuben reasons with them. Instead of killing him, they are just going to make it look like he was killed and throw him into a pit instead. Reuben’s plan was to go back and rescue Joseph later. However, Joseph never makes it into the pit. Instead, he is sold into slavery and taken to Egypt. The brothers think this is the last they have seen of Joseph. They are incredibly wrong!

In our New Testament reading, we see that Jesus is showing the true meaning of the Sabbath. The Pharisees and Sadducees were too wrapped up in the Law itself. They were making the Sabbath something they served rather than it being something for them. So, Jesus heals a whole lot of people on the Sabbath. The Sabbath was meant to be a day of rest. It was meant to be a blessing to the people, not something that forbid them from doing good.

Genesis 38-40 and Matthew 12: 22-50.

Judah breaks away while Jacob is still grieving Joseph’s supposed death. This was most likely because of the guilt he bore in the plot. He finds a wife for his firstborn son, but he is deemed evil, so The LORD strikes down the son. Judah goes to his second son, Onan, telling him to impregnate his brother’s widow, Tamar. This might seem odd to us, but this was a common practice in the Ancient Near East. Onan is deceitful and ensures that he will not get her pregnant.

Judah’s wife passes away and he goes into mourning. After he is done mourning, Tamar removes her mourning clothes and covers her face. Judah believes she is a prostitute, sleeps with her, and impregnates her. Later, when Tamar is dressed normally, she is confronted about her pregnancy. Tamar proves that the father is in fact Judah.

Meanwhile, Joseph is alive and well. He was working hard for Potiphar and there was nothing that was withheld from him. Potiphar’s wife takes an interest in him because he was well built. She continually harasses him, asking him to sleep with her. This was a constant thing and in her final temptation, she managed to get ahold of his garment and keep it with her. She then cries foul, telling everyone that Joseph attempted to rape her. This results in Joseph going to prison where he tends to the chief cupbearer and the chief baker. He interprets dreams for the two. The cupbearer receives good news. The chief baker does not.

In Matthew, Jesus is accused of driving out demons by Beelzebul. Jesus refutes the accusations, stating that a house divided against itself cannot stand. Jesus also warns them that a good tree will bear good fruit and a bad tree bears bad. One thing that we must ask ourselves regularly as believers is if we are in fact bearing the fruit of the Spirit or the fruit of the world.

Genesis 41 and Matthew 13:1-32.

Pharaoh is having some disturbing dreams. No one is able to interpret the dream. The chief cupbearer overhears the problem and confides in Pharaoh that the Jewish man he was in prison with is able to interpret dreams. Pharaoh has Joseph brought to him and explains that no one can interpret the dreams. Joseph explains that he cannot explain the dream. Instead, God Almighty is the one that will interpret it. Egypt is in store for seven great years of abundance, but seven years of severe famine will follow them, making people forget about the great abundance from before. Joseph is given a place of honor and put in charge of the effort to prepare for the coming famine. Joseph, whether in a good or bad situation, constantly did well and sought The LORD. Due to his diligence and hard work ethic, he finds himself in a place of prominence!

In our Matthew reading, Jesus teaches in parables. He teaches about the seed Sower that spreads his seed. Some of the seed falls among the weeds and is choked out. Some seed gets into shallow soil and sprouts quickly, but it is quickly withered by the sun. Other seed falls on the hard ground and never grows any root. Still some of the seed lands in good soil and develops a great crop. Jesus also tells the parable of the wheat and the weeds. The farmer plants the wheat, but an enemy comes in and plants weeds among the wheat. The men that tend to the land ask if they should pull the weeds up. The farmer tells them to leave them both. If they pull the weeds, they may pull the wheat as well. They will both grow. At harvest the wheat will be gathered and put in the barn. The weeds will be gathered first, bundled, and thrown into the fire.

Genesis 42-43 and Matthew 13:33-58.

The famine hits not just Egypt, but all of the surrounding areas. Jacob finds out that there is grain in Egypt, so he sends his sons there. It is interesting to note that when famine hit earlier in Genesis, Abraham went to Egypt for a safe haven. The sons go with the exception of Benjamin. He was the last of Rachel’s children and Israel did not want to part with him. The men arrive in Egypt, where they find themselves bowing down to their brother Joseph, just as his dreams had indicated. They do not recognize their brother, nor do they think that he can understand them. Since Joseph held such a high place within the Egyptian government, he was adorned with the common Egyptian dress. Joseph has also spent many years in Egypt, so he would be very familiar with the language and use it often. There was no google translate back then, so he would have had to adjust to the language, dress, and culture. He sends his brothers back with grain and all of their money, but holds Simeon back as collateral. They return and explain what has happened. Israel in a moment of self pity cries, “Everything happens to me!”

The brothers do not return to Egypt until their grain runs out. They know that they are coming under judgment because of what they had done to Joseph so many years ago. The crime they committed still haunts them and their fear is intense.

In our New Testament reading, we have more parables. Jesus gives them the parable that shows how precious the kingdom of God is. It is like a priceless pearl that a merchant sells everything he has just to purchase it. When we come to know Jesus as Lord and Savior, the things of this world aren’t as shiny and nice anymore. We don’t have residence on earth. Instead, we belong in God’s kingdom. As believers, we know that our salvation through Christ is more precious than anything this world has to offer.

There is an interesting problem Jesus runs into in Nazareth. The people from His hometown reject Him. They merely see Him as Joseph’s kid, the son of a carpenter. They do not see Him as Messiah. We can run into similar problems with people that know us from our past. I was a completely different person before coming to faith. The folks that knew me prior to conversion would probably still look on my past to downplay my faith. Not to worry, God doesn’t hold our past against us. We might, our friends might, and the enemy sure will, but God holds no record of wrong when we are washed with the blood of Jesus.

Genesis 27-28 and Matthew 9:18-38

Isaac has grown older and it is time for him to bless Esau. He sends Esau away to bring him back some game. We see just how calculating Jacob and Rebekah are. Rebekah warns Jacob that Isaac is about to give the blessing to Esau. She hatches a scheme. Isaac’s eyesight is failing in his old age. She puts some goat skins on Jacob’s arms and dresses him in Esau’s clothes. Jacob goes to his father with some lambs that his mother prepared. Isaac questions whether it is really Esau or not, stating that the voice is Jacob’s but the hands are Esau’s. Jacob keeps up with the lie and Isaac gives him the blessing. As soon as Jacob leaves, Esau shows up and Isaac trembles as he realizes what he has just done. Esau is enraged!

This is one event where I question how anyone can think that the Bible is a boring book! This has all the makings of a modern day drama with deceit and treachery amongst family members!

Jacob leaves having been instructed to not take a wife from the Canaanites (just as Abraham had commanded for Isaac). Esau learns this. Thinking that it is his father that despises the Canaanite women, he goes to Ishmael and married several women of Canaanite descent. A relationship is forged between Isaac’s descendants and Ishmael’s descendants all based on spite for his father and the lost blessing.

In the New Testament, we read about more healings. Jesus heals a young girl that is dying. He also heals a woman that has been suffering with bleeding for 12 years and restores the sight of two blind men. In chapter 9:36 we see the compassion that Jesus has for the people. He sees that there are so many that do not have a shepherd. He doesn’t have anger toward them. He doesn’t look down upon them for being lost. Instead, Jesus has compassion for them.

Genesis 29-30 and Matthew 10:1-23

Jacob continues on his journey when he meets Rachel. He is thrilled to have found her. Rachel reports to Laban who Jacob is and that he is present. When Laban hears this, he is thrilled and runs to greet Jacob. Jacob stays with Laban for about a month. We can infer that he had been working, earning his keep around the house since Laban feels it is not right for him to work for nothing. They strike a deal. After seven years of work, Jacob can take Rachel as his wife. The seven years pass quickly because he loves her so much. At the end of his work, Jacob demands Rachel. Laban then sets up the wedding feast inviting all the men of the place. However, he does not give him Rachel. Instead, he gives Leah. The deceiver has become the deceived.

Laban dismisses his actions saying that it is customary to marry the older daughter first. Jacob still wants Rachel so he agrees to work for another seven years. He loved Rachel more than Leah. Unfortunately for Rachel, she was barren, but Leah provides six sons to Jacob. In desperation, Rachel cries out to The LORD. He opens her womb and she conceives a son and names him Joseph.

In Matthew, Jesus appoints the 12 disciples. He sends them out to heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those with skin diseases, and drive out demons. They are not to charge anyone for the works they will perform since they have received freely. Jesus tells them not to take any provisions for travel. God will provide what they need. He also tells them to not waste their time in a town. If the town is refusing the message of Christ, they are to shake the dust off of their sandals and move on. Jesus warns them of the trouble ahead for them. Walking with Him is not for the faint of heart!

Genesis 31-32 and Matthew 10:24-42

Laban begins to look at Jacob with contempt. Even Laban’s sons are complaining about Jacob taking wealth from their father. Jacob’s wages were the spotted and striped sheep. Even though he had set the poplar branches out when the stronger of the flock were breeding, Genesis 31 makes it abundantly clear that it was God that made Jacob’s flocks stronger than Laban’s. Jacob leaves with his wives and sons. Laban pursues them. After Jacob airs his grievances about Laban’s treatment, they establish a covenant and build a stone mound to commemorate the agreement. Laban calls the mound Jegar-sahadutha, but Jacob calls is Galeed. Both mean “Mount of Witness”. Jacob named it in Hebrew and Laban named it in Aramaic.

Jacob continues on his way. He has just dealt with his father in law and now he is about to meet up with his scorned brother Esau. Jacob is terrified after he receives the report of how many men Esau has with him. So, he sends many gifts to his brother with some servants ahead of the traveling party. Keep in mind that money was not a thing back then. Instead, wealthy as measured by livestock and land. Jacob is parting with a hefty amount of his wealth in his attempt to appease Esau. Jacob actively works to set several barriers between himself and his brother.

During the night, Jacob sends his family to Jabbok. After the family had crossed the stream, Jacob was left alone, or so he thought. He spends the night wrestling a man. The Hebrew language changes to show that this was no ordinary man. Jacob is wrestling with God. He puts up a good fight and he demands that God bless him. Jacob will now be named Israel.

We get assurance from Jesus in our New Testament reading. We have no need to fear because God is going to take care of us. He takes care of all the wildlife. They are fed and have what they need to survive. God will do the same for us. Jesus also promises that if we acknowledge Him in front of others, He will acknowledge us before the Father in heaven. He also warns that if we do not acknowledge Him, He will not acknowledge us.

Genesis 33-35 and Matthew 11

Jacob, now Israel, continues moving toward Esau. He looks up and sees that Esau is before him with 400 men. Jacob divides up his family behind him according to their status. He goes ahead of them and bows seven times before Esau, a sign of unparalleled respect at the time. Esau rushes to greet Israel. This encounter is completely different than we would expect it to have been. Esau is no longer bitter. He explains that he has enough. The men go their separate ways.

Shechem is infatuated with Leah’s daughter, Dina. He rapes the woman and Jacob finds out about it. Hamor, Shechem’s father, approaches Jacob about giving Dinah to his son as a wife. When Jacob’s sons return, Hamor explains to them how much Shechem loves their sister. He encourages them all to intermarry. The men explain to him that it would be a disgrace since his son is uncircumcised. They tell Shechem that if he has all of the men in his camp circumcised, then they will allow the marriage. This seems like a great idea to Shechem, so he goes and does just that. On the second day after the circumcision, when the men were still in pain, Jacob’s sons Levi and Simeon, went in and slaughtered every Hivite man.

From there Jacob is told to go to Bethel. He packs up his things, buries the foreign gods by a tree, and terror falls on the surrounding people so that they will not pursue him. God blesses Jacob once again, repeating the blessing that his name will now be Israel. Rachel gives birth to one more son, but the birth is difficult and she passes away shortly after delivering Benjamin.

We learn more about an interaction between Jesus and John the Baptist’s disciples. John is in prison, so he sends some of his men to ask if Jesus is the Messiah. He sends them back with a message that affirms He is the One. Jesus also tells the people that John was the one identified in Isaiah as the messenger that would herald the Messiah. Of course, many did not believe John because he came in a hairy garment with wild hair, eating wild honey and locusts. They claimed he had a demon because he did not come eating or drinking like the other Israelites. At the same time, they denied Jesus’s Messiahship because He came eating and drinking, saying that He is a drunkard and glutton.

Some people will do what they can to find fault no matter what. Some people just refuse to accept something for what it is. They will change up the standard of measurement, not because it is right, but because it protects what they want to believe.

Genesis 36-37 and Matthew 12:1-21

Genesis 36 details the descendants of Esau. While some of us might be tempted to gloss over this reading, it is important to showing God fulfilling His promise to Abraham. The Edomites, a nation founded by Esau, will later have squabbles with the Israelites. However, they also grow, fulfilling God’s promise that Abraham would have many descendants. The text here also shows that the Edomites had established their kings well before Israel installed king Saul.

Israel, aka Jacob, remained in Canaan. He has his favorite son Joseph that begins having a series of dreams. All of these dreams point to the future where all of his brothers will bow down before him. As you can imagine, this does not set well with them. They already have a certain amount of disdain for him since he is Israel’s favorite. The brothers decide that they will kill him, but Reuben reasons with them. Instead of killing him, they are just going to make it look like he was killed and throw him into a pit instead. Reuben’s plan was to go back and rescue Joseph later. However, Joseph never makes it into the pit. Instead, he is sold into slavery and taken to Egypt. The brothers think this is the last they have seen of Joseph. They are incredibly wrong!

In our New Testament reading, we see that Jesus is showing the true meaning of the Sabbath. The Pharisees and Sadducees were too wrapped up in the Law itself. They were making the Sabbath something they served rather than it being something for them. So, Jesus heals a whole lot of people on the Sabbath. The Sabbath was meant to be a day of rest. It was meant to be a blessing to the people, not something that forbid them from doing good.

Genesis 38-40 and Matthew 12: 22-50.

Judah breaks away while Jacob is still grieving Joseph’s supposed death. This was most likely because of the guilt he bore in the plot. He finds a wife for his firstborn son, but he is deemed evil, so The LORD strikes down the son. Judah goes to his second son, Onan, telling him to impregnate his brother’s widow, Tamar. This might seem odd to us, but this was a common practice in the Ancient Near East. Onan is deceitful and ensures that he will not get her pregnant.

Judah’s wife passes away and he goes into mourning. After he is done mourning, Tamar removes her mourning clothes and covers her face. Judah believes she is a prostitute, sleeps with her, and impregnates her. Later, when Tamar is dressed normally, she is confronted about her pregnancy. Tamar proves that the father is in fact Judah.

Meanwhile, Joseph is alive and well. He was working hard for Potiphar and there was nothing that was withheld from him. Potiphar’s wife takes an interest in him because he was well built. She continually harasses him, asking him to sleep with her. This was a constant thing and in her final temptation, she managed to get ahold of his garment and keep it with her. She then cries foul, telling everyone that Joseph attempted to rape her. This results in Joseph going to prison where he tends to the chief cupbearer and the chief baker. He interprets dreams for the two. The cupbearer receives good news. The chief baker does not.

In Matthew, Jesus is accused of driving out demons by Beelzebul. Jesus refutes the accusations, stating that a house divided against itself cannot stand. Jesus also warns them that a good tree will bear good fruit and a bad tree bears bad. One thing that we must ask ourselves regularly as believers is if we are in fact bearing the fruit of the Spirit or the fruit of the world.

Genesis 41 and Matthew 13:1-32.

Pharaoh is having some disturbing dreams. No one is able to interpret the dream. The chief cupbearer overhears the problem and confides in Pharaoh that the Jewish man he was in prison with is able to interpret dreams. Pharaoh has Joseph brought to him and explains that no one can interpret the dreams. Joseph explains that he cannot explain the dream. Instead, God Almighty is the one that will interpret it. Egypt is in store for seven great years of abundance, but seven years of severe famine will follow them, making people forget about the great abundance from before. Joseph is given a place of honor and put in charge of the effort to prepare for the coming famine. Joseph, whether in a good or bad situation, constantly did well and sought The LORD. Due to his diligence and hard work ethic, he finds himself in a place of prominence!

In our Matthew reading, Jesus teaches in parables. He teaches about the seed Sower that spreads his seed. Some of the seed falls among the weeds and is choked out. Some seed gets into shallow soil and sprouts quickly, but it is quickly withered by the sun. Other seed falls on the hard ground and never grows any root. Still some of the seed lands in good soil and develops a great crop. Jesus also tells the parable of the wheat and the weeds. The farmer plants the wheat, but an enemy comes in and plants weeds among the wheat. The men that tend to the land ask if they should pull the weeds up. The farmer tells them to leave them both. If they pull the weeds, they may pull the wheat as well. They will both grow. At harvest the wheat will be gathered and put in the barn. The weeds will be gathered first, bundled, and thrown into the fire.

Genesis 42-43 and Matthew 13:33-58.

The famine hits not just Egypt, but all of the surrounding areas. Jacob finds out that there is grain in Egypt, so he sends his sons there. It is interesting to note that when famine hit earlier in Genesis, Abraham went to Egypt for a safe haven. The sons go with the exception of Benjamin. He was the last of Rachel’s children and Israel did not want to part with him. The men arrive in Egypt, where they find themselves bowing down to their brother Joseph, just as his dreams had indicated. They do not recognize their brother, nor do they think that he can understand them. Since Joseph held such a high place within the Egyptian government, he was adorned with the common Egyptian dress. Joseph has also spent many years in Egypt, so he would be very familiar with the language and use it often. There was no google translate back then, so he would have had to adjust to the language, dress, and culture. He sends his brothers back with grain and all of their money, but holds Simeon back as collateral. They return and explain what has happened. Israel in a moment of self pity cries, “Everything happens to me!”

The brothers do not return to Egypt until their grain runs out. They know that they are coming under judgment because of what they had done to Joseph so many years ago. The crime they committed still haunts them and their fear is intense.

In our New Testament reading, we have more parables. Jesus gives them the parable that shows how precious the kingdom of God is. It is like a priceless pearl that a merchant sells everything he has just to purchase it. When we come to know Jesus as Lord and Savior, the things of this world aren’t as shiny and nice anymore. We don’t have residence on earth. Instead, we belong in God’s kingdom. As believers, we know that our salvation through Christ is more precious than anything this world has to offer.

There is an interesting problem Jesus runs into in Nazareth. The people from His hometown reject Him. They merely see Him as Joseph’s kid, the son of a carpenter. They do not see Him as Messiah. We can run into similar problems with people that know us from our past. I was a completely different person before coming to faith. The folks that knew me prior to conversion would probably still look on my past to downplay my faith. Not to worry, God doesn’t hold our past against us. We might, our friends might, and the enemy sure will, but God holds no record of wrong when we are washed with the blood of Jesus.

Exodus 19-21 and Matthew 20:1-16

Israel is in Sinai. Moses goes up the mountain to God. God says that if they will listen to Him and carefully keep His covenant, they will be His people. Unlike other covenants we have seen up to this point, this covenant has conditions on it. Moses goes back down the mountain to warn the people that God is going to come down on the mountain with thick fog. They are not to break through the fog or they might see God and die.

While on the mountain, God gives Moses the Ten Commandments. The people are not to have any other gods. They are not to make idols. They are not to misuse the Lord’s name. They are to keep the Sabbath. They are commanded to honor their father and mother. They are commanded to not murder, commit adultery, steal, lie, or covet their neighbor’s possessions. Ten Commandments that we would think would be easy to follow! However, they are not. On the surface, they seem so simple, but in reality, they are incredibly difficult to keep.

God also gives additional laws. Through these laws, we can see just how concerned God is with the preservation of life. If an ox gores someone, the ox is to be put to death, but if the owner of the ox knew that it had a goring problem, then the owner was guilty as well. If someone hits a guy hard enough that he is unable to work for a few days, the man that assaulted the person is not punished, but he is responsible for making up for lost wages. However, if the person dies, then the person is guilty.

In Matthew Jesus tells a parable about the vineyard workers. The owner goes and offers a denarius for working the vineyard. A denarius was roughly a day’s wage. Later in the day, the owner finds other men standing around. He hires them to work the vineyard. He also offers them a denarius for their work. The men hired earlier on in the day are upset that they are getting paid the same amount as the men that worked less.

The thing about following Christ is that the reward we get is eternal life in heaven. That reward is given to anyone that comes to faith in Him. Some of us come to faith early on in our lives. Others come to know Him as Lord and Savior later on. Regardless of when we come to know Jesus, we cannot assume that we will get more of a reward when we are in heaven because we have been working for God so much longer. This seems counterintuitive to our worldly standard where more work equals more pay.

If we are struggling like the workers hired one earlier in the day were, we do have a great consolation. The earlier we come to know Jesus and commit our lives to Him, the less we have to walk in doubt and darkness with the yoke of sin upon us.

Exodus 22-24 and Matthew 20:17-34

God explains how to handle thievery, crops, and a variety of other issues. Many years ago, I had someone try to convince me that ”religion” was invented to keep poor people down and keep the powerful people in power. However, as we read through some of these laws, we will see that God’s laws protect everyone. If a thief is caught and beaten during the night, no one is guilty of bloodshed since the victim does not know the level of danger the thief poses. However, if the sun has risen, then there is guilt of bloodshed. Even in the act of thievery, the thief has some level of protection!

Further, the people are able to work their fields for six years, but on the seventh they have to let it rest. They let the field rest so that the poor among them and the wild animals can consume what is left.

Throughout these laws that God establishes, He makes is very clear that His people are to make sacrifice only to Him. God wants fellowship with His people and they are expressly forbidden from fellowshipping with any other gods. We will see that the people have a hard time with this later in Exodus.

In our New Testament reading, Jesus agains predicts that He will die. He makes it abundantly clear to His followers what is going to happen. Nevertheless, the mother of the “Son’s of Thunder” comes to Jesus and asks that they will sit at Christ’s right and left hand in His kingdom. He asks if they can drink the cup that He is about to drink. They say that they are, but they still do no know quite what they are agreeing to. Jesus explains that they will drink the same cup. Both of these men will be martyred for their faith.

The question applies to us today. Are we willing to drink the cup that Christ drank? Will we go all in for Him as He did for us? As believers, we are called to die to ourselves and make Christ The LORD of our lives.

Exodus 25-26 and Matthew 21:1-22

God now moves on to building the Tabernacle. This will essentially be a holy tent that they take around with them as they wander the desert. It serves as a precursor to the Temple in Jerusalem. There is a level of irony here. During Jesus’s time, the Temple was considered holy and the only place that a person could go and worship The LORD when the Israelites wandered the desert worshipping God at the Tabernacle for decades. The point is that worship is not confined to one spot and one time. Worship can be conducted anywhere and anytime. God is not confined to one place, so our worship of Him should not be confined to one place.

Moses is told to take up an offering to build the Tabernacle. One thing to note is that in the very first verse of chapter 25, God tells Moses to “Take My offering from everyone who is willing to give.” Moses was not supposed to go in and demand money. He is taking offerings from willing people. Believers are called to be cheerful givers. The Tabernacle was funded by a group of people that were willingly giving to God, not begrudgingly giving.

In our Matthew reading, Jesus enters Jerusalem in His triumphal entry. Jesus sends two disciples ahead of Him to get a donkey that had never been ridden before. If they are asked what they are doing, they should just say that “The LORD needs them.” Jesus rides into Jerusalem on a colt, fulfilling the prophecy given in Zechariah 9:9.

Jesus proceeds to enter the Temple complex and begins to clean house. He drives out the money lenders and the people selling animals. In those days, a sacrifice still had to be made to atone for sins. Israelites from all over traveled once a year to Jerusalem to make the sacrifice. Rather than bring their own sacrifice, it was common to purchase an animal there to offer. These money lender and animal merchants were merely offering a convenience. That was not necessarily a problem. The problem is where they had set up their tables to sell and trade. There was no reverence from the people buying or selling. It was a rote ritual that they did because it was “customary”. My hope and prayer is that our walk with the Lord never becomes a rote ritual. I pray that our service to Him never comes down to a matter of convenience. I pray that our days are filled with reverent worship to the Mighty God that saved us from our sin. I pray that we worship Him with all of our hearts, minds, and souls.

Exodus 27-28 and Matthew 21:23-46

God continues to give Moses guidance on constructing things for the tabernacle. We learn about the precise requirements God has for the altar, the courtyard, and who stands watch over the lampstand oil at night. We also learn about what the priestly garments were to look like. One thing that we can learn from these measurement is how precise God wants things. We don’t follow the sacrifices the way that Moses and the Israelites did. However, we are still called to obedience. God desires our obedience before our sacrifice. I humbly submit that if we are obedient, it will drive us to sacrifice.

The priestly garments were ornate and beautiful. They were adorned with twelve gemstones bearing the name of one of the twelve tribes. On the priest’s forehead was a golden plaque that said, “HOLY TO THE LORD”. This was not to say that the priest himself was holy to the LORD. Instead, the entire people group, the Israelites, they are Holy to The LORD.

In our New Testament reading, Jesus gives one of my favorite parables. He tells about the two sons. One is told to go and work the vineyard. He says he will, but he never does. The second son is told to work the field, but he says no. Later on, he changes his mind and goes to work the field. Jesus then asks who did the father’s will. The answer of course was the second son. Even though he had initially denied doing what God wanted him to do, he repents and follows instructions. The first son merely looks the part of doing what God wants, but there is no action behind it.

When it comes to faith, it’s not about ”looking the part.” We are called to follow Jesus. Not all of us are going to look the same, come from the same area, have the same cultural norms. As believers we might have different cultures, but we have One Savior and He unites us as a body of believers. Some of us are going to have pasts that seem crazy compared to our upbringing. When it comes to the things of The LORD, the past doesn’t matter because Christ’s blood wipes away all of our transgressions. Further, it is not our actions that will get us into heaven. It’s not about “looking good” for people to see what good acts we are doing. The fact is that there are no good works we can do to enter into heaven. The only thing that saves us is the blood of Jesus. It was His work on the cross that paved our way to salvation, not ours.

Exodus 29-30 and Matthew 22:1-22

We see the holiness practices that Aaron and his sons have to go through in order to serve as priests. There is a lot of blood involved. Further, the sacrificial requirement is given. They are to sacrifice two two year old lambs every day. One is sacrificed in the morning, the other at night. Sin is a bloody business. As pretty and ornate as the priests’ garments were, it seems to me they would be constantly covered in blood from the sacrifice requirement. Throughout the history of the Israelites, blood was shed for the atonement of sin. It seems a lot more clean to us these days because Christ’s blood gives us atonement. No longer are we required to sacrifice two lambs a day. Instead, The Lamb was given as the ultimate sacrifice.

I have always been curious about the anointing oil they are told to make. I wonder what it smelled like. I also wonder if anyone has made this oil since the text expressly forbids anyone from making it for unauthorized purposes.

In the Matthew reading Jesus continues to explain that He has come not just to save the Israelites. He has come to save everyone. Unfortunately, since the Israelites were expecting the Messiah to come and free them from the Romans, they would wind up missing Him whereas the Gentiles and other sinners would follow Him with no problem. The individual mentioned in verse 11 that is not dressed for the wedding is an interesting occurrence. This particular man did not belong to the wedding party. He said he belongs, but his clothes do not match the celebration. This man represents the people that call Jesus Lord, but their lack of true faith and repentance offends Him. Faith costs us something. We are supposed to repent of our sins and follow Him as Lord and Savior. To be sure, we will continue to be sinful until the day we die. However, we should be working toward being more like our Savior every single day. What the text is warning against is the notion that we can do whatever we want, willfully sin in any way, pay lip service to Christ, and then still join eternity with Him. Faith costs us more than mere lip service.

Exodus 31-33 and Matthew 22:23-46

God calls Bezalel by name to be the skilled worker to fashion all of the ornate things in the Tabernacle. God also gives instructions about the Sabbath. The Sabbath was meant to give the people a day of rest. To be sure, rest is important. It is so important that God makes it a commandment. As believers, we should strive to have a day of rest throughout the week.

While Moses is up on Mount Sinai, the people go to Aaron and have them make a god for them. Rather than deny their request, he takes their gold, melts it down, and fashions a golden calf. This was no accident. Moloch, a false deity worshipped by other nations at the time, took the form of a calf. God is upset about what His people have done and He is ready to wipe them from the earth. Moses intervenes on their behalf.

Moses comes down from the mountain and is so mad when he sees the people worshipping this man made object, he throws the tablets down and breaks them. He confronts Aaron. Notice that he puts the blame on Aaron for what is happening here. He asks him, “What did these people do to you that you led them into such a grave sin?” Aaron should have been a leader and stopped the bad idea rather than going along with it. He did not and rather than take the responsibility, he puts the onus on the people, stating that they are intent on evil. Regardless of whether the people around us are intent on evil or not, that does not give us the excuse to go against God’s Law.

Moses assembles the Levites. They take up arms against those that were worshipping the golden calf. Remember back in Genesis 49, when Jacob is describing his sons, he talks about Levi being violent. We see his tribe’s violence on display in Exodus 32.

In the Matthew reading, we see two different religious groups trying to catch Jesus with a trick. The Sadducees do not even believe in the resurrection of the dead. However, they go to Jesus and ask what happens if a woman’s husband dies and she remarries, who she will be married to in heaven. Jesus explains that in heaven there is no giving in marriage. The Pharisees see that the Sadducees did not have any luck tricking Him, so they ask Jesus what command in the law is the greatest. Jesus responds that the first is to “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.” That is the greatest command. The second is similar. It is to love your neighbor as yourself. If we take these two command seriously, the rest of the commandments will fall into place. If we love God, then we are going to worship Him only, we will not use His name in vain, and we will live lives that honor Him. If we love our neighbor as ourselves, then we will not lie, steal, or covet.

Exodus 34-36 and Matthew 23:1-22

Since Moses had broken the first two tablets that contained the Ten Commandments, he had to go back up Mount Sinai with two new tablets. While there, God reiterates His covenant with His people. God promises that He will drive out the Amorites, Canaanites, Hittites, Perrizites, Hivites, and Jebusites. They are not to make a treaty with any nations inhabiting the land they are going to enter. God gives commands again about not worshipping gods of the other nations and orders that the temples, idols, and Asherah poles be torn down in the land.

Moses comes down from Mount Sinai and we are told that his face is radiant. This causes him to cover his face with a veil when he is not speaking. Today, we have interactions with The LORD. However, we are not necessarily radiant from our walk with Him. Can others tell that something is different about us from our walk with The LORD?

The people begin building the tabernacle. Free will offerings abound. In fact, it gets to the point that the people are ordered not to bring any more. The Israelites are being generous with what The LORD has given them. Are we generous with what He has given us?

In the New Testament reading, Jesus goes up against the religious hypocrites. Let’s face it, none of us like a hypocrite. I had a ”leader” on one of my ships that was incredibly hypocritical and toxic. No one wanted to do what he said because he himself was unwilling to abide by what he was telling folks to do. As you can imagine, it was hard to get anyone to do anything. If the leader did not take the mission seriously, why should they?

As believers, we should strive to lead by example. The problem during Christ’s time was that the religious elite were making the people do things that they were unwilling to do. They merely told people how to live while not living that way themselves. Unfortunately, in some pockets, that problem persists today. Whenever someone starts a conversation by saying, “I am a good Christian”, I know that the conversations is getting ready to go south very quickly. Generally, there is a “but” after the statement and then comes the judgment of someone else. As believers, the more we walk with Jesus, the more sinful we realize we are. The more sinful we realize we are, the more we realize just how much we need Jesus. As believers, we know there is no way that we will get into heaven by our own works or merits, it all comes down to Jesus and what He did for us. I humbly submit that it is our job as believers not to change someone, but instead introduce that person to the One who changed us. We cannot change someone, but Jesus sure can!

Exodus 37-38 and Matthew 23:23-39

Bezalel is hard at work. He uses the exact measurements given to him and constructs the Ark of the Covenant. God will use the space in between the two cherubim on top of the ark as a throne. He also makes the table, the lampstand, the altar of incense, the altar of burnt offering, the bronze basin, and the courtyard. The text indicates that Bezalel made the bronze basin and its stand from the bronze of the women who served at the tent of meeting. Very little is known about these women since they are not referred to much throughout the Bible. They are mentioned again in 1 Samuel 2:22-25. This is one of those mysteries that we will not know about on this side of heaven. Clearly they played some important role because they were mentioned in the Bible, but exactly what it was, we are unsure of.

In the New Testament reading, Jesus continues on His diatribe against the religious hypocrites. What Jesus is trying to get through to them is that it does not matter how nice something looks on the outside, it is what is on the inside that counts. Many years ago, when I was very junior in the navy, I said something to the effect of “looking good on paper.” To which someone in my chain of command said, ”Rather than look good, why not be good?” That statement stuck with me through my career. Looks can be deceiving. The Pharisees and the Sadducees looked nice and shiny on the outside. The looked like they followed the law, but inside of them was death. They were like white washed tombs. My hope and prayer is that we don’t worry about looking nice and shiny on the outside. Truly what matters is what is on the inside.

Exodus 37-38 and Matthew 23:23-39

Bezalel is hard at work. He uses the exact measurements given to him and constructs the Ark of the Covenant. God will use the space in between the two cherubim on top of the ark as a throne. He also makes the table, the lampstand, the altar of incense, the altar of burnt offering, the bronze basin, and the courtyard. The text indicates that Bezalel made the bronze basin and its stand from the bronze of the women who served at the tent of meeting. Very little is known about these women since they are not referred to much throughout the Bible. They are mentioned again in 1 Samuel 2:22-25. This is one of those mysteries that we will not know about on this side of heaven. Clearly they played some important role because they were mentioned in the Bible, but exactly what it was, we are unsure of.

In the New Testament reading, Jesus continues on His diatribe against the religious hypocrites. What Jesus is trying to get through to them is that it does not matter how nice something looks on the outside, it is what is on the inside that counts. Many years ago, when I was very junior in the navy, I said something to the effect of “looking good on paper.” To which someone in my chain of command said, ”Rather than look good, why not be good?” That statement stuck with me through my career. Looks can be deceiving. The Pharisees and the Sadducees looked nice and shiny on the outside. The looked like they followed the law, but inside of them was death. They were like white washed tombs. My hope and prayer is that we don’t worry about looking nice and shiny on the outside. Truly what matters is what is on the inside.

Exodus 39-40 and Matthew 24:1-22

Bezalel makes the priestly garments. They are completed exactly as The LORD has required. The priestly garments were so ornate and covered in expensive jewels. It is hard to imagine that these folks were responsible for going and sacrificing two sheep a day. I have never been a butcher, but I have seen how bloodied their garments can become. The same would have happened for these priests.

The Tabernacle and everything that was supposed to be in it are complete. They assemble the tent, Aaron and his sons are anointed and consecrated as priests. The glory of The LORD fills the Tabernacle and not even Moses can enter it. When the cloud covers the tent of meeting, the Israelites remain in their spots. When the cloud is gone, the Israelites travel in the wilderness.

In our New Testament reading, Jesus tells the people that the Temple will be destroyed. He also warns them about the end of the age. Jesus tells them that tribulation is on the way. There will be wars and rumors of wars. There will also be famines and earthquakes. False teachers will rise up and lead people astray. The LORD also uses imagery from Daniel about the “abomination that causes desolation.”

I am not one to get into the debate of when will it all end. I think I was around ten years old when I remember people telling me that the world was coming to an end soon. That was many years ago. The fact is that these things have been happening for a very long time. As believers, it is not for us to worry about the end and when it will happen. Instead, we should be out there serving and teaching the Gospel. We have not been called to live in fear of the future and the persecutions ahead. Instead, we are called to have full faith in The LORD. He will give us the peace that surpasses all understanding!

Leviticus 1-3 and Matthew 24: 23-51

The name for Leviticus comes from the Greek translation of the Old Testament, meaning “relating to the Levites”. This book contains information for their priestly duties and service in the Tabernacle, but it contains several other laws.

The burnt offering is the first of five offerings that can be made. The first three that are mentioned are voluntary gifts. The last two are required. The burnt offering was more of an offering for general sinfulness. The “he” that the text directs to place his hands on the animal’s head is the person making the offering, not Aaron or his sons. The grain offering was made to acknowledge God as the source of prosperity and provision. It was an offering made to give thanks to God for what He has given the individual. The fine flour referred to wheat that produced a fine white flour.

There were three kinds of fellowship offerings. They were thanksgiving, votive, and freewill. The fellowship offering was given to signify communion between the believer and God. This was the ONLY sacrifice that the worshiper ate the shared meal with the priests.

In the New Testament reading, Jesus is telling the people that no one knows the day or hour in which the end will come. It will be just like in the days of Noah. The people were eating and drinking and giving in marriage. Then it started to rain. Likewise, people will have stopped looking for His return. Christ explains that if a homeowner knew when the thief was coming, he would not have left his home. Instead, he would have stayed and waited for the thief. We do not know when He will return, so we must remain vigilant. Jesus speaks of the two men working the field and two women grinding at the mill. One remains while the other disappears. Since we do not know the day or hour, we continue to be Christ’s hands and feet in our communities.

Leviticus 4-6 and Matthew 25:1-30

We read about the requirements for a sin offering. Sins committed unintentionally must still be accounted for even though the individual did not mean to. The result of the sin is still there and must be atoned for. Sin is serious business whether we meant to engage in the sinful activity or not. The text refers to the “anointed priest” indicating the high priest. The sin offering varied based on the degrees of responsibility for the one that committed the sin. The high priest would have to provide an unblemished young bull when he sinned. The collective congregation required a young bull for theirs. A leader in the community had to bring an unblemished male goat. A common person had to provide an unblemished female goat.

The text gives us explanations on when sin offerings are required. If a person swindles his neighbor, he has to make it right with the neighbor, but still must make a sacrifice for the sin.

God also explains how Aaron and his sons are to handle these offerings. The burnt offering’s ashes must be taken outside of the camp. For the grain offering, the priest is to remove a handful of the fine flour and olive oil and burn it on the altar. The sin offering has to be slaughtered before The LORD in a holy place.

In our New Testament reading, Jesus continues to warn about remaining vigilant for His return. He tells the parable of the ten virgins that are waiting outside for the bridegroom. Five of them brought all the oil they needed, the other five were foolish and figured they would get it when they needed it. The groom was delayed and showed up in the middle of the night. ALL of the women were sleeping when he arrived. Only the five that had enough oil were allowed into the banquet. The other five had to go back into town to find someone to sell them the oil. By the time they made it back, it was too late. I have known people in my life that knew they needed The LORD. They knew that He was the way, but they were intent on not making Him Lord of their lives until they were close to death. The idea was that they wanted to have as much fun as possible and then at the last minute make a deathbed confession of Jesus Christ as Lord. To a degree, this parable teaches against that mentality. We do not know when we are going to draw our last breath. If we know that Jesus is Lord, better to confess Him now and be ready than to wait until later. If you are feeling called to follow Christ, there is no time like the present!

Jesus also teaches the parable of the talents. In this case, they are dealing with money. One servant receives five talents, the second servant receives two, and the third receives one. The first two talents put the money to work and double the investment. The third one hides his talent. When it comes time to present the talents back to the master, he is furious with the one that did nothing with what he was given. God has given us talents and other abilities. We should use these the way God intended us to use them.

Leviticus 7-9 and Matthew 25:31-46

Moses is given instruction on how to handle the restitution offering and fellowship sacrifice. The restitution offering was especially holy. In this instruction, God also explains that they are not to eat any fat or anything with blood in it. We also read about the ordination service for Aaron and his sons. I am glad they have changed the process since then! There was a lot of blood involved again. After they were done with the sacrifices, the newly ordained people were not allowed to leave the entrance of the tent of meeting for seven days. The number seven symbolized completion for the process. These men dared not to go against God’s commands and leave before the seven days were up. They are to set the example of obedience for everyone else. Since they are examples for the people, they will have a special accountability as religious leaders. Woe to them that would lead someone astray from God Almighty.

In the Matthew reading, Jesus tells the parable of the sheep and goats. They are divided up. The sheep go to the right and the goats go to the left. The sheep are told by the King to inherit the kingdom prepared for them. They ask why and they are told that when He was hungry, they fed Him. When He was in prison, they visited Him. He was given water by them when He was thirsty. Even though they were not serving Him directly, they were still serving Him. This is a call to action to take care of people. As believers, we should feel the need to help where we can.

I know that some folks do not like to give because they do not necessarily trust what the receiving person is going to do. One thing is for sure, we won’t be held accountable for their behavior. We will be held accountable for ours. Sometimes we might help someone that didn’t really need it. Other times, the help will go to someone who genuinely needs it.

I think this is an “Andy Wood original” parable. I call it “The Birds and the Squirrels”. I love to watch birds. We have some nice windows in the back of my house with a lovely maple tree behind our patio. During the summer, I get a lot of birds at my feeders. I even have a nice set of binoculars to watch them. We get cardinals, blue jays, woodpeckers, chickadees, hummingbirds, and all kinds of other winged creatures hanging out in the back yard through the summer. Unfortunately, we also get squirrels. The seed isn’t there for them, but they are constantly getting into the feeders, taking seed that was intended for the birds. I have two options. I can either let the squirrels get in the seed and take it. Or I can take the bird feeders away. If I take the feeders away, the squirrels will go away, but the birds will go away as well. Why remove the birds to get rid of the squirrels? So, I will continue to feed the birds through the year. No sense in taking away their benefit because of the squirrels.

Leviticus 10-12 and Matthew 26:1-19

Nadab and Abihu, two of Aaron’s sons, decide that they are going to do their own thing. They took their fireman, put fire in it, put incense in it, and made unauthorized fire. As a result, they were struck down by The LORD. This should serve as a warning to folks in ministry. These two probably thought they could do whatever they wanted because they were anointed and set apart from the rest of the Israelites. Rather than understand the gravity of their position and acting accordingly, they figured it allowed them to make up their own rules. Their disobedience cost them their lives.

God defines what animals are clean and unclean. He gives very detailed instructions to identify what can and cannot be eaten. These rules do not apply to Christians today, but we can see God’s purpose for them when He first established them. If we look at the Levitical instructions from a medical standpoint, it makes sense. The animals that are deemed ”unclean” were not as sanitary as the ones deemed “clean”. Pigs in those days would wallow in filth. If they were not prepared properly, it could make the person sick. The scaleless fish and the shrimp and lobsters are all bottom feeders. They are eating all the garbage on the bottom of the sea floor. It would make sense that they were told not to eat these types of animals.

In the Matthew reading, Jesus has made the religious elite so mad that they decide to devise a plan to kill Him. Meanwhile, Jesus is in Bethany. A woman approaches Him with very expensive oil. The oil in this jar was worth about one year’s wages. She takes the year worth of wages and anoints The LORD with it. Some look at this like an act of reverent worship because it is! However, there is one in the midst that wants to complain about the waste. He complains saying that they could have sold the oil and given to the poor. I was not there, but I have the feeling that what this disciple was trying to do was make it look like he cared about the poor. He wanted to say that he cared, but when it came to actually doing the work of helping, he would not. Instead, this particular disciple will join the plot with the chief priests to kill Christ.

My hope and prayer as we walk through this world, that we back our words up with action. “Facta non verba”.

Leviticus 13 and Matthew 26:20-54

The text breaks down a variety of skin diseases and what to do in the event that someone has one. They are given ways to determine whether the disease is serious enough for them to be permanently cut off from the rest of the people or not. This seems harsh from our perspective, but we must remember that they did not have hospitals back then. The intent of the Levitical Law was to show the other nations how a holy and set apart people behave and follow the One True God. However, the secondary point of the Law was to preserve the people.

In our New Testament reading we read about the first Lord’s Supper. Jesus knows the hour is at hand, He tells the disciples that one of them will betray Him. Each of them were distressed when they heard that one would betray Him. Each of them are concerned that they are the one that will betray. It seems like a small nuance, but the first 11 disciples refer to Christ as Lord. Judas, the one that will betray Him, adressed Jesus as Rabbi. After the dinner, Jesus tells them that they will all run away because of Him. They all deny that they could ever run from Him. However, we will see that they all will disperse as the events around Christ’s crucifixion unfold.

Jesus goes to the Garden of Gethsemane to pray. He asks for Peter, James, and John to go further into the garden to pray. They are asked to remain vigilant while Jesus is praying. When He comes back, He sees that the three have fallen asleep. These three men that were adamant about standing firm in their faith in Jesus, could not even keep watch for an hour.

Judas arrives with a mob and hands Jesus over to them. Jesus could have brought down 12 legions of angels to sweep away His enemies, but He does not. The cross was part of the Father’s plan and Jesus was not going to deviate from it.

Leviticus 14 and Matthew 26:55-75

We read the instructions for cleansing of skin diseases. When the people are cleaned, they are to make an offering to The LORD. We notice that what is offered depends on the wealth of the victim. Poor people do not have to give like the richer folks do. In both cases, though, the person is required to give something. We also read instructions about what to do with mildew outbreaks in homes. If the mildew does not spread after they scrape the inside out, then the house can remain upright. If it spreads, though, then the entire thing has to be torn down and taken outside of the city.

In the New Testament reading Jesus is brought before Caiaphas, the high priest. They question Him about His statement that He could demolish God’s sanctuary and rebuild it in three days. Jesus remains silent to that question. When the high priest demands that Jesus tell them if He is the Messiah, Jesus simply replies, “You have said it.” With this, the high priest tears his clothes and asks what more they need to condemn Him for blasphemy. What amazes me about this group of men is that they knew the Scriptures. They knew the prophecies and they knew that Jesus had fulfilled these prophecies. They were so blinded to what they wanted the Messiah to be, they completely missed Him.

While He is there, Peter is watching from afar. Someone recognizes him as being with Jesus, he denies knowing Christ. Another person recognizes him. He denies one more time. He is confronted a third time and this time Peter swears an oath that he does not know Jesus. The rooster crows and Peter is reminded that Jesus told him he would betray Him three times before the rooster crowed.

Leviticus 14 and Matthew 26:55-75

We read the instructions for cleansing of skin diseases. When the people are cleaned, they are to make an offering to The LORD. We notice that what is offered depends on the wealth of the victim. Poor people do not have to give like the richer folks do. In both cases, though, the person is required to give something. We also read instructions about what to do with mildew outbreaks in homes. If the mildew does not spread after they scrape the inside out, then the house can remain upright. If it spreads, though, then the entire thing has to be torn down and taken outside of the city.

In the New Testament reading Jesus is brought before Caiaphas, the high priest. They question Him about His statement that He could demolish God’s sanctuary and rebuild it in three days. Jesus remains silent to that question. When the high priest demands that Jesus tell them if He is the Messiah, Jesus simply replies, “You have said it.” With this, the high priest tears his clothes and asks what more they need to condemn Him for blasphemy. What amazes me about this group of men is that they knew the Scriptures. They knew the prophecies and they knew that Jesus had fulfilled these prophecies. They were so blinded to what they wanted the Messiah to be, they completely missed Him.

While He is there, Peter is watching from afar. Someone recognizes him as being with Jesus, he denies knowing Christ. Another person recognizes him. He denies one more time. He is confronted a third time and this time Peter swears an oath that he does not know Jesus. The rooster crows and Peter is reminded that Jesus told him he would betray Him three times before the rooster crowed.

My hope and prayer is that as we walk through this life, we don’t miss Jesus. I pray that our hearts and minds remain focused on Him regardless of what is going on in the world.

Leviticus 15-17 and Matthew 27: 1-31

They are given instructions for the day of atonement. Aaron is given specific instructions on how to enter the most holy place to make this offering. He brings one bull and two goats. The bull is sacrificed to atone for Aaron and his family’s sin. The goat chosen for sacrifice is decided by casting lots. One will be released and the other will be sacrificed to atone for the sin of the people.

The goat that is released is sent into the wilderness for azazel. This word only occurs in chapter 16. There are three mainline interpretations as to what azazel is. The first view has it translated as “the one carrying away evil”. This interpretation is where we derive the modern term “scapegoat”. The second view is that azazel means “a rough and difficult place”. The third view is that azazel is actually Azael. Legend identifies Azael as the leader of the fallen angels. The first view is the widely accepted view for interpreting this mysterious word.

God also identifies forbidden sacrifices. The people must bring their sacrifice to the entrance of the tent of meeting. This direction makes sense given the fact that the people had a propensity for worshipping other gods. By bringing the sacrifice to the entrance of the tent of meeting, no one can confuse who the animal is being sacrificed to.

Our reading in the New Testament deals with Jesus being turned over to Pilate. Judas realizes what he has done. He confesses his sin to the chief priests. The chief priests ask him what his sin is to them. They got what they needed out of Judas and now they don’t care about his remorse. Beware people that will lead you to sin for their benefit.

Pilate asks Jesus if He is the King of the Jews. Jesus simply responds, “You have said it.” After that, He remains silent. Pilate’s wife warns him about Jesus. She says that she has been tormented by dreams about Christ.

The crowd is asked whether they would like Barabbas or Jesus freed. The crowd cries out for Barabbas to be freed. Pilate washes his hands from the situation, stating that the blood of Christ is not on his hands. The people proclaim that Christ’s blood is on their hands and their childrens’ hands. Unfortunately, over time, this piece of Scripture was used to justify being antisemitic. That notion is false. The fact of the matter is that the blood of Jesus is on the hands of all sinners. Christ died to atone for everyone’s sins. He died for you and me. Since that is the case, His blood is on all of our hands.

Leviticus 18-19 and Matthew 27:32-66

The people are warned against pagan practices. As we read through Leviticus 18, we see a variety of sexual sins that are deemed as pagan practices. Humans tend to have three besetting sins; greed, anger, or sex. Many of the pagan practices of the time dealt with sex. The Israelites are forbidden from engaging in these practices. God is going to give the Promised Land over to them. The people that they will displace are being driven out of the land because of the pagan practices they routinely engage in.

God also gives laws of holiness. When they plant a field, they are not to strip it bare. Instead, they are to leave some for the poor to glean. They are warned not to be prejudicial against poor people when deciding cases. They are to be fair. They are told not to harbor hatred agains their neighbors. Instead, they are to love them. These commands are just as important today as they were when God first gave them to His people. Are we keeping them?

In the Matthew reading, we read about Christ’s death. He is crucified between two criminals. We have a tendency to think that Christ was crucified far away from the crowd. However, that is not the case. The crowd would have been up close to Jesus as He hung from the cross. So He could look in their eyes as they were hurling their insults at Him. Christ’s charges were put in writing above His head. The charges were not really charges, they were an admission: “This is Jesus the King of the Jews”. Jesus draws His last breath and is placed in a tomb purchased by Joseph of Arimathea. The tomb will not be used very long…

Leviticus 20-21 and Matthew 28

The LORD tells Moses to prohibit worship of Molech. Infant sacrifice was one of the tenets of worshiping Molech. The Israelites are not to offer their children to Molech. The Israelites are not to turn to mediums or diviners. God is their source of knowledge and protection. God also gives another warning against pagan sexual practices.

The people are to keep all of The LORD’s statutes and ordinances. They are to be holy and set apart. They are to be holy, just as the LORD is holy.

Any of Aaron’s sons that have physical defects are forbidden from coming near to present the food of his God. However, this does not mean that these men are cut off from doing priestly duties. In fact, they are allowed to eat the food, they simply cannot present it. This demonstrates God’s demand for perfection. God is holy and perfect.

The only way that we can become holy and perfect is to repent and confess Christ as Lord. In the Matthew chapter, we see that Christ holds the victory over death. The women were coming to anoint Him in His tomb, but when they arrived, they found that He was not there. Death could not hold Jesus. Since we are His, death does not hold victory over us either. Jesus was the ultimate sacrifice. His blood not only covers our sins, but it wipes it completely away, like it never even happened. Praise God Almighty that sent His only begotten Son to free us from our sins and the grip of death!

Leviticus 22-23 and Mark 1:1-22

God gives commands about how the priests are to conduct themselves. Just like everyone else in the camp, they can also become unclean. They are not more holy than anyone else in the camp, they can still have issues, they can still sin. When this happens, they must go through the cleansing ritual. Otherwise, if they show up to offer the sacrifice, God is going to strike them down. Over time, we will see the role of priest change to an attitude of “Holier than thou”. Christ will spend a fair amount of time decrying their hypocrisy. (We read some of that already in Matthew’s Gospel account).

Again, they are given instruction on what kind of animal to bring. It must be without blemish. If there is a discharge or somethign is wrong with it from an outward appearance, odds are there was something wrong with it internally as well. The animal would not be used by the people, so they certainly should not offer it to God.

God gives instructions for holy days. He is serious about the people enjoying a Sabbath. They are to take a day of complete rest and practice self denial. The point of the rest day is to sit back and let God do all of the work. When we step back, take a break for a bit, and then get back into doing whatever it is, we will find that many times God has still been working while we were resting. The point of the Sabbath is to give us rest, but it is also to remind ourselves that we are reliant on God, not on ourselves.

We start the Gospel account of Mark. Mark is the Gospel that gets right down to business. He does not give us a whole lot of detail, but he hits the high points. It’s almost like a “Cliff’s Notes” version. John the Baptist comes to herald Messiah, just as the prophets had said. Jesus is baptized and immediately goes into the wilderness for His temptation. After that He goes to Galilee and calls the first disciples. Mark’s Gospel emphasizes action and deeds. Jesus is on the move!

Leviticus 24-25 and Mark 1:23-45

There is a case of blasphemy that arises. The son of an Israelite woman and Egyptian father cursed and blasphemed the Name. To blaspheme the Name of God was to blaspheme God Himself. Because the name Yahweh was considered so sacred, the Jews stopped using it altogether and referred to God as “the Name”. God pronounces that the person committing the sin bears responsibility for the sin. That truth remains today. A popular refrain when we mess up is to say “the devil made me do it.” That is not entirely true, though. We are merely tempted. Being tempted is not committing sin. However, giving into the temptation is. The enemy cannot make us do anything. We bear the responsibility of the sin. However, as believers, our sins are washed away by the atoning work of Christ on the cross.

God gives specific instructions about observing Sabbath years and the year of Jubilee. The year of Jubilee was very special because that is when debts were canceled and slaves were set free. God commands them to be fair in how they handle selling land and other goods. God expect fair treatment of everyone in the camp.

In the New Testament reading, Jesus continues working. A man with an unclean spirit was in the synagogue. The spirit cried out asking why He has come. Jesus rebukes hmim and the unclean spirit comes out of him. After this, Jesus goes to Simon and Andrew’s house with James and John. Simon’s mother in law was lying in bed with a fever. Jesus heals her. Her first response to being healed by Jesus is to get up and serve. Did we do the same when we came to faith in Christ? When He wiped away our sin did we get up and serve Him?

Jesus goes to preach in Galilee. He had come to preach and He was going to fulfill that mission. A man with a serious skin disease (most likely leprosy) came to Christ and stated that “if You are willing, You can make me clean.” Jesus responds that He is willing and heals the man. Jesus tells the man not to let anyone know what He has done for him. The man paid no attention to the command and went out and told the people about the power of Christ. As a result, Jesus could not go into a city with people asking Him to do some miracle in their lives. Even when He remained out in the deserted places, they would come find Him. When do we seek Jesus? Is it only when we need something? Part of the problem with some of these folks is they were looking at Jesus as a magic genie that could cure what ailed them, not the Messiah. As believers, we should strive to walk with God and fellowship with Him daily, not just when we are in trouble and need Him to bail us out.

Leviticus 26-27 and Mark 2

God gives the people a conditional covenant. If they will walk in His ways and follows His statutes, then He will give them rain when the time is right. They will enjoy land that produces abundantly and their trees will bear fruit. God has some covenants that are unconditional. His covenant with Abraham was unconditional. God told Abraham that He would give him a lot of offspring, so many that it would be like counting the stars of the sky. In Abraham’s life, he had a few missteps, but God kept His covenant. This covenant in Leviticus 26 requires a response from the people. Unfortunately, the people will eventually fall so far away that He will send them on the exile. They do not hold up their end of the bargain, so God allows it to play out the way that He said He would. In all that, though, He promises that if the people turn from their ways, humble themselves, and seek Him, He will be there to receive them. No matter how far we may think we have gotten away from God, we merely need to turn around and He is there.

We read about paying money to redeem people. If someone was dedicated to the LORD, the person could be purchased for a set amount of money. We also read about redemption of consecrated fields and consecrated homes.

In Mark, Jesus is in Capernaum. The people find out that He is there, so they all crowd into the home that He is in. There are so many people there that there is no room in the door. Four friends bring their paralytic friend, but seeing that they cannot get their friend into the house, they climb up onto the roof, open it up, and lower their buddy into the room. It was not just the faith of the paralytic man that got him to Jesus to be healed; it was the faith of his friends. As believers, our circles matter. That is not to say we should not have secular friends. However, it is vitally important that we have believing friends that we can bear burdens with.

Matthew, a tax collector is called to be a disciple. The religious elite find that Jesus is dining with tax collectors and sinners. When they question Jesus about it, He responds that healthy people do not need a doctor. We do not go to a hospital expecting to find healthy people. Similarly, we should not go to a church expecting to find perfect people. The only One that is perfect is Christ Himself.

Jesus explains that they need to get ready for things to be different through the parable of the wine skin and cloth. The new teachings will not necessarily be compatible with the old way of the Pharisees and Sadducees methods. It should be noted that the standard of perfection and the standard for redemption of sin did not change at all. Jesus will later say that He did not come to abolish the Law, but to fulfill it. The method of atonement was completed in the work of Christ. His sacrifice ended the offering of animals for forgiveness of sin. Further, the Pharisees and Sadducees had taken God’s law and twisted it. Jesus had come to correct them, live a perfect life, die on the cross to atone for our sins, and resurrect, showing His power over death. The Pharisees and Sadducees could not see it then and they will not see it throughout the Gospel narratives.

Numbers 1-2 and Mark 3:1-21

The English name for Numbers is derived from the two military censuses conducted in the book. The Hebrew title, Bemidbar (במדבר), means “In the Wilderness”. The Hebrew title describes the geographical setting for this book. They will travel from the wilderness of Sinai to the Plains of Moab, and across the Jordan River from Jericho.

Their first order of business is to conduct a military census. Any male 20 year old or more was to be registered. When they finished conducting the census, the total of military men came out to 603,550. The Levites are not among those counted. They have special duties surrounding the Tabernacle. They are responsible for moving it and setting it back up as they travel. The Levites were given this task because of their zealous actions defending the faith after the incident with the golden calf.

The LORD gives guidance on how the ancestral houses are supposed to camp around the Tabernacle. If we were to get an aerial view of the Israelites at camp, we would see that they fan out in the shape of a cross.

In our New Testament reading, the Pharisees are watching to see what Jesus will do when a man with a paralytic hand is brought to Him. Jesus asks them point blank if it is lawful on the Sabbath to do what is good. They all remain silent. Jesus heals the man and then suddenly they are in an uproar with charges of blasphemy.

We might think that it was just the Pharisees and the Sadducees that had a problem with Jesus. We read in chapter 3:20 that even Christ’s family members thought that He was crazy and tried to restrain Him. So, if our family or friends ever look at us like we are crazy for believing in Christ, we can take heart, because even our Savior’s family members thought He was insane and tried to stop Him.

Numbers 1-2 and Mark 3:1-21

The English name for Numbers is derived from the two military censuses conducted in the book. The Hebrew title, Bemidbar (במדבר) means “In the Wilderness”. The Hebrew title describes the geographical setting for this book. They will travel from the wilderness of Sinai to the Plains of Moab, and across the Jordan River from Jericho.

Their first order of business is to conduct a military census. Any male 20 year old or more was to be registered. When they finished conducting the census, the total of military men came out to 603,550. The Levites are not among those counted. They have special duties surrounding the Tabernacle. They are responsible for moving it and setting it back up as they travel. The Levites were given this task because of their zealous actions defending the faith after the incident with the golden calf.

The LORD gives guidance on how the ancestral houses are supposed to camp around the Tabernacle. If we were to get an aerial view of the Israelites at camp, we would see that they fan out in the shape of a cross.

In our New Testament reading, the Pharisees are watching to see what Jesus will do when a man with a paralytic hand is brought to Him. Jesus asks them point blank if it is lawful on the Sabbath to do what is good. They all remain silent. Jesus heals the man and then suddenly they are in an uproar with charges of blasphemy.

We might think that it was just the Pharisees and the Sadducees that had a problem with Jesus. We read in chapter 3:20 that even Christ’s family members thought that He was crazy and tried to restrain Him. So, if our family or friends ever look at us like we are crazy for believing in Christ, we can take heart, because even our Savior’s family members thought He was insane and tried to stop Him.

Numbers 3-4 and Mark 3:22-35

We read about all of the duties of the various Levite clans. The Kohathites were responsible for the ”most holy objects”. The most holy objects included the ark of the covenant, the bronze laver, and the seven tiered menorah. They are given specific instructions on how to handle these items. I am certain that they dared not violate what God’s commands were after they heard about Nadab and Abihu and the consequences for offering unauthorized fire. The Gershonites are responsible for transporting the tabernacle curtains. The Merarites are responsible for carrying the supports of the tabernacle, its crossbars, posts, and bases.

This leaves us to the question of who had the most important job? They all did. Every single person was needed to make the movement of the tabernacle happen. The same can be said of serving The LORD today. God has given us all gifts and talents to be the hands and feet of Jesus. Fulfilling the Great Commission is a team effort!

In the New Testament reading Jesus is accused of having a demon. He rebuts the accusation, stating that a house divided against itself cannot stand. Jesus also warns about the danger of blaspheming against the Holy Spirit.

As Jesus is teaching this the crowd informs Him that His mother and brothers are there. Jesus states that His family are the people that do the will of God. This might seem harsh, but we must remember that just a little while ago His family thought He was crazy for doing the things He was doing and saying the things He was saying. To be part of the family of God is to do the Father’s will.

Numbers 5-6 and Mark 4:1-20

Numbers five gives instructions on separating the clean from the unclean. God also gives instructions on what to do when someone sins against another. Not only could they sin against God, but against each other. The people are also given instructions for husbands when they become jealous. The text indicates that the hypothetical wife has had an adulterous affair. She has not admitted to it, but the husband has a sneaking suspicion. Rather than take matters into his own hands, the husband is to take her to the priest with a jealousy offering. While this might seem like the husband is airing out dirty laundry in the family, I think it was more to prevent abuse. The husband would not know one way or another, so he was not to lob allegations one way or the other. He could not discern the truth, so the matter needed to be taken elsewhere.

We read about the requirements for a Nazirite vow. One of the more famous Nazarenes was Samson. He was a Nazirite from birth. Not all Nazirite vows were lifelong vows. They were expected to abstain from anything derived from grapes. The vineyard denoted a sedentary lifestyle, to eat grapes could cause them to lose total devotion to The LORD. They also were not to cut their hair, an outward symbol so that others could recognize the vow they had taken.

In the New Testament reading, Jesus gives the parable of the sower. The sower goes and sews seed. Some falls on the hard ground, some falls in the shallow soil, some in the weeds. Those groups do not yield a fruitful crop. However, some of the seed landed in the good soil. This seed produces a crop that is 30, 60, and 100 times greater than what was sown. As believers, we are called to spread the seed of the gospel. Thankfully, The LORD takes care of the rest. If we sew, the word might fall on hard hearts, in shallow hearts, or hearts bogged down by the worries of the world, but that does not mean we should just stop. Keep sewing knowing that God will take it from there.

Numbers 7 and Mark 4:21-41

There is a lot of repetition in Numbers 7. We see that all of the tribal representatives bring the same offerings tot he tabernacle. This shows that all of the tribal leaders had an equal role in religious practices. No tribe had more of a share in the religious practices and no tribe had less responsibility. The same is true today. Believers are all equals in the sight of God. There is no hierarchy, we all unite under the banner of Christ. Our chief end is to worship God and enjoy Him abundantly. My prayer is that we all go into the world with a spirit of worship and that we give ourselves over completely to The LORD acting as living sacrifices for Him.

In Mark, Jesus continues to use more parables. He compares the kingdom of God to a field that had been planted. The farmer sowed the seed, but after that, he does not do anything else. Instead, he wakes up and goes to bed and the crop grows. God does the work of producing the crop. We simply sew the seed.

We also read about when they are crossing the Sea of Galilee. A storm comes up and they are all terrified. The boat is rocking all over the place, it is swamped. The disciples are worried they are going to sink. During this time of distress, they find Jesus sleeping in the stern. They wake Him and He calms the sea by telling it to be still and silent. As believers, we can rest in the fact that God has it all under control. Life comes at us fast and sometimes things go wrong from our perspective. This is nothing that God cannot get us through. We can relax and let God do the work. In the bitter storms of life, we can take a nap and relax, God is greater than any problem we might come up against.

Numbers 8-19 and Mark 5:1-20

The Levites are consecrated. Then the people celebrate the second Passover. They followed the Passover instructions to the letter. Unfortunately, there were some people that had been defiled by a corpse and were unable to celebrate the Passover. God makes provision for them and anyone else defiled or unable to celebrate due to traveling. They are to celebrate the Passover in the second month on the fourteenth day at twilight. God even makes a provision for foreigners among them that want to observe the Passover. This shows us that very early on, God is inclusive. The Israelites were holy and set apart from the other nations, but that was supposed to be an example for the other nations as to how a holy and set apart people interacted with the Most High God. It was not meant to keep people away, instead it was meant to show people The Way.

God gives instructions on how to assemble the people by giving blasts from the trumpets. There were thousands of people in the camp, so developing these signals made sense. It kept everyone abreast of what was happening. Similar practices are used today. On the ships I served on, there were a variety of different sounds that would be played over the 1MC to keep the crew in the loop.

In the New Testament reading, Jesus comes across a man that is tormented by many demons. When Jesus asks the name, the demon responds that it is “Legion because we are many.” The demons did not want to be sent out of the region. They beg Jesus to let them enter a herd of pigs on a nearby hillside. Jesus allows them to enter the pigs and they promptly run down the steep bank and drown in the sea. The fact that it was a herd of pigs shows us that this happened in a Gentile region. The man that was tormented is healed, but the people in the area are not happy about it for one reason. They have lost a lot of money because of the dead pigs. They wanted Jesus out of there because they were afraid of lost revenue. I think the same thing happens today. Sin sells and the manufacturers of vices don’t want people to turn to Jesus lest they lose business. They do not care about harming the people, the concern is more about profit. God loves you more than anything in this world ever will. Don’t believe the lies of the world.

Numbers 11-13 and Mark 5: 21-43

The Israelites become restless. They are upset that they only have Manna to eat. They whine and complain about not having anything but manna. There is no meat. They then go so far as to say that back when they lived in Egypt, they enjoyed fish and a variety of vegetables for “free”. That food was not free. They were slaves! Yet now, in their freedom, they crave oppression because at least their bellies were full with a variety of things. God is stirred to anger. Moses is stirred to anger as well. God has 70 men appointed to help Moses out and then He sends so much quail that there was three feet of quail in all directions for a day’s journey (about 25 miles). The people that ate the meat became sick. The natural cause was most likely food poisoning since the meat was left out in the open.

Miriam and Aaron cause problems and bring an insurrection against Moses. They think that Moses is no different than them. Miriam breaks out in a disease. Rather than tell Miriam that she got what she deserved, Moses interceded on her behalf, asking God to heal her. God grants Moses’s request. Miriam is then sent out of the camp for seven days.

Moses sends scouts into the land flowing with milk and honey. The scouts bring back a report of giants in the land. They invoke fear in the people, telling them how big their enemy is. Only one of the scouts, Caleb, had the faith to quiet the people. He tells them that they should go and take possession of the land so that they can conquer it. Caleb knew that the enemy stood no chance against them, not because of their physical prowess or might, but because God would give them the victory. In a world full of fear and problems, be like Caleb. Remember that God is bigger than anything this world can throw at you. He is our victory. Our God is so strong and mighty, there is nothing He cannot do.

In the New Testament reading, we read more of Jesus’s healing. A crowd presses on every side of Jesus, but a woman that has been suffering from bleeding for a long time touches His robe and is healed. Jesus feels power go out of Him the moment she touches His robe. When Christ asks who touched Him, the disciples all say that there is such a crowd that everyone is touching Him. The healed woman makes her presence known and Christ sends her on her way, stating that her faith has made her well. Then Christ goes to heal a girl that had died. Jesus sends the people away, stating that the girl is not dead, but merely asleep. He commands her to get up. The 12 year old girl gets up and walks around. Jesus then tells them to feed her and not tell anyone about what they had witnessed.

Numbers 14-15 and Mark 6:1-32

The people hear the report about how large the people are in the Promised Land and lose heart. They moan and complain, stating that they should never have left Egypt. Despite Caleb and Joshua telling them that the land is good, the people would not advance. The LORD is frustrated with them. They have forgotten all of the wonderful things that He had done for them up to this point. God had been faithful to them, but they had not been faithful to Him. So, God sends them in a different direction. At this, the people decide that maybe they have made a mistake and they should turn back. However, that will lead to ruin. God has ordered them to go in this direction. If they go against His way, it will not succeed. Moses warned them, but they still go and are then routed by Amalekites and Canaanites. The irony here is that they were afraid when they had God’s blessing to go up against them. Surely they would have succeeded if they had gone when God had ordained it. Now that He has withdrawn His promise of victory, they suddenly become brave and it leads to destruction. What lesson can we learn from them?

In the New Testament reading, Jesus has returned home. The people listen to Him at the synagogue, but then become cynical. They know Jesus as the son of Joseph. Since they have watched Him grow up, they have a hard time accepting His authority. J Vernon McGee hypothesizes that it was probably harder for people to believe Jesus as the Son of God when He was walking on earth because they could physically see Him. They knew His habits and other “human” attributes, which would have made it difficult for some to come to know Him as Lord.

We also learn about John the Baptist’s fate. He was beheaded for telling the truth. Herod did not like the fact that John was calling him out for having a relationship with his brother’s wife. John stood boldly for the truth and it cost him his life. My hope and prayer is that we will boldly proclaim the truth regardless of opposition.

Numbers 16-17 and Mark 6:33-56

There is rebellion in the camp. Korah leads a group against Moses and his authority. The way that he sees it, everyone in the community is holy, not just Moses. To a degree, he has a point. The fact is that the entire community was set apart. However, no one else in the camp enjoyed the same level of communication with God that Moses did. Korah did not want to recognize that so he bucked against The LORD. This rebellion caused the earth to open up and swallow all of Korah’s people and their possessions.

Staffs from the twelve tribes are brought to the tent of the testimony. God shows that He has chosen Aaron and his line to be priests in the fact that the staff sprouted, formed buds, and produced almonds. Aaron’s staff is placed in front of the testimony to remind people who He has appointed.

In the New Testament reading, Jesus and His disciples had tried to get away from it all. Yesterday, we closed with the reading that they had gone away from the crowd. It is good to get away and spend quality time with God. Jesus made it a priority and we should as well.

The peace and time of reflection they were seeking did not last long. A large crowd comes in. Rather than telling them to go away, Jesus starts to minister to them, teaching them about the ways of the Father. After a while, the disciples realize that the crowd does not have anything to eat, so they ask Jesus to send them to a nearby village to buy food. Jesus tells them to feed the crowd. With five loaves of bread about the size of a twinkie and two fish, they feed 5,000 people and have leftovers. We read Matthew’s account of Christ walking on water and the healings that Jesus performs at Gennesaret.

Numbers 16-17 and Mark 6:33-56

There is rebellion in the camp. Korah leads a group against Moses and his authority. The way that he sees it, everyone in the community is holy, not just Moses. To a degree, he has a point. The fact is that the entire community was set apart. However, no one else in the camp enjoyed the same level of communication with God that Moses did. Korah did not want to recognize that so he bucked against The LORD. This rebellion caused the earth to open up and swallow all of Korah’s people and their possessions.

Staffs from the twelve tribes are brought to the tent of the testimony. God shows that He has chosen Aaron and his line to be priests in the fact that the staff sprouted, formed buds, and produced almonds. Aaron’s staff is placed in front of the testimony to remind people who He has appointed.

In the New Testament reading, Jesus and His disciples had tried to get away from it all. Yesterday, we closed with the reading that they had gone away from the crowd. It is good to get away and spend quality time with God. Jesus made it a priority and we should as well.

The peace and time of reflection they were seeking did not last long. A large crowd comes in. Rather than telling them to go away, Jesus starts to minister to them, teaching them about the ways of the Father. After a while, the disciples realize that the crowd does not have anything to eat, so they ask Jesus to send them to a nearby village to buy food. Jesus tells them to feed the crowd. With five loaves of bread about the size of a twinkie and two fish, they feed 5,000 people and have leftovers. We read Matthew’s account of Christ walking on water and the healings that Jesus performs at Gennesaret.

Numbers 18-20 and Mark 7:1-13

God gives Aaron instructions about the priesthood. One thing that sticks out to me is that He says that they are responsible for sin against the priesthood. They are responsible for doing what is right when it comes to the priesthood. If they mess it up, they are the guilty party. God also gives instructions for the purification ritual. I know a lot of these regulations might seem excessive, but they are communicating their (our) need to be purified. They are unable to make themselves pure, so they put their guilt and shame on the red cow that is then sacrificed and burned up. God expects holiness of His people. He expects us to be pure. Thankfully, He sent us His Son Jesus to atone for our sins. Unlike the cow that just covered up the sins and impurities, the blood of Jesus wipes it away, like it never even happened.

The people become upset because they do not have any water. In their typical fashion, they gather up against Moses and Aaron. When Moses and Aaron go to the tent of meeting God tells them to assemble the people and water will be provided from the rock. The people do as they are told. Moses responds in an atypical way. This time he asks ”must we bring water out of this rock for you?”. Moses made a terrible mistake. He was equating himself with The LORD. The power to draw water from the rock was not from Moses, it was from God, but rather than give God the glory, Moses gives glory to himself. As a result, Moses will not be able to enter the Promised Land.

As they travel, they get to Edomite territory and try to pass through. The Edomites dent their request. It is worth noting that the Edomites are descended from Esau, Jacob’s older brother who was swindled out of his blessing and sold his birthright for some stew. As time goes on, there will be more bitterness between the Israelites and Edomites.

In the New Testament reading, Pharisees and some of their scribes are worried about the cleanliness of the disciples since they were eating bread with unwashed hands. We should wash our hands before eating. However, our standard of washing today would not be up to snuff with the Pharisees and their ritual hand washing. Jesus points out that they are worried about the outward signs of purity, but they are not worried about what is inside.

If the inside is cleaned out by the Holy Spirit, then there will be outward signs. Looking nice and shiny on the outside, but corruption on the inside will not save us.

Numbers 21-22 and Mark 7:14-37

Arad, the Canaanite king, rises up to fight against the Israelites as they travel. The people prayed to The LORD and promised that they would destroy Arad’s cities if He delivered them. The LORD does just as they requested. It does not surprise us that shortly afterward, there is grumbling and complaining from the people again. They had just had a great victory over Arad and his army, but now because there is no bread or water they wish they were back in Egypt. They even go so far as to curse the manna that God has been providing them as they travel. So, poisonous snakes were sent among them. Many Israelites died because they were bitten. The surviving Israelites then go to Moses and make a confession of sinning against God. God orders Moses to make a bronze snake and put it on a pole. When a person is bitten by a snake and looks at the snake on the pole, he or she will recover.

The snakes were not removed from their presence. The people would still be bitten which I am sure was painful. So they feel the consequences for their sin, but now as long as they look at the snake, they will recover. Similarly, God does not remove all of the difficulties and hardships from our lives, nor has He eliminated all the evil in the world. God also allows the natural consequences of our sins to play out. However, He gives us a way out of it. He sent His Son to free us from our sins and make us clean so that even though we have the sting of sin in our lives, we will not die because of our faith in Christ and what He did for us.

We get into an interesting story about Balaam and Balak. Balaam was a renowned pagan divination expert. Balak wants him to come and ensure Israel’s demise.

In the Mark reading, Jesus teaches that it is not what goes into the person that defiles them, but instead it is what comes out of them. This is absolutely true. One discussion I have with my children is about the kind of stuff they consume for entertainment. This is where it gets a little tricky. Depending on what kind of music they are listening to, shows they are watching, or video games they are playing, their behavior sometimes matches what they are taking in. While it is true that it is not what goes in that defiles us, I think it is prudent to watch what we are plugging ourselves into. If we plug ourselves into fellowship with God, then that is what is going to come out of us, but if we plug ourselves mostly into the the worldly things, that is more likely what will come out. To put it another way, if I were trying to lose weight, but all I did was eat donuts every day for every meal, then I am setting myself up for failure.

Numbers 23-25 and Mark 8:1-21

We read about Balaam’s oracles, the pagan diviner hired by Balak to curse the Israelites. Balak and Balaam do a fair amount of traveling as they are trying to bring the Israelites to ruin. In the first oracle, God’s love for Israel is proclaimed. The question is asked: How can I curse someone who God has not cursed? It is a fair question. If God has not given judgment against the Israelites, how is Balaam going to pronounce judgment against them? Certainly there have been many groups that have tried to decimate the Israelites, yet they are still here. God makes a way for them even when the opposing forces are against them.

God continues to put words in Balaam’s mouth. The pagan has now become the mouthpiece for the One True. In the second oracle, God shows that He is not like the other gods of Mesopotamia. The Mesopotamian gods were often shown as whimsical and easily manipulated by bribery. God is not like that. He cannot be bribed with sorcery and divination. He is unchanging.

The third oracle given by Balaam pronounces that God will provide for the Israelites. There will be plenty of water, indicating that the crops will do well. This oracle also reminds them where their strength comes from. Their power comes from The LORD. The fourth oracle prophesies a future in Israel when she is a great kingdom. The star and scepter in verse 17 are symbols of a powerful and glorious kingdom that will subdue her enemies. God is using pagans to pronounce His words…

Meanwhile, the Israelites are camped in Acacia Grove in the lower Jordan River Valley. The men find the local Moabite women attractive and enter into relations with them. This does not bring the Moabite women to the Almighty God. Instead, it draws the Israelite men to begin serving Baal. God has been pronouncing blessings on them, but here they are going against His commands.

In the New Testament reading, we read about the feeding of the 4,000. This is another instance where Christ feeds many with very little. After the feeding, Jesus and the disciples go to the district of Dalmanutha. While they are there, the Pharisees demand a sign. Jesus assures them that no sign will be given. The fact is, even if He had given them a sign, the Pharisees still would not have come over to Christ’s side. They would have remained in their hostility toward Him.

Jesus warns the disciples to beware of the yeast of the Pharisees. In those days, yeast was a symbol for evil. It permeates, grows, and spreads. Just as the disciples were told to watch out for the yeast of the Pharisees, we should as well!

Numbers 26-27 and Mark 8:22-38

A second census is conducted. In the normal fashion, the Levite members are counted separately from the men that could serve in the army. It would make sense that another count needed to be conducted since they had lost many people due to their sinfulness. This census shows that there are 601,730 registered Israelite men. This number is large, but it also shows there was a net loss of 1,820 warriors. The loss is already high, but that is not the total amount that fell off lost. There was a little over 38 years in between the censuses. (Yes, that is the plural for census, I know it looks funny, I had to look it up). Because 38 years had passed between them, more fighting age men would have been added to their ranks over those decades. Some of the men would have aged out. Based on this information, we can conclude that there were many more lost that were not accounted for in this census.

We read an interesting case of the daughters’ inheritance. Zelophehad died and had no sons to pass his inheritance to. The daughters pleaded their case to Moses saying that they should inherit his property. Moses consults The LORD and He agrees that the daughters should get the inheritance. I know this is common practice today, but this was a big deal back in the time of Moses. Up to this point, the inheritance always went to a male in the family line, even if the deceased had daughters.

Moses is getting on in years. He realizes the need for someone who will step in and take the mantle of leadership when he is gone. He asks The LORD about it and Joshua is chosen.

In the New Testament reading, Jesus heals a blind man. This time, when the man is healed, He tells the man not to enter the village. Up to this point, when He has healed folks, they would go to the priests to present themselves in order to be declared unclean. Unfortunately, when Jesus heals these people, all it does is bring condemnation on Him. Jesus has a conversation with the disciples about who He is. Peter proclaims Jesus the Messiah. Jesus then tells them about His upcoming death and resurrection. Peter, not understanding that this was the plan for salvation, rebukes Jesus. In turn, Jesus rebukes Peter. Peter was not thinking about God’s plans, instead he was concerned with man’s. Sometimes God is going to lead us to some strange places. Trust the process. It might not make sense in the eye of people, but it is part of His plan.

Numbers 28-29 and Mark 9:1-29

God gives instructions on what offerings are to be made. These commands reiterate the bloodiness of sin. At the Festival of Trumpet Offerings, the people are to not do any daily work. Instead, they are told it is to be a day of joyful shouting. When is the last time we gave joyful shouts to The LORD?

The Day of Atonement was the holiest day of the year. It required that the people hold a sacred assembly and practice self denial. One act of self denial is fasting, which led to this event being referred to as “The Fast” in later Judaism. The Festival of Booths required that the people stay in a tent or hut, imitating the early homes of the Israelites. It was important that the people remembered where they had come from. This act was to remind them of the protection that God gave them through their journey in the wilderness.

In the New Testament reading, we read about Christ’s transfiguration witnessed by Peter, James, and John. His clothes became dazzling white. Elijah and Moses appeared and they were talking with Him. One thing I am curious about is how old Moses and Elijah looked when they were talking with Jesus on the mountain there. That is one thing that I will not know on this side of heaven. A while back, someone asked me what happens when we pass away. Do we go into holding pattern, or do we go to be with The LORD immediately. Believe it or not, there is disagreement in the scholarly world about that topic. Based on the fact that Elijah and Moses were both talking with Jesus, this indicates that the moment we draw our last breath, we are joined up with Him.

After the transfiguration, they go to join the rest of the disciples. There is a large crowd gathered. There is a problem because a man has brought his son to be healed of a demon, but no one can get the demon out of him. Jesus rebukes the unbelief of the generation. In the man’s request of Jesus, he says ”If You can.” Jesus’s response indicates that it is the father’s unbelief that is preventing the boy from healing. Christ is able. God can do anything. The father responds that he does believe, but in the same breath prays that He will help him in his unbelief. Have we ever felt like that? We have faith in God and know that He ultimately has everything worked out for our good. However, sometimes things can happen that make it seem quite the opposite. We can trust Him and have faith in His plan. Some days will be harder than others. When that happens, we have to faith it until we make it.

Numbers 30-31 and Mark 9:30-50

The importance of vows and fulfilling them are explained. A vow was a conditional promise, generally made in the context of a petitioning prayer. “If You do this, then I will do this”. People that made oaths and vows to The LORD were required to fulfill them. However, there were certain circumstances where the vow would not be binding.

God then commands Moses to go to war against the Midianites. The Midianites were descended from Abraham and his wife Keturah. Sometimes they were aligned with the Moabites, the Ishmaelites, and the Amalekites. This group had led the men to fall into the sin of worshipping Baal earlier in their journey. Each tribe provides 1,000 men for a total of 12,000 to war against the Midianites. The Israelites easily defeat the Midianites and bring the spoils of war to Moses. We would think Moses would be happy with what they brought back. However, this was meant to be a holy war against the Midianites. In a holy war, all impure things are supposed to be eradicated. The army failed to do what they were supposed to do. That is why Moses is upset.

In the Matthew reading, Jesus and His disciples are on the way to Capernaum. They were arguing amongst themselves on the way. When they get there, Jesus asks what they were arguing about and they are ashamed to answer since they were arguing about who was greater. He tells them that if anyone wants to be first, he must be the last of all and servant of all. Jesus also uses a child as a lesson for them. Whoever welcomes a child in His name welcomes Him. If the child is not welcomed, then He is not welcomed either. Jesus then warns that it is better to have a millstone to thrown around their neck and thrown into the sea than to cause a little one that believes in Him to stumble. As believers what we do and how we treat people matters. If we are loving toward people and helping where we can, we are truly acting as the hands and feet of Jesus. However, if we are hateful or rude, we are not just representing ourselves, but representing Jesus and that very well could turn someone away from Him. I would hate to one day stand before The LORD and have to give account for the times I drove people away from Jesus based on my behavior. So the challenge is to treat people the way Jesus taught us to and not cause anyone to stumble.

Numbers 32-33 and Mark 10:1-31

The Israelites are preparing to enter the Promised Land. The Gadites and Reubenites are growing in number. They go to Moses and request to stay on their current side of the Jordan. Their intent is good, but Moses does not see it that way at first. Instead, he accuses them of being like the ones that deterred Israel from entering the Promised Land when they first got there. That denial to follow God’s command cost them more years in the wilderness. The leaders of the tribes explained that the would send their fighting men over, but when the battle was done, they would come back and settle there, not in the Promised Land. Moses agrees to their proposal, but he warns them that if they flee the fighting before the war is over, they will certainly sin against The LORD.

From there we get a review of their travels in the wilderness. Their time of wandering is coming to a close. They are looking at where they have been before they focus on where they are going. God gives instruction to Moses that when they get to Canaan, they must first drive out all of the inhabitants before they destroy their gods and demolish the high places. He warns them that if they do not drive out the inhabitants like they have been ordered, they will become thorns and harass them in the land that they now live.

In the New Testament, Jesus speaks about marriage and blesses the children. Then we read the case of the rich young ruler. This young man has it all, he has money, he has fame, he has youth, but he does not have eternal life. He asks Jesus what he must do. He explains to Jesus that he has followed all of the commands. Jesus explains that the young man lacks one thing. In order to gain what he lacks, he must go and sell all he has and give the proceeds to the poor. The young man walks away upset. The problem is not that the man had many possessions, the problem is that the man was owned by his possessions. He was not willing to part with them. He viewed the things of this world as being of more value than the kingdom of heaven.

Do not be fooled. The things of this world will fade away. Nothing in this world lasts forever, except for your soul, my soul, and the eternal world of God. Everything else fades. For example, Dania and I recently got a new car. This was completely unexpected, but necessary. The van we had owned for about six years and planned on having for at least five more died on us and the cost to repair was way more than what the vehicle was worth. While we did not necessarily have faith in the material possession, we did have an expectation of it and it spectacularly failed our expectations. The point is that material things will fail us. God will not.

Numbers 32-33 and Mark 10:1-31

The Israelites are preparing to enter the Promised Land. The Gadites and Reubenites are growing in number. They go to Moses and request to stay on their current side of the Jordan. Their intent is good, but Moses does not see it that way at first. Instead, he accuses them of being like the ones that deterred Israel from entering the Promised Land when they first got there. That denial to follow God’s command cost them more years in the wilderness. The leaders of the tribes explained that the would send their fighting men over, but when the battle was done, they would come back and settle there, not in the Promised Land. Moses agrees to their proposal, but he warns them that if they flee the fighting before the war is over, they will certainly sin against The LORD.

From there we get a review of their travels in the wilderness. Their time of wandering is coming to a close. They are looking at where they have been before they focus on where they are going. God gives instruction to Moses that when they get to Canaan, they must first drive out all of the inhabitants before they destroy their gods and demolish the high places. He warns them that if they do not drive out the inhabitants like they have been ordered, they will become thorns and harass them in the land that they now live.

In the New Testament, Jesus speaks about marriage and blesses the children. Then we read the case of the rich young ruler. This young man has it all, he has money, he has fame, he has youth, but he does not have eternal life. He asks Jesus what he must do. He explains to Jesus that he has followed all of the commands. Jesus explains that the young man lacks one thing. In order to gain what he lacks, he must go and sell all he has and give the proceeds to the poor. The young man walks away upset. The problem is not that the man had many possessions, the problem is that the man was owned by his possessions. He was not willing to part with them. He viewed the things of this world as being of more value than the kingdom of heaven.

Do not be fooled. The things of this world will fade away. Nothing in this world lasts forever, except for your soul, my soul, and the eternal world of God. Everything else fades. For example, Dania and I recently got a new car. This was completely unexpected, but necessary. The van we had owned for about six years and planned on having for at least five more died on us and the cost to repair was way more than what the vehicle was worth. While we did not necessarily have faith in the material possession, we did have an expectation of it and it spectacularly failed our expectations. The point is that material things will fail us. God will not.

Numbers 34-36 and Mark 10: 32-52

The Israelites are gearing up to go into the Promised Land. God establishes the boundaries of the Promised Land with the Israelites. He also gives them the rules on their cities and the requirement for six cities of refuge. These refuge cities were intended for folks that accidentally killed someone. If a person accidentally killed someone, they were put into a sanctuary city. The city of refuge was not meant to be a punishment, but instead for protection. If they had accidentally killed someone and remained among their people, someone that loved the person they killed might decide to avenge the loved one’s blood. As long as they were in the city of refuge, they were protected. It is interesting to note that if they left the boundary of the refuge city and were killed by an avenger, then the avenger was not guilty.

God gives them instruction on how to tell if someone accidentally killed someone or not. It generally comes down to intent. If someone picks up a rock with the intent to harm someone, that person is clearly guilty of murder. However, if the person drops a stone not knowing someone is under it and the person is killed, then the one dropping the stone is not guilty.

Earlier, we read about Zelophehad’s daughters and their right to keep their father’s inheritance since he had no sons. This causes a potential issue with land distribution amongst the clans. The tribe of Joseph’s descendants are specifically worried that if these women marry, then their land will become their husband’s and now part of that tribe’s land. As a result, a decree is made that marriage must happen within the clan of the ancestral tribe to prevent the land changing tribal ownership.

In the New Testament reading, some disciples are trying to make themselves prominent within their group. They request to sit at Jesus’s right and left hand. Jesus asks if they can drink the cup that He is about to. The claim they can. Eventually, they will both be martyred. Jesus explains to them that to become great, they must become servants. It is a difficult concept for us to grasp. In the kingdom of heaven, there really isn’t much of a hierarchy. There is God and then there is everyone else. We won’t have power or position over each other in heaven.

Deuteronomy 1-2 and Mark 11:1-9

Deuteronomy means “second law” or ”repetition of the law”. As we read through Deuteronomy, we will see many of the laws in Exodus, Leviticus, and Numbers repeated.

Moses speaks to the Israelites across the Jordan. The reference here is from the perspective of one standing in Canaan to the west. It has been 40 years since the Exodus from Egypt. Moses recounts their travels and the issues of sin that have kept them from moving into the Promised Land. We read more about a race of giant people, the Anakim. The Anakim were named for Anak, a descendant of the founder of Hebron. Some of them moved to Philisitia and may have been related to Goliath and other giant Philistines.

The people are reminded of the various lands they have traveled through. They are also reminded of battles they engaged in.

In the New Testament reading, Jesus makes His way into Jerusalem for the last time. His disciples bring Him a colt to ride into town on, fulfilling prophecy. As Jesus enters the city, people are placing palm fronds and their coats in front of Him, identifying Him as Hosanna in the highest. Unfortunately, their delight with Him is short lived. Jesus goes to the temple complex and drives out the money changers and those selling livestock. This draws the ire of the chief priests and scribes. They are afraid of Him because of the crowd’s reaction to Jesus. The chief priests and scribes were not going after Jesus because He was teaching incorrect things. They were going after Him because Jesus was taking away their captive audience. They were worried that Jesus would take away their stature and clout. As a result, they began seeking a way to destroy Him.

Deuteronomy 3-4 and Mark 11:20-33

We continue to read about more of Israel exploits against the nations as they traveled the wilderness. Chapter 5 verse 11 refers to the ”bed” of the king of Bashan. This most likely is referring to Og’s sarcophagus. The Israelites had been called to completely wipe out their enemies. The king of Bashan would be included in that list. Moses is stating that the only thing left of Bashan is the king’s burial place.

Moses begs The LORD to let him come into the Promised Land. He proclaims how wonderful and mighty God is. Moses confesses that there is no god that can do what He does. However, The LORD will still not allow Moses to enter the land. Rather than put the blame on himself, Moses puts the blame on the Israelites. He does this in both chapters of today’s reading. Moses had been barred from entering the Promised Land because of how he handled drawing water from the rock in Numbers 20. Moses does the right thing at first, asking God what to do. However, when he asssemble the people, he calls the people rebels and asks if “we must draw water” for them. What Moses did there was put himself on equal footing with God. He was judgmental toward the Israelites. Further, rather than give God the credit for drawing water, he takes some credit too. Moses was prideful. We could even go so far as saying that he was guilty of hubris. Hubris is one of my favorite terms from the classic Greek tragedies. It is the excessive pride that makes a person think they have the same power as God.

The fact that Moses blames the people is not quite fair. Certainly, it was their rebellion that caused his frustration. However, they were not responsible for his reaction. Moses was. It cost him the ability to enter the Promised Land. When it comes to sin, it is easier for us to put the blame on someone else. However, when it comes down to it, people can only tempt us to sin. Us as individuals are the ones that commit the sin, not those that tempt us.

In the Mark reading, Jesus talks to the disciples about having faith that can move mountains. As believers, we can have faith that God is going to answer our prayers. God always answers our prayers. His answer is either a “yes”, ”no”, or “wait”. Whatever His answer is, we can be sure that it is for His glory and our benefit. Jesus’s authority is also challenged by the chief priests, scribes, and elders. They want to know who gave Him the authority to do what He is doing. Jesus asks them where John’s baptism came from. Was it from men or heaven. The religious elite do not want to answer because they know that no matter what answer they give, it will not go in their favor. If they answer from heaven, then they are admitting that Jesus is worthy of belief. If they say from man, then the people will be mad at them because they considered John a prophet. I think one of the biggest problems these folks ran into is that they knew the truth, they just did not want to believe it because it meant they would have to change their ways.

Deuteronomy 5-7 and Mark 12:1-27

Moses reiterates the Ten Commandments to the people. These laws were special because it established a covenant with the people that the other patriarchs did not have. These laws were to keep the people focusing on loving God and loving their neighbors. I want to make mention of just a couple of these commandments. The people are told not to use The LORD’s name in vain. If someone exclaims “Oh my G—” then this is an example of misusing God’s name. At the same time, if someone makes a vow, invoking the name of God, but they fail to fufill the vow, that can also be considered using God’s name in vain. We must be careful when we invoke the name of God into trivial things of the earth. The second commandment I wanted to point out is the commandment against adultery. There are several ancient Near East texts outside of Biblical documents that label adultery as “the great sin”. This tells us that even pagans were aware of how serious the sin of adultery is.

The people are also given the greatest command. The greatest command is to love The LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. I submit that if we truly follow the greatest command and really give ourselves over to Him, the rest of the commandments will fall into place.

The Israelites are ordered to destroy the pagan nations that they are entering. This was intended for their protection. If they allowed some of them to live, then there was the possibility that they would intermarry. Intermarriage would most likely cause them to start following the false gods of that nation. It was important that they destroy any possibility of falling into idolatry. These people had fallen into idolatry when there was no pagan influence around them. How much more would they be tempted to fall into it if they were living amongst it?

In the Mark reading, Jesus tells the parable of the vineyard owner. The vineyard symbolizes Israel. The tenant farmers represent the leaders of Israel. The mistreated slaves symbolize the Old Testament prophets. We look at the prophets of old with renown, but while they were in Israel making their prophecies, they were hated by the leaders because they were not telling them what the leaders wanted to hear. The beloved son represents Jesus. The owner of the vineyard thinks that surely they will treat the son better than the slaves. Instead of simply beating the son, they kill him and throw him out, indicating that he did not receive a proper burial. God knew that Jesus would go and the people would reject Him and kill Him, but He sent His Son anyway. That is the depth of His love for His creation.

Jesus is asked about a woman who had multiple husbands on earth. Who will be her husband in heaven? Jesus responds that none of the men will be her husband. He explains that when we rise from the dead, we will be like angels in heaven. Often when heaven is portrayed in movies and cartoons, the deceased are shown with harps and wings. That is not what Jesus is talking about here. He is simply stating that the eternal life will not be like it is here on the temporal plane.

Deuteronomy 8-10 and Mark 12:28-44

The people are implored to remember The LORD. There were so many times in the wilderness that God provided for them, even when they were complaining. They spent 40 years wandering in the wilderness, but their clothes never became ratty and their feet did not swell. There were times in their journey that The LORD disciplined His people, but it was for a purpose. Though parents do not enjoy giving discipline to their children, it is necessary for their development. This discipline was necessary for the Israelites’ maturity.

They are warned not to get too puffed up with themselves thinking that the reason they are entering the land is because of their righteousness. It is not their righteousness that is earning their way into the Promised Land, it is God’s righteousness. Similarly, it is not our righteousness that will earn our way into heaven. Instead, God redeemed us with His righteousness. There is not one of us out there that is sinless. We all sin and fall short of the glory of God. So, if we are going to boast in anything, we should boast in The LORD and His righteousness.

To prevent the people from getting too full of themselves, they are reminded of the various sins they committed through their journeys. They are reminded that The LORD asks them to “fear the LORD your God by walking in all His ways, to love Him, and to worship The LORD your God with all your heart and all your soul”. How are we doing with that in our lives?

In the New Testament reading, Jesus gives them the most important command. It is to Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. The command given to the Israelites in Deuteronomy and this one here are one and the same. This is just one example of how God is steadfast and unchanging.

Jesus gives the second command which is to love your neighbor as yourself. A scribe exclaimed that He is correct and that these two commands are greater than the burnt offerings and sacrifice. Jesus affirms the statement. God is more pleased with obedience than He is with sacrifice. If we are living an obedient life, sacrifice will follow.

The disciples and Jesus watch as people are making offerings at the temple. A widow puts two tiny coins worth very little in the offering. Jesus explains that she has given more than any of the others because she gave all she had. The rest were giving out of their surplus. In this instance it comes down to the matter of the heart. The people giving in their excess essentially made sure that they had what they needed before giving to The LORD. This woman did not worry about what she needed. Instead, she gave to God, showing incredible trust in Him.

Deuteronomy 11-13 and Mark 13:1-13

The Israelites are instructed to teach their children about what they endured during their wilderness journey. They have a rich past of God taking care of them. He pulled them out of Egypt, giving them a lot of riches on the way out. He made a way through the Red Sea so that they could escape from Pharaoh’s army. When they were thirsty, God provided good water at Mara. He also provided water from the rock. Further, when they were hungry, He had manna rain from the sky for them. It was imperative that the Israelites teach these things to their children so that the children would grow up trusting in The LORD as well.

God gives instructions about eating meat. They can eat meat any time they like as long as it is on the clean list. They also must drain all of the blood from the meat. They can eat the meat whether they themselves are clean or unclean. However, when it comes to making sacrifice to The LORD that is when things become more stringent. There are certain rituals they must follow to present and they must be clean to present the burnt offerings.

They are given instructions about the chosen place of worship. They are to destroy all of the idols and Asherah poles so that they are not tempted to worship the false gods of that nation. The people had already once shown their propensity to fall into idol worship and that is when they were alone. How much more tempted would they be if the idols remained in the land with them? They are not to worship other gods. They are not to tolerate idolatry from anyone. They are also supposed to get rid of the false prophets. There will be people that rise up in the ranks with the sole intention of pulling them away from God. Unfortunately, the same thing happens today.

In the Mark reading, the disciples are walking along and they see the big impressive stones of the temple. One exclaims how impressive they are. Jesus tells them a time is coming when every stone will be thrown down. Jesus also gives the signs of the end of the age. Many today are looking at the news and thinking that we are coming to the end of the age. In fact, I was just talking to someone about that last night. I think rather than worry about when the end is coming, we should be more worried about getting out there and loving them like Jesus, showing the people who He is.

Jesus gives warnings to the believers about the problems and persecution they are going to run into. As believers, they will suffer for His name. Here in the states we don’t suffer like some believers do. There are people in foreign nations sharing the Gospel at great risk to their lives. If they are caught, they will be imprisoned and martyred. Following Christ is not for the faint of heart.

Deuteronomy 14-16 and Mark 13:14-37

When a person is mourning, they are not to cut themselves or shave a bald spot in their head. Cutting and making bald spots were pagan traditions when it came to mourning. They are told again what they can and cannot eat. It makes sense from a medical standpoint when we look at the things they are not allowed to consume. The scaleless fish and shellfish were all bottom feeders. There is no telling what they were eating on the sea floor. They are not allowed to eat any of the carrion birds. These birds ate dead carcasses and there was the possibility the people would be contaminated by it.

In the seventh year, they are to cancel the debts owed them and set their servants free. They are warned against following human nature. If someone came to them asking to borrow money the year before the debts were supposed to be canceled, then the investor is not going to get back much of his money. As a result, they might be inclined to not loan to the person in need. They cannot do that. They should give freely. The servants are to be set free in the seventh year as well. However, if the servant really likes where he is at, then he can have his ear pierced and become a servant for life. From today’s standpoint, that statement seems weird. However, servitude back in these times was very different than in the modern context.

The text also repeats the various festivals the people are supposed to observe. They are also given instructions on appointing judges. The judges that are appointed must be upright and not willing to take a bribe. They must be fair in their judgment.

In the Mark reading, there is more information about the end times. Sometimes I am asked if we are in the end times. The best answer I can give is “maybe?”. The reason for uncertain answer is what we read here in Mark 13:32-37. No one knows the day or hour. Since no one knows, it’s better not to stand and watch the sky, waiting for the end to come. Jesus spent a lot more time preaching and teaching about loving Him and serving others. I dare say that it is better for us to focus on doing that rather than waiting for the end. The end is inevitable. One day we will draw our last breath. The hope and prayer is that we will be good and faithful servants to Him while we are here. We have a limited amount of time here on earth. Let’s make the most of it.

Deuteronomy 14-16 and Mark 13:14-37

When a person is mourning, they are not to cut themselves or shave a bald spot in their head. Cutting and making bald spots were pagan traditions when it came to mourning. They are told again what they can and cannot eat. It makes sense from a medical standpoint when we look at the things they are not allowed to consume. The scaleless fish and shellfish were all bottom feeders. There is no telling what they were eating on the sea floor. They are not allowed to eat any of the carrion birds. These birds ate dead carcasses and there was the possibility the people would be contaminated by it.

In the seventh year, they are to cancel the debts owed them and set their servants free. They are warned against following human nature. If someone came to them asking to borrow money the year before the debts were supposed to be canceled, then the investor is not going to get back much of his money. As a result, they might be inclined to not loan to the person in need. They cannot do that. They should give freely. The servants are to be set free in the seventh year as well. However, if the servant really likes where he is at, then he can have his ear pierced and become a servant for life. From today’s standpoint, that statement seems weird. However, servitude back in these times was very different than in the modern context.

The text also repeats the various festivals the people are supposed to observe. They are also given instructions on appointing judges. The judges that are appointed must be upright and not willing to take a bribe. They must be fair in their judgment.

In the Mark reading, there is more information about the end times. Sometimes I am asked if we are in the end times. The best answer I can give is “maybe?”. The reason for uncertain answer is what we read here in Mark 13:32-37. No one knows the day or hour. Since no one knows, it’s better not to stand and watch the sky, waiting for the end to come. Jesus spent a lot more time preaching and teaching about loving Him and serving others. I dare say that it is better for us to focus on doing that rather than waiting for the end. The end is inevitable. One day we will draw our last breath. The hope and prayer is that we will be good and faithful servants to Him while we are here. We have a limited amount of time here on earth. Let’s make the most of it.

Deuteronomy 17-19 and Mark 14:1-25

The people are given instructions about sacrifices to The LORD. They have to sacrifice an animal that is perfect and without blemish. To sacrifice anything else was detestable. It makes sense that the animal had to be without blemish. It would be easy enough for someone to take an animal that was messed up and present it to The LORD. They could not really do anything with the animal, so they were not really making a sacrifice. To present a blemished animal would be giving The LORD something useless to them, and therefore easy to give up.

God provides instruction on what to do if they find someone in their midst guilty of idolatry. If a person is caught worshipping the moon, the stars, or the sun, they are guilty of idolatry. The sun, moon, and stars are all created beings. The Israelites (and we) are called to worship the Creator, not the created. In order for the accused person to be found guilty, though, there have to be at least two or three witnesses. The people could not simply fabricate lies against someone and have them condemned.

Eventually, the people will get a king. However, their king must be different than the other kings. They are not to use their position to gain large amounts of gold and silver for himself. He is to have a healthy fear of The LORD. As the physical leader of the Israelites, it will be important for him to remember that he still has a boss. Though the king might not be accountable to anyone on the earth, he is still accountable to The LORD.

The people are promised prophets to give them the Word of The LORD. The passage in chapter 18 dealing with prophets has Messianic undertones to it, but the text is more indicative of the prophets like Isaiah, Nehemiah, and the others that will speak God’s words to the people in the Old Testament period. The people are also reminded about the sanctuary cities that they are to maintain. They are also told not to move their borders and take land away from their brothers.

In the Mark reading, Jesus is anointed at Bethany. A woman comes in and pours a bottle of oil of nard on His feet that was worth about a year’s worth of salary. Though the disciple that takes issue with this is not mentioned, we know from other texts that it is Judas. Judas’s claims that if they had sold the nard, they could have given the money to the poor. This is ironic of course since he had no concern for the poor whatsoever. He was worried about filling his own coffers, not about blessing others. When Jesus rebukes him for complaining about this woman’s gift, Judas goes and makes a deal with the chief priests to betray Christ. Beware the self righteous that are only concerned with themselves. Though they have an agenda, it is not The LORD’s.

Deuteronomy 20 -22 and Mark 14:26-50

The rules for their war are spelled out. In certain cases, they are allowed to let some of the inhabitants live. However, in the case of the lands they are being told to occupy, they are told to go in and eradicate it all. God wants them to do this because He knows that if they don’t, then they will be tempted to follow their gods, not Yahweh, the One who delivered them from Egypt. God calls for them to eliminate all of it because He knows that if they don’t completely pull the roots of their paganism out, then it will come back.

God also gives provision for those getting ready to fight in war. If they have built houses, but not dedicated them then they should go back and dedicate it so that they can enjoy the fruit of their labor. He is not guaranteeing that all of them will come back. Instead, He is allowing for the soldiers that have started something to go back home and complete it before making their way to battle.

Favoritism is forbidden in the passing of land to the firstborn. Even if the firstborn was born to an “unloved” wife, then that child should receive the double inheritance. We saw before how the favorite of Jacob was treated by his brothers.

The people are also warned again about adultery and lying to prospective spouses. Adultery terrible even by pagan standards, so it is fitting that God’s people would continue warning against it.

In the New Testament reading Jesus and the disciples walk from the Upper Room to the Garden of Gethsemane. Jesus tells them all that they will run away from Him, but Peter puffs himself up and says that he will not, even if he has to give his life up for Jesus. I admire Peter’s bravado here, but he will eventually deny Jesus three times in that single night. It is a lot easier to say what we are going to do in a situation before the situation arises. As believers, we should have a plan for when people come after us for our belief. Further, we should practice it out since we don’t know when we are going to be challenged. My Navy friends will remember it being beaten into our heads that we “Train like you fight and fight like you train”. We would run all kinds of drills to make sure that when the real thing happened, we would know what to do.

As Jesus prays in the garden, Judas shows up with the temple police to arrest Jesus. Peter, in a rage draws his sword and cuts off the ear of the high priests slave. Though this account does not say it, Jesus heals the ear of the servant. Just as Jesus said, they all deserted Him when He was arrested.

Deuteronomy 23-25 and Mark 14:51-72

In Deuteronomy, we read about fairness laws and other commands for the people. If a slave escapes from his master and moves within their gates, they are not to return him. Instead, he is allowed to stay. Both men and women are forbidden from being cult prostitutes. We would think this was a ”No brainer.” However, one thing about the cult practices of the time (and why they were so popular), is that they had to do with sex. In these cults, that is how they worshipped their deity. The people are also forbidden from charging interest on loans. Further, if they keep collateral, such as the cloak of a poor person, they are to return the cloak at night so that the borrower can keep warm while he sleeps. One thing is certain from these rules and regulations that God is giving: He is concerned with taking care of the poor, the widow, and the fatherless. As His followers, we should do the same.

They are instructed on how to keep the family line going in the event two brothers live on the same property. If one dies without a son, the brother is to marry his sister in law with the intent of having a son with her to carry on the family name. This was known as the levirate custom from the Latin “Levir” meaning brother in law. Progeny was important to them. If we look at Abraham’s call, we see that there is the promise of lots of descendants. The people wanted children to pass their property and possessions to. Preserving the family name was incredibly important to them!

In the New Testament reading we read about the effects of Judas’s betrayal. Yesterday, we learned that every one of Christ’s disciples abandoned Him when He was arrested. Now, Mark tells us of a certain young man that was wearing a linen cloth around his body. They grabbed at the cloth and he was so determined to get away, he left the cloth behind and ran away naked. He would rather run through town naked than be identified as being with Jesus. Though we are not told who this person was, most scholars believe that it was none other than John Mark, the author of this Gospel narrative.

Jesus goes before the Sanhedrin while Peter follows from a distance. Jesus is accused of threatening to destroy the temple and raise it in three days. Rather than answer their accusations, Christ keeps silent. He knows that no matter what He says, their minds are made up. The only time He speaks is when He is asked by the high priest if He is the Messiah. Jesus replies, “I am, and all of you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of the Power and coming with the clouds of heaven.” With that, the scribes, priests, and the rest of the religious elite decide they have enough to charge Jesus with blasphemy.

Deuteronomy 26-27 and Mark 15:1-26

As the Israelites prepare to enter the Promised Land, the land ”flowing with milk and honey”, they are given instruction on what offerings to bring to The LORD. They are to take some of the first of all the land’s produce, put it in a container, and present it to The LORD. In the third year, rather than present the tenth to The LORD, the produce will be given to the poor. Back then, there were no social welfare programs, and the poor were reliant upon friends, neighbors, and clergy to help them get by.

The covenant is summarized for the people. They are commanded to keep their end of the covenant. If they do what The LORD requires of them, then He will bless them abundantly and protect them from their enemies. However, if they do not, then God will not offer them protection. As we continue our reading, we will see that they chose not to uphold their end of the covenant as the course of Old Testament history plays out. It begs the question why they would think The LORD would bless them if they were rebellious. Do we do the same today? Do we expect blessings from The LORD even when we are in states of rebellion?

When they enter the land, they are to write the laws on stones so that they have a reminder of what God commands. It is to serve as a reminder of this covenant and help keep them on track.

In the New Testament reading, Jesus is sent to Pilate. The Pharisees and Sadducees did not have the authority to impose the punishment of crucifixion. The Roman governor had to do that. Pilate asks Jesus if He is king of the Jews. Jesus simply responds, “You have said it.” Pilate then offers to either release Jesus or release Barabbas, which was customary of that time. The people scream for Barabbas to be released.

Notice that Pilate knows that Jesus is innocent. He knows the only reason the chief priests are upset with Jesus is because of their envy of Him. They are upset that He came in and challenged their authority. The fact is that they had abused their authority. Their “holiness” was a spectacle as they sought for people to look on them with great awe at how holy and close to God they were. They had made it about themselves. It was never meant to be about them, it was meant to be about God. The same is true of the Gospel. It’s not about us. It’s about God and what He has done for us.

Jesus is hung between two common criminals. Above His head are His charges, “THE KING OF THE JEWS.” Though Pilate and the rest of the Romans followed their own pantheon of gods, they at least knew enough to identify Christ by His true identity.

Deuteronomy 28 and Mark 15: 27-47

God promises that if the Israelites are obedient to Him, then they will receive plenty of blessings from Him. He has blessed them up to this point and the blessings will continue as long as they do as they have been commanded. However, they are also taught that if they do not follow God’s commands, then they will suffer for their disobedience. He promises that they will be uprooted from the Promised Land and other nations will mock them. In a more upsetting prophecy regarding future problems is that they will result to eating their young because they will be so hungry. Sadly, this prophecy does play out in the history of the Israelites. 2 Kings 6: 26-29 catalogs an instance of cannibalism in their history.

What amazes me is that these folks have seen how well God took care of them. Their ancestors had been freed from Egypt. He provided manna for them and water from the rock. God consistently takes care of them, but when things start going easy, they begin to depart from Him. Maybe that is human nature? For some reason, people can be inclined to only cry out to God when things are not going well. Then when things are fine, they just kind of forget about what He did to make things well. The goal as believers is to cry out to The LORD regularly, whether it is a cry of despair or a cry of joy.

In the New Testament reading, Jesus is hung between two criminals. The people stand and yell at Him to save Himself. When He does not, they begins to mock Him saying that He saved all these other people, but He cannot save Himself. Then they tempt Him by saying that if He would simply take Himself off the cross, then they will believe. I call balderdash. These people had seen all of the other miracles Christ performed before this moment. Even though they were eyewitnesses to what He had done, they still do not believe. If Jesus had saved Himself, which He could have, then they still would not believe. Jesus remains on the cross, suffering for the sins of all people, and succumbs to death after a few hours.

Joseph of Arimathea is given Christ’s corpse. He anoints the body as best he can and places it in a tomb. The tomb will not be used for very long, though.

Deuteronomy 29-30 and Mark 16

The warnings of disobedience continue. Yet in all of these warnings, there is the hope and promise of restoration. God has established this covenant with them. They are warned to not get puffed up and full of themselves because of this covenant. In fact, they are given the example of someone that hears the words of the oath and he considers himself exempt, thinking that he will enjoy the peace even if he goes his own way. That will not work. If the person is to receive the blessing then he or she needs to obey God’s commands.

If they do not uphold their end of the covenant and The LORD gives them over then who is to blame? This Scripture makes it abundantly clear that it is their fault, not The LORD’s. Rather than other nations coming alongside and having pity on them for losing their status, will put the blame squarely on the Israelites, not The LORD. If they start chasing other gods again and worshiping idols and The LORD uproots them, it is their fault, not God’s.

They are encouraged to love The LORD with all of their hearts and do His will. That is how they will prosper.

In the Mark reading, some of the women that had been following Jesus arrive at the tomb to finish anointing His body. They find that the tomb is in fact empty. Jesus is alive. He has defeated the grave. They dutifully report these findings to the disciples and let them know that Jesus has resurrected. It is worth noting how the disciples respond. They respond with disbelief. The story is so incredible, that they refuse to believe the first witnesses. Even though Christ had told them what was going to happen, they first respond with unbelief. If these first witnesses had a difficult time getting the people that followed Him to believe that He overcame the grave, we can be assured that there will be folks we interact with that will not believe it. However, our job as believers is to continue witnessing to folks, showing them how awesome God is and what He has done by both deed and word.

The disciples come around to believing that Jesus has resurrected, but they are all sternly rebuked by Jesus for not believing the women that brought the news to them.

Deuteronomy 31-32 and Luke 1:1-23

Moses is 120 years old now and cannot continue to lead the people. Joshua is chosen to lead them into the Promised Land. Moses will be able to see the land, but he will not enter it because of the instance where he drew water from the rock without giving God credit. God tells Moses that his time is coming to a close. He also tells him that the people will soon commit adultery with foreign gods. THat had to have been pretty tough for Moses to hear. He has devoted the majority of his life to helping these people out, but they are still just not getting it.

God tells Moses to teach the people a song to remember in their destitution. The song begins speaking about what God had done for them, showing His power and glory. From there, it catalogs the various sins of the people, and closes with a promise that God will take vengeance upon the enemies. Though the point of the song might seem to be one of vengeance, the overarching theme is God’s sovereignty and fairness. He is faithful, without prejudice, righteous and true.

We get into Luke today. Luke was a medical doctor. He wrote this book and the book of Acts. Both books are dedicated to Theophilus. We do not have any information about Theophilus other than the fact that the name means “lover of God”. Luke is seeking to give his eyewitness account of Christ’s life. He gives the pertinent data that he observed starting with John the Baptist’s dad Zechariah. Zechariah and his wife Elizabeth were both righteous people, but they had not had children. They were on in years and they thought the window was closed. But God makes a way that Elizabeth will bear John the Baptist. He will announce the coming of Messiah and will be filled with the Holy Spirit even in the womb. Zechariah asks how he can know this and he is immediately unable to speak because he questioned the announcement. When he finally leaves the sanctuary, the other people know that he had to have a vision while he was there.

Deuteronomy 31-32 and Luke 1:1-23

Moses is 120 years old now and cannot continue to lead the people. Joshua is chosen to lead them into the Promised Land. Moses will be able to see the land, but he will not enter it because of the instance where he drew water from the rock without giving God credit. God tells Moses that his time is coming to a close. He also tells him that the people will soon commit adultery with foreign gods. THat had to have been pretty tough for Moses to hear. He has devoted the majority of his life to helping these people out, but they are still just not getting it.

God tells Moses to teach the people a song to remember in their destitution. The song begins speaking about what God had done for them, showing His power and glory. From there, it catalogs the various sins of the people, and closes with a promise that God will take vengeance upon the enemies. Though the point of the song might seem to be one of vengeance, the overarching theme is God’s sovereignty and fairness. He is faithful, without prejudice, righteous and true.

We get into Luke today. Luke was a medical doctor. He wrote this book and the book of Acts. Both books are dedicated to Theophilus. We do not have any information about Theophilus other than the fact that the name means “lover of God”. Luke is seeking to give his eyewitness account of Christ’s life. He gives the pertinent data that he observed starting with John the Baptist’s dad Zechariah. Zechariah and his wife Elizabeth were both righteous people, but they had not had children. They were on in years and they thought the window was closed. But God makes a way that Elizabeth will bear John the Baptist. He will announce the coming of Messiah and will be filled with the Holy Spirit even in the womb. Zechariah asks how he can know this and he is immediately unable to speak because he questioned the announcement. When he finally leaves the sanctuary, the other people know that he had to have a vision while he was there.

Deuteronomy 33-34 and Luke 1: 24-56

Moses gives the Israelites blessings before he passes away. He goes over the various tribes and talks about what they have done and what is in their future. Moses goes up from the plains of Moab to Mt Nebo where he is able to see Jericho. God then reminds Moses that the land is promised to his descendants, but he is not allowed to enter the land. However, God allows him to see it with his own eyes. Moses’ mission is complete. He breathes his last and is buried. We do not know where he was buried. The text says that his grave was there ”to this day”. That was true at the completion of Deuteronomy. Later, in the New Testament times, Jude will write about the mystery surrounding Moses’ burial spot.

We are told that Moses did not lose any of his vitality for the 120 years that he walked the earth. Feasibly, if he had not messed up by bringing water from the rock and equating himself with God, he could have lived a while in the Promised Land and enjoyed some of its blessings. Or he could have lived for a while in the wilderness without crossing into Jericho. However, it was his time to go. He lived a full life and was remembered as enjoying a special relationship with God Almighty.

In the Luke reading, Mary is visited by Gabriel. He informs Mary that she will give birth to a son. She is curious as how that could happen since she has not been intimate with a man. Gabriel informs her that nothing is impossible for God. He invites her to consider that her cousin Elizabeth is pregnant in her old age. Mary goes to visit Elizabeth in her sixth month of pregnancy. When she arrives, the baby John leaps in utero since he feels the presence of the pre-born Jesus. We are told that Mary stays with Elizabeth for three months. It is unclear whether she is there for the birth of John the Baptist, but most think that she probably remained long enough to see him born. There was a spiritual bond between the two babies and both would play important roles in the future of God’s people.

Joshua 1-3 and Luke 1: 57-80

Moses is dead. Joshua has command of the people now. It is fitting that he would receive encouragement from The LORD. Many of the things that He is commanding Joshua will be repeated to other Israelite leaders throughout the Old Testament. The command to be strong and courageous was already spoken by Moses. It will be used before big undertakings like David’s charge to Solomon to build the Temple, King Hezekiah’s encouragement to his people to withstand a siege, and Joshua’s charge to Israel to fight.

Joshua sends spies to Jericho. They come to the house of Rahab a prostitute. Jericho’s king sends men out looking for the spies. When they approach Rahab’s house, she tells them that the spies had already left and she did not know which way they went. The truth is that the spies were in the stalks of flax on her roof. This is another one of those instances where we see an example of someone lying and benefitting from it. We saw the same thing when it came to the midwives delivering Hebrew babies. Rahab explains that the entire land is overcome with fear since word of God drying up the Red Sea and the defeat of Og and Sihon. The people of Jericho know that God is with them and so their courage has failed them.

Rahab is different from the rest of the people. The news of what God had done for the Israelites brings her to belief in God. She helps them with the agreement that she and her family will be spared at the onslaught. The spies agree. If someone in her family is harmed, the blood is on their hands, but if she reports their mission, then their oath to her is null and void. This indicates that even if the king found out about their mission, they are still planning to enter the land unlike last time. The first time they got here, they were afraid and decided not to go in. As a result, they wandered for forty years in the wilderness. They were not going to make the same mistake again!

Again we see The LORD make a pathway through water for them to cross. This time, the people will cross the Jordan into Jericho on dry land. We are told that the Jordan would overflow its banks in harvest season. Sadly, that is no longer the case. I had the privilege to visit Israel a while back and several spots within the Jordan are not nearly as deep or wide as they used to be. In fact, the flow of water through the Jordan has been so slow, that the Dead Sea’s water level is falling.

In the Luke reading, John the Baptist is born. When it comes time for the boy to be circumcised and named. It was customary for the first born to be named after the father, that is why they looked to Zechariah when Elizabeth stated the child would be called John. Zechariah writes out on a tablet that his name is John. At that, he was able to speak again. Zechariah then delivers a prophecy about what great things his son will do to prepare the way of Messiah.

Joshua 4-6 and Luke 2:1-24

The entire nation crosses the Jordan on dry land. Twelve men from the people, one from each tribe, are told to take one stone each and place it in the middle of the Jordan where the priests are standing. These stones are to remind the people about what God has done for them as they traveled into Jericho. The Lord again dried up the water, just as He had when the Israelites were traveling across the Red Sea. They are reminded to tell their children about what God had done for them. They are to give their testimony. The testimony of a believer is important. We can read what God has done for the people in the Bible, but we all have stories about the things that God has done for us. It is important to let people know that God is working in our lives.

A rather unpleasant thing happens for the people. Since they have been wandering the wilderness for so long, the entire generation of men were not circumcised. The LORD commands Joshua to circumcise the men “again”. By stating ”again” God is reinstituting the covenant He had established with Abraham. They have a feast from the produce of the land. The very next day, the manna stopped. From here on out, they will eat from the fruit of the land.

The defeat of Jericho was relatively simple. Joshua, priests carrying the ark of the Lord, seven priests with seven trumpets, and the armed men marched once around the city for six days blowing the trumpets. On the seventh day, they marched around the city seven times in the same way. After the seventh time, the people shouted and the walls of Jericho fell. They are warned to not take the set apart things when they go in to take the city. The treasure is set apart for The LORD. Rahab and her family are rescued, just like the spies had guaranteed they would be.

In the New Testament reading, Caesar Augustus decrees a census must be taken. So Joseph takes Mary to Bethlehem in order to be registered. While she was there, she gives birth to Jesus. The shepherds outside of Bethlehem were keeping their flocks when an angel of the Lord appeared to them and told them the great news that the Messiah had been born. The sheep these shepherds were keeping were no ordinary sheep. Those were the sheep that were sacrificed for atonement at the temple. Now that the Messiah is here, there will be no need for keeping these special sheep anymore. Instead, it will be the Messiah that will reconcile His people to Him.

Joshua 7-8 and Luke 2:25-52

Unfortunately, some of the Israelites were not faithful and took some of the forbidden things. Obviously, the majority of them thought everyone was faithful since when it came time to take Ai, the scouts say to only send 2,000-3,000 warfighters into Ai. They assume it will be a simple victory so there is no need to exhaust all of their military forces. The army goes in and Ai fights back, killing 36 Israelites. The Israelites are disheartened and Joshua gives a similar refrain that we have seen from the people wandering the wilderness. He asks why God would do that to them. God responds that there are people that have sinned against Him in their midst. They identify the man responsible and take care of him as The LORD commanded them to.

From there, they reengage Ai. The LORD tells the Israelites that this time they can keep the plunder from the war. After defeating Ai, Joshua burns it to the ground. He builds an altar on Mount Ebal to God Almighty. They offered burnt offerings to the LORD. Joshua read them all of the the law, both the blessings and the curses.

In the Luke reading, we read about Simeon’s life request finally being fulfilled. He had requested that The LORD would let him live to see Messiah’s arrival. Now that Jesus is here, Simeon tells the LORD that He can dismiss him now. His eyes have seen God’s salvation.

The family would travel to Jerusalem every year for the Passover Festival. When Jesus was 12 years old, He decided to stay behind when they were traveling back to Nazareth. Joseph and Mary do not notice Jesus missing for a day. This might seem like negligence on their part, but back then they traveled in a large group and the assumption was that Jesus was with another group of relatives as they traveled. When they did not find Him, they went back to Jerusalem, finding Him in the temple complex. The folks that were listening to Jesus were enthralled with His understanding of the Torah. When Joseph and Mary find him and are upset, He tells them that He was in His Father’s house. The three leave from there and Jesus is obedient to Joseph and Mary.

Joshua 9-10 and Luke 3

The Gibeonites are worried about the destruction that has been wrought on everyone else in the land. They devise a plan to save themselves from destruction. So, they make it look like they have been traveling from a faraway land. They put on torn and tattered clothes, they take stale bread, and cracked wineskins with them to confront the Israelites. They throw themselves at the mercy of Joshua proclaiming that they are the Israelites’ servants. Joshua and the rest had some suspicion at first, but then they decided that the story checked out after observing the wineskins and bread. Things would have been much better if they had consulted with The LORD. The ruse worked and the Gibeonites form a treaty with the Israelites. Even after their deception is discovered, they cannot be harmed because of the treaty. Sometimes, people are going to come along and try to bamboozle us. We can trust, but we should also verify.

The king of Jerusalem sees that the Israelites are advancing. He gathers five other kings from neighboring lands to go against Israel. The LORD tells them not to be afraid because He has delivered them into their hands. God sends large hailstones onto the opposing armies. The hail kills more of their enemies than the Israelites did. To ensure their victory, God causes the sun and moon to stand still. Had the battle gone into the evening when it was dark, there was the possibility that the enemies would retreat. God ensured victory over Israel’s enemies. Just as God gave them victory, He will give us victory as well!

In the New Testament reading, we learn about John the Baptist’s early ministry. He is baptizing people and giving instruction on how to properly live. The tax collectors ask what they should do. He tells them that they should only take what they are allowed and nothing more. He tells the soldiers to be content with what they have and not take from others. It seems that most people are happy to hear this instruction and keep it. Herod, on the other hand, does not like what John has to say at all. Herod divorced his wife so he could marry his brother Philip’s wife. John calls Herod out for his sin so Herod has him put in prison.

Joshua 11-13 and Luke 4:1-32

Word is spreading of Israel’s conquests. Again, God gives Joshua assurance that he does not need to be afraid of the armies. God has it all under control. The enemies will be defeated and the land will be theirs. They just have to stay the course and all will be well. A summary of all the conquests up to this point is given. We are reminded of the territories that were given to the Reubenites, Gadites, and half of Manasseh’s tribe. It may seem odd that this would be placed here since we are concentrating on the battles to the west of the Jordan. Remember, though, that those three tribes requested they be given the land east of the Jordan. When they made the request, they had to swear an oath that they would still fight with the rest of the tribes. As these new lands are being conquered, we will see other tribes take possessions of those lands. These tribes already have their inheritance, so we should not expect to see them take any new lands, even though they are still fighting alongside the rest of the tribes.

In the New Testament reading, Jesus goes into the wilderness where He fasts for 40 days after He is baptized. At the end of the 40 days, He is hungry. The devil comes to tempt Him to feed Himself. Jesus can make bread for Himself, but it is not appropriate, so He uses Scripture to thwart the attack. Then the devil tries to get Jesus to take the short cut and worship the devil. Then the kingdoms and their splendor will be His. Again, Jesus stops the attack with more Scripture. In the third temptation, the devil uses Scripture to justify what he wants Jesus to do. Jesus again fights back with Scripture. As believers, it is important for us to know the Scripture and what it means. There are plenty of people out there that will justify terrible things by taking Scripture out of context. We have to be able to identify when this happens.

Jesus passes the temptation and then goes back to Nazareth by the way of Galilee. In Galilee, plenty of people are amazed at His teaching. In Nazareth, they are less impressed. On the sabbath in the synagogue, Jesus got up to read from Isaiah. He then sits down, the mode for preaching back then, and delivers the sermon that they have seen that Scripture fulfilled. Rather than identifying Him as Messiah, the folks look at each other and say, “isn’t that Joseph’s son?” Jesus then prophesies that they will one day quote a proverb to Him saying “Doctor, heal yourself”. They will certainly use that as they hurl insults at Him while He is hanging on the cross.

Joshua 14-15 and Luke 4:33-34

We are seeing exactly how all of the land is being allocated amongst the tribes. Caleb come to Joshua proclaiming God’s goodness. The LORD has kept him alive these last 45 years. Now he is 85 years old and still feels as strong as he did on the day that Moses sent him out to scout the land of Canaan. Caleb was the only spie to come back saying that they should go and take the land. The rest all incited fear by warning of giants in the land. God took care of Caleb and ensured that he made it to the promised land.

We also read about the cities that Judah inherits. All of these people were guaranteed an inheritance in the Promised Land. God delivers on His promises!

In the New Testament reading, Jesus is in the synagogue in Galilee. While He is teaching a man with an unclean and demonic spirit entered. The Spirit cries out, telling Jesus to leave. He knows who Jesus is and accurately describes Him as the Son of God. Jesus rebuked the spirit and made it come out of the man. The news about this event spread rapidly.

After this, Jesus went to the home of Simon. Simon’s mother in law was not feeling well and Jesus healed her. Many more came to Jesus to heal them as the day went on and through the night. When it came to be daytime, Jesus tried to get away by going to a deserted place. The people still found Him and requested that He stay in Galilee longer. Jesus explains that He must go to other towns and proclaim the good news of God’s kingdom.

The Galileans wanted to keep Jesus to themselves. That was not God’s plan. God’s plan was to reconcile anyone who confesses Jesus as Lord. This was not contained to the Galileans or even contained to the Israelites. Jesus came for every single person.

Joshua 14-15 and Luke 4:33-34

We are seeing exactly how all of the land is being allocated amongst the tribes. Caleb come to Joshua proclaiming God’s goodness. The LORD has kept him alive these last 45 years. Now he is 85 years old and still feels as strong as he did on the day that Moses sent him out to scout the land of Canaan. Caleb was the only spy to come back saying that they should go and take the land. The rest all incited fear by warning of giants in the land. God took care of Caleb and ensured that he made it to the promised land.

We also read about the cities that Judah inherits. All of these people were guaranteed an inheritance in the Promised Land. God delivers on His promises!

In the New Testament reading, Jesus is in the synagogue in Galilee. While He is teaching a man with an unclean and demonic spirit entered. The Spirit cries out, telling Jesus to leave. He knows who Jesus is and accurately describes Him as the Son of God. Jesus rebuked the spirit and made it come out of the man. The news about this event spread rapidly.

After this, Jesus went to the home of Simon. Simon’s mother in law was not feeling well and Jesus healed her. Many more came to Jesus to heal them as the day went on and through the night. When it came to be daytime, Jesus tried to get away by going to a deserted place. The people still found Him and requested that He stay in Galilee longer. Jesus explains that He must go to other towns and proclaim the good news of God’s kingdom.

The Galileans wanted to keep Jesus to themselves. That was not God’s plan. God’s plan was to reconcile anyone who confesses Jesus as Lord. This was not contained to the Galileans or even contained to the Israelites. Jesus came for every single person.

Joshua 16-18 and Luke 5:1-16

We continue reading about the land allotments for the Israelite tribes as they settle in the Promised Land. From what we read today, not every single inhabitant of Canaan was driven out during the Israelite conquest. We find that in Ephraim and Manasseh, Canaanites remained in those lands because they could not be completely driven out. These folks wind up being forced laborers in the lands. The forced labor was a practice that was used in Canaan before the Israelites arrived. Solomon will use this labor in the building of the temple later on in the Old Testament.

We also see the promise that Zelophehad’s daughters would receive land since he did not have any sons. That decision was made while Moses was still alive. The people uphold their word and the women are given their inheritance.

In Joshua 18 we see the first reference to the Tent of Meeting in this book. The Tent of Meeting is where the surveyors were sent out from to make maps and establish boundaries. I find it interesting that the Temple Complex is built in Jerusalem and not in Shiloh. This most likely has to do with the fact that Shiloh is in the territory owned by Ephraim. Jerusalem was in the territory owned by Judah, the line that David and Solomon come from.

In the New Testament reading, Jesus is out gathering disciples. He goes to Simon Peter who had been out fishing all night. Back then, the men fished at night so that the catch was fresh for the market that morning. Jesus tells Simon to lower his nets. Simon states that they had been working hard all night at fishing, but had caught nothing. However, since He had told them to do it, he would go ahead and lower the nets.

Would we respond like this? Would we do the same thing that we had been doing all night long expecting a different result since God told us to do it? When The LORD tells us to keep going, we should follow His direction. God’s direction is always best. Simon sees this played out when he hauls in such a great catch that they fill up two boats. Imagine what would have happened if Simon had responded, ”We’ve been doing that all night. We aren’t trying again.”

Joshua 19-20 and Luke 5:17-39

There are no boundaries for the allotment for the tribe of Simeon. The text gives us a list of towns in the southern terrritory of Judah. This was given to Simeon because the share for Judah’s descendants was too big for them. The town list is divided into an eastern portion (19:2-6) and western portion (19:7-8).

When all of the land had been distributed, Joshua receives his portion last. This is a great example of Joshua’s leaders and a lesson leaders can use today. Joshua, as the leader of all of the tribes took care of everyone else first. He did not use his status as the leader of the group to take his portion first. Instead, he took care of his people first, then himself. During my time in the Navy, the absolute best leaders I had were the ones that took care of their people first and took care of themselves last. As Simon Sinek puts it, “Leaders Eat Last.” If we want to be effective leaders, we can look at Joshua’s example right here in this chapter.

We also read about the cities of refuge being established. This prevented someone that accidentally killed another from being murdered. It is similar to manslaughter. The murder was not committed with evil in the perpetrator’s heart. However, there still must be some level of punishment for the crime. They were not absolved from the accidental murder, but the avenger was prevented from taking the law into his or her own hands.

In the New Testament reading, we read the account of the paralyzed man trying to get to Jesus for healing. Unfortunately, there was such a crowd that the man’s friends could not bring him to Jesus. So, they went up to the roof, made a hole in it, and then lowered their friend down. This is proof positive that the kind of people we keep in our circle of friends is important. This man’s friends would stop at nothing to help him out. Are we surrounding ourselves with other believing friends that will keep us sharp? I am not saying that every single friend we have must be a believer. However, it is important to have friends that will edify us in our walk with Christ.

Jesus heals the man lowered down. This sends the scribes into a frenzy because Jesus is pronouncing forgiveness of sin and healing the lame. Jesus then goes and finds Levi, a tax collector, and calls him to follow. Levi (who later becomes Matthew) holds a great big feast with a bunch of other tax collectors and other sinful people. The Pharisees were abhorred by what they saw, Jesus keeping company with sinful tax collectors. Jesus explains that He has come to call sinners to repentance. The irony here is that the Pharisees were themselves not nearly as perfect as they thought they were, yet they would not repent of their sins.

Joshua 21-22 and Luke 6:1-26

The Levitical families receive their land. God has kept His promise. The land that He told Abraham would be is finally owned by his descendants. From the worldly standpoint, it took quite a while to get here. Abraham had been promised this in Genesis. There was the famine, then the oppression the Israelites faced from the Egyptians, the Exodus, and the wandering around in the wilderness. God keeps His promises. He answers prayer. Sometimes it takes a while for that prayer to be answered, but He will. Even in the waiting, God is working!

The eastern tribes are sent back to their homeland. They had requested to stay on the east side of the Jordan because of their flocks. Moses had agreed to let them occupy that land provided they fought with the rest of the tribes as they moved into Canaan. The eastern tribes upheld their end of the deal, so they are sent back to their land. When they get there, they decide to build an altar. This might not seem like such a big deal to us since Abraham built several altars while he was moving from place to place. However, it was the name of the altar that upset the western tribes and caused them to want to rise up against the eastern tribes. The altar that the eastern tribes constructed in Hebrew is “mizbeach”, a word that means slaughter. The name indicated that these tribes would be conducting animal sacrifices there. The only place that animals were to be sacrificed at was at the tent of meeting. This is what caused the uproar, the idea that they might offer sacrifices in an unauthorized place. The eastern tribes explain that they simply built the altar to show that they are united with the western tribes. The official name given to the altar is “It is a witness between us that The LORD is God.”

In the New Testament reading Jesus is out with some of His disciples on the Sabbath. The men get hungry, so they grab some grain and rub it in their hands so that they can eat it. Some Pharisees see it and become incensed that they would do “work” on the Sabbath. Jesus reminds the Pharisees of the time that David and his men were hungry so they went and took the sacred bread, which was not lawful for anyone but the priests to eat. The Sabbath had become something that the Pharisees were serving, the Sabbath wasn’t serving them. Jesus continues to do “work” on the Sabbath. He heals a man with a paralyzed hand causing more outcry from the religious elite.

From there, Jesus goes and assembles the rest of the disciples. He continues traveling around teaching and healing. He delivers the beatitudes explaining that the poor are blessed because the kingdom of God is theirs. The beatitudes are a message of hope to the people that are struggling. They will be joyous one day. Since we know that God keeps His promises, we know that mourning will turn to joy and hunger will turn to being full.

Joshua 23-24 and Luke 6:27-49

Joshua realizes that he is getting on in years. He has lived a full life. He assembles the people to give them some final words of encouragement. He tells them to avoid falling into the trap of following the gods of the nations that surround them. He warns them not to intermarry with these other nations. This might seem odd to us, but Joshua knows that if they marry folks from these pagan nations, it is likely that they will begin following the pagan practices of the spouse rather than bringing the spouse to faith in Yahweh. He warns them not to break their end of the covenant. As long as they continue following and worshipping Yahweh, all will be well.

Joshua then reviews the history of the Israelites from the time God called Abraham until now. He gives examples of how God has delivered them and kept His promises. Joshua challenges them, staying that if they do not want to worship Yahweh, then they should choose for themselves the one that they will worship, the gods their fathers worshipped beyond the Euphrates or the gods of the Amorites. Joshua explains that he and his family will worship The LORD. The fact is that everyone worships something. We all make sacrifices for something. In our lives is it God that we worship? Or is it something else? The people respond that they will follow God. Unfortunately, time will show that they do not continue worshipping God. Instead, they will turn from Him and to the gods of the other nations. Joshua warns them that if they turn and abandon Yahweh, He will turn against them. Throughout the Old Testament, we will see that exact warning play out.

Joshua dies and is buried. Joseph’s bones are also buried. His remains were brought out of Egypt on the Exodus and now Joseph’s remains rest in Shechem. This place was purchased by Jacob, Joseph’s father, for 100 qesitahs (Gen 33:18-20). Unfortunately, we do not know the value of the qesitah currency.

In the Luke reading, Jesus gives practical advice on Godly living. The people are told to love their enemies, give generously, and not judge. Jesus warns them about pointing to the speck in their brother’s eye while ignoring the great big log in theirs. The point is that we are all sinful. We all fall short of the glory of God. We cannot stand in judgment of someone else because we too have faults. That does not mean we should stand idly by while someone leads themselves on a path to destruction. However, we are to help that person, not judge them. Leave the judging to God. Our job as Christians is not so much to change people, but instead introduce people to the One that changed us and let Him do the work.

Judges 1-2 and Luke 7:1-30

We move into the period of the Judges. The lands have been allocated to the Israelites. They have their marching orders and know how they are supposed to interact with God. There were no kings during this time in Israelite history. It would make sense that they did not have an earthly king. Yahweh had delivered them to the Promised Land, so He should have been the sole authority.

In the first two chapters of this book, there are no judges. Instead, the people are just going along and doing what they feel led to do. We read about Judah fighting against Adoni-bezek. To mark the victory, the big toes and thumbs are cut off of the fallen monarch. This was to mark how dramatic the victory was since there were 70 other kings that came before Judah that were unable to defeat Adoni-bezek. His MO was to cut the big toes and thumbs off of the defeated kings. Judah also goes with his brother and defeats the Canaanites living in Zephath. They continued on, capturing several towns in the hill country, but not in the valley. The reason for their inability is the fact that the valley occupants had iron chariots. Iron was relatively new at this time. It was not just that they had the technically superior chariots, but their weaponry was probably more advanced than the Israelites. This is not to say that God could not deliver them from the hands of the technologically superior group. In this instance, God chooses not to.

Unfortunately, the people are starting to turn from their faithful ways. Joshua dies and the people begin chasing down the evil things from their neighbors. They begin worshipping Baal and Ashtoreth. Baal was the Canaanite god of storm and rain. Ashtoreth was his consort, the god of love and fertility. Many of the Israelites, some who earlier in Joshua swore they would never abandon Yahweh, leave Him to prostrate themselves before these gods. The LORD’s anger burns against the Israelites and He declares that He will no longer drive out the other nations. God had not failed to keep up His end of the covenant, the people did. As a result, hard times are ahead for them.

In the New Testament reading, a centurion sends some other Jews to Jesus to ask Him to heal his servant. Jesus approaches the man’s home and the centurion stops Him, saying that he is not worthy for Jesus to enter his home. All Jesus has to do is say the word and he knows that his servant will get better. Jesus remarks that He has not found faith like this in all of Israel. Jesus is already showing that He did not just come for the Israelite, but for the rest of His creation.

Jesus also heals a widow’s son, bringing him back from death. John the Baptist sends some of his disciples to ask Jesus if He is the Messiah. Jesus confirms that He is the One. John the Baptist sent the disciples because he was still in prison.

Judges 3-5 and Luke 31-50

Israel is spiraling, worshipping gods that they should not. They are doing evil in The LORD’s sight. They have forgotten Him and are worshipping Baal. As a result, He put them in the hands to Cushan-rishathaim for eight years. This is not the last time God will use a secular leader to execute judgment on the people. When it becomes too much, the Israelites cry out in desperation and turn back to The LORD. Othneil, the first judge, rises up and defeats Cushan-rishathaim. The land has peace for 40 years.

Old habits die hard, though, and they return to their old ways, doing evil in The LORD’s sight again. The Israelites are taken captive by Eglon king of Moab for 18 years. The Israelites cry out again and God raises up Ehud. Ehud is from the Benjaminite tribe. From what we can tell, left handedness was fairly common within the tribe of Benjamin. The irony there is that Benjamin means “son of the right hand”. Ehud uses his left handedness to his advantage, strapping a sword to his right thigh. When he went in to make tribute, he got Eglon to come close to him. When he was close enough, Ehud shoved the sword into Eglon’s belly. Apparently, Eglon was a pretty fat guy, considering the entire sword, handle and all, went into him. The land was peaceful for 80 years.

You can guess what happens next. The Israelites fall into the same pattern of sin. Now Jabin owns them. Deborah, a woman, is the judge of the Israelites. She sends for Barak and gives him a plan. They are going to deploy with 10,000 men from Naphtali and Zebulun. Then she will lure Sisera, the commander of Jabin’s forces and hand him over to Barak. He agrees to go, if she will go. Deborah says she will go, but he will receive no honor because the LORD will defeat Sisera by a woman’s hand. Later we see when Sisera’s forces have been thrown into confusion, he makes it to the tent of Jael, the wife of Heber. Jael makes Sisera feel comfortable, serving him, and getting him to fall asleep. While he is sleeping, she takes a tent peg and drives it through his temple. The interesting thing about this is that Heber and Jabin were supposed to be allies. This camp should have been a safe place for Sisera. Again we see The LORD executing judgment on the Israelite enemy through a non Israelite.

In the New Testament reading, Jesus goes to the house of a Pharisee to eat. While He is there, a sinful woman approaches Him with a jar full of fragrant oil. She washes His feet with her tears and anoints them with the oil. The Pharisees sees it and exclaims in disgust that if Jesus was a true prophet, He would know what kind of a sinful woman she is. Jesus uses this as a moment to teach Simon. There are two people that owe money to a creditor. One only owes 50, the other owes 500. Neither of them can pay it back, so the creditor absolves the debt of both. The one that owed 500 is more grateful than the one that owes 50. We are all sinful. We all carry that burden of sin. From the worldly standpoint, some sin is worse than others. However, sin is sin is sin. So we should all be grateful that God sent His Son to atone for us. By His stripes we are healed. We were all in debt to Him, but He paid the price for us.

Judges 6-7 and Luke 8:1-21

It comes as no shock that once again the Israelites are oppressed. This time it is from the Midianites. The Israelites are forced to do things in secret so that the Midianites won’t steal their crops or take other possessions. God is clear on why they are in the situation they are in. He told them not to live in fear of other gods, but they did.

The Angel of The LORD calls Gideo on while he is threshing wheat in a wine vat. He is threshing the wheat in the wine vat to hide from the Midianites. This makes the statement from the Angel about Gideon as a “mighty warrior” somewhat comical. Gideon identifies that his family is the weakest in Manasseh and he is the youngest in his family. Gideon seems himself as the weakest of the weak. God will turn him into a great warrior.

Gideon prepares a young goat for the Angel along with unleavened bread. The Angel touched the meat with the end of his staff. Fire came from the rock, consuming the meat and bread. Gideon cries out, terrified at the fact that he has just interacted with the Angel of the Lord. God calls to him and comforts him, saying that he will not die.

Gideon asks for two signs that God will really deliver his enemies. Gideon becomes more emboldened as a leader. It comes time for him to pick an army. Out of the 32,000 men that showed up as potential fighters, only 300 actually made it through the screening process. God is going to use this teeny tiny army to defeat the enemies. Further, he is going to use the youngest man of the weakest family in the tribe to lead this victorious band of soldiers.

Never underestimate what God can do with you. We might think we are weak, but if He calls us to do something, then we can rest assured that we will complete the task not because of our strength, but because of God’s.

In the New Testament reading, Jesus tells the parable of the sower. He uses this parable to explain how the kingdom of God grows. Some of the seed falls onto the hard ground, it does not take root. Other seed falls in the weeds, which chokes the seed out. Other seed falls into the rocky soil, it sprouts up quick, but when it gets hot out, it withers. There still is seed that hits the good and fertile soil. That seed produces a great crop. As believers, we are called to spread the seed of the Gospel. Not everyone will come to have faith at our witness. When we are diligently witnessing and we do not see anything fruitful from it, it is okay, we are doing what we have been called to do. We can plant the seed, but we can’t make it grow.

Judges 6-7 and Luke 8:1-21

It comes as no shock that once again the Israelites are oppressed. This time it is from the Midianites. The Israelites are forced to do things in secret so that the Midianites won’t steal their crops or take other possessions. God is clear on why they are in the situation they are in. He told them not to live in fear of other gods, but they did.

The Angel of The LORD calls Gideo on while he is threshing wheat in a wine vat. He is threshing the wheat in the wine vat to hide from the Midianites. This makes the statement from the Angel about Gideon as a “mighty warrior” somewhat comical. Gideon identifies that his family is the weakest in Manasseh and he is the youngest in his family. Gideon seems himself as the weakest of the weak. God will turn him into a great warrior.

Gideon prepares a young goat for the Angel along with unleavened bread. The Angel touched the meat with the end of his staff. Fire came from the rock, consuming the meat and bread. Gideon cries out, terrified at the fact that he has just interacted with the Angel of the Lord. God calls to him and comforts him, saying that he will not die.

Gideon asks for two signs that God will really deliver his enemies. Gideon becomes more emboldened as a leader. It comes time for him to pick an army. Out of the 32,000 men that showed up as potential fighters, only 300 actually made it through the screening process. God is going to use this teeny tiny army to defeat the enemies. Further, he is going to use the youngest man of the weakest family in the tribe to lead this victorious band of soldiers.

Never underestimate what God can do with you. We might think we are weak, but if He calls us to do something, then we can rest assured that we will complete the task not because of our strength, but because of God’s.

In the New Testament reading, Jesus tells the parable of the sower. He uses this parable to explain how the kingdom of God grows. Some of the seed falls onto the hard ground, it does not take root. Other seed falls in the weeds, which chokes the seed out. Other seed falls into the rocky soil, it sprouts up quick, but when it gets hot out, it withers. There still is seed that hits the good and fertile soil. That seed produces a great crop. As believers, we are called to spread the seed of the Gospel. Not everyone will come to have faith at our witness. When we are diligently witnessing and we do not see anything fruitful from it, it is okay, we are doing what we have been called to do. We can plant the seed, but we can’t make it grow.

Judges 8-9 and Luke 8: 22-56

Gideon has victory. The Israelites are liberated. This summary should conclude with a statement about peace. Instead, the Ephraimites complain that they were not invited to the fight. This is surprising because in other instances it was difficult to get the tribes to unite to fight. Gideon shows incredible diplomacy in his response to them. He tells them about how great their tribe is. In fact, the weaker of the Ephraimites are stronger than the strongest of his clan.

Upon his victory, the people want Gideon to rule over them. Gideon responds properly, saying that it will not be him or any of his sons that rule over the Israelites. That role belongs to God. Though he said the right thing, Gideon immediately asks for a king’s ransom, acquiring gold and pearls from the people and the prisoners. Gideon takes all of these jewels and precious metals and turns them into an ephod which is then worshipped by the Israelites. Essentially, they are back where they started, still engaging in pagan worship.

Things only get worse for them when Gideon dies. Abimelech, one of Gideon’s sons born to a concubine jumps at the chance to become king. He slaughters the rest of Gideon’s 70 sons. Jotham, Gideon’s youngest son, is the only one to survive since he hid himself. Abimelech goes to Thebez to capture it. He sets the entrance to their tower on fire. A woman on the upper portion of the tower seized the opportunity and threw a millstone on him. The stone does not immediately kill Abimelech. He has one of his servants kill him because he does not want anyone to think he had been killed by a woman.

Notice that in these two chapters, God is not really mentioned. These people are becoming more and more reliant on themselves. Further, they are worshipping things other than God Almighty. At this point, Baal worship is relatively standard. Things will change, though.

In the New Testament reading, Jesus and the disciples are headed across the Lake of Galilee. Jesus is sleeping on the boat when a storm hits. The boat is tossed about, but Jesus’ sleep is not disturbed. Instead, the disciples have to wake Him up to get His help. Jesus calms the water with His words and then asks them why they lack faith. They were with the Messiah, they should have known that they were going to be okay.

Jesus also drives Legion out of a man. The horde of demons that left the man enter a herd of pigs which then runs into the water, drowning all of them. Jesus has a crowd pressing against Him. He feels power go out of Him when a woman touches his garment. She had been suffering from bleeding and she knew that if she could just touch the hem of her garment, she would be healed.

Judges 10-11 and Luke 9:1-36

After the reign of Abimelech, Tola becomes judge and begins to deliver Israel. Jair followed his lead and judged Israel for 22 years. Things were going well for the Israelites again and they once again forgot The LORD and began doing evil in His sight. We see this trend quite often in the history of the Israelites. One thing to keep in mind is that years and years go by between the periods of occupation and freedom. When things have been going well for them for a while, they forget where their blessings come from and abandon The LORD. The descent into rebellion was relatively gradual, with one or two leading the way until the majority were involved in it.

Once again the Israelites cry out asking who will deliver them. Enter Jepthah, the rejected son of Gilead. He was rejected because his mother was a prostitute. He spent the majority of his life on the run and with lawless men. However, he was a great warrior. Knowing this, the Gileadites that had previously rejected him, approach him asking to lead. Jephthah agrees and takes up his sword. Prior to entering the Ammonite territory, Jephthah prays that The LORD will deliver his enemies. If God does that, then he will offer the first thing that greets him on his return home as a burnt offering. The LORD delivers the Ammonites to Jephthah. Unfortunately, his vow comes back to haunt him. His daughter is the first to greet him. Jephthah is distressed, but she is obedient. Her only request is that she be allowed to travel with her friends to mourn for two months.

We should be careful what kind of vows we make to The LORD. Further, when we make a vow to God, we should be careful to ensure we fulfill it. How often do we promise to do something for God if He blesses us in some way?

The New Testament covers a lot of ground. Jesus commissions the 12 disciples to go into the towns, proclaiming Messiah. Jesus tells them not to take any extra things with them. They are leaving with what they are wearing with no provision. God is going to provide for them on their travels.

Peter confesses Jesus as Messiah and Jesus predicts His death. Peter, John, and James witness Christ’s transfiguration after Jesus teaches the disciples about taking up their crosses. We are in the Holy Week, preparing to celebrate Christ’s resurrection. However, we will mourn His death on Good Friday. As believers, we are called to take up our crosses and die to self. Our call is to follow Christ and be His hands and feet, acting as living sacrifices for Him.

Judges 12-14 and Luke 9:37-62

The Ephraimites are again upset that they were part of Jephthah’s victory over the Ammonites. Unlike Gideon’s response the first time they were upset about this, Jephthah is not diplomatic at all. He calls them out for not coming when he requested help. Jephthah gathers his fighting men and they defeat Ephraim. To ensure they have not missed any Ephraimites, any time a fugitive came across the fords of the Jordan, they asked the fugitive to pronounce “Sibboleth”. If they pronounced it correctly, they were Gideonites, if not, they were deemed Ephraimites. This shows us that there are differences in dialects amongst the tribes. They all speak the same language, but their pronunciation is different.

We read about the birth Samson, the last judge. The Israelites have been taken captive by the Philistines because of their evil. The Angel of the Lord approaches Manoah’s wife, explaining that she will conceive a son. He will be a Nazirite all of his life, so it is important that she avoid eating or drinking anything derived from the grapevine. When she takes this news to her husband, they consult The LORD and ask what they are supposed to do to properly raise the child. Since he is a Nazirite, he cannot consume anything derived from grapes and he cannot cut his hair. When Samson grows up, he wants a wife from the Philistines. His parents disagree with his choice, but we see that God had ordained this marriage so that Samson could be used to defeat some Philistines. He marries the woman and places a bet with some men at the marriage festival. If they can solve his riddle, he owes them. If they cannot, then they owe him. When no one can figure out the meaning, his wife nags him to the point that he gives up the answer. The Spirit of the LORD takes control of him and he kills 30 men, returning in a huff back to his father’s house.

In the New Testament reading, Jesus again shows His power over a demon. The disciples had been unable to drive it out, but Jesus got rid of it quickly. Jesus again predicts His death, but the disciples have no clue of what He is talking about.

Several come to Jesus asking to follow Him. When Jesus tells one man to follow him, he replies that he wants to bury his father first. The man’s father was not dead. We know this because the man would have been involved in the burial rites and unable to talk to Jesus at this time. The man simply wanted to delay following Jesus. Another comes and wants to follow after he goes back and says goodbye to his family. He wants to look back and say goodbye to the old life. If we want to follow Jesus and feel so inclined to, we should jump at the opportunity ASAP. No need to waste time with the trivial things of the world. No sense in looking back at the old life. If we keep looking back, we won’t move forward.

Judges 15-17 and Luke 10: 1-24

Samson decides to return to his wife. When he arrives, he finds out that his father in law has given her over to one of his traveling companions. This highly upsets Samson. He takes vengeance by gathering 300 foxes, tying their tails together, fastening torches between their tails, and releasing them to wreak havoc on the grain supply. The fire from the torches consumed the grain, the vineyard, and olive groves. The Philistines learn that Samson had done this, so they tie him up, thinking they will be able to handle him. Samson snaps through the ropes, grabs a donkey’s jawbone and slaughters 1,000 men. Chapter 15 ends with the refrain that Samson judged Israel for another 20 years. However, there is still more to the story.

We read about Samson’s drift from The LORD. He goes to Gaza, the Philistine city furthest from his home. This shows just how far he has drifted. We also read about his behavior with the prostitute he finds. After a while, he meets Delilah and falls in love with her. The Philistine men ask that Delilah find out what makes him so strong. Samson gives her false information three times. Every time he tells her how to take away his strength, she performs the action and calls in the Philistines. That makes it all the more insane that he tells her the truth about how to take away his strength. Her nagging must have been incessant! She learns the truth that if his hair is cut, he will become weak. After his hair is cut, she calls the Philistines, and announces their presence. Samson gets up, thinking he will easily break the ropes again, but finds that he cannot. Verse 20 is one of the scariest Scriptures I have read, ”But he did not know that The LORD had left him”. Samson’s assumption was that God was always with him. He had drifted so far away from fellowship with God, he did not recognize it when His power had left him. I pray that we are in tune with The LORD always.

We then read about Micah. Micah stole some silver from his mother, but when he hears her cursing the thief, he gives it back. The mother is grateful and decides that she is going to consecrate it to The LORD. This is only partly true. Out of the 1,100 pieces of silver, she only dedicated five pounds (about 200 shekels). Further, that silver was used to make an ephod and idols! The people have forgotten about God. They are not following the Levitical law. Instead, they all just do what they want to do.

In the New Testament reading, Jesus gives instructions to the 70 as they go out to tell people about Messiah’s arrival. Jesus pronounces judgment on the unrepentant towns. Christ has spent some time in Chorazin and Bethsaida, towns in Galilee, performing miracles. These folks have seen these signs, but they continue on in their sin. They do not express belief in Jesus. Instead, they continue their lives uninterrupted. Jesus juxtaposes their behavior with the behavior Tyre and Sidon, two Gentile towns, would have had if they had seen the miracles and wonders.

Judges 18-19 and Luke 10:25-42

The Danites are on the move now. They are looking for land to take since they have not captured any territory. They send out five spies to explore. The spies stop at Micah’s house and hear the Levite priest’s accent. They implore him to come along and be their priest. They explain that it would be better for him to be the priest for a whole group instead of just a household. The priest agrees and takes the ephod and household idols with them. Micah confronts the Danites about it, but backs down after he realizes that they are stronger than his people. The Danites defeat the people in Laish and then set up a carmed image for themselves. It was there as long as the Tabernacle was in Shiloh. The Danites had created a rival for the true worship of God.

We see that things continue on a downward spiral for the Israelites. A Levite from the hill country of Ephraim gets a concubine from Bethlehem. She deserted him, but after four months, he went to her father’s house to retrieve her. After a few days, they start making their way out. They come to Gibeah and no one will take them in. This was counter to the rules of hospitality. There should not have been a problem finding someone willing to take them in. Finally a man from Ephraim staying in Gibeah finds the man and his concubine in the square. He invites them back to his home where he will take care of everything for them. Just as in the narrative with Sodom and Gomorrah, the men of the town come to the door demanding the visitor be sent into the square. The host will not send the man out, but offers his daughter, similar to Lot’s offer. The men will not listen, so the man sends his concubine out. Unlike the Sodom and Gomorrah narrative, there are no angels to rescue them. Instead, the concubine is killed. The man defies the normal respect for a dead body. He cuts her into 12 pieces and sends them to the tribes of Israel. The entire Israelite nation had gone to a terrible place. This man sent them a call to arms to see just how far they had gone.

In the New Testament reading, Jesus tells the story of the Good Samaritan after He is asked what constitutes a neighbor. A man was headed to Jericho when he is robbed and left for dead. A priest comes along, but doesn’t want to defile himself by touching a dead body, so he ignores the man. A Levite did the same. A Samaritan, a group the Israelites hated, found him, bandaged and anointed him, put him on his donkey, and took him to an inn where he paid for all of the man’s expenses. Who acted as the neighbor to the man? We are called to take care of each other. We help where we can. Who is our neighbor? Anyone we meet is our neighbor.

We also read the story of Jesus’s visit to Martha’s house. Martha is busy getting things done to serve Jesus and the disciples, but her sister is sitting at Jesus’s feet learning from Him. Martha approaches Jesus demanding that He make her sister work. Jesus explains that Mary has chosen what is better.

Service is important, but we must ensure that our service does not interfere with our time with God. It is important for us to get away during the day and spend time praying and reflecting on His word.

Judges 20-21 and Luke 11:1-28

After the call to arms that the tribes received, they decide to wage war against the Benjaminites. When the armies march against Benjamin, Benjamin has great success at first. In the first encounter it seems like victory is almost guaranteed.

After suffering terrible losses, the Israelite army went to Bethel and asked God if they should continue with their quest. God tells them to go and fight since He will deliver them tomorrow. The Israelites take their battle positions and slaughtered 25,100 men of Benjamin. Even though they had killed so many, there were 600 Benjaminites that escaped to the rock of Rimmon.

The Israelites swore that they would never allow their daughters to marry a Benjaminite. However, when the survivors come back it is discovered that there are not enough wives for the Benjaminites. The Israelites feel bad and devise a plan to make sure the Benjaminites can marry without breaking their vow. They tell the surviving Benjaminites to go and wait for the young women of Shiloh to come perform dances at a festival. When the young women come out to dance, the Benjaminites can come in and take as many as they need. This is ridiculous. They are condoning the kidnapping of these young women, giving permission to kidnap their girls so the Benjaminites can have wives. How is this any different from them giving their daughters as wives? It is not. They convince themselves that it is okay. Ridiculous.

In the book of Judges, we have read some pretty messed up stuff that the Israelites did to one another. It must be made abundantly clear that when they were doing these things against each other, they were acting in their own interests, they were not following Yahweh and His commands. If they had drawn near to Him and sought Him while they were making decisions, things would have been a lot better for them. The problem is that they did not even see God as king and so they just did whatever they want. The atrocities they commit were not ordained by God. God did not call them to do any of that stuff, they did it on their own. If we want to make sound and right decisions, rather than do what we feel like, we can consult The LORD and get His guidance. If we want to make good choices, we should seek Him first!

In the New Testament reading, Jesus gives the model prayer. He is also accused of driving demons out with the power of Beelzebul. Jesus explains that a house divided against itself will not stand. A demon is not going to drive out a demon.

Jesus also talks about an unclean spirit that leaves a person. When an unclean spirit leaves a person, it roams around for a while. When it returns to the person, he sees it is empty and clean, so the spirit brings back seven other spirits to inhabit it and now the person is worse off than before. In this hypothetical scenario this shows us that the person that was clean did not do anything to fill his heart with The LORD. Instead, it remained open and vacant. When we come to have faith in Christ as Lord and Savior, we should strive to fill ourselves with His word and be filled with His Spirit. In my regular prayer time, I ask that The LORD would fill me to the brim with His Spirit so that there is no room for sin in my life.

Ruth and Luke 11:29-54

Ruth is a nice escape from what we have read previously in the book of Judges. Ruth, a Moabite that was widowed, decided that rather than stay in Moab, she would travel to Judah. Despite Naomi’s efforts to get her to stay back, Ruth refuses.

Ruth goes out to glean the fields. Gleaning was a practice established in the Levitical law. It ensured that there were scraps left behind in the field so that the less fortunate could gather food from it. Ruth goes to Boaz’s field and gleans there. She is shown great favor by Boaz because he has heard about her dedication and kindness to Naomi. As a result, he shows kindness in allowing her to drink from the cups that his men have poured and ensures that no one will harm her.

Boaz is a relative of theirs. He is a “family redeemer”. Family redeemers were relatives who were obliged to buy back family members from debt or slavery and to redeem their field if they had to sell it. Naomi instructs Ruth on how to see whether Boaz is a willing redeemer or not. He is willing, but there is someone closer than him. Boaz is an upright man and must give the other redeemer a chance to redeem. If the other does not, then Boaz will. The man is willing to take the field, but unwilling to take Ruth as a wife, so Boaz winds up marrying her.

Boaz and Ruth have a son named Jesse. Jesse will father David. David will become a great king in Israel. Jesus Christ, will also trace His lineage to David. It is significant to see just where David traces his ancestry to. He is linked back to Perez. Perez was the child born in Genesis 38 from a dubious relationship between Judah and the foreign woman Tamar.

On the surface, Ruth is a story of a woman who is dedicated to her mother in law and marrives a family redeemer. However, this narrative is a story of how God is working His plan despite the anarchy that the period of Judges brought about. The people were not seeking Him, but He was still moving forward with His plan of salvation! Thank The LORD Almighty for not turning His back on us, when we turn ours on Him!

In the New Testament reading, Jesus again prophesies about His impending death. This time, He relates the story of Jonah who spent three days in the belly of a large fish. Jesus will spend three days in the grave before He resurrects. Jesus also tells the believers to let their lights shine. If we light a candle, we don’t put a bucket over it to hide the light. Likewise, we should let our light shine before all people.

Jesus again rebukes the religious hypocrites. He compares the Pharisees to a dish that is clean on the outside. However, just because it is clean on the outside, does not mean it is clean on the inside. I have seen what this looks like. For the most part, Navy Chiefs never clean the inside of their coffee cups. The cups are seasoned with years and years of layers of coffee. That way if we ever run out of coffee, we can just fill it with hot water and there is still a coffee taste! The cups look cool and clean on the outside, but once you look on the inside it is dark and foreboding. The Pharisees were only concerned about looking pristine and clean on the outside, they were not concerned about the darkness that was inside of them.

Ruth and Luke 11:29-54

Ruth is a nice escape from what we have read previously in the book of Judges. Ruth, a Moabite that was widowed, decided that rather than stay in Moab, she would travel to Judah. Despite Naomi’s efforts to get her to stay back, Ruth refuses.

Ruth goes out to glean the fields. Gleaning was a practice established in the Levitical law. It ensured that there were scraps left behind in the field so that the less fortunate could gather food from it. Ruth goes to Boaz’s field and gleans there. She is shown great favor by Boaz because he has heard about her dedication and kindness to Naomi. As a result, he shows kindness in allowing her to drink from the cups that his men have poured and ensures that no one will harm her.

Boaz is a relative of theirs. He is a “family redeemer”. Family redeemers were relatives who were obliged to buy back family members from debt or slavery and to redeem their field if they had to sell it. Naomi instructs Ruth on how to see whether Boaz is a willing redeemer or not. He is willing, but there is someone closer than him. Boaz is an upright man and must give the other redeemer a chance to redeem. If the other does not, then Boaz will. The man is willing to take the field, but unwilling to take Ruth as a wife, so Boaz winds up marrying her.

Boaz and Ruth have a son named Jesse. Jesse will father David. David will become a great king in Israel. Jesus Christ, will also trace His lineage to David. It is significant to see just where David traces his ancestry to. He is linked back to Perez. Perez was the child born in Genesis 38 from a dubious relationship between Judah and the foreign woman Tamar.

On the surface, Ruth is a story of a woman who is dedicated to her mother in law and marrives a family redeemer. However, this narrative is a story of how God is working His plan despite the anarchy that the period of Judges brought about. The people were not seeking Him, but He was still moving forward with His plan of salvation! Thank The LORD Almighty for not turning His back on us, when we turn ours on Him!

In the New Testament reading, Jesus again prophesies about His impending death. This time, He relates the story of Jonah who spent three days in the belly of a large fish. Jesus will spend three days in the grave before He resurrects. Jesus also tells the believers to let their lights shine. If we light a candle, we don’t put a bucket over it to hide the light. Likewise, we should let our light shine before all people.

Jesus again rebukes the religious hypocrites. He compares the Pharisees to a dish that is clean on the outside. However, just because it is clean on the outside, does not mean it is clean on the inside. Some of my Chief friends that belong in this group can relate to this analogy. For the most part, Navy Chiefs never clean the inside of their coffee cups. The cups are seasoned with years and years of layers of coffee. That way if we ever run out of coffee, we can just fill it with water and it will still taste like coffee! The cups look cool and clean on the outside, but once you look on the inside it is dark and foreboding. The Pharisees were only concerned about looking pristine and clean on the outside, they were not concerned about the darkness that was inside of them.

1 Samuel 1-3 and Luke 12:1-34

The books of 1 and 2 Samuel deal with the time of transition for the Israelites. The period of judges is coming to an end and they will transition to having a king. Unfortunately, there will be periods of good leadership and bad leadership throughout their history.

Eli is priest at the tabernacle when we begin the reading. Eli’s sons are wicked men. They defy the Mosaic Law, taking the sacrificial meat raw instead of waiting for the fat to be cooked off. When the people would say the fat had to be cooked off, they would simply respond that the priest would only accept it raw. Further, they were guilty of sexual immorality. So God pronounces judgment on Eli’s family. He will make them weak and ensure that they do not live to a ripe old age.

Meanwhile, Hannah has been upset that she is unable to have children. Her husband tries to console her by asking if he is not better than having ten sons. Of course, the husband was probably hurting too. Children, especially sons, were a mark of wealth back then. Hannah is so desperate to have a son that she promises if The LORD gives her one, she will dedicate him to God’s service. God answers her prayer with a yes and she names the boy Samuel. When he is weaned, true to her word, she takes Samuel to the tabernacle to be God’s servant.

As Samuel grows a little older, he is lying down in the tabernacle of The LORD when he hears someone calling him. He thinks it must be Eli since prophetic visions and callings had become so rare. After mistaking the voice to be Eli twice, he tells Samuel when he hears it again to respond with “Speak, LORD, for Your servant is listening.” Samuel is obedient and God reveals to him that there is judgment headed to Eli and his family.

In the New Testament reading, Jesus continues blasting the religious hypocrites. He also warns the people to not fear the people that can just kill the body. Instead, they should fear the one that can throw people into hell after death. Jesus explains that God knows all of the details of our lives, to the point that He knows the number of hairs on our heads. We cannot hide anything we do from God. He is well aware of what we do in the darkness.

Jesus also tells the people that if they acknowledge Him before men, then He will acknowledge them before God. I read recently that there are some folks that will not confess Jesus as Lord and Savior out of fear. They are worried how their family or friends will react. So they avoid coming to faith because of that fear. If they do come to faith, then some tend to hide it out of the same fear. I am not saying that we should be out there Bible bashing people, but we should live a life that reflects a walk with Christ.

1 Samuel 4-6 and Luke 12: 35-59

Israel goes out to meet the Philistines. They take the ark of the covenant with them. The Philistines see the ark and are overcome with worry. They have heard the stories of God overcoming the Egyptians on Israel’s behalf. It is interesting to note that the Philistines refer to their deliverance by the gods. They think it was the gods that delivered the plagues. Either the Philistines are confused about the One True God that the Israelites follow, or they have seen such pagan practices from the Israelites, the Philistines assume that they are pagans as well.

This time God does not give the Israelites a victory. Instead, many are slaughtered, including Phinehas and Hophni. A messenger delivers the news of Eli’s sons. He also informs Eli that the ark had been captured by the Philistines. At that, Eli falls back, lands hard on the ground, and breaks his neck.

Eli’s daughter in law gives birth to a son. It should have been a happy occasion, but she names the boy Ichabod, meaning “where is the glory?” The glory of God had departed Israel.

The ark is taken to the temple of Dagon. When the people of Ashdod got up to look at the ark the following day, they see the statue of Dagon fallen with its face toward the ark. They set the statue back up and got the same results, only this time the head and hands of the statue broke off when it fell. The Philistines begin suffering from the ark. Many are killed and those that are not suffer from tumors. They decide they need to get rid of it. They bring priests and diviners from among them. They suggest sending it back with five gold tumors and five gold mice. This was not customary in the restitution offering. However, it was common in those days to offer a gold emblematic of whatever was afflicting the person making the offering. The ark makes it to Beth-Shemesh, an outer territory of the Israelites. However, the men of Beth-Shemesh did not know how to properly approach the ark. They open it up and look inside. Many of them died as a result. They send word to Kiriath-jearim saying, “the ark has been returned, come and get it.” They want the power and the peace, but they do not want the responsibility for it. Can we fall into that trap, wanting God’s power and peace, but not the responsibility of serving Him?

In the Luke reading, Jesus warns the people to be ready for the Master’s return. He also warns that He has not come to unify. Instead, there will be division. Certainly, we would like everyone to unite under the banner of Christ. However, not everyone will. The name of Jesus is anathema to some folks, despite all of the good things He taught and practiced (not to mention the whole victory over death thing). If everyone were to come to confess Jesus as Lord and Savior, they would be united under His rule. It is not so much that He is creating the division, the people and their response creates the division.

1 Samuel 7-9 and Luke 13:1-21

The ark is retrieved by the men of Kiritah- jearim. Twenty years passes. A lot can happen in two decades. The house of Israel begins to seek The LORD, but they are only seeking Him half heartedly. Samuel explains that they have to give up their pagan practices. Their other gods and Ashtoreth poles have got to go. The people are obedient, they repent, and a sacrifice is made.

Samuel gets older and appoints his sons as judges over Israel. Unfortunately, Samuel’s sons did not take after their father. They were dishonorable men, seeking ill gotten gain, taking bribes, and perverting justice. The people see what these men are doing so they confront Samuel about installing a king. Samuel tries to dissuade them from gaining a king. He explains that the king can do pretty much whatever he wants. If he wants to take someone’s land, then he can do just that. The people will not back down, though. They want a man that will judge over them and go out before them to fight their battles. The irony here is that God had already been doing that for them. They were seeking to put a fallible man in the place of God. Samuel is distraught over this and he does the only logical thing. He takes his concerns to The LORD. God tells him to listen to the people and give them a king.

Saul will be the first king of Israel. He is taller than everyone else in the land and will start off as a capable leader. We see some of his leadership skills when searching for the lost donkeys. One of his traveling companions suggests that they seek the man of God to tell them where the donkeys are. Saul asks what they will bring to the man, knowing that it was customary to present a gift to the seer. When Samuel sees Saul, he knows that he is the one that God has set apart to be king.

In the New Testament reading, Jesus tells the people about their need for repentance. He brings up two examples of tragedies. One was man made and the other was a natural disaster. Some Galileans had been slaughtered and their blood was mixed in with the pagan sacrifice. Some other people were crushed when the tower of Siloam fell on them. The people viewed the folks that fell in these tragedies as cursed because of their sin. Their thought was that these things happened as punishment. Jesus minces no words with them when He explains that the folks still living are no less sinful than the folks that perished. They all need to repent. As we walk this earth, we are going to run into rough times. They will happen. Those tough times are not necessarily because of our sin. Sometimes they just happen.

Jesus then tells the folks to embrace when the tough times hit. He gives the parable of the barren fig tree. The vineyard owner comes to the tree for three years and for three years, it bears no fruit. So he tells his worker to cut it down. The worker requests that he be able to fertilize it. In the original Hebrew the worker requests to “dung it up.” Sometimes, things are going to get dunged up in our lives. Those can be times of spiritual growth if we let them be. Of course, that is a lot easier said than done!

1 Samuel 10-12 and Luke 13:22-35

Saul is anointed king. Samuel pours the ceremonial oil over Saul’s head, there is brief ceremony, and Saul is presented as king. Many of the people were thrilled that they have a king now. Others were not so happy about it. Unlike the folks that were pleased by Saul’s anointing, these unhappy folks did not bring the customary gift to their new king. Saul knew that there were those who hated him, but he said nothing.

An offensive is launched against Jabesh-gilead by Nahash the Ammonite. The men of Jabesh request a treaty with him, but the only treaty Nahash is interested in is gouging out the right eye of everyone and humiliating all of Israel. The men of Jabesh request nothing be done for seven days. If no one comes to rescue them, then they will surrender. Saul receives word and invades the Ammonite camp, leaving very few survivors.

Samuel delivers his final speech. He gives a brief history of the Israelites in the time of judges. He warns the people that they and the king must follow God. If they do this, then they will be blessed. If they rebel, The LORD’s hand will be against them. Saul might be in charge, but he is not really in charge. God is. The people must not forget that.

In the Luke reading, Jesus tells about the narrow way to get into heaven. He warns about the people that will go to Him and say, “But we did all this stuff for you.” Sadly for them, they will not be recognized by Jesus. Unfortunately, there is no way for us to do enough good to get into heaven. That is all done through the atoning work of Jesus Christ. As believers, we should seek to do good works, but those works do not have any saving properties to them. Works are important because it shows what we believe, but we should not do them thinking that it will earn our way.

Jesus also laments over Jerusalem saying that she kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her. The Old Testament prophets were despised by the majority of the people when they were walking the earth. They were hated because they were always telling the truth. The truth was ugly to the people because they had walked away from God and were leading to ruin. The people will do the same thing to Jesus. They will welcome Him, but eventually His sayings will become too hard. Rather than change their ways, they will give Him up to be crucified.

The truth does not become less truthful just because we do not like it!

1 Samuel 13- 14 and Luke 14:1-24

Saul becomes king when he is 30 years old and reigns for 42 years over Israel. Though he was the anointed and chosen king, he will not establish a dynastic rule. His sons will not inherit the throne. Instead, it will go to someone else and his line. It all comes down to a fatal mistake that Saul makes while out in the field. Saul has his troops gathered at Gilgal. Samuel has given his word that he will be there in seven days to make the sacrifice before they go into battle. Unfortunately, as time goes by, Saul becomes more and more worrisome about the upcoming battle. Seeing that Samuel is still not around, he makes the sacrifice himself. This might not seem like a big deal to us. However, in those days, the only person authorized to make the sacrifice was the priest. No exceptions. Samuel enters the camp, ready to perform the sacrifice, but he smells the scent of burnt meat lingering in the air. He goes to Saul and asks, ”What did you do?” To his credit, Saul tells the truth. He was afraid of what was going to happen. Saul’s problem is that he had more fear of what the Philistines might do to them on the battlefield than he feared The LORD. I pray that we do not let the things of the world scare us into making hasty decisions. Some decisions we make will have lifelong consequences.

The Philistines advance, taking control of the pass at Michmash. Jonathan, Saul’s son, decides to head to the Philistine Garrison without telling his father. He and his armor bearer kill about 20 men in their attack. While he is gone, Saul makes a proclamation that none of his men can eat anything before evening. Jonathan returns and not knowing what his father had proclaimed, dipped his spear in some honey to eat. His energy is renewed. The troops see this and tell him that Saul has forbidden eating anything. Jonathan says that his father has brought great trouble for the troops. At that, the men start killing the livestock nearby and eating it. Even though the animals are clean, the troops are still sinning because they have not properly prepared the meat. The Mosaic Law expressly forbid eating meat with blood in it. Saul seeks to correct this misstep by allowing them to properly prepare the meat.

Saul asks God if they should go after the Philistines. God does not answer. So, they decide to see who caused the sin that keeps God from speaking to them. After a short process, the sin of Jonathan is identified. Saul says that his son will die because he ate the honey when he was not supposed to. The people intervene and prevent Jonathan from being killed.

In the New Testament reading, Jesus calls out the religious leaders when He heals a man suffering on the Sabbath. He asks them bluntly if their son or an ox fell into a large hole on the Sabbath, would they wait until later to help? None of them have an answer. I think they did have an answer. They would help their sons out of the hole on the Sabbath because it is the right thing to do. However, they will not dare prove Jesus right in His teachings.

Jesus also teaches about the way of humility. When they enter a home for a meal, they should take the seat for the lowest person there. That way, the host might come in and move him to a higher seat. If the person goes immediately to the seat of honor, there might be someone more important that was invited. Then the host will have to embarrass that person, directing him to a lower seat. It is important for us not to become too puffed up with ourselves.

1 Samuel 15-16 and Luke 14:25-35

Samuel gives instructions to Saul about how to handle the upcoming battle against the Amalekites. They are to destroy everything in the city of Amalek. Nothing is to remain. Saul and his troops go in and strike down the Amalekites. However, they see that the Amalekites had a lot of nice stuff. They had some good cattle, sheep, and other choice animals. Rather than following the command of destroying everything, they only destroy the worthless and unwanted things. They are not completely committed. Samuel goes to confront Saul. Samuel says that he has carried out God’s instructions. Samuel simply replies, “Why do I hear the sound of sheep and cattle?” Saul tries to explain it away, saying that the troops brought all of this good stuff back so that they can sacrifice it to The LORD. Samuel then asks what The LORD takes more pleasure in, obedience or sacrifice? God takes more pleasure in obedience to Him and His commands. If we obey Him, then that spirit of sacrifice will also follow. Saul and these men were lying to themselves. They had no intention of sacrificing these animals to The LORD. They simply came up with that excuse to make it seem as if they were obedient.

Chapter 15 closes with the statement that God regrets making Saul king over Israel. This is not to say that God thought He made a mistake in doing what He did. God knew exactly what He was doing. God is all perfect and can play the long game much better than we can. Saul was more of a placeholder. God knew from the beginning that Saul would mess up.

Samuel is mourning Saul and his indiscretions. God asks Samuel how long he is going to cry about Saul. The LORD tells him to get up and go to the house of Jesse. One of his sons will become the new king of Israel. However, it is not Jesse’s oldest son that will become king. Instead, it is David, the youngest. God makes a way for David to enter Saul’s court. Saul was having a hard time of torment since the Spirit of The LORD had left him. So to make himself feel better and calm his nerves, he called for David to play the lyre for him.

In the New Testament reading Jesus warns the people about the cost of following Him. Faith should cost us something. As believers, our allegiance should be first and foremost to Him. Before they decide to follow Him, they must calculate the cost. As believers, we are called to take up our crosses daily and die to self. As believers, God is going to call us to do some things that the world may find foolish. We must be prepared for that.

1 Samuel 17-18 and Luke 15:1-10

The Israelites are still engaged in battle with the Philistines. The Philistines have a giant warrior named Goliath that comes out and taunts the Israelites. The Philistines propose that if the Israelites have a man that can come out and defeat Goliath, then they will surrender and become Israel’s servants. However, if Goliath defeats the Israelite, the Israelites will surrender and serve the Philistines. No one in the camp is willing to fight Goliath.

One day, David comes to the Israelite camp to bring some food. He hears Goliath taunting the Israelites. His brothers explain what Saul will do for whoever kills Goliath. David decides that he will take the uncircumcised Philistine on. He is rebuked when he says he will do this, but David explains that he has fought off a variety of wild animals to protect the flock. Goliath is just like one of these wild animals and he will take him down. Let’s keep this in mind when God sends us battles. Perhaps He is using them to prepare us to slay our giants.

David is brought before Saul. Saul tries to put David in his royal armor, but when David tries them on, he is not comfortable with the equipment, so he doffs it and goes back to what he is most comfortable with. Rather than take a sword and shield out, he takes his sling and five stones. The stones would have been about the size of a tennis ball and smooth. This would allow the projectile to fly straight. David goes out to fight against Goliath. Goliath see’s the boy’s youth and how handsome he is and hurls insults at David. David takes his sling and one stone and sinks the stone into Goliath’s forehead. The giant falls to the ground. David runs up to him, takes Goliath’s sword, and cuts off the giant’s head. The Philistines run in terror.

Jonathan, Saul’s son, dedicates himself to David. At first, this is not a problem since Saul is pleased with David. That does not last. Instead, Saul decides that he wants to kill David. He tries to kill David twice by a spear, but it does not work. David escapes. Realizing that his daughter Michal loves David, Saul offers her in marriage. He thinks he will trap David by demanding that he defeat 100 Philistines and bring back proof of their execution. David takes a group and kills 200 Philistines and brings back the proof. Michal loves David, for a time.

In the New Testament reading, Jesus explains the joy of a sinful person coming to have faith in Him. If one sheep leaves the flock of 100, then the shepherd will leave the 99 to go find the one lost sheep. He rejoices when he finds the sheep. As believers, we should rejoice when we see the lost repent and come to Christ. We are already God’s people, there was rejoicing when we came to Him. Now, we can rejoice when we see others come to Him. If we expect that we will have folks making a fuss over our faith, then we are making the Gospel about us. The Gospel is not about us.

1 Samuel 17-18 and Luke 15:1-10

The Israelites are still engaged in battle with the Philistines. The Philistines have a giant warrior named Goliath that comes out and taunts the Israelites. The Philistines propose that if the Israelites have a man that can come out and defeat Goliath, then they will surrender and become Israel’s servants. However, if Goliath defeats the Israelite, the Israelites will surrender and serve the Philistines. No one in the camp is willing to fight Goliath.

One day, David comes to the Israelite camp to bring some food. He hears Goliath taunting the Israelites. His brothers explain what Saul will do for whoever kills Goliath. David decides that he will take the uncircumcised Philistine on. He is rebuked when he says he will do this, but David explains that he has fought off a variety of wild animals to protect the flock. Goliath is just like one of these wild animals and he will take him down. Let’s keep this in mind when God sends us battles. Perhaps He is using them to prepare us to slay our giants.

David is brought before Saul. Saul tries to put David in his royal armor, but when David tries them on, he is not comfortable with the equipment, so he doffs it and goes back to what he is most comfortable with. Rather than take a sword and shield out, he takes his sling and five stones. The stones would have been about the size of a tennis ball and smooth. This would allow the projectile to fly straight. David goes out to fight against Goliath. Goliath see’s the boy’s youth and how handsome he is and hurls insults at David. David takes his sling and one stone and sinks the stone into Goliath’s forehead. The giant falls to the ground. David runs up to him, takes Goliath’s sword, and cuts off the giant’s head. The Philistines run in terror.

Jonathan, Saul’s son, dedicates himself to David. At first, this is not a problem since Saul is pleased with David. That does not last. Instead, Saul decides that he wants to kill David. He tries to kill David twice by a spear, but it does not work. David escapes. Realizing that his daughter Michal loves David, Saul offers her in marriage. He thinks he will trap David by demanding that he defeat 100 Philistines and bring back proof of their execution. David takes a group and kills 200 Philistines and brings back the proof. Michal loves David, for a time.

In the New Testament reading, Jesus explains the joy of a sinful person coming to have faith in Him. If one sheep leaves the flock of 100, then the shepherd will leave the 99 to go find the one lost sheep. He rejoices when he finds the sheep. As believers, we should rejoice when we see the lost repent and come to Christ. We are already God’s people, there was rejoicing when we came to Him. Now, we can rejoice when we see others come to Him. If we expect that we will have folks making a fuss over our faith, then we are making the Gospel about us. The Gospel is not about us.

1 Samuel 19-21 and Luke 15:11-32

Saul gives orders to his son and servants to kill David. Jonathan is a friend of David, so he warns David about Saul and his intentions. Jonathan stands up to Saul, reminding him of the blessings that David brought Saul. First and foremost, it was David that defeated Goliath. Saul has a change of heart, but only briefly. Later, Saul sends his servants to kill David in his home. David flees. His wife Michal (Saul’s daughter) puts the household idol with some goat hair on the bed. When Saul’s men show up, she informs them that David is sick. They take the news to Saul and he orders that David be brought on the bed so that he can kill him there. When they find the idol in the bed and not David, Saul confronts Michal. Michal does not ask why her father would be trying to kill her husband. Instead, she insinuates that if she did not help him escape, he would kill her.

Jonathan is meanwhile trying to help David. They come up with a clandestine plan to get word to David if Saul is still looking to kill him. On the first night of the festival, Saul keeps his cool. He assumes that David is ceremonially unclean. The second day of the festival comes and David is still not present. This throws Saul into a rage. Jonathan goes to the field, sends his arrows and gives the secret message to his messenger chasing after the arrows. Saul learns that Jonathan has been helping David and then tries to kill him! Saul’s hatred of David and his desire to see him killed has brought him to the point that he will threaten the life of his son!

David continues to evade Saul. However, he is well known and is easily recognized.

In the New Testament reading, Jesus tells the parable of the prodigal son. The son goes to the father and asks for his inheritance up front. Essentially, the child is saying that the father is essentially dead to him and he wants what is coming to him now. After he gets his money, he squanders his fortune. Eventually, he hits rock bottom, looking to the pigs’ feeding trough with envy. At that, he decides to head back home to his father. The father is pleased that his son has come back and has decided to live as his son again. So the father throws a party for his son. The son that did not leave sees the fuss being made over his brother’s return and becomes jealous. The son that did not leave does not realize the blessing he has by staying by the father’s side the entire time. He did not reach that point of destitution like his brother had. When repentant lost people come to The LORD, we can make a big deal about it! It’s great to see people come to know who God is and make Him Lord of their lives.

1 Samuel 22-24 and Luke 16: 1-18

Saul’s paranoia is increasing. He desperately wants to get rid of David. Saul was in Gibran, sitting under a tree. He yells at his troops because his son had made a pact with David and no one told him about it. At this, Doeg the Edomite remembers seeing David in Nob. He tells Saul about how the priests in Nob helped David when he was fleeing. Saul sends messengers to the priests to summon them. The priests arrive and the king orders that his men kill them all. None of them will raise their sword against the priests. Doeg does, though. He slaughters 85 of them. Only one escapes and take the news to David.

David finds out that the Philistines are fighting against Keisha. He asks God if he should launch an attack. The LORD tells him to take up arms agains the Philistines. David is obedient. Saul finds out that David is there and thinks that God has handed David over to him. David manages to escape and finds himself in a cave. While Saul is chasing him down, he enters the cave that David and his men are hiding in so that he can relieve himself. David’s men see this and tell David that God has handed Saul over to him. Their reasoning is that clearly God wanted David to kill Saul right then and there. David shows considerable restraint and discernment. He will not kill the king. However, he does cut off a corner of his robe that he later shows Saul as proof that he could have killed him, but did not. If we had the opportunity to remove an enemy in our life would we show such restraint?

In the New Testament reading, Jesus tells the parable of the dishonest manager. The manager is about to be fired and he must give account for how he has handled the money. He has the clients come in and adjust their accounts, gaining their favor. There are four proposals on what that looked like:

1. He dropped the price to gain favor with the debtors.

2. He removed the interest charges on the debt.

3. He removed his commission off the transaction.

4. He reduced the debt back to what it should have been in the first place.

Whatever he did, it must have been legitimate since he had to give an account to his boss. One lesson to be learned by this particular parable is to be faithful with what God has given us. Whether God has given us a little or a lot, we are called to use it for Him and His glory, not for ill gotten gain. If we are faithful with little, we can be trusted with much. If we cannot be trusted with little, can we really be trusted with a lot?

1 Samuel 25-26 and Luke 16:19-31

Samuel passes away. All of Israel gathers to mourn him. Afterwards, David went to the Wilderness of Paran. While he is there he learns that Nabal, a descendant of Caleb, is shearing sheep. The sheering of sheep was a festive occasion because wool was a valuable commodity. Nabal should have been in a better mood to help David out. However, Nabal compares David to a runaway slave and refuses help. David is enraged when he receives Nabal’s answer, telling his men to take up their swords. David does not take vengeance because one of Nabal’s men is smart enough to tell Abigail, his wife, about her husband’s folly. She brings gifts to David and his anger subsides. After her encounter with David, Abigail returns home to find that Nabal is drunk from the festivities. When he wakes up the following morning, she tells him about what has happened. Nabal hears it, has a seizure, becomes paralyzed, and dies 10 days later. David learns that Abigail is now a widow, so he sends his men to offer his marriage proposal. She agrees. David also marries Ahinoam. Meanwhile, Michal has been given by Saul to Palti.

We see Saul struggle more with his inner demons about David. Even though Saul had promised earlier that he would not harm David after his life was spared, Saul is back on the hunt. David and his men come upon Saul while he is sleeping. Abishai, one of David’s men, requests to take Saul’s spear and thrust him through. His thought is that the king has been delivered by The LORD. All he needs to do is run him through with the spear once. David again spares Saul’s life. However, they take his spear and his water jug. Then they confront Saul’s bodyguard, asking why he did not protect the king. Again Saul claims that he will not harm David.

In the New Testament reading, Jesus tells the story of the rich man and Lazarus. The rich man is living in excess. All of his needs are met. He has plenty. Meanwhile, poor Lazarus sits outside the gates, destitute. He longs to eat the scraps of the rich man, but instead the dogs come and lick his sores. Lazarus and the rich man die. The rich man suffers in the fiery pit. Lazarus is taken up into heaven with Abraham. The rich man looks beyond the divide and asks Abraham for relief. He is told that they cannot cross the chasm. The rich man then requests that he be sent to warn his five brothers. Abraham explains that they have Moses and the prophets. If they listen to them, they will be okay. The rich man retorts, explaining that if he is raised from the dead, they will believe and repent. Again Abraham denies the request and informs him that if they don’t listen to Moses, they will not be convinced even if a person is brought back from the dead.

In our lives, some people will not believe no matter how much evidence is given to them. It does not mean that we should stop presenting the evidence. However, when people fail to come to belief, we should not consider that our failure. As sad as it is, some folks will just not come to believe.

1 Samuel 27-29 and Luke 17: 1–19

David realizes that he is not safe by Saul’s side, regardless of what Saul says. So, he flees to Ziklag with his men and his wives (except for Michal). David approaches Achish, requesting a place in one of the outlying towns. Achish gives Ziklag to David.

The Philistines bring their military units together. Saul is terrified at the massive amount of troops. He consults The LORD, but hears nothing back from Him. Saul has no dreams or any other indication of how the battle is goign to break out. Since, God is silent, Saul decides to take matters into his own hands. He tells his men to find a medium to bring up Samuel. Saul had earlier put a ban on all mediums and spiritists, stating that they will be executed. Saul considers himself above the law and completely disregards the law he put into effect!

The medium brings up Samuel. The spirit explains that God has abandoned Saul and the kingdom is David’s. When Saul goes out to fight the Philistines, he and his sons will die and they will join Samuel in death. Upon hearing this, Saul falls flat on the ground with terror.

As the Philistines are gathering their troops, they see that David is amongst the fighting men. After a little discussion, they send David away. He will not fight alongside the Philistines.

In the New Testament reading, Jesus warns the people that offenses are headed their way. He also tells them that if their brother sins, they should call their brother out on it. If the brother repents, then they are to forgive him. We are not called to judge. Jesus warns not to judge. However, as believers, we are encouraged to hold each other accountable. When we hold one another accountable, it has to be done in love, not in judgment. Only God can be the judge.

Jesus also explains that service is a thankless job. The disciples should not be in this with the expectation people are going to be impressed with them and heap thanks and praise on them. After all, if a servant is told to prepare something, is he thanked when he does it. I am of the opinion that the servant should be thanked, but that is not necessarily how all people view it. As believers, we should not expect thanks for what we do.

Christ’s point is proven further when He heals ten men from leprosy. Out of the ten that were healed, only one gave praises to God and went back to thank Him. If 90 percent of folks that were healed from a terrible skin disease aren’t willing to go and give thanks to God for His healing, why should we expect to be treated any better?

1 Samuel 30-31 and Luke 17: 20-37

David and his men return to Ziklag to find that everything is gone. The Amalekites raided their town and took their wives and children. There was wailing and gnashing of teeth from all of the men. David requested the ephod be brought out. He asks The LORD if they should pursue the Amalekites. God gives the okay and David heads out with his men. When they made it to Wadi Besor, 200 of the men stopped the journey. They were too tired from their mourning. Grief can exhaust a person. Those 200 stayed behind while David and the other 400 marched against the Amalekites and had a decisive victory. They retrieved their wives and children along with a lot of plunder.

When the conquerors returned, the 400 men that fought did not want to give anything to the 200 that stayed at Wadi Besor. They only wanted to give back the wives and children to these men. David rebukes them, telling them that it was God that gave them this victory. God was generous toward them, so they should be generous toward others.

Saul and his sons are involved in conflict with the Philistines. An archer gets Saul with a fatal strike. However, the king did not die immediately, so he asks his servant to draw his sword and kill him. He is worried that the Philistines will capture him and torture him. The servant refuses, so Saul draws his sword and falls on it. The servant witnesses this and responds by falling on his sword. Saul and his sons died that day in battle, just as it had been predicted a few chapters ago. The men of Beth- Shan retrieve the bodies in the cover of night. This was risky since the Philistines still occupied the land. They then burned the bodies. This burning was not cremation. Instead, the burning removed the flesh, leaving the bones behind. This was done to prevent abuse of the corpses by wild animals.

In the Luke reading, Jesus tells the disciples about the end times. He explains that it will happen all of a sudden. There will be people proclaiming that it is coming, but they should not follow them. The end cannot be predicted. It will be like in the days of Noah. No one knew that it was going to happen, so they continued living their lives. The disciples should not spend their days looking at the sky for Jesus’s return. It will happen when it is supposed to happen. Instead, they should be out doing The LORD’s work.

2 Samuel 1-3 and Luke 18:1-17

Saul is dead. This should have made things easy for David since he had been anointed as king earlier. That is not the case. David learns that Saul has passed by an Amalekite. David asks how he knows that Saul is dead. The man gives a different account to what actually happened. He says that he saw Saul trying to kill himself, so he went over and finished Saul off. As proof that he was in Gilboa, he has brought Saul’s crown and armband. There are two possibilities to the man’s story. One proposal is that he saw Saul after he had fallen on his sword and was still alive, but just barely, so the man put Saul out of his misery. The more likely explanation is that he found Saul’s body after he had died, but he grabbed the crown and armband to show David. The man thought that he would receive a reward for claiming responsibility for the killing. That is not the case and he is put to death because of his claim.

It takes several years for David to take the throne. This shows us just how long and arduous the civil war was between David’s camp and Saul’s camp. There was no peaceful transfer of power. Instead, Saul’s family made it difficult for David to gain power. In all of the turmoil, David remains faithful and dedicated, making vows and sticking to them. The people are pleased to see that, unlike Saul, when David says he will do something he does it.

In the New Testament reading Jesus tells the parable of the persistent widow. The widow was not getting the justice against her adversary, so she hounds the judge until he relents and gives her the justice she seeks. Jesus also tells the parable of the tax collector and Pharisee that go to pray. The Pharisee stands there proudly, thanking God for making him so great and not like the lowly tax collector. Meanwhile, the tax collector is on his knees praying, “Forgive me, LORD, sinner that I am.” The tax collector had the better prayer because he is not puffed up and full of himself.

2 Samuel 4-6 and Luke 18:18-43

Ish-bosheth, one of Saul’s descendants is executed by some of David’s men. David did not order the execution, they took it upon themselves to perform this heinous act. When they bring his head to David, David asks them why they would think they are treated any differently than the man that claimed to kill Saul. Their hands and feet are cut off and their bodies are hung by the pool of Hebron. Ish-bosheth’s head was buried in Abner’s tomb.

David is now king of Israel. The people come to him and explain that they have followed him, even before he took the throne. In their estimation, David acted more like a king than Saul did. Since they saw David’s leadership early on, they began to follow him. I think one thing we can learn from this interaction is that we should never underestimate the impact we can have in the world by being consistent and seeking to do the right thing regardless of what is happening. David spent a lot of his time hiding from Saul. Even when he had the opportunity to strike Saul and kill him, David did not do it. This left an impact on the people. They followed him before and they will continue to follow him.

David goes against the Philistines and defeats them. The Israelites now reclaim the ark of the covenant that had been lost many years before. David and the men are excited to get it home. So, they put it on a cart and start taking it back. This is NOT how The LORD had commanded the ark be handled. As they are going along, Uzzah reaches out to stead the ark as the oxen stumble. God strikes Uzzah dead. Even after all of these years, God’s standards have not changed. David has the ark carried back exactly as He had specified. As they are returning, David is jumping and dancing, giving praise for such a momentous occasion. Michal, his wife, (but now referred to as Saul’s daughter) looks on him with disdain. The deep love that she had for David at first has now turned to hatred. Her bitterness prevents her from having any children.

In the New Testament reading, we read the story of the rich young ruler. The rich man wants to follow Jesus, but when he realizes he has to give up his belongings, he walks away sad. This is not to say that we have to give up all of our possessions when we become followers of Christ. However, it does mean we must love Jesus more than anything else. We can’t take any of this stuff with us. No need to cling to it. Everything on this earth will fade. Jesus predicts His death again. The disciples do not understand what He is saying. They will find out one day what He meant.

2 Samuel 4-6 and Luke 18:18-43

Ish-bosheth, one of Saul’s descendants is executed by some of David’s men. David did not order the execution, they took it upon themselves to perform this heinous act. When they bring his head to David, David asks them why they would think they are treated any differently than the man that claimed to kill Saul. Their hands and feet are cut off and their bodies are hung by the pool of Hebron. Ish-bosheth’s head was buried in Abner’s tomb.

David is now king of Israel. The people come to him and explain that they have followed him, even before he took the throne. In their estimation, David acted more like a king than Saul did. Since they saw David’s leadership early on, they began to follow him. I think one thing we can learn from this interaction is that we should never underestimate the impact we can have in the world by being consistent and seeking to do the right thing regardless of what is happening. David spent a lot of his time hiding from Saul. Even when he had the opportunity to strike Saul and kill him, David did not do it. This left an impact on the people. They followed him before and they will continue to follow him.

David goes against the Philistines and defeats them. The Israelites now reclaim the ark of the covenant that had been lost many years before. David and the men are excited to get it home. So, they put it on a cart and start taking it back. This is NOT how The LORD had commanded the ark be handled. As they are going along, Uzzah reaches out to stead the ark as the oxen stumble. God strikes Uzzah dead. Even after all of these years, God’s standards have not changed. David has the ark carried back exactly as He had specified. As they are returning, David is jumping and dancing, giving praise for such a momentous occasion. Michal, his wife, (but now referred to as Saul’s daughter) looks on him with disdain. The deep love that she had for David at first has now turned to hatred. Her bitterness prevents her from having any children.

In the New Testament reading, we read the story of the rich young ruler. The rich man wants to follow Jesus, but when he realizes he has to give up his belongings, he walks away sad. This is not to say that we have to give up all of our possessions when we become followers of Christ. However, it does mean we must love Jesus more than anything else. We can’t take any of this stuff with us. No need to cling to it. Everything on this earth will fade. Jesus predicts His death again. The disciples do not understand what He is saying. They will find out one day what He meant.

2 Samuel 7-9 and Luke 19:1-28

David is experiencing peace throughout the lands. Since his enemies are not currently after him, he decides that he wants to make The LORD a house. He talks to his friend Nathan the prophet about it. Nathan thinks it is a great idea and tells him to “do all that is in his heart because the LORD is with you.” It is true that The LORD is with David, but God does not want him to build a house for Him. Nathan is corrected by God and He gives him a message to take to David. David will not build the temple, but his son Solomon will.

When we want to do something, we should definitely check with The LORD before we go that route. It seemed great on the surface, but it was not meant to be. Had he tried to build the temple, it would have failed spectacularly.

David takes up arms against the Philistines again and defeats them. After his victory, David sets out to finding any descendants of Saul. Though Saul had been terrible to David, his sons were not. David wants to show them favor. They find Mephibosheth. He was the son of Jonathan that had been injured. David makes provision for him and his family. Mephibosheth will always dine at David’s table.

In the Luke reading, we read about Zaccheus, a tax collector, trying to get a look at Jesus as the crowd is passing. Zaccheus is a short man, so he climbs up a tree to see Jesus. When Christ sees him, He tells him that He must come to eat at Zaccheus’s house that day. The people were upset that Jesus would spend any time with a sinful person like a tax collector. One thing is for sure, God loves everyone. He even loves the people we have a hard time loving.

Jesus also tells the parable of the talents. A master is leaving and gives his servants talents to use while he is gone. Two of them invest the talents, one does not. The ones that took the talents and used them to make more were rewarded. The one that had kept his talent safe, had his taken away. God has given us talents. We are not called to hide those talents away. We are called to use those talents and gifts to further His kingdom.

2 Samuel 10-12 and Luke 19:29-48

Hanun’s father, the king of the Ammonites died. David sent men to him to offer words of condolences since Hanun’s father had been so kind to David. Unfortunately, Hanun’s friends convinced him that David had ulterior motives. He called for David’s men to be rounded up and humiliated by shaving half of their beards and cutting their clothes in half. The Ammonites develop an alliance with the Arameans. However, the Arameans flee during the battle and David kills 700 charioteers and 40,000 foot soldiers.

Things are going great for David, until they are not. We are told that the kings would gather in the spring to march out to war. David was king, but decided to send Joab and the men to do the fighting while he stayed home. That was his first mistake. Had he been out with his troops like he was supposed to be, then he would not have been present to see Bathsheba. The text describes Bathsheba as being very beautiful. David sees her bathing after her monthly impurity. He has her sent for and he sleeps with her and sends her home. After a while, she sends word that she is pregnant. David does not panic at first. He sends for Uriah, her husband, from the front line. He assumes that he will be able to get Uriah to go home and sleep with her, then he will think the baby is his. Uriah does not go home, though. His brothers are out on the field fighting, so he will not go and enjoy his home while they are still there. Even after getting Uriah drunk, he does not go home. So David sends Uriah back to battle with a letter for Joab. They are to withdraw during the fiercest fighting leaving Uriah to be killed. What amazes me is Uriah’s dedication to David. He assumed David was on the up and up rather than thinking he was plotting something. Most people probably would have read the letter, but Uriah did not. He trusted David. Even the men on the battle field trusted David. That is why when they are sending word back to him about their defeat they tell the messenger to ask why the king would have them get so close. The messenger is also to remind David of defeats when the soldiers got close to the city gates. No one thought for a second that David was enacting a plan to assassinate Uriah.

The only person other than David to know what he had done was Nathan. Nathan calls him out using a parable. Finally, David admits guilt. His life will be spared, but the son Bathsheba is carrying will die. After seven days, the baby dies. Afterwards, David comforts Bathsheba, she conceives and gives birth to Solomon, the next king of Israel.

In the New Testament reading, Jesus rides triumphantly into Jerusalem. He rides in on a colt, fulfilling OT prophecy. Jesus goes into the Temple Complex and cleans it out. The people had been exchanging money and selling sacrificial animals in the complex. The problem was not so much the exchanging and selling animals, but the attitude. It was the attitude that was the problem. Worshipping God had come down to a matter of convenience rather than a reverent act.

2 Samuel 13-14 and Luke 20:1-26

Nathan proclaimed judgment against David and his family after the Bathsheba incident. Now we see some of that judgment coming around. Amnon, David’s son by Ahinoam, is infatuated with Tamar, David’s daughter by Maacah. Amnon makes himself sick over her to the point that his friend Jonadab wants to know why the king’s son is so upset. Jonadab comes up with a ruse for Amnon to take Tamar by force. He pretends to be sick and requests that she enter his room so that he can eat from her hand. When she enters, he overpowers her and has his way. Immediately after this heinous act, he despises her more than he ever “loved her”. Absalom, Tamar’s brother, wants to take vengeance, but he has to bide his time. He waits two years for the time to be right.

After Amnon has been killed, somehow word makes it to David that all of his sons had been killed by Absalom. Jonadab explains that it was only Amnon that was murdered. This does not bring any real relief to David. He mourns the loss of Amnon. Absalom has fled.

Joab sees that David’s mind is on Absalom. He devises a plan to get Absalom to come back. He hires a clever woman to pretend be in mourning. The woman approaches David and tells him exactly what Joab told her to. Eventually, he realizes that Joab put the scheme together. Joab is happy to have played a part in it, so he bows down in verse 22 paying homage and praising David. However, Joan’s part in this will cost him. Absalom orders that Joab’s field be burned. This might seem odd, but Joab had been avoiding Absalom. Absalom knew that if he burned the field, Joab would be forced to come to him. Joab does just that. When he confronts Absalom, he requests and audience with the king. Absalom approaches David and bows down with his face to the ground. David kisses Absalom, signifying that they were reconciled. That reconciliation is only going to last so long, though.

In the New Testament reading the elders and scribes challenge Jesus’s authority. Jesus tells them that He will tell them where He gets His authority if they tell Him where John’s baptism came from, men or heaven. They don’t know how to answer since if they answer it is from heaven, that will give John clout. However, if they say from man, the people will be upset because the people consider John a prophet.

Jesus tells the parable of the vineyard owner. He leased the land to tenant farmers. He sent servants to check on the vineyard, but when the servants arrived, they were beaten. Finally, the owner sends his son thinking that they will respect him. Instead, the tenant farmers kill the son. The tenant farmers stood for the Israelites. The servants that were beaten represent the Old Testament prophets. They had been sent by God, but were rejected by them. The Son stands for Jesus, who the people will ultimately kill because of the threat He poses to their power.

2 Samuel 15-16 and Luke 20:27-47

Even though David and Absalom have reconciled, Absalom causes more trouble for David. Absalom seeks to put himself in the place of David, by listening to grievances from the people. When they finished their complaints, Absalom would say that they are upset for good reason, but it is too bad that the king does not have anyone to listen to them. Absalom is hoping that this will give him favor in the people’s sight. To further gain popularity among the people, Absalom brings in Ahithophel, one of David’s wises advisers to his side. Ahithophel’s reputation for wisdom is so great that many regarded his words as words from The LORD. Absalom’s case is getting stronger, while David’s is getting weaker.

David has a different approach. He marches into Jerusalem with the ark of the covenant. He has it placed in Jerusalem stating that the ark belongs there. He also puts his kingship in God’s hands. If God wants him to continue to be king, God will make it so. If not, then God will replace him. David does not retaliate against Absalom. Instead, he prays and lets The LORD handle it.

Absalom does not know what to do, so he consults Ahitophel. His advice was for him to sleep with his father’s concubines. It was an outward expression to show that he was taking over as king. This action sharpened the divide between David and him even greater. The thought was that when the people saw this, they would leave their loyalty to David to support Absalom.

In the New Testament reading, Jesus is asked a question about the resurrection by the Sadducees, a group that did not believe in the resurrection. They want to know who will be the husband of a woman that was widowed and married several times while on earth. Jesus responds that people in heaven are not given in marriage. The scribes were amazed that Jesus answered so well. They even tell Him that He has answered well.

Jesus then asks the hard question of how He can be both the son of David and the Son of God. He does not give the answer to us in this text. However, Jesus is both fully human and fully God. This is known as the hypostatic union. Since Jesus was fully human, He felt the pain of hunger and thirst as He grew up. He knew what it was like to be tempted. When we take our trials and tribulations and pour them out to Jesus, He knows what we are going through, He has been through it before. How privileged are we to serve the God that understands us and can relate to us?

2 Samuel 17-18 and Luke 21:1-19

Ahithophel wants to choose 12,000 men to pursue David. His plan is to attack David and his men when they are at their weakest. At first the proposal seemed good. Absalom seeks a second opinion from Hushai. Hushai disagrees with Ahithophel and gives a different plan. Absalom decides to reject Ahithophel’s plan and go along with Hushai. This will prove deadly for him.

Hushai sends word of the plan back to David through Zadok and Abiathar. Absalom’s servants come to Bahurim looking for some of David’s men. A woman informs him that Ahimaaz and Jonathan had already passed through. The men searched for Ahimaaz and Jonathan, but when they could not find them, returned to Jerusalem. In all of this Ahithophel realizes that his advice has not been taken. He knows that since Absalom did not take his advice, David would retain the rule. Since David would remain king, Ahithophel hangs himself. He rebelled against David, the true king, making him a traitor.

Absalom rides on his mule when it walked under the branches of a large oak tree. Absalom’s head gets stuck and the mule keeps walking. For all intents and purposes, he would essentially die by hanging. However, one man sees this and reports it to Joab. Joab asks if the man had killed Absalom since he was in such a compromising position. The man replies that even if he had the riches in his hand, he would still not raise up a sword against Absalom since he is the king’s son. They saw how David treated the man that claimed Saul’s death. Why would anyone think David would react differently to a person claiming to kill his son?

In the Luke reading, all the rich folks are dropping a lot of money in the temple treasury. However, one poor woman comes in and drops two coins. Jesus explains that she had given more than all of these other people. This woman gave to God in her poverty. The other people gave to God in their excess. Jesus predicts the destruction of the temple. Eventually, His prophecy of one stone not remaining on top of the other happens. Today, only the Western Wall of the temple complex remains.

Jesus is asked about the end of the times. Jesus tells them not to worry. Folks are going to come and claim to be Him, they are not to follow them. Wars and rumors of war will be spread. Regardless, they should not worry. God is sovereign. He is in control. No need to worry about what happens in the future, God has it all under control!

2 Samuel 19-20 and Luke 21: 20-38

David is victorious, but at the cost of his son’s life. Rather than be jubilant at the fact his kingdom is safe, he is beside himself with grief. We would think most folks would give David a pass. However, Joab is frustrated with David’s reaction. Rather than entering the city with shouts of triumph, David’s victorious army marches in as if they had lost the battle. Joab goes to David’s home and accuses him of loving his enemies more than the people that love him. Joab demands that he go to encourage the returning soldiers.

To show that David has no animosity toward the folks that followed Absalom, he makes Amasa the commander of the army. This position was previously held by Joab. Joab does not take this lightly.

Later, David sends the troops to fight against Sheba. He has determined that Sheba will do more harm to them than Absalom did. Joab approaches Amasa. Somehow, Joab makes it appear that his sword accidentally becomes unsheathed in front of Amasa. It had to have looked accidental because Amasa senses no hostility from Joab. That is why he would not think anything of Joab bending over to pick up his sword as Joab was making the motion of greeting Amasa with a kiss. Joab takes the sword and stabs him in the stomach. He only stabs him once, knowing that the first strike dealt a death blow. From there, Joab goes into the city seeking Sheba’s head.

In the New Testament reading, Jesus continues to warn about the destruction of Jerusalem. He also tells the people to be on the lookout for His return. Since they do not know when it is, it could happen at any time. Likewise, we do not know when it is going to happen. It could be today or it could be 7,000 years from now. We do not know. However, we are supposed to keep our wits about us, expecting that it might happen at any given moment. As believers, we can keep vigilant, doing God’s will for our lives, just like the disciples and apostles did during their lifetimes.

2 Samuel 21-22 and Luke 22: 1-30

The land experiences a famine for three years. David asks The LORD where the famine came from. The famine is retribution for the Gibeonites, a group that Saul had brutalized while he was king. David sets to make it right asking the Gibeonites what he can do to make atonement. The Gibeonites do not want money. Instead, they want seven males from Saul’s lineage. They are going to execute these men and hang them in the presence of the LORD. Gibeah was Saul’s hometown. Saul had killed the Gibeonites in their hometown of Gibeon. Hanging Saul’s descendants in Gibeah was another form of retribution for the Gibeonites. David ensures that Mephibosheth is spared. The others are selected and executed. When David finds out the bodies had been left up, with Rizpah protecting them from clarion birds, he sends his men to retrieve them and gives them a proper burial.

The Philistines wage war again. David goes with them this time. Unfortunately, he becomes exhausted and becomes a bit of risk to his men. They request that he stay home next time they go to fight. Several battles are fought between the Philistines and the Israelites. The LORD delivers them every time. David sings a song of praise, thanking God for the victory that He delivers. He knows that the only reason they have success is because of God, not anything he has done. My prayer is that we live lives giving God praise for the great and wonderful things He does for us.

In the New Testament reading, we see that the religious leaders are starting to plot against Jesus. This text tells us that Satan enters Judas’ heart and that is why he enters into a deal with the Sanhedrin. Jesus sends Peter and John to prepare the Passover meal. They are unsure where He wants it prepared, so Jesus gives them directions on how to find the right spot. While at the dinner, Jesus confides that He has been looking forward to this meal before His suffering. Jesus knows He is about to go through some serious agony. Before He suffers the cross, He takes the time to fellowship with His disciples, give more instruction, and show the example of true leadership.

2 Samuel 21-22 and Luke 22: 1-30

The land experiences a famine for three years. David asks The LORD where the famine came from. The famine is retribution for the Gibeonites, a group that Saul had brutalized while he was king. David sets to make it right asking the Gibeonites what he can do to make atonement. The Gibeonites do not want money. Instead, they want seven males from Saul’s lineage. They are going to execute these men and hang them in the presence of the LORD. Gibeah was Saul’s hometown. Saul had killed the Gibeonites in their hometown of Gibeon. Hanging Saul’s descendants in Gibeah was another form of retribution for the Gibeonites. David ensures that Mephibosheth is spared. The others are selected and executed. When David finds out the bodies had been left up, with Rizpah protecting them from clarion birds, he sends his men to retrieve them and gives them a proper burial.

The Philistines wage war again. David goes with them this time. Unfortunately, he becomes exhausted and becomes a bit of risk to his men. They request that he stay home next time they go to fight. Several battles are fought between the Philistines and the Israelites. The LORD delivers them every time. David sings a song of praise, thanking God for the victory that He delivers. He knows that the only reason they have success is because of God, not anything he has done. My prayer is that we live lives giving God praise for the great and wonderful things He does for us.

In the New Testament reading, we see that the religious leaders are starting to plot against Jesus. This text tells us that Satan enters Judas’ heart and that is why he enters into a deal with the Sanhedrin. Jesus sends Peter and John to prepare the Passover meal. They are unsure where He wants it prepared, so Jesus gives them directions on how to find the right spot. While at the dinner, Jesus confides that He has been looking forward to this meal before His suffering. Jesus knows He is about to go through some serious agony. Before He suffers the cross, He takes the time to fellowship with His disciples, give more instruction, and show the example of true leadership.

2 Samuel 23-24 and Luke 22:31-53

David sings a song of praise to God. He understands that God has carried him to this point. David reminds us of the covenant that God set up with him. Since God has made this covenant with him, he knows he is secured. We read an account of military exploits from David’s men. They pull off some truly amazing victories. For instance, Abishai kills 300 men by himself!

In chapter 24, we read about David’s sin. We are not told exactly what is sinful about taking a census of the fighting men in Israel. The census itself was not sinful, but the intent was. David was looking to see how many people he commanded because he was putting his faith into his military might. We would think that after one of his men is able to destroy 300 men single handedly, he would have kept his faith on the source of his actual strength. Unfortunately, in that act, David is showing his faith in man and not in God. He realizes the error of his ways. God gives David one of three choices for punishment. David chooses to be under the punishment of God and not of man because he knows that God is more merciful than people. David watches his people suffer because of his mistakes.

In the New Testament reading, Jesus and His disciples wrap up the Last Supper. Peter proclaims that he will follow Jesus to the bitter end, but Jesus tells him that he will deny Christ three times that night. They go to the Garden of Gethsemane to pray. While He is there on the Mount of Olives, Judas shows up with the temple police to arrest Jesus. Jesus goes with them quietly, even though they sent a mob after Him. Up to this point, Jesus has not fought back physically, He would not start now even though His disciples tried to take up swords against the aggressors. That was not part of the plan, though. Jesus knew the Father’s plan and He will see it to completion.

1 Kings 1-2 and Luke 22: 54-71

Spoiler alert! As we go through 1 and 2 Kings, the books will end with the exile of the Israelites. These books catalog the actions of the kings before the exile. First and Second Kings will focus more on what the nation did to earn their judgment. First and Second Chronicles focuses on the same time period as Kings, but they will focus more on the good things Israel did that caused their return to Jerusalem after the exile.

David is nearing the end of his life. His reign lasted 40 years. He is so old that he can no longer keep warm, so they find a young woman named Abishag to serve him and keep him warm at night. As David’s life is coming to a close, his son Adonijah decides to make himself king. He has a premature coronation for himself, marking his reign by conducting it at a revered place, witnessed by a military leader, a priest, and loyal followers. David is completely unaware.

Nathan approaches Bathsheba, letting her know that Adonijah has become king. He reminds her that David promised the throne to Solomon. Bathsheba approaches David with this new information and David has a coronation celebration for Solomon. His coronation was so close to Adonijah’s feast that they were able to hear Solomon’s celebration.

Adonijah, having lost his opportunity for the throne, sees another opportunity. He goes to Bathsheba asking her to persuade Solomon to give him Abishag as his wife. Bathsheba takes the request to Solomon. He is incensed by it. From our vantage, the request probably does not seem like that big of a deal. However, Abishag was the very woman that was in David’s court, serving him and keeping him warm at night. If Adonijah had been granted his request for Abishag as a wife, it would have communicated to the people that Adonijah was the king. The social norm at the time was for the new king to confirm his position by taking the wives of the former king. Solomon sees through the ruse and has Adonijah put to death.

In the New Testament reading, Peter is being pressed for his association with Jesus. Even though he had earlier sworn his allegiance, he denies Christ three times. When he hears the rooster crow, he falls down in grief, realizing what he had done. Meanwhile, Jesus’s head was covered while the men struck and mocked Him. They tell Him to prophecy who was hitting Him. Jesus remains silent. Jesus then faces the Sanhedrin. They want to know if Jesus is the Messiah. His response is that if they do tell Him, they won’t believe Him anyway. They ask if He is the Son of God. Jesus replies that they have said it. As far as the Sanhedrin are concerned, they now have enough evidence of blasphemy to bring charges.

1 Kings 3-5 and Luke 22:1-26

Solomon makes a treaty with Egypt by marrying Pharaoh’s daughter. At this point, people are worshipping all over the place because there is no temple to worship. The LORD appears to Solomon asking him what he wants since he is now king. Solomon asks for wisdom to lead God’s people. God responds that since Solomon did not ask for riches, long life, or the defeat of his enemies, God will grant him his request of wisdom. Additionally, God will grant him riches, long life, and the defeat of his enemies.

Solomon displays his wisdom by making the correct judgment on a seemingly impossible situation. Two women claim ownership over one child. Since there were no DNA tests or anything like that, Solomon uses some trickery to determine the real mother. He orders the child be cut into two pieces. The woman that requested the child be given to the other lady and not be harmed is given the child. Clearly she is the mother since she did not want any harm to befall the baby.

The Israelites are living in times of great abundance. There is rejoicing all around. Since they are enjoying such prosperous times, it is time to build a temple for God. Solomon has logs brought in from Lebanon and puts a work force together to build the temple. They gather the materials, quarry the stone, and prepare the timber and stone for construction.

In the New Testament reading, Jesus is brought before Pilate. Pilate cannot find anything to charge Jesus on. He finds out that Jesus was Galilean, so he sends Him to Herod, who just happens to be visiting. Herod was excited to have the chance to meet Jesus. He was under the impression that maybe Jesus would do a trick for him. Herod becomes frustrated when Jesus remains silent and does not perform any miracles for him. So he sends Jesu back to Pilate. Pilate still does not have anything to charge Jesus with, but he is in a hard spot. These people will not stop crying out for Jesus’ blood regardless of his findings so far. He tries to placate the crowd by having Jesus beaten, thinking that when they see Him bloodied and bruised they will have sympathy for Him. Pilate was wrong in that assumption. The people cry for Barabbas a murderer and a thug to be released. They chose a murderer over the Messiah.

1 Kings 6-7 and Luke 23:27-38

Having gathered all of the supplies, Solomon sets out to construct the Temple Complex. The temple construction took seven years. Chapter six details the skills used by these people to construct the temple. One thing to note is that the rocks for the walls were cut to their exact measurement where they were quarried so that there was not excessive noise at the Temple construction site. These blocks were huge. If you have the opportunity to visit the only remnant of the Temple, the Western Wall, you will see just how large these stones are. The fact that the Israelites were able to precisely measure and cut off site and construct with no issues at the complex shows just how skilled they are.

Solomon also constructs the his palace complex. It takes 13 years to complete it. Both the Temple and the palace are ornate and priceless. There is so much brass used for construction that Solomon does not even measure it. He is sparing no expense in the construction of God’s Temple and the palace. The Israelites have it incredibly good at this point in their history. God reiterates His covenant with David to Solomon, but He puts a condition on it this time. God promises that if he will walk in His statutes, observe His ordinances, and keep all His commands by walking in them, then He will fulfill His promise to David. Unfortunately, over time the people will stop walking according to God’s commands and abandon Him. When they are sent away and the temple is destroyed, it is not that God had failed them. Instead, they had failed God.

In the New Testament reading, Jesus continues marching to the cross. There are many women following along. Jesus looks at them and tells them that they should not weep for Him. Instead, they should weep for themselves. “If they are doing these things while the wood is green, how bad will it be when the wood is dry?” Essentially, what Jesus is saying in this comment is that if things are this bad for an innocent man in a time of peace, then they will be much worse for those who deserve judgment during a time of war.

Jesus is put up on display between two criminals. Many scoff Him. Even the leaders are taking turns mocking Him and throwing insults at Him. In those days it was common for the crime the convict was being punished for was inscribed above their heads. Jesus’ inscription read “This is the King of the Jews”.

1 Kings 8-9 and Luke 23: 39-56

Solomon dedicates the temple. The priests place the ark of the covenant in the holiest of holies. When the priests come out of the holy place, the cloud filled the LORD’s temple. They were not able to continue ministering because the glory of the LORD filled the place. Solomon then praises God and explains how the temple came about. It was his father that wanted to build it, but the time was not right, so God made it so Solomon would complete it.

Though the glory of the LORD fills the temple, Solomon also acknowledges that God cannot be contained to a building. He states, “even heaven, the highest heaven, cannot contain You, much less this temple I have built”. Solomon understands that God is not just in that temple. He is everywhere. There is no faith placed on the temple. Instead, faith is placed on God. Over time, the people will have more faith in the temple than they do in God. This will lead to their ruin.

After the dedication, The LORD gives His response. Once again, He commands obedience from Solomon and his sons. God also promises that if they do not follow His commands, then the temple will serve as a point of mockery when the Israelites are carried off. Foreigners who pass by will ask why the temple was reduced to rubble. Then they will be reminded that it was the people that clung to other gods and worshiped and served them. So, The LORD brought ruin on them. God desires obedience. He wants us to have no other gods before Him. I find myself regularly having to ask forgiveness for putting the god of self before Him. My prayer is that we will seek Him first and worship Him first. Everything else will fall into place when we do that.

In the Luke reading, Jesus is mocked by one of the prisoners. He tells Jesus to save Himself and them. The other criminal rebukes him stating that they both deserve to be hanging there. Jesus is innocent and does not deserve what He is enduring. This criminal asks that Jesus remember him. Jesus promises that criminal that he will be with Jesus in paradise that night. That criminal is the only person that is given a guarantee of entrance into heaven. This shows that it is never too late to come to Jesus. As long as we are breathing, it is never too late to repent and confess Christ as LORD.

After just a few short hours, Jesus succumbs to death. Joseph of Arimathea arranges to get Jesus’ body and places Him in a tomb. He was able to do some of the burial preparation, but not all of it. The women who had come with Jesus from Galilee followed Joseph to see where the body was placed. Their intent is to come back and finish the burial rites at a later time. They will not be able to fulfill that mission.

1 Kings 10-11 and Luke 24: 1-35

Solomon’s fame is spreading far and wide. The Queen of Sheba arrives bringing gifts and testing Solomon’s knowledge. He knows the answer to every single question she asks. The Queen of Sheba responds by singing praises about how God has favored Solomon. After a time, she heads back home.

The nation is blessed. They continue to become richer and richer. Solomon has shields, utensils, and other common things made out of gold since it is so abundant in the land. There is so much gold that silver is considered as common as rocks. Things are going great for Solomon and his kingdom. Truly he has been blessed by The LORD.

We see Solomon start to slip up, though. He has gone against God’s command to not intermarry. He winds up taking multiple wives from multiple nations. As he gets older, these wives draw him away from God and get him to worship their false gods. Solomon builds high places to worship these detestable gods. As smart as Solomon was and as blessed as his kingdom was, he still failed to serve God fully. As a result, the kingdom is going to split. It will not happen during Solomon’s lifetime, but it will happen shortly after he passes.

Hadad, an Edomite that had fled earlier, returns to Edom and begins causing problems for Solomon. One thing to note about the Edomites is that they are ancestors of Esau, the brother cheated out of his blessing by Jacob, the founder of Israel. Though David had driven them out of the land, Hadad escaped as a young boy, moved to Egypt, and married the Pharaoh’s sister in law.

God reveals to Jeroboam that He is going to split the kingdom. Jeroboam will wind up commanding 10 of the tribes of Israel. Solomon learns of God’s plan and tries to have Jeroboam killed. Jeroboam flees to Egypt for protection.

In the New Testament reading, the women go back to the tomb to finish burial rites for Jesus. When they get there, they see the tomb is empty. They are informed of Jesus’ glorious resurrection. They run to the disciples to tell them what has happened and they dismiss it as nonsense. Of course it sounded like nonsense to them. However, Peter goes to check and sees the body is not there.

Two men were traveling to Emmaus. As they are going along, Jesus joins them. They do not recognize Him at first. They have a nice talk about their hope that He would have redeemed Israel, but instead was brutally murdered. When they stop to eat, they recognize Him by the way Jesus breaks the bread. As soon as they realize who He is, He disappears.

1 Kings 12-13 and Luke 24:36-53

The names can get a little confusing since Rehoboam and Jeroboam are relatively similar. These events are happening at around the same time. However, to cut down on my confusion, we will talk about one man at a time.

Solomon has died. Rehoboam takes the throne. The whole assembly of Jerusalem asks that he lighten their yoke. Solomon had used some pretty brutal tactics on his labor force. The people are asking for a break. Rehoboam does the sensible thing and asks for some time to decide. He then consults the wise men that had served his father. It is a genius move since they had more experience with his father’s leadership style. They advise that he lighten the people’s load and they will follow Rehoboam no problem. He also asks his friends what to do. Their advice is that he make life even more difficult on the people. Rehoboam chooses to make life difficult for them. We read that it was ordained by God that he would make this decision, since it will be the impetus to split the kingdom.

Jeroboam learns that Solomon is dead, so he heads back to Jerusalem. When the people learn that he has returned, they summon him and make him king over Israel. The only tribe to remain faithful tot he house of David is the tribe of Judah. Even though the other tribes are not following Rehoboam, they are still traveling to Jerusalem to worship and make sacrifice at the temple. Jeroboam sees this and worries that the people will all eventually turn back to the house of David. So, he sets up two golden calf statues for the people to worship at rather than traveling to Jerusalem. He even directly quotes from Exodus when the golden calf was revealed, “Here is your god Jerusalem, the one that brought you out of Egypt.” Further, he built shrines on the high places and set up priests from families outside of the Levites. He drove the people into idolatry. This will not end well.

We read about the old prophet and the man of God. The prophet is told not to eat or drink until he gets to a specific place. When he runs into the man of God, he is asked to stay and eat bread with him. When the prophet explains that he has been told by God to not eat or drink, the man of God lies, saying that God had given him word that the prophet was supposed to stop and eat and drink with him. The prophet just took this at face value, going to the man’s house and dining. As a result, judgment is pronounced on the prophet and he is mauled when he leaves town. Sometimes in life people are going to come to us and say “God told me this or that” about us. God very well may have told them that, but it is in our best interest to consult The LORD when that happens. The prophet should have not just accepted the word of the man. Instead, he should have prayed to God and asked His guidance.

In the New Testament reading, Jesus presents Himself to the disciples. They are amazed at what they see. To prove that He is no mere apparition, Jesus also eats with them. Jesus remained with them for a while, but He then ascended to heaven. There was much rejoicing from the disciples.

1 Kings 12-13 and Luke 24:36-53

The names can get a little confusing since Rehoboam and Jeroboam are relatively similar. These events are happening at around the same time. However, to cut down on my confusion, we will talk about one man at a time.

Solomon has died. Rehoboam takes the throne. The whole assembly of Jerusalem asks that he lighten their yoke. Solomon had used some pretty brutal tactics on his labor force. The people are asking for a break. Rehoboam does the sensible thing and asks for some time to decide. He then consults the wise men that had served his father. It is a genius move since they had more experience with his father’s leadership style. They advise that he lighten the people’s load and they will follow Rehoboam no problem. He also asks his friends what to do. Their advice is that he make life even more difficult on the people. Rehoboam chooses to make life difficult for them. We read that it was ordained by God that he would make this decision, since it will be the impetus to split the kingdom.

Jeroboam learns that Solomon is dead, so he heads back to Jerusalem. When the people learn that he has returned, they summon him and make him king over Israel. The only tribe to remain faithful tot he house of David is the tribe of Judah. Even though the other tribes are not following Rehoboam, they are still traveling to Jerusalem to worship and make sacrifice at the temple. Jeroboam sees this and worries that the people will all eventually turn back to the house of David. So, he sets up two golden calf statues for the people to worship at rather than traveling to Jerusalem. He even directly quotes from Exodus when the golden calf was revealed, “Here is your god Jerusalem, the one that brought you out of Egypt.” Further, he built shrines on the high places and set up priests from families outside of the Levites. He drove the people into idolatry. This will not end well.

We read about the old prophet and the man of God. The prophet is told not to eat or drink until he gets to a specific place. When he runs into the man of God, he is asked to stay and eat bread with him. When the prophet explains that he has been told by God to not eat or drink, the man of God lies, saying that God had given him word that the prophet was supposed to stop and eat and drink with him. The prophet just took this at face value, going to the man’s house and dining. As a result, judgment is pronounced on the prophet and he is mauled when he leaves town. Sometimes in life people are going to come to us and say “God told me this or that” about us. God very well may have told them that, but it is in our best interest to consult The LORD when that happens. The prophet should have not just accepted the word of the man. Instead, he should have prayed to God and asked His guidance.

In the New Testament reading, Jesus presents Himself to the disciples. They are amazed at what they see. To prove that He is no mere apparition, Jesus also eats with them. Jesus remained with them for a while, but He then ascended to heaven. There was much rejoicing from the disciples.

1 Kings 14-15 and John 1:1-28

We have the two kingdoms now. Israel is the northern kingdom. Judah is the southern kingdom. Jerusalem is within Judah’s territory. As we go through the next few historical books in the Old Testament, the narrative will shift between kingdoms.

Jeroboam was the first king of Israel when the kingdom split. He has been an indecisive and double minded leader his entire reign. His son Abijah becomes sick. He approaches his wife, telling her she needs to disguise herself and speak to Ahijah. Ahijah was the one that told Jeroboam he would become king of the northern tribes. It seems odd that Jeroboam would not want his wife to be recognized by this man that brought good news. This shows just how double minded he actually is. The LORD sends message to Ahijah, who can’t see anyway, that Jeroboam’s wife is coming to find out the fate of her son. Unfortunately, the news is not good. Jeroboam has done evil in The LORD’s sight. He has made false gods and practiced idolatry. As a result, his house will eventually be ruined. When she enters back into the city, her son dies, just as Ahijah had foretold. Jeroboam dies and his son Nadab becomes king.

In Judah, the southern kingdom, Rehoboam is king. He reigns for 17 years. Unfortunately, Judah does evil in The LORD’s sight, engaging in the pagan and detestable actions of the nations God drove out of the land. The king of Egypt wages war with Rehoboam. He loots the treasuries of the LORD’s temple and the royal palace. Since Egypt’s king took all of the golden shields, they are replaced with bronze shields. The nation is losing its wealth and strength because of its detestable practices. Gone are the days that gold is so abundant that silver is treated like rock. Rehoboam dies and his son Abijam becomes king in his place.

Abijam is a terrible ruler. His reign only lasts three years. He carries on with his father’s wicked practices. We are not given much detail about his death, we just know that his son Asa took his place.

Asa was a good king. He sought The LORD like David had. He reigned for 41 years. He did not remove the high places that were used for idolatry, but he did get rid of idolatry in the nation. He reigned for 41 years. His son Jehoshaphat takes his place.

Nadab’s reign only lasts for two years. He did what was evil in The LORD’s sight. Baasha, the son of Ahijah, kills Nadab and takes the throne. When he becomes king, he eliminates the entire house of Jeroboam, just as it had been foretold. Baasha reigns for 24 years, but he too is known as a king that does evil in God’s sight.

In the New Testament reading, John gives the explanation of exactly who Jesus is. Jesus is God. He has been around since the very beginning. He came into the world to give it light. We also read about John’s interaction with the men the Pharisees sent. It has been 400 years since the last prophet’s words were written. Generations have passed, but the hope that the Messiah is coming soon remains. The Pharisees have heard about John and what he is doing, so they send people to interview him, thinking that John just might be the Messiah. He explains that he is not the Messiah, he is merely there to prepare the way.

1 Kings 16-18 and John 1:29-51

Jehu is sent by The LORD to confront Baasha. The LORD pronounces judgment against him. He dies and Elah takes the throne. Elah rains for two years. One of his trusted men, Zimri, conspires against him, killing him and taking Elah’s place. As soon as he took the throne, Zimri strikes down the entire house of Baasha. Zimri was only king for seven days. He is assassinated when the people learn that he had conspired against Elah.

Omri becomes king after him. He bears the distinction of being the most evil king up to this point. He is succeeded by Ahab. Not to be outdone by his father, Ahab is even more evil than his father and the kings before him. He marries Jezebel and then proceeds to serve Baal and worship him.

This all leads to a severe drought in the land. Elijah approaches Ahab and lets him know what is about to happen. The LORD sends Elijah to the Wadi Cherish where it enters the Jordan. While he is there, the ravens bring him his food. Eventually, the river dries up and then he goes to Zarephath where he resides with a widow and her son. Prior to his arrival, the widow was prepared to have one last meal with her son. While Elijah is there with them, they never run out of flour or oil. The three are sustained during this tumultuous time. The woman’s son dies, but Elijah resuscitates him. Even though there is a lot of bad stuff being done against God and there’s trouble in the land, God makes a way for the righteous.

Elijah presents himself to Ahab. Ahab accuses Elijah for causing the drought. Elijah explains that it is Ahab that has caused the drought to happen. He is the one that had abandoned The LORD. Elijah was merely the messenger. Elijah challenges the prophets of Baal to a contest. They will go to Mount Carmel and make a sacrifice. Whoever’s sacrifice is consumed with fire is the One True God. All the Israelites gathered to watch the 450 prophets of Baal go up against Elijah. They build their altar, but their bull, and proceed to call on Baal. There is no answer. They get to the point that they are cutting themselves and tearing their clothes. This wailing goes on long enough that Elijah begins mocking Baal. At one point, he says they should yell louder because maybe Baal is resting. “Resting” was a Jewish euphemism for using the bathroom. Baal never answers. Elijah reconstructs the altar, places 12 stones to represent the 12 tribes, and digs a moat around th altar. He cuts up the bull, places it on the altar, and then has water poured all over it, to the point the moat was filled with water. Elijah calls upon The LORD. The LORD responds by consuming the sacrifice by fire. Yahweh, proves Himself to these people. The prophets of Baal are rounded up and executed. Now that the people recognize Yahweh is the One True God, the drought has ended. Unfortunately, these people will soon forget the goodness of God.

In the New Testament reading, Jesus approaches John for baptism. John proclaims that Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. Andrew, the first disciple follows Jesus. He takes his brother Simon, also known as Peter, to Jesus. Philip and Nathanael are called. Nathanael comes from a rather small area in Galilee. He shows a bit of a double standard when he asks if anything good can come out of Nazareth. Nazareth was not a large town, but neither was Cana. God can use whatever, no matter how big or how small, for His glory and honor. Never doubt what He can do, He is in the habit of making common things holy!

1 Kings 19-20 and John 2

After the great display of God’s might and the shameful defeat of the prophets of Baal, Ahab takes the news to his wife, Jezebel. Jezebel is enraged and decides that she will kill Elijah just as the prophets of Baal were. Elijah runs for his life. He leaves his servant in Judah and journeys into the wilderness alone. While he is there, God provides bread and water for him. The LORD commands Elijah to journey 40 days and 40 nights to get to Mount Horeb. Mount Horeb, also known as Mount Sinai, is where God had given Moses the Ten Commandments. While he is there, God promises that He will leave 7,000 people in Israel. These are the people that did not bow down to Baal. Elijah leaves and on his travels finds Elisha, the one that will succeed him.

Ben-Hadad, the king of Aram, assembles his troops to fight against Israel. Ahab is still the king at the time. Ahab has been the most evil and wicked ruler the Israelites have had so far. Despite this fact, God still hands the victory over to Israel and not Aram.

In the New Testament reading, Jesus, His mother, and some of the disciples attend a wedding in Cana. Unfortunately, the wedding party runs out of wine. This was a huge social faux pas back in this time. Mary, Christ’s mother, approaches Him, informing Him that there is no wine. Jesus asks what it has to do with Him since His time has not yet come. Nevertheless, Jesus turns the water into wine. In those days it was common to bring out the more expensive wine first and use the inferior wine later in the ceremony. This wine that Jesus made was superior to what they started with. Sometimes God saves the best for last!

Jesus goes with His disciples to the Temple complex in Jerusalem. He sees the money changers and folks selling animals. John makes the point that Christ takes the time to fashion a whip out of chords. This shows that His response was not an off the cuff reaction. Instead, it was well thought out. Further, He does not destroy anything. He merely flips the tables and tells the folks with the animals to get the out of there.

1 Kings 21-22 and John 3:1-21

Ahab tries to acquire land from Naboth. He offers a large sum of silver and other attractive things as a trade. Naboth will not sell it, though, because it was an inheritance from his father. Ahab, rather than be reasonable, goes home and throws a tantrum. He lays on his bed, turns his face away, and refuses to eat. Jezebel asks what is wrong. Ahab explains the problem and she devises a plan for him to get Naboth’s property. They will call a fast, then seat Naboth at the head of the people. Then on either side of him, they will place two wicked men and liars to bring testimony against Naboth. They do just that and Naboth is stoned to death. As a result, The LORD casts His judgment on Ahab. After hearing God’s judgment pronounced, Ahab tears his clothes, puts on sackcloth, and fasts. It seems that he is turning to The LORD. Since he shows signs of repentance, God will spare Ahab’s kingdom during his time. The judgment will be meted out during his son’s time.

Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah, and Ahab form an alliance. Jehoshaphat recommends consulting The LORD. Ahab doesn’t want to consult the man of God Micaiah because he never prophesies anything good for the kingdom. Instead it is all bad. Ahab would rather hear what he wants to hear than the truth. They go out to battle and Ahab is killed, they wash the blood off of his chariot. The dogs lick it up and the prostitutes bathe in it just as The LORD had said.

Jehoshaphat, Judah’s king, was a good king. He removed the pagan practices and the cult prostitutes. Ahaziah, Ahab’s successor continued on in his father’s evil ways, leading Israel into further depravity.

In the New Testament reading, Nicodemus approaches Jesus at night. Some believe that he came in the cover of darkness because he did not want anyone to see him meeting with Jesus. However, it is more likely that this was the only time that either he or Jesus had time to meet. Jesus explains to Nicodemus that He has come to set the people free from their sin. Some will see the light and reject it, though, because they love their sin more than God. Those that believe upon Him will be saved.

2 Kings 1-3 and John 3: 22-36

Ahaziah, the king of Israel, fell through a latticed window and was injured severely. Rather than send his men to ask Elijah if he would recover, Ahaziah sends his men to the inquire of Baal-Zebub, the god of Ekron. Elijah learns of this and proclaims that Ahaziah will not recover. When the king learns of the proclamation, he sends 50 men to see Elijah. They demand he come down from the top of the hill. They are consumed by fire. A second group of 50 came, they demand that he come down. They are also consumed by fire. The third group came and they humbly asked him to come down. Then Elijah came down to meet them. Even though Elijah has come to talk with the men, the proclamation remains the same.

It was nearing time for Elijah to die. He and Elisha are going over the turnover process. Elisha asks that he be given two shares of Elijah’s spirit. If he sees Elijah depart, then it will be granted to Elisha. If not, then he will not. As they are walking, a chariot of fire appears and separates the two of them. Elijah is taken up and Elisha is given two shares of his spirit. He is now the man of God. Unfortunately, for a bunch of rowdy boys begin making fun of him. They tell him “Go up, baldy! Go up, baldy!” Two female bears come out of the woods and maul 42 of them. The boys were most likely more mature than what we gather from the reading. They were probably preteens. They were not killed, they were mauled, so it is understood that they would recover from their injuries. I guess we should remember this story when we want to make fun of our bald friends!

Joram becomes king after Ahaziah dies. He is still evil, but not as evil as his mother and father. He at least removed the sacred pillar for Baal that his father had made. Moab had been giving offerings of their lambs and wool of the rams. Since Ahab is no longer king, Mesha the king of Moab, decides they will no longer pay tribute. The Moabites and Israelites engage in battle. The Moabites are struck down.

In the New Testament reading, Jesus is baptizing. John the Baptist is also in the vicinity baptizing. A dispute breaks out between John’s disciple and a Jew that had been baptized by Christ. He takes the matter to John. John explains that he has stated he is not the Messiah. He must decrease, but Christ must increase. John knew that his ministry and his work was not about glorifying himself. Instead, it was all about glorifying Christ. My prayer is that in our lives we will approach the work we do for The Lord in the same mindset. We don’t do things for our glory, we do it for His. He must increase, but we must decrease.

2 Kings 4-5 and John 4:1-30

Elisha comes across a widow. She complains that she has nothing. The creditor is coming to take her sons away and make them slaves. Elisha asks what she has in the house. The only thing she has is oil. He tells her to go and gather as many containers as she can find. When she gathers them, the oil starts flowing. Every single container is filled. Elisha tells her to sell the oil to pay off the debt and keep whatever is leftover for herself and her sons. This woman had to show incredible faith by bringing as many containers as she did. God can make a lot with a little. He has done it before and He will do it again. Sometimes, we might think we have very little, but when we put it in God’s hands, He can multiply it greatly.

We read about Naaman, a commander of the army of Aram, a pagan nation. He was a mighty warrior, but he suffered from a terrible skin disease. No one could cure him. On one of his raids of Israel, Naaman brought back a young Israeli girl. She urges him to go and speak to Elisha. He is a man of God that can heal his disease. Naaman obliges, sending a letter to the king of Israel. Elisha reports to Naaman and tells him to wash in the Jordan seven times. Naaman thinks it is ridiculous at first, but he eventually relents and washes in the water seven times. When he does this, he is healed. The power of God is displayed in the pagan nation. Now Naaman declares he will not worship or sacrifice to anyone but God Almighty.

In the New Testament reading, Jesus and His disciples are traveling through Samaria. The Samaritans were considered less than to the Israelites. Normally, when Jews were traveling, they would avoid Samaria altogether. Jesus sends the disciples out for food. While He is at the well, He sees a woman drawing water, asking her to draw some for Him as well. It was not customary for women and men to speak in public like that. She is amazed that He has engaged her in conversation. Jesus explains to her that everyone who drinks water from the well will thirst again. However, when they take His life giving water, they will thirst no more. People have a God shaped hole in their lives. Some try to fill it with money. Others with possessions or relationships. The only thing that will satisfy that hunger is knowing Christ and having regular fellowship with Him.

2 Kings 6-8 and John 4: 31-54

The prophets complain to Elisha that they do not have enough space. They ask to go to the Jordan so they can build a place there. Elisha grants permission. As they are cutting, one man’s axe head fell into the water. The man needs it back since it was borrowed. Elisha throws a stick in the water and the iron axe head floats to the top.

Aram wages war agains Israel. Things are terrible for Israel. The destitution is so great, that a cup of dove dung sells for five silver shekels and a donkey’s head sells for 80 silver shekels. Things are so bad that the king is approached by a woman, asking for his help. She and another woman were so hungry, that they boiled her son so they could eat him. The agreement was that the next day, they would boil the other woman’s son. However, she had hidden him away. The king does not adjudicate in that terribly heinous event. Instead, he tears his clothes and declares he is going to have Elisha killed. He fails to see that it is his rebellion that has caused these issues. Elisha stands before the king and declares that easy times are coming. Six quarts of fine meal will sell for a shekel and 12 quarts of barley will sell for a shekel. The king does not believe it, but God delivers.

Jehoram becomes king of Judah. He follows the way of the Israelite kings and does what is evil in God’s sight. During his reign, Edom rebels against Judah. Jehoram dies after eight years on the throne. Ahaziah succeeds him. He too walked in the evil ways of Ahab, doing what was evil in God’s sight. The kings had the power to lead Judah and Israel into worshipping Yahweh, the God of Abraham and Jacob. They choose not to. Instead, they remain set in their pagan ways.

In the New Testament reading, the disciples have returned and ask Jesus to eat. Jesus responds that His food is to do the will of He who sent Him. The disciples think that He is talking about hidden bread. As believers, we will find that we are satisfied when we are doing God’s will for our lives. We might not be rich, we might not have all of the creature comforts of the world, but when we know Jesus, we will have true satisfaction.

We also read about Jesus healing a centurion’s son. Jesus does not go to the home of the centurion to heal the boy. Instead, He tells him to go home because his son is well. The centurion is faithful and goes home. He does not ask for Jesus to come there to verify. He doesn’t ask “Are you sure?” Instead, he trusts in Jesus. As believers, we can trust Jesus through everything.

2 Kings 6-8 and John 4: 31-54

The prophets complain to Elisha that they do not have enough space. They ask to go to the Jordan so they can build a place there. Elisha grants permission. As they are cutting, one man’s axe head fell into the water. The man needs it back since it was borrowed. Elisha throws a stick in the water and the iron axe head floats to the top.

Aram wages war agains Israel. Things are terrible for Israel. The destitution is so great, that a cup of dove dung sells for five silver shekels and a donkey’s head sells for 80 silver shekels. Things are so bad that the king is approached by a woman, asking for his help. She and another woman were so hungry, that they boiled her son so they could eat him. The agreement was that the next day, they would boil the other woman’s son. However, she had hidden him away. The king does not adjudicate in that terribly heinous event. Instead, he tears his clothes and declares he is going to have Elisha killed. He fails to see that it is his rebellion that has caused these issues. Elisha stands before the king and declares that easy times are coming. Six quarts of fine meal will sell for a shekel and 12 quarts of barley will sell for a shekel. The king does not believe it, but God delivers.

Jehoram becomes king of Judah. He follows the way of the Israelite kings and does what is evil in God’s sight. During his reign, Edom rebels against Judah. Jehoram dies after eight years on the throne. Ahaziah succeeds him. He too walked in the evil ways of Ahab, doing what was evil in God’s sight. The kings had the power to lead Judah and Israel into worshipping Yahweh, the God of Abraham and Jacob. They choose not to. Instead, they remain set in their pagan ways.

In the New Testament reading, the disciples have returned and ask Jesus to eat. Jesus responds that His food is to do the will of He who sent Him. The disciples think that He is talking about hidden bread. As believers, we will find that we are satisfied when we are doing God’s will for our lives. We might not be rich, we might not have all of the creature comforts of the world, but when we know Jesus, we will have true satisfaction.

We also read about Jesus healing a centurion’s son. Jesus does not go to the home of the centurion to heal the boy. Instead, He tells him to go home because his son is well. The centurion is faithful and goes home. He does not ask for Jesus to come there to verify. He doesn’t ask “Are you sure?” Instead, he trusts in Jesus. As believers, we can trust Jesus through everything.

2 Kings 9-11 and John 5: 1-24

Elisha approaches Jehu, an army commander, with a message. When they enter the house, Elisha informs Jehu that he is the king. The entire house of Ahab will perish. Jehu is anointed as the rightful heir. When Jehu walks out of the house, the servants want to know why “this crazy person” had approached him. At first, Jehu does not tell anyone the news. Instead, he simply responds that they know how crazy people can carry on. They press him and he relents, letting them know he is king. When he makes this announcement, everyone treats him as royalty, removing their garment, and placing it under Jehu. There is no opposition to Jehu’s rule.

Jehu then sets about destroying the house of Ahab. He first goes after Joram and Ahaziah. As he approaches Joram, Jehu is asked if he comes in peace. Jehu responds by asking how can there be peace when there is so much prostitution and witchcraft from Jezebel. At this, Joram knows he and Ahaziah are doomed.

Similarly, Jezebel knew she was doomed. She is indignant in the face of death. Rather than repent and changer her ways, she gets herself fancy for her execution. She puts makeup on, painting her eyes, and adorning her head. We see that loyalty to Ahab’s family was shaky at best since Jehu asks whoever is with him to throw her down and two of her eunuchs follow his orders.

Jehu does not stop there. He completely destroys the house of Ahab and kills all of the Baal worshippers. However, he does not get rid of the golden calfs that were in Bethel and Dan. He did not completely turn to God and follow Him. Instead, Jehu allowed these idols to remain standing. After 28 years of reigning, Jehu dies and Jehoida becomes king.

In John, we read about Christ healing a man at the pool of Bethesda. The man had been waiting for someone to put him in the pool to cure his paralysis. Jesus asks the man if he wants to get better. Jesus then tells him to pick up his mat and walk. The paralytic gets up and takes his mat, but since it was the Sabbath, he is stopped by some folks wanting to know why he was working that day. He tells them a man had told him to do it, but he could not point Jesus out to them. Later, Jesus goes to the man and tells him to stay away from sin or he might have something worse than paralysis happen to him. Knowing Christ’s identity, the former paralytic goes to let the Jews know who had made him well.

2 Kings 12-14 and John 5:25-47

At the tender age of seven, Joash becomes king of Judah. I could not imagine taking on such a responsibility at that age. I was still playing with my GI Joes. Joash starts off strong, relying on the older and wiser Jehoidah for instruction. He starts off well, doing what is right in God’s sight. The kingdom is in the process of repairing the temple. The folks working on the temple are not audited on their expenses to build the temple because they are honorable men.

Hazael, king of Aram, decides to march against Judah. When Joash discovers the plot, he takes all of the consecrated items of his ancestors, along with his own consecrated items, and gives them to Hazael. This satisfies the invading army and they leave. Joash is assassinated by his servants and Amaziah becomes king in his place.

Jehoahaz becomes king in Israel. He does what is evil in God’s sight. God’s anger burned against Israel, so Jehoahaz then seeks God’s favor. The LORD hears him and gives them a deliverer from the oppressive Arameans. After God delivers them from the Arameans, the people remain faithful to the false gods. Jehoahaz even walks in their ways. As a result, they are destroyed by the king of Aram. The people and the king used God like a magic genie. They wanted Him to deliver them, but they did not want the responsibility that actually went along with following Him. My prayer is that we do not treat our Lord in such a terrible manner. He is with us in the hard times and He is with us in the good times. I wonder why it is so easy for us to forget how good He is to us while we are going through the good times!

Jehoash becomes king of Israel after Jehoaz. Elisha becomes sick with a terminal illness. While on his deathbed, he calls for Jehoash. He tells the king to take a bow and shoot it through a window. He informs Jehoash that God will deliver them from the Arameans. He tells the king to strike the ground. Jehoash only strikes the ground three times. Elisha is upset with him for such few strikes. Unfortunately, they will only push the Arameans back three times.

Amaziah, the king of Judah. He does what is right in The LORD’s sight, but not like David had. Amaziah has great victory over the Edomites. This emboldens him to go up against Israel. Jehoash sends word to him, warning against the strike. Amaziah goes through with it and is given a horrible defeat. The Israelites break 200 yards of the wall between the Ephraim and Corner Gates and take all the gold and silver and other articles found in the king’s treasuries and the temple.

In the New Testament reading, Jesus assures them that if they believe upon Him, they will live. He also explains that it is not just He who testifies about Himself through His works. God the Father testifies about Him. In those days, there had to be at least two to three witnesses to give account for someone. Further, Moses, a great hero in Jewish history, testifies about Jesus in his Old Testament writings. Christ calls them out for this. They claim to believe Moses. However, if they actually believed Moses, they would believe Him.

2 Kings 15-17 and John 6: 1-21

Judah and Israel continue to become weaker and weaker. Azariah becomes king of Judah. He does what is right in The LORD’s sight, BUT the high places remain. Azariah does not remove the pagan shrines throughout the land. He himself does what is right, but he does not lead the nation to follow Yahweh. The text here omits it, but we will learn what he did to earn his skin disease in Chronicles. The reason he lived the rest of his life in quarantine was because he chose to perform a duty that was designated for the priests.

Zechariah becomes king of Israel. He again does what is evil in The LORD’s sight. He is killed by Shallum who the takes the throne. Shallum reigns in Samaria for a month and is killed by Menahem. When Menahem becomes king, he attacks Tiphsah. He too does what was evil in The LORD’s sight. After he dies, Pekahiah becomes king of Israel. Pekah conspires against him and becomes king. Hoshea become king over Israel after him. He is the last king of Israel. Israel falls around 722 BC. The text is quite clear on why Israel fell. They did evil things. They made their children pass through the fire, a euphemism for child sacrifice. After the exile, other people move into Israel. Rather than abandon their gods, they continue worshipping them, but they give some honor to Yahweh. They do not go all in for Him.

Judah remains. Jotham is a good king. He does what is right in The LORD’s sight. Ahaz, on the other hand does not. Instead, he plunges the people into idolatry. Judah’s days are numbered. They have not learned from the mistakes of their brothers to the north.

In John, we read about Christ’s miracle of feeding 5,000 with just five loaves of bread and two fish. God can make a lot out of a little. The people are so happy with Him for this miracle, they rush to make Him king. He has to get out of there. Christ is rightfully the King. However, the people do not want to place Him on the throne because of who He is, but for what He can do for them. He escapes to the mountains. Evening comes and His disciples are already underway. Jesus walks across the water to them. The disciples are terrified by this sight. They have no need to fear, though. Similarly, we have no need to fear the things of this world. We follow the One who can walk on water. He is mighty and strong to save. We have nothing to fear when we have Him as our Lord and Savior!

2 Kings 18-19 and John 6:22-44

Israel has fallen. For now, Judah remains. They have the good king Hezekiah leading them now. Hezekiah removes the high places, shatters the sacred pillars, and cuts down the Asherah poles. He even destroys the bronze snake Moses had fashioned during the Exodus because some folks were burning incense to it and worshipping it. Hezekiah will have no pagan worship in the kingdom.

Things are going well, but the Assyrians prove to be an issue. Instead of fighting back, Hezekiah bribes the Assyrians, giving them the gold from the temple complex and other treasuries. That prevents the Assyrians from waging war for now, but they continue to threaten Judah. The Rabshekah is an honorary title that was bestowed on Assyrian men with a specific title. The Rabshekah addresses the people of Judah. He accuses Hezekiah of dishonoring God because he has removed all of the places of worship and is forcing them to worship at the temple. The irony here is that they were supposed to worship at the temple complex and nowhere else. The Rabshekah thinks that Hezekiah has gone against God’s commands. From his speech we learn that Judah is forming a weak alliance with Egypt.

The people remain silent at the Rabshekah’s speech just as Hezekiah had directed them. Hezekiah is distraught at what is happening. He receives some encouragement from Isaiah, a prophet we will read extensively later this year.

In the New Testament reading, Jesus tells the people about the bread that truly satisfies. Jesus is the bread of life. He is the only thing that is going to satisfy. The people demand that He give them the bread then, not knowing exactly what He is talking about. When He explains that He has come down from heaven, the people get upset, stating that Jesus is Mary and Joseph’s kid. This text also gives us an indication of a saving faith that is not lost. Once someone comes to know Jesus, there is nothing that will keep them separated. I have known people to profess Christ as Lord and get baptized. Later on, they fall away completely and become apostate, abandoning their faith altogether. In a situation like that, we have to ask ourselves if that person truly had a relationship with Jesus to begin with. I have certainly not been a saint in my walk. However, as I look back on my life, I can see measurable growth in my relationship with Him.

2 Kings 20-22 and John 6: 45-71

Hezekiah has been a good king, but he starts slipping toward the end of his reign. He becomes terminally ill. Isaiah approaches him with a word from The LORD. He will die and not recover. Upon hearing these words, Hezekiah turns to God and begs Him to remember what he has done, walking faithfully before Him. God responds by sending Isaiah back to Hezekiah. He will recover.

The Babylonians come to Judah. Hezekiah takes them into the treasury and shows them everything that they have. When Isaiah learns this, he delivers the message that a time is coming when everything in the palace and the treasury will be taken to Babylon. None of the treasure or precious items will remain in Judah. However, this will not happen during Hezekiah’s lifetime. Hezekiah responds with relief. He thinks this word is good since it means that he will experience peace during his lifetime. We would think that this warning would have moved him to try to prevent the future and protect the kingdom’s future. It does not, though. Instead, he worries only about himself.

Manasseh takes the throne after Hezekiah. He is excessively evil, making his son pass through the fire and worshipping a variety of gods. He passes away and his son Amon takes the throne at the age of 22. He continued with his father’s worship of false gods and other detestable practices. Amon is executed by his servants. Josiah becomes king at eight years of age.

Josiah is a good king. He does what is right in the eyes of The LORD. He works to repair the temple. While his people are working, they come across the book of the law. It is incredible to me that such an important document had been lost! They find it, though, and actually read it. Josiah is beside himself and tears his clothes when the law is read. He realizes just how far off they had been and the severity of their sin against The LORD. The prophetess Huldah is consulted. She gives word that Judah will fall, but it will not be in Josiah’s lifetime.

In the New Testament reading, Jesus continues teaching about Himself. He explains that the people must rely on His body and blood. If they eat the body and drink His blood then they will be in Him and He will be in them. This frustrates many that have been following Him. They complain that these sayings are hard. As a result, many walk away from Him. Christ’s disciples remain, though. When He asks them if they are going to leave too, Peter responds by asking, “where will go?”

2 Kings 23-25 and John 7: 1-31

Josiah takes the throne of Judah. He sets about a sweeping reform of religious observation throughout Judah. He gets rd of all of the pagan idols, he has the bones of pagan sorcerers pulled from the grave to be burned and thrown out. Josiah even enforces the Passover to be observed by the people. We learn from this reading that the Passover had not been celebrated (even though God commanded it) since the time of Judges up until Josiah’s reign. Unfortunately, all of these reforms are not enough to assuage The LORD’s wrath. Judah will fall, just as He said it would.

Jehoahaz takes the throne from Josiah. His reign is only three months. He too did what was evil in God’s sight. The Pharaoh takes him prisoner and makes Jehoiakim, Jehoahaz’s son, king of Judah. He reigns for 11 years, doing evil. During Jehoahaz’s reign, Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon attacks Judah and makes Jehoiakim his vassal.

Jehoiachin takes the throne and reigns for three months. He also did what was evil in God’s sight. Nebuchadnezzar begins deporting people from Judah. Zedekiah becomes king of Judah. After nine years of his reign, Nebuchadnezzar advances against Jerusalem. Judah falls and the people are exiled to Babylon. Some of the exiled me are told they should go and serve Nebuchadnezzar because things will go well for them. Instead, these men decide to resist. They fight their captors and flee to Egypt. This is not the first time we have read about a Jew fleeing to Egypt for safety.

In John, Jesus’ brothers tell Him to go to the city and do His works and wonders there. They want Him to do that because they do not believe Him either. Christ tells them to go on ahead. Eventually, Jesus enters the city disguised. While He is there, He starts teaching in the temple complex. The people are amazed at what He is saying and how well He knows Scripture. Eventually, they turn to accusations against Him. Jesus responds by stating that He has done one work. He fully acknowledges that the work was done on the Sabbath. He asks an interesting and difficult question. If it was bad for Him to make a man fully whole and healthy on the Sabbath, is it not bad to circumcise a Jewish boy on the Sabbath? Jewish boys had to be circumcised on the eighth day after their birth. Certainly, some of them would have gone through that rite on a Sabbath day. Even though Jesus’ argument is sound, they still deny Him and His goodness.

1 Chronicles 1-2 and John 7: 32-53

The word Chronicles in Hebrew means “ongoing account.” They are similar to meeting minutes or other important documents. First and Second Chronicles are part of a four book series with Ezra and Nehemiah. These four books provide a priestly history from the time of Adam to rebuilding the temple complex.

The two books of Kings taught us about why the fall of Israel and Judah happened. The Chronicles provide more detail on why God would allow the Israelites to take their land back. When they get back, tracing out the lineage of every single priest is incredibly important. The priests had to be from the line of Levi in order to fill the position. That is why 1 Chronicles starts all the way at the beginning. Today, we read about Adam and his descendants. We also read about some of the Edomite kings before the kings had been established in Israel. On the surface, it might seem dry to look at these names, but these words provide vital information. In the Navy, we have these things called Maintenance Requirement Cards (MRCs). That material is incredibly dry, but a technician has to read it word for word to ensure that he or she is doing the maintenance correctly. I know some folks like to skip over the genealogies, but I encourage you to read through them. They must be important since they are in the text!

In John, Jesus continues debating with the people at the feat of Tabernacles. Some of the people think that Jesus must be the Messiah because of what He has done. Others believe He is simply deceiving people. The chief priest and Pharisees send the temple police to take Jesus into custody. When the temple police come back empty handed, the state that they did not bring Him back because no one else had ever talked like this. The Pharisees ask if they are fooled as well. Nicodemus intervenes, reminding them that the law does not judge a man before it hears from the man and knows what he is doing. Rather than take a step back and realize that Nicodemus is right, the others begin to mock him, asking if he is from Galilee as well.

1 Chronicles 1-2 and John 7: 32-53

The word Chronicles in Hebrew means “ongoing account.” They are similar to meeting minutes or other important documents. First and Second Chronicles are part of a four book series with Ezra and Nehemiah. These four books provide a priestly history from the time of Adam to rebuilding the temple complex.

The two books of Kings taught us about why the fall of Israel and Judah happened. The Chronicles provide more detail on why God would allow the Israelites to take their land back. When they get back, tracing out the lineage of every single priest is incredibly important. The priests had to be from the line of Levi in order to fill the position. That is why 1 Chronicles starts all the way at the beginning. Today, we read about Adam and his descendants. We also read about some of the Edomite kings before the kings had been established in Israel. On the surface, it might seem dry to look at these names, but these words provide vital information. In the Navy, we have these things called Maintenance Requirement Cards (MRCs). That material is incredibly dry, but a technician has to read it word for word to ensure that he or she is doing the maintenance correctly. I know some folks like to skip over the genealogies, but I encourage you to read through them. They must be important since they are in the text!

In John, Jesus continues debating with the people at the feat of Tabernacles. Some of the people think that Jesus must be the Messiah because of what He has done. Others believe He is simply deceiving people. The chief priest and Pharisees send the temple police to take Jesus into custody. When the temple police come back empty handed, the state that they did not bring Him back because no one else had ever talked like this. The Pharisees ask if they are fooled as well. Nicodemus intervenes, reminding them that the law does not judge a man before it hears from the man and knows what he is doing. Rather than take a step back and realize that Nicodemus is right, the others begin to mock him, asking if he is from Galilee as well.

1 Chronicles 3-5 and John 8: 1-20

We read more about the genealogy of the Israelites in Chronicles. As we read through David’s descendants, we see that Tamar is mentioned in the list. She is the only female mentioned in David’s list of descendants. David’s descendants after the exile are also named. This information will be vitally important when the Israelites return to their land.

In chapter four, we read about a personal prayer given by Jabez. Jabez fervently begs that God give him more land. He prays that God’s hand will be with him and that God will keep him from harm. The prayer is selfish and nothing in the text indicates that we should pray similar prayers. However, the prayer is an example for us because of its honesty and fervency.

In John, a woman caught in adultery is brought to Jesus. The intent is to trap Jesus. If He dismisses what this woman had been doing, then He is guilty of breaking the Mosaic Law. However, if Jesus went along with the stoning, then He would lose support from His followers. We know that this was a trap since the man that she was caught with is not mentioned. There are theories as to where the man was. Some scholars believe that the guilty man was among the party wanting to stone her. Others believe that the man remained hidden in his home. Either way, the fact that the guilty man is not brought before Christ is suspicious.

Jesus does not play their game. Instead, He stoops down to the ground and starts writing. The scribes and Pharisees press Him to make a decision about the woman’s fate. Jesus tells them that whoever is without sin should cast the first stone. After that, He stoops to the ground and starts writing again. The men start to leave, the oldest departing first and then they youngest. None of us have the right to condemn another because we are just as guilty as anyone else. None of us are without sin and we should not act as if we are better than anyone. Jesus called these men out on their sinfulness and eventually, it is just Jesus and this woman caught in adultery. Jesus asks, “Has no one condemned you?” She responds that no one has. Then Jesus says that He does not condemn her either. He then tells her to go and sin no more.

As believers, we are sinners, but we are forgiven. Just because Jesus has wiped away the sin from our lives does not give us the right to continue living sinful lifestyles. We will never be perfect on this side of heaven. However, we should be striving to live holy and sinless lives.

1 Chronicles 6-7 and John 8: 21-36

We read details about Levi’s descendants. The chronicler is writing this after the exile so detailing the line of Levi was vitally important. Anyone seeking to serve as a priest in the newly built temple had to trace his line back to the tribe of Levi. Aaron’s line was the most crucial in the tribe of Levi. Tracing the priests back to him was vital.

The tribe of Issachar is mentioned mainly to show how many soldiers came from it. The first few listings of Benjamin’s descendants emphasize the number of soldiers in the tribe. Saul, the first king of Israel, was from this tribe. Ephraim was one of the leading tribes, rivaling Judah. When the kingdom split, Ephraim was the greatest among the 10 northern tribes.

In the New Testament reading, Jesus tells them that He is leaving. Since He tells the people that they cannot follow Him, they assume that He will kill Himself. This was a great sin within the community, so the people are shocked that Jesus would say such a thing. Jesus explains that they are from below and will die in their sin. He is from above. Therefore, Christ will return from where He came.

As Jesus is speaking, many come to believe in Him. Jesus explains to them that if they continue in His word then they really are His disciples. They will know the truth and the truth will set them free. As believers, we know the truth. Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. As His followers we should strive daily to keep in His word.

At the mention of freedom, Jesus draws ire from some critics among them. They state that they are descendants of Abraham and have always been free. There is a level of irony there since Abraham’s descendants eventually all wound up in Egypt and enslaved there. They are not free at this time either since they are stuck dealing with the Roman occupation. Rather than point these facts out, Jesus explains to them that anyone who commits a sin is a slave to sin. Jesus came to free us all from the big enemies, the enemies of sin and death. He has given us freedom over the grave!

1 Chronicles 8-10 and John 8: 37-59

The descendants of Abraham are recorded again, but with more detail. Benjamin was the last of Jacob’s sons. He had five sons that would establish large clans within the tribe.

The decree for the Israelites to return was issued by Cyrus of Persia. The decree to return also directed them to rebuild the temple. Not everyone was able to come back. Judah, because of their unfaithfulness, was exiled to Babylon. The first to return to their towns were the priests, Levites, and temple servants.

The chronicler then takes us back to when Saul was king and gives detail about his family. We also have the death of Saul and his sons recounted in chapter 10. The chronicler recounts that Saul had killed himself because he knew that the Philistines would torture him. His armor became a decoration piece in the Philistines’ temple.

In John, Jesus continues defending Himself. The people continue to say that they are from their father Abraham. Jesus explains that they are not from Abraham. If they were from Abraham, then they would act like Abraham. Instead, they are of their father the Devil. The Devil was a murderer from the beginning and when he lies, he shows his true nature because he is the father of lies. This drives the people to argue that Jesus has a demon. Jesus states that He does not have a demon. He has come from the Father. He honors the Father, but the people dishonor Jesus.

Jesus promises them that whoever keeps His word will not taste death. He then reveals that He has been around since before Abraham. Jesus has been around since the beginning. The Jews could not see it, though. They look at Jesus, who is in His early thirties, and ask Him how He has seen Abraham since He is not even in His 50s.

1 Chronicles 11-13 and John 9:1-23

David is anointed as king. The people say that he is their own flesh and blood. They had been following David for quite a while since he already acted as a king. David marched up against the Jebusites and took Jerusalem. David and his warriors had several campaigns against the Philistines. While in the Valley of Rephaim, David exclaimed that he strongly desired to drink water from the well at the city gate of Bethlehem. The Three of his 30 chief men broke from their camp and fetched David the water. When it was brought to him, David poured it out to The LORD. He could not drink the water in God’s sight since the men had put their lives at such a risk to retrieve it. That is why he poured it to God.

David starts the process of bringing the ark of the covenant back. This recounting of the return is abbreviated compared to 1 Kings. However, we see the same details. They are happy they have the ark, but they do not follow the rules that God established for moving the ark. They simply put it on a cart. The oxen become insteady, so Uzzah reaches out to keep the ark from falling. When he touches it, The LORD’s anger is stirred up and Uzzah falls down dead. David becomes angry because of The LORD’s actions here. Since they do not know exactly how to proceed, they place the ark with Obed-Edom’ s family. The family is blessed by The LORD during those three months the ark is with them.

In the New Testament reading, the disciples see a man that had been born blind. They ask Him if it is the man’s sin or his parents’ sin that caused the man to go blind. It was common belief that physical ailments were the result of a person’s sin. Jesus explains that it was not sin that caused the man to be blind. Instead, he was blind so that God’s works could be displayed in him. Jesus restores the man’s sight. He is ecstatic about it. The healed man is brought before the Pharisees. They do not believe that the man had been born blind, so they consult the man’s parents. Jesus has worked a miracle that none of them can deny.

1 Chronicles 14-16 and John 9: 24-41

David amasses plenty of wealth. He gains more wives. David continues seeking The LORD in the decisions he makes. He asks if God will hand the Philistines over to him, God guarantees it. When David wars against them at Baal-perazim, he is victorious. When David is about to go up against the Philistines that raided in the valley, he asks The LORD about victory again. God tells David how to approach the Philistines this time. David is obedient and again takes victory over the Philistines.

After some preparation, the ark comes to Jerusalem. This time it is carried on the two poles just as God had directed Moses. David was dressed in a fine robe and he danced in front of the ark as it was led into Jerusalem. Michal, Davids’ wife and Saul’s daughter, looked down from her window celebrating and she despised him in her heart.

David gathers the people and sings a Psalm of thanksgiving. God has been good to the people. They are secure in Jerusalem, they have the ark, things are looking good for them. Rather than prop their feet up and bask in the glory of their exploits, they worship God. I pray that we have the same mentality when it comes to the victories God has given us!

In the New Testament reading, the healed man is becoming more of a thorn in the Pharisees’ side. They ask if Jesus is a sinner. The man replies that he doesn’t know whether Jesus is a sinner or not. He just knows that he was blind, but now he can see. The Pharisees complain that they do not know where he is from. The blind man proclaims that Jesus must be from God because He was able to heal him. At this, the Pharisees throw him out. They are upset that a man with lesser education would dare teach them the truth.

Jesus finds out the man has been kicked out. The man professes faith in Jesus as Messiah. Still the Pharisees will not believe.

1 Chronicles 17-19 and John 10:1-21

David sits among all of his wealth and decides that he is going to build a house for The LORD. He consults Nathan about it and Nathan tells him to do what is in his heart. However, The LORD sends word to Nathan that David will not be the one to build Him a house. It will be David’s son. God establishes His covenant with David, stating that he will always have a descendant on the throne. God fulfills this covenant in Jesus Christ. Jesus’ earthly line includes David. David gives a prayer of thanksgiving. It seems odd taht he would repeat the promises God had made to him. There are three important parts to this prayer, though. David shows submission to God. He showed that his desire is whatever God desired. Another important part of this prayer is the example that we can take our thoughts to The LORD. It is never wrong to express our thoughts to Him.

Nahash, the king of the Ammonites, dies. David sends his condolences to his son. David was trying to show kindness to Hanun because his father had been so kind to David. Hanun reads it as a threat and humiliates David’s men. David takes up arms against the Ammonites and has a decisive victory.

In the New Testament reading, Jesus tells the people that He is the good shepherd. There will be some that try to enter the sheep pen other than through the gate. They do not belong to Him. Just as the sheep hear the shepherd’s voice and follow Him, Christ’s people hear His voice and follow His direction. Jesus also explains that there are some sheep that belong to different flocks that are His as well. This gives an early indication that salvation through Christ is not just for the Israelites, but for all people. Anyone who comes to know Christ as Lord and Savior will be His. He will take away their sin and their shame. It does not matter where they come from. What matters is whether they belong to The LORD or not.

1 Chronicles 20-22 and John 10: 22-42

The chronicler completely omits the sin that David had committed by sleeping with Bathsheba and disposing of Uriah when she became pregnant. Instead, the chronicler just says that Joab was out in the spring when the kings marched out to war. Spring was the perfect time to go to war because the ground was not too wet or muddy and the weather was not too cold or hot for the soldiers to fight.

The chronicler does give us insight into David’s sin by conducting the census. Satan is not often mentioned in the Old Testament. When we see Satan mentioned in the Old Testament, he is the adversary of someone beloved by God. David falls into the sin of pride in his census. The census itself was not sinful, it was David’s motive. He wanted to see how many troops he had. He wanted to see what military might he had. It was meant to give himself assurance for what a great military leader he was. It was all prideful, not focused on the goodness of God and what He has provided David. As a result, God punishes him. David chooses to be punished by The LORD rather than by the hands of men. He knows that God is much more merciful than people are.

David begins preparing for the temple to be built. He gives instruction to Solomon about its construction.

In the New Testament reading, Jesus is at the Festival of Dedication. When He was in Solomon’s Colonnade in the complex, the Jews surrounded Him and asked point blank if He is the Messiah. Jesus explains that He already told them, but they did not believe. The Jews decide they want to stone Jesus again. Jesus asks them why they would stone Him for doing good works. They justify themselves, stating that they are not stoning Him for good works, but for His blasphemy. Once again, Jesus eludes them because His time had not yet come.

1 Chronicles 20-22 and John 10: 22-42

The chronicler completely omits the sin that David had committed by sleeping with Bathsheba and disposing of Uriah when she became pregnant. Instead, the chronicler just says that Joab was out in the spring when the kings marched out to war. Spring was the perfect time to go to war because the ground was not too wet or muddy and the weather was not too cold or hot for the soldiers to fight.

The chronicler does give us insight into David’s sin by conducting the census. Satan is not often mentioned in the Old Testament. When we see Satan mentioned in the Old Testament, he is the adversary of someone beloved by God. David falls into the sin of pride in his census. The census itself was not sinful, it was David’s motive. He wanted to see how many troops he had. He wanted to see what military might he had. It was meant to give himself assurance for what a great military leader he was. It was all prideful, not focused on the goodness of God and what He has provided David. As a result, God punishes him. David chooses to be punished by The LORD rather than by the hands of men. He knows that God is much more merciful than people are.

David begins preparing for the temple to be built. He gives instruction to Solomon about its construction.

In the New Testament reading, Jesus is at the Festival of Dedication. When He was in Solomon’s Colonnade in the complex, the Jews surrounded Him and asked point blank if He is the Messiah. Jesus explains that He already told them, but they did not believe. The Jews decide they want to stone Jesus again. Jesus asks them why they would stone Him for doing good works. They justify themeselves, stating that they are not stoning Him for good works, but for His blasphemy. Once again, Jesus eludes them because His time had not yet come.

1 Chronicles 23-25 and John 11:1-17

David is old and full of days. He calls a meeting of the country’s leaders, priests, and Levites. The first part of chapter 23 is directed at the Levites 30 years old or older. These men would have been of age to begin their duties as soon as the temple was built. Later, in verse 24, the age minimum age for service is lowered to 20. A total of 38,000 men were ready to work.

The text does not mention how Nadab and Abihu died. The chronicler was more focused on the fact that these men did not have descendants. Since Eleazar’s descendants outnumbered his brother Ithamar by a two to one ration, it made sense that Eleazar’s descendants would have more shifts than Ithamar’s.

David and the officers of the army set aside musicians for the temple. Worship was a big part of their lives. Music was important in conducting worship. They set aside men that can play that lyre, harp, and cymbals.

In John, Lazarus, the brother of Mary and Martha has died. The sisters send for Jesus. When Jesus receives word, He tells His disciples that they must go to Bethany. The disciples push back. They know that it is getting more and more dangerous for Jesus. They do not want to go to Bethany since they know they are closer to the group of people that are looking to kill Him. Jesus tells them that Lazarus is sick. They beg that He allow Lazarus to sleep so that he might feel better. Jesus then explains that Lazarus is dead. He is glad that they were not there so that they may believe. Thomas, the one who will be later known as the “Doubting Thomas”, makes a great proclamation of faith. He looks at the other disciples and says, “Let’s go that we may die with Him.” Thomas is willing to follow Jesus to the death. Why isn’t he known for this great statement?

1 Chronicles 26-27 and John 11: 18-46

The Levitical gatekeepers are listed. This list is limited to the two Levitical tribes of Kohath and Merari. The Asaph mentioned in this list is different than the musician Asaph that belonged to the clan of Gershom. The chronicler makes the point to emphasize how important the gatekeepers are. Without them in place, the ministry of the temple cannot happen. Today there is a lot that goes into a Sunday morning service. There are a lot of people that put a lot of time into making the worship service happen. If it were not for their dedication and hard work, our normal worship service would be very different (and not in a good way).

The text also gives a little detail into the secular officials of David’s kingdom. This is not as important to the chronicler as the official duties in the temple. The most important category in this list are those of the soldiers. There are roughly 24,000 soldiers in each of the 12 divisions. The divisions were one duty for one month each during times of peace. There were more soldiers than what are accounted for here. However, they are not named because we are reminded of God’s wrath against the Israelites for holding a census of the soldiers.

In John, many of the Jews had come to Bethany to mourn for Lazarus. As soon as Martha hears Jesus is coming, she runs to greet Him and says that if He had been there, her brother would still be alive. She also knows that whatever He asks from God will be given to Him. Jesus explains that Lazarus will walk again. Martha thinks He is talking about the resurrection. Jesus is speaking in the immediate. He goes to the tomb and commands the stone to be rolled away. Martha protests! Her brother has been in the tomb for four days now, so the decomposition process would have begun and their would be a terrible stink. They removed the stone and Jesus told Lazarus to get up. Lazarus walks out of the tomb, still bound by his burial linens. Many of the Jews came to believe in Jesus after seeing this. Others went and reported what they saw to the Pharisees.

1 Chronicles 28-29 and John 11: 47-57

David gathers the people. He explains that he had it in his heart to build a temple for God, but God does not want him to do it. Instead, it will be Solomon. He charges Solomon to be single minded in his devotion to God. He exhorts Solomon to be strong. Building the temple would make a revision to Israel’s history. For hundreds of years, sacrifices had been made anywhere in the country under the direction of different priests. Now, the Israelites will be shifting back to the way that God originally wanted the sacrifices conducted. This will be hard for the people to adjust to.

Contributions are taken for the temple. Not everyone can give the same amount. Some give a lot, some give a little. Everyone gives something, though. David then prays a prayer. In this prayer he gives more truths about following God. It is impossible to give God anything because God already owns everything. God also knows who is giving willingly out of devotion to Him and who is giving just to be seen by others. The key is having a heart that seeks to please God, not men. Solomon becomes king and we read a summary of David’s life. With that, we close out 1 Chronicles.

In John, the Pharisees are beside themselves with the news of Lazarus’s resuscitation. There were many that witnessed this miracle, so it will be hard for them to deny it. They assemble the Sanhedrin. The Sanhedrin was comprised of the Pharisees and the Sadducees. The Pharisees and Sadducees did not get along most of the time. They unite to defeat their common enemy. Neither party likes Jesus and they want to get rid of Him.

The Passover is coming soon. Jesus, an obedient Jew, will make His pilgrimage to observe the Passover in Jerusalem. The Sanhedrin know this, so they give orders that if anyone sees Him or know where He is at, they should report Jesus’ whereabouts so they can arrest Him.

2 Chronicles 1-3 and John 12: 1-19

God approaches Solomon and asks what he would like as king. Solomon requests wisdom to lead the people. Since Solomon’s request is for the benefit of the people, God gives him wisdom and also blesses him with wealth and a long life.

We are told that Solomon decided to build a temple for The LORD. David had already commissioned him to build the temple. This statement shows that Solomon has decided that the temple will be even more ornate than David had originally planned. Solomon sends a letter to Hiram. Hiram was a shrewd trader. Solomon informs him that if he cuts corners in putting the temple together, it will be an offense toward God, not Solomon. Solomon also emphasizes that the greatness of the temple should exceed all other temples since Yahweh is greater than any gods the other nations worshipped.

In the fourth year of his reign, construction on the temple begins. In the Holiest of Holies, two cherubim were built. The wings were 7 and a half feet long, for a total of 30 feet. This meant their wingspan went from one end of the Holiest of Holies to the other. The curtain in front of the most holy place is the highest expression of Phoenician art. It had a fabric of many colors comprised of blue, purple, crimson, and more. Solomon’s temple was based off of the tabernacle Moses constructed during the Exodus. However, the temple was much more ornate and more permanent than the tabernacle.

In the New Testament reading, Jesus is still in Bethany. While He is at dinner at Martha and Mary’s house, Mary takes a pound of fragrant oil and anoints Jesus’ feet with it. Judas complains, stating that the oil should have been sold and the proceeds given to the poor. Judas was merely trying to look like he cared in front of the people gathered. He had no desire to help the poor out, only himself.

Lazarus is becoming more of a problem to the Sanhedrin. Many witnessed him coming back from the dead. The evidence is hard to deny. The Sanhedrin decide the best way to solve the problem is to kill Lazarus. They do not deny the miracle, they just want to get rid of the proof of the miracle.

2 Chronicles 4-6 and John 12: 20-50

The bronze furnishings that Solomon put in the temple complex were outside the building in the courtyard. The bronze altar was by far the largest item, keeping the same dimensions of the most holy place. It was 30 feet by 30 feet and 15 feet high. The priests had to climb a ramp in order to perform services.

Solomon has the consecrated things of his father brought into the treasuries of God’s temple. There is debate, but most folks believe David would have been disappointed that Solomon relegated these items to the treasury of the temple. God shows His approval of the temple by filling the most holy place with His glory.

The temple is dedicated. Solomon gives the same familiar story. God chose David and David designated as the one that would build God’s temple. Solomon had a platform constructed so the people could see him praying the prayer of dedication. In his prayer, Solomon recognized that God is not confined to the temple.

In the New Testament reading, a group of Greeks request an audience with Jesus. Jesus responds that the hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Jesus explains that a seed must die in order to produce a great crop. If the seed remains in its state, it will remain in itself. Jesus is about to die to free many people so that they may live. If He does not go through with it, then He will remain alive, but there is no hope for anyone else.

Jesus has performed many signs and wonders, but there are still people that refuse to believe Him. This fulfills the prophecy of Isaiah. Their eyes have been blinded and their hearts are hardened. They cannot see or believe so they will never convert. Still, there were some that believed, but they would not speak His name for fear of being driven out of the synagogue. These people loved the praise of men more than they loved Jesus.

My prayer is that we will love Jesus above all else.

2 Chronicles 7-9 and John 13:1-17

Solomon finishes praying. The LORD comes down in fire and consumes the burnt offering. Solomon offered 22,000 cattle and 120,000 sheep. God appears to Solomon and tells him that if He closes the sky or commands the grasshoppers to eat the land, or if pestilence is sent to His people, if they will humble themselves, seek His face, and turn from their evil ways, then He will heal the land. Essentially, what He is communicating is that if they remain in Him then He will continue to bless the land. If they stray from Him, then those blessings will be withdrawn. From our perspective this might seem unfair, but in reality it is along the lines of discipline parents give their children. Albeit, this discipline is corporate to the entire nation, not just the ones straying from Him. All it takes to get back on the right path is for them to turn from their evil and seek Him.

Unfortunately, we will see that neither the Israelites nor their king will stay completely obedient to God. Solomon dies after reigning for 40 years. He is the last king of the unified kingdom.

In the New Testament reading Jesus and His disciples meet for what will be known as the Last Supper. While they are at the table, Jesus gets up, ties a a towel around Himself, and begins washing the feet of the disciples. Peter objects, saying that He cannot wash His feet. Peter must be washed, though, if he is going to have any part of Jesus. When Peter hears this he asks that his entire body be washed. Jesus explains that if a man has bathed and then walks, it is just the feet that are dirty. This is how sin works in the life of a believer. As believers, we have been washed. We are set apart for God. However, we will still get dirty from sin by walking in the sinful world. When that happens, we pray that God clean us from that particular sin.

Jesus teaches them that just as He has loved them by washing their feet, they must do the same for each other. He is the master, they are the servants. A servant is not above the master. Since Jesus, the master, served His people, we can rest assured that we are called to service as His followers. Faith is not a spectator sport. God expects us to get out there and get our hands dirty doing His work and loving His creation.

2 Chronicles 10-12 and John 13: 18-38

The kingdom is split. I know we already went through this in Kings, but it is important for us to remember what happened. Since the names sound similar, we can do a quick review of these two kings.

Rehoboam was the first king of Judah. He caused the kingdom to split in two. Judah to the south and Israel to the north. Judah had a particularly big advantage because Jerusalem and the temple complex was within its territory. Rehoboam divided the people by promising to make their lives even harder than Solomon had.

Jeroboam was the first king of Israel when it became the northern kingdom. He had the advantage of having more tribes in Israel than Judah had. However, he instituted official idol worship in Israel. From what we can tell, this departure from worshipping God was extreme. He appointed his own priests for the high places, the goat demons, and the golden calves that he had made.

Neither king is good. The both do evil in God’s sight. When Rehoboam had established his power, he abandons The LORD. As a result, God sends judgment to him through Shishak, the king of Egypt. Rehoboam’s reign lasts for 17 years.

In John, the Last Supper continues. Jesus predicts Judas’s betrayal. What amazes me is that the other disciples question each other because they don’t know who He is talking about. For all they know, it could have been any one of them. After Judas is identified, he leaves the feast. The other disciples think nothing of it since he has the money bag. They assumed he was going out to buy more for the festival.

When Judas is gone, Jesus commands them to love one another just as He has loved them. That is how people will know that they are His followers. The world will know we are Christians by our love.

2 Chronicles 10-12 and John 13: 18-38

The kingdom is split. I know we already went through this in Kings, but it is important for us to remember what happened. Since the names sound similar, we can do a quick review of these two kings.

Rehoboam was the first king of Judah. He caused the kingdom to split in two. Judah to the south and Israel to the north. Judah had a particularly big advantage because Jerusalem and the temple complex was within its territory. Rehoboam divided the people by promising to make their lives even harder than Solomon had.

Jeroboam was the first king of Israel when it became the northern kingdom. He had the advantage of having more tribes in Israel than Judah had. However, he instituted official idol worship in Israel. From what we can tell, this departure from worshipping God was extreme. He appointed his own priests for the high places, the goat demons, and the golden calves that he had made.

Neither king is good. Both do evil in God’s sight. When Rehoboam had established his power, he abandons The LORD. As a result, God sends judgment to him through Shishak, the king of Egypt. Rehoboam’s reign lasts for 17 years.

In John, the Last Supper continues. Jesus predicts Judas’s betrayal. What amazes me is that the other disciples question each other because they don’t know who He is talking about. For all they know, it could have been any one of them. After Judas is identified, he leaves the feast. The other disciples think nothing of it since he has the money bag. They assumed he was going out to buy more for the festival.

When Judas is gone, Jesus commands them to love one another just as He has loved them. That is how people will know that they are His followers. The world will know we are Christians by our love.

2 Chronicles 13-16 and John 14

Abijah becomes king of Judah. He goes to war with Jeroboam. Abijah asserts that the kingdom split because of evil and wicked men that did not support Rehoboam. There might be some level of truth to that. However, Rehoboam lost support of the people when he decided to make their labor more intense than Solomon did. Abijah proclaims that Yahweh is Judah’s God. Abijah has done what is right in God’s sight. When Jeroboam set up an ambush against Judah, God routes him, and all of the Israelites flee.

Asa becomes king of Judah. He also does what is right in God’s sight. He shatters the sacred places, cuts down the Asherah poles, demands that the people seek God, and follow His commands. Asa is so dedicated to The LORD that he even removes his grandmother Maacah because she made an obscene image of Asherah. Despite his faithfulness to God, Asa makes a treaty with Aram. Hanani the seer rebukes Asa for this act. Rather than repent and see the error of his ways, Asa has Hanani imprisoned. When we read Kings, this sin of Asa was glossed over. However, this sin was bad enough that it caused Asa to develop a severe disease in his feet that became worse and worse. This disease caused him to spend the last bit of his reign locked away from anyone else.

In the New Testament reading, Jesus continues giving instructions to the disciples. He tells them not to fear. He is about to go away to prepare a place for them. Thomas indicates that they do not know where He is going and asks how they can know the way. Jesus explains that He is the way the truth and the life. No one will come to the Father except through Him.

Since they have seen Jesus, they have also seen the Father. Jesus indicates that there is a hierarchy within the Trinity. The Father is greater than the Son.

Jesus also promises them the Holy Spirit. This is an amazing gift because the Spirit rests upon the believers. Up until Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit came to people, it was for a specific task. Through Christ’s sacrifice on the cross, the Holy Spirit is available to anyone who calls on Jesus as Lord and Savior.

2 Chronicles 17-19 and John 15

Jehoshaphat becomes king of Judah. He walks in the way of David. He does not seek the Baals or follow any of the ways of Israel. As a result, The LORD is with him. He sets about educating the people about God’s Law. It was important for the people to know what was in the Law, since it had been neglected for so long.

Things are going great for Jehoshaphat which makes his next move all the more puzzling. He decides to set up an alliance with Ahab. Ahab was a wicked king of Israel. In fact, he was so wicked that he made the official religion of Israel Baal worship. Ahab has surrounded himself with people that will tell him what he wants to hear. He has placed himself in an echo chamber. There is only one prophet that actually tells him the truth, Micaiah. Ahab hates him because he never prophesies anything good about the kingdom. When Micaiah is consulted about Israel’s fate in an upcoming battle, he delivers the message of their impending defeat.

As they go into battle, Ahab hatches a plan. He will disguise himself as just an ordinary soldier. Meanwhile, Jehoshaphat will go into battle with all of his royal attire. No doubt, this was to draw attention to Jehoshaphat and taking their eyes off of Ahab. The plan does not work, though. Instead, a man draws his bow without taking any special aim. The arrow pierced Ahab through the joint in his armor.

After the battle, Jehoshaphat returns home where he is rebuked by Jehu. The rebuke comes because Jehoshaphat has given his men and his time to helping a group of people that hate The LORD. Jehoshaphat once again goes and draws the people back to Yahweh.

In the New Testament reading, Jesus teaches what it means to be in Him. He is the true vine. His Father is the vineyard keeper. Every branch that does not produce fruit will be removed. Every branch that is producing fruit is pruned by Him so that they will bear even more fruit. The only way for a believer to produce fruit is by remaining attached to the true vine. One way we can how we are doing in our walk with The LORD is to see what kind of fruit we are producing. Are we producing the things of this world or are we producing the fruits of the Spirit?

Jesus also warns them of the persecution that is coming their way. The world hated Him, so they will be hated. They are not of the world, so the world will hate them. As believers, we are in the world, but we are not of it. Our true home is with Him.

2 Chronicles 20-22 and John 16: 1-15

The Moabites, Ammonites, and some of the Meunites decide to take up arms against Jehoshaphat. He is terrified. Rather than try to solve the problem on his own, he calls the people to fast and he prays to The LORD. Jehoshaphat concedes that they are powerless against these enemies. The only One that can save them is God. God responds by saying that the battle belongs to Him. The LORD destroys their enemies and the people walk away with an abundance of plunder from their fallen foes.

Jehoshaphat dies and his son Jehoram becomes king. Rather than act like his father, Jehoram decides to act like the kings of Israel. To protect his reign, he slaughters the rest of his brothers. His reign lasted eight years. Since he has been so evil, God sends a word of judgment through the prophet Elijah. Jehoram will get a disease of the intestines that will cause them to come out day after day. He dies just as The LORD said he would. The people do not have a fire in his honor. The text informs us that Jehoram died to “no one’s regret”. He was such a disliked king that he was not even buried in the tombs of the kings.

Ahaziah becomes king in his place. This is where things can get slightly confusing since there is a duplication of names in the northern kingdom (Israel) and the southern kingdom (Judah). In the northern kingdom, Ahab had two sons, Ahaziah and Jehoram. When Ahab died, Ahaziah became king. Ahaziah died and Jehoram became king. In the southern kingdom Jehoshaphat was succeeded by his son Jehoram. When Jehoram died, he is succeeded by his son Ahaziah (Jehoshaphat’s grandson). I hope that this helps with keeping the names straight of the various kings in both kingdoms!

Ahaziah reigned in Judah for one year. When he is killed, his mother usurps the throne. She sets about killing all of the royal heirs to the house of Judah. However, she misses on. Joash was rescued. While Athaliah, Ahaziah’s mother, was reigning over the land, Joash was hidden in God’s temple.

In the New Testament reading, Jesus continues explaining that persecution is headed their way. It will get so bad for them that a time is coming when someone thinks they are doing a good thing for God when they kill a believer. Jesus is telling them this so that they will remember He told them these things when the terrible times are upon them. Jesus also explains that He has to go so that they can receive the Counselor. The Counselor will convict the world about sin, righteousness, and judgment.

2 Chronicles 23-25 and John 16: 16-33

After seven years of Athaliah’s reign, Jehoiada the priest finally gathers courage to take up arms against her. He took the commanders of hundreds into a covenant with him. They all agreed that the fallen king’s son should reign, not his mother. They bring out one of the king’s sons, put a crown on his head, and made him king. When Athaliah hears the cries of “long live the king” she tears her clothes and declares treason. Jehoiada the priest directs the commanders to take her out between the ranks and put any of her followers to death.

Jehoiada makes reforms in Judah. The temple of Baal was torn down. The altars and images were broken into pieces. The priest of Baal was executed at the altars. Joash becomes king at the age of seven and reigns 40 years. He does what is right in The LORD’s sight. They begin repairing the temple and the burnt offerings to The LORD are established again.

However, Jehoiada passes away. Shortly after this happens, Joash becomes apostate. He no longer worries about doing what is right in God’s sight. Without Jehoiada to show him the way and give guidance, Joash consults with the rulers of Judah. They decide to abandon the temple of Yahweh and begin serving the Asherah poles and the idols. God’s wrath brews against Judah, but He sends them prophets, warning them to return to Yahweh. The people will not believe, though. They keep on with their idolatry.

The Arameans take up arms agains Judah. Joash is wounded in the battle and takes to his bed to recover. His servants conspired against him and assassinate Joash since he had killed the sons of Jehoiada. Amaziah becomes king in his place. Amaziah launches an offensive against Edom and wins. With this military success under his belt, he decides to go up against Israel. He asks to meet with their king. The Israelite king warns him not to do it, but Amaziah will not listen. The people of Judah are routed before Israel and they flee to their own tents. This gives the Israelite king ample opportunity to destroy things within the city of Jerusalem.

In the New Testament reading, Jesus explains to the disciples that they will have mourning, but that mourning will turn to joy. We certainly see this very thing played out in Christ’s crucifixion. The people rejoice that Jesus has been killed while the disciples mourn. However, that mourning is turned to joy when they come face to face with the resurrected Savior. Christ has the victory over the grave. As His followers, we do to. It is not from anything that we have done, but for what our awesome and amazing God has done for us.

2 Chronicles 26-28 and John 17

Uzziah becomes king of Judah. He is a good king and did right in the sight of The LORD. One of the first things he did was restore the city of Eloth. Eloth was at the northern tip of the Red Sea. By restoring this city, Uzziah was making Judah a player among the major world powers since it had access to the Mediterranean and Red Seas. Uzziah grows stronger, but in his strength, he becomes arrogant. He decides to burn incense on the incense altar, an act that only the priests could perform. The priests confront him about it. Uzziah does not relent until a skin disease breaks out on his head.

Jotham takes over from Uzziah. He too does right in The LORD’s sight. Even though he is acting in an upright manner, the people still behave poorly. Jotham did not waiver in his obedience to God’s commands. What a testimony that Jotham had. Are we living a life that when we pass people will say the same about us, that we did not waiver in obeying God?

Ahaz becomes king of Judah. He is a wicked king. He burns incense in the Valley of Hinnom and sacrifices his children to the false gods. As a result, Ahaz is handed over to the king of Aram. Rather than seeing that Ahaz is in this new predicament because he treated The LORD with contempt, Ahaz decides that he should follow and sacrifice to the gods of Damascus. He assumed that these false gods were more powerful because Damascus had defeated him. Ahaz takes all of the utensils in the temple and cuts them up. He also seals the doors of the temple and made altars on every street corner. When Ahaz dies, he is buried in the city, but is not buried with the kings.

In John, Jesus prays for Himself, His disciples, and everyone else who believes in Him. Jesus knows that His hour has come. So, He asks The Father to give Him strength. Jesus prays that His disciples will be sanctified by the truth. He does not pray that they be taken out of the world, but that they are protected from the evil one. As believers, we should expect that we are going to run into problems. When this happens, God will not necessarily remove the problem from us, but He will give us the tools to get through it. Further, He will be with us every step of the way.

2 Chronicles 29-31 and John 18: 1-23

Hezekiah becomes king of Judah. He is nothing like Ahaz. Hezekiah opens the doors of the temple and repaired them. He orders the Levites to consecrate themselves and the temple of Yahweh. The priests entered the temple and took out all of the unclean and detestable things. When this is all complete, Hezekiah reinstates worship in the temple. Many sacrifices are made to atone for the sins of the people.

The king also reinstates observation of the Passover. The celebration and remembrance of the Passover was a command that God gave Moses and the Israelites after they were freed from Egypt. Hezekiah is taking the people back to the God’s Law. Through his efforts we see a great revival sweep through the people of Judah.

Hezekiah identifies one problem. Since the celebration of Passover and the observation of the Law happened so quickly, many of the participants had not gone through the ritualistic cleansing. Even though they were unclean, they still ate the Passover. Hezekiah prays on their behalf asking that God provide atonement for them. God does not strike these ritualistically unclean believers. As believers, it is not the ritual that makes us clean. Instead, it is Christ’s atoning work that makes us clean.

In the New Testament reading, Jesus and the disciples complete their meal. From there, they go to the Garden of Gethsemane. While they are there a company of soldiers and some of the temple police arrive to arrest Jesus. Jesus hands Himself over to them. Peter draws his sword and cuts the ear off of Malchus, the high priest’s slave. Jesus rebukes Peter for his action. Though this account does not mention it, we know that Jesus healed Malchus’s ear. I wonder what his reaction was to being healed. Did he decide he could no longer go along with this plan? Or did he continue on with the orders of the priests?

2 Chronicles 32-33 and John 18: 24-40

Sennacherib, the king of Assyria, decides to enter Judah, laying siege to the fortified cities. Seeing what Sennacherib was doing, Hezekiah consulted with his military commanders and other officials. They decided to stop up the springs, cutting off the fresh water. He rebuilt the broken walls of Jerusalem and repaired the supporting terraces. Sennacherib’s servant makes a speech to the people of Judah, urging them to abandon Yahweh and Hezekiah. As far as the servant is concerned, there is no one that can stand against Sennacherib.

Hezekiah does the logical thing and prays about it, crying out to heaven. God delivers the people. Unfortunately, after all of this, Hezekiah becomes puffed up with pride and he is struck with an illness that will surely end his life. Hezekiah seeks God again and The LORD’s wrath did not come on him or the people during his lifetime.

Manasseh becomes king after Hezekiah at the age of 12. He is a terrible and evil king. This seems odd that he would go and do the exact opposite of his father, considering that he had witnessed how God had delivered the people during Hezekiah’s time. Nevertheless, Manasseh decides that he is going to follow the false gods. God continually tries to get ahold of Manasseh, but he will not listen. So God sends judgment to him by way of Assyria. Manasseh is bound up and taken to Babylon. Then he decides to pray and seek God. The LORD delivers Manasseh. When he arrives back in Judah, he removes the foreign gods and the idol from the temple. When he passes away, his son Amon takes the throne. Amon is a horrible king and only reigns two years.

In the New Testament reading, Jesus is taken to Pilate. Pilate can find no charges against Jesus. The two have an interesting conversation in which Pilate asks Jesus what truth is. What Pilate does not realize, is that he is standing before The Truth. Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life.

2 Chronicles 32-33 and John 18: 24-40

Sennacherib, the king of Assyria, decides to enter Judah, laying siege to the fortified cities. Seeing what Sennacherib was doing, Hezekiah consulted with his military commanders and other officials. They decided to stop up the springs, cutting off the fresh water. He rebuilt the broken walls of Jerusalem and repaired the supporting terraces. Sennacherib’s servant makes a speech to the people of Judah, urging them to abandon Yahweh and Hezekiah. As far as the servant is concerned, there is no one that can stand against Sennacherib.

Hezekiah does the logical thing and prays about it, crying out to heaven. God delivers the people. Unfortunately, after all of this, Hezekiah becomes puffed up with pride and he is struck with an illness that will surely end his life. Hezekiah seeks God again and The LORD’s wrath did not come on him or the people during his lifetime.

Manasseh becomes king after Hezekiah at the age of 12. He is a terrible and evil king. This seems odd that he would go and do the exact opposite of his father, considering that he had witnessed how God had delivered the people during Hezekiah’s time. Nevertheless, Manasseh decides that he is going to follow the false gods. God continually tries to get ahold of Manasseh, but he will not listen. So, God sends judgment to him by way of Assyria. Manasseh is bound up and taken to Babylon. Then he decides to pray and seek God. The LORD delivers Manasseh. When he arrives back in Judah, he removes the foreign gods and the idol from the temple. When he passes away, his son Amon takes the throne. Amon is a horrible king and only reigns two years.

In the New Testament reading, Jesus is taken to Pilate. Pilate can find no charges against Jesus. The two have an interesting conversation in which Pilate asks Jesus what truth is. What Pilate does not realize, is that he is standing before The Truth. Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life.

2 Chronicles 34-36 and John 19: 1-22

Josiah becomes king at the age of eight and reigns for 31 years. He is a good king and has a wonderful reign. He seeks God at an early age and makes reforms, tearing down the pagan altars and other items used for worshipping false gods. Josiah also repairs the temple. When his people finds the book of the Law written in Moses’s hand, he realizes just how far away the people were from God and sets about making things right. Things are going great for him. Unfortunately, we see his downfall through Neco the king of Egypt. Neco was after another kingdom. He was not concerned with attacking Judah. Neco sends word to Josiah that he should not march out against him. He tells Josiah that God told him to go after another dynasty. Josiah does not listen. He still marches against Neco. Even though he disguised himself, he was killed by Neco’s archers. In all that Josiah had done to make the people right with God, he made one fatal flaw. He did not consult God before marching out. As believers, our goal is to walk with God in everything we do. Whenever we come across something that needs more clarification, we can seek His advice.

This marks the end of Judah. After Josiah, there are a series of wicked kings that follow him. The last king of Judah is Zedekiah. He had been placed on the throne by Nebuchadnezzar. Zedekiah rebelled against Nebuchadnezzar and The LORD. As a result, Judah fell and the people were deported to Babylon.

Cyrus becomes king of Persia. Cyrus is concerned that the gods of the foreign nations might cause trouble for his kingdom. He decrees that The LORD the God of heaven has given him all the kingdoms of the earth and has appointed him to build a temple to God in Jerusalem. God used the pagan king as an instrument to issue His command. Authority derives from The LORD.

In the New Testament reading, we also read about authority coming from God. Pilate does not want to crucify Christ. Instead, he has Jesus whipped, but it does not satisfy the people. He interviews Christ again and when Jesus is silent he asks Jesus if He knows about his authority. Jesus responds that Pilate would not have any authority if it had not been granted by God.

Jesus is taken to the cross. A sign with His crimes is posted above Him. All the sign read was “JESUS THE NAZARENE THE KING OF THE JEWS”. The Jews are upset with the wording, wanting Pilate to change it to say that “He said He was king of the Jews.” Pilate refuses their request. The pagan leader had a better understand of who Jesus was than the people that had been waiting for Him.

Ezra 1-2 and John 19: 23-42

Ezra and Nehemiah were considered as a single book until the third century A.D. Both Ezra and Nehemiah have material found in the other and they complete each other. We do not know who wrote the book of Ezra, but it is believed the person that gave us the Chronicles is mos likely the author.

Ezra stars off right where 2 Chronicles left off, citing Cyrus’s decree to restore the temple in Jerusalem. The leaders of Benjamin and Judah along with the priests and Levites, prepared to go up and rebuild the temple. King Cyrus even returned the articles that Nebuchadnezzar had taken from the temple.

We see the list of people motivated to go back to Jerusalem. There are hundreds if not thousands of these people coming back. One group is not as large, though. The Levites only have 74 men return. We do not know why the number of Levites returning was so small. One theory is that not many Levites were carried away to Babylon at the fall of Jerusalem. The other theory is that not many were motivated to go back and start again. Many years later when Ezra is preparing to return again, he only gets 38 more volunteers.

The singers, gatekeepers, and temple servants are listed. The presence of singers was important in establishing worship at the temple again. The people are motivated to get back and begin worshipping God again! The old saying goes that we don’t know what we have until it’s gone.

In the New Testament reading, Jesus provides comfort for His mother by telling John to look after her. It was difficult for widows in those times. They would rely on their children to take care of them. Jesus cries that His work is finished and draws His last breath.

Since a festival is coming, they don’t want the bodies to remain up. They break the legs of the two men Jesus was crucified with, but when they get to Jesus, they see that He is already dead. To ensure that He was gone, they take a spear and pierce His side. Blood and water flow from the cut. This is proof of an actual crucifixion. Crucifixion was in many ways a death of asphyxiation. The weight of the body on the arms would cause fluid to fill the lungs of the victim, essentially drowning them. In fact, some crucifixions in the Roman Empire were carried out by suspended the victim on a cross by his arms with no foot support. After three days of that, the victim’s lungs would fill with body fluid. This detail of blood and water flowing from His side is proof that the death of Jesus was a true physical death.

Joseph of Arimathea retrieves Christ’s body and buries Him in a tomb. He begins the process of anointing the body, but he does not finish the task.

Ezra 3-5 and John 20

The Israelites restore animal sacrifice. They begin working on the temple. When the foundation is laid, there is an interesting event. There are shouts of joy, but there are also shouts of mourning. The older Israelites that had seen God’s temple in its original glory, see that this new temple is not nearly as ornate as the first. They mourn for the past. The younger Israelites, that had never seen the original temple are shouting for joy. They are looking to the future and are happy to see that God has blessed them in allowing them to come back. The shouting of both parties was so great that it could be heard from far away.

There is nothing wrong with looking at the past, as the older Israelites did. However, we cannot live in the past. If we stay in the past, then we cannot move forward.

Some enemies come and ask to help build the temple with the Israelites. The Israelites deny their request. Rather than take the “no” this group then begins antagonizing them and opposing the building efforts. Artaxerxes sends a formal letter stating that they must stop rebuilding the temple.

The rebuilding effort begins again in the second year of King Darius’s rule. When Tattenai, the governor sees they are rebuilding, he sends a letter to Darius asking him to launch a formal investigation to see if Cyrus had in fact ordered the Israelites to rebuild the temple.

In the New Testament reading, the women go to Christ’s tomb to finish anointing His body. When they get there, they find that He is no longer in the tomb. They rush to tell the disciples. John and Peter run to the tomb. We know that John made it to the tomb faster than Peter did because he records that he made it to the tomb before Peter did.

At one point, Christ appears to the majority of the disciples. He shows them His hands and His side. They rejoice when they see Him. Thomas was not there when Christ met with them. He says that he will not believe unless he sees the mark and puts his finger into the mark of the nails and hand in his side, he won’t believe. This one moment in Thomas’s life forever earned him the title of the “Doubting Thomas”.

Ezra 6-8 and John 21

King Darius goes on a fact finding mission and discovers the decree of Cyrus. He issues another decree telling the governor of the region and the others interfering with the rebuilding to stop. He also decrees that the rebuilding effort will be funded through royal revenues of taxes collected in the area. Further, if anyone is to interfere with the rebuilding, a beam will be taken from the man’s house and he will be impaled upon it. I am certain that this is the exact opposite of what the governor wanted.

Chapter seven begins with Ezra returning Israel from Babylon. He brings along a letter from Artaxerxes. He funds Ezra’s return and sacrificial animals with the royal treasury and gifts gathered from the Jewish exiles in Babylon. God sent the Israelites out of their homeland by pagan rulers and now He returns them by pagan rulers.

In the New Testament reading, we finish up John. Jesus appears the disciples after a long night of fishing. They had caught nothing. Jesus tells them to put their net on the other side of the boat. When they do, they receive a huge haul of fish. Peter realizes that it is Jesus speaking to them from the shore, so he jumps out of the boat and rushes to greet Him. Jesus tells the men to bring some fish and they prepare breakfast. The fact that Jesus is able to eat a meal with His disciples shows that He had resurrected in physical form. It was not His ghost walking among them, He wasn’t a hologram, He was the fully physical resurrected Messiah.

Jesus questions Peter three times. In my Bible, it refers to this as Peter being restored. I disagree with that assessment. Jesus first asks Peter if he agape (loves) Him. Peter responds that he phileo (loves) Him. Agape love is a perfect and sacrificial love. It is the kind of love that God has for us. As believers, we are supposed to have that kind of love for Him and one another. Jesus asks a second time if Peter agapes Him. Peter responds that he phileos Jesus. Finally, Jesus asks Peter if he phileos Him. Peter responds that he does. Phileo love is a kind of family love. It is a brotherly love. That love is important and deep, but it is not like agape. That is why I think it was not so much Peter being restored since he had denied Christ three times. Peter loves Jesus like a brother, but he is not quite to that point where he has that sacrificial love for Him. Peter will eventually die for his faith and love for Jesus. Jesus even foreshadows Peter’s eventual crucifixion as a martyr. As we get into Acts we will see Peter’s leadership and faith grow stronger.

The Christian life is a life of growth. We are not called to be stagnant. Instead, we can seek to grow in Him every day.

Ezra 9-10 and Acts 1

Things are looking up, the temple is being rebuilt, the Passover is being celebrated again, and the people are trying to get back on track with God’s Law. Now they run into a problem. Some of the Israelite men did not follow The LORD’s guidance and married women from the pagan nations. Ezra responds by praying to God. He is ashamed and embarrassed of this sin. Ezra was not guilty of marrying a woman outside of the Israelites, but he still feels the weight of the sin. Ezra does not feign innocence in his prayer to God. The problem of marrying foreign wives was so prevalent, even some of the Levite men had married women from pagan nations.

Ezra has a meeting. One man by the name of Shecaniah comes up with a relatively extreme solution. They will gather all of the foreign wives and their offspring and send them away. The men decided that this was a good solution and they carry it out. I think we can all agree that this decision was extreme. However, the leaders were so worried that they would be deported again for not following God’s Law, they were willing to go to extreme measures. I personally think it would have been a better solution for them to have taught their wives and children the way of Yahweh, but I was not there and no one asked my opinion. Ezra and the other leaders made this decision and they stood by it.

We begin Acts. Acts was written by Luke. The disciples are in a bit of a holding pattern. They have been spending time with the resurrected Jesus, but they have not really been out fishing for men or building God’s kingdom. Jesus tells them to wait in Jerusalem until they receive the gift that His Father has promise them. They have to wait for the Holy Spirit to be with them. If not, they will fail at their task. That is not to say that they would not have had some success in their mission, but it would not have been anywhere near as effective.

Since they know the Holy Spirit will be coming to them soon, the disciples ask if God is going to restore His kingdom. This might seem like a random question for us today. However, throughout the Old Testament, the Holy Spirit was associated with God restoring the kingdom. They did not receive the answer they were wanting. Jesus responds that it is not for Him or the angels in heaven to know that time. Instead, it is the Father in heaven that knows.

I am not a huge fan of looking at the Revelation and trying to come up with a timeline on when God is going to restore His kingdom based on what Jesus tells His disciples there. If it is not for us to know, then it is not for us to know.

Nehemiah 1-3 and Acts 2:1-13

Nehemiah has the opportunity to ask about the remnant of Israelites that remained during the exile. He learns that they are in great trouble and disgrace. Nehemiah prays, confessing his sins to God and asking to be returned to Jerusalem.

God answers Nehemiah’s prayer. Nehemiah was the cupbearer. One night he is pouring the wine for the king. The king is upset that Nehemiah looks sad even when he is not sick. Nehemiah responds that he cannot be happy when his brothers in Jerusalem are suffering the way they are. He asks that the king send him to Judah to rebuild it. His request is granted.

After three days in Jerusalem, Nehemiah gathers a small group of men and inspects the gates and walls of the city. After his inspection, Nehemiah proposes that they rebuild Jerusalem. The leaders agree and they quickly set to repairing the city walls and gates.

In Acts, the believers are all gathered in one place at Pentecost. A sound like a violent rushing wind comes from heaven. Tongues like flames appeared and rested on each of them. The Holy Spirit that God had promised them had arrived. They began speaking in different languages, but they could all understand what was being said.

There was a large crowd of Jews that were understandably confused by what was happening. Some of them are astounded and perplexed by it. Others simply accuse the believers of being drunk.

Nehemiah 4-6 and Acts 2: 14-47

Despite the fact that the rebuilding of the temple was endorsed by King Artaxerxes, there were still some in the land that tried to suppress the effort. Sanballat hears they are rebuilding the wall and he begins to make fun of the people, saying that a simple fox could knock the wall down. They continue to build. These folks are so dedicated to rebuilding, they are not going to let anyone slow them down.

The opposition to rebuilding grows stronger. So, they work in shifts. One group builds, while the other stands watch, ensuring that no one can come in and maim them while they are building.

There was an outcry from the poorer folks in Jerusalem. They were having a hard time paying the tax and paying back what they had borrowed. Nehemiah assembles the nobles and accuses them of charging interest to their fellow Israelites. According to the Levitical Law, charging interest to another Israelite was forbidden.

Throughout the rebuilding effort, we see that there is opposition. That does not stop them. They get the walls completed in 52 days. I have seen pothole filling projects take longer than that! These folks are motivated to get the temple finished! Do we let opposition and discouragement slow us down from doing God’s will in our lives? Do we rise above the nay-saying and continue to do His will regardless of what those around us think?

In the New Testament reading, Peter offers his defense against the accusation they were drunk. Of course they cannot be drunk, it’s only 10 in the morning! From there, Peter delivers a fiery sermon telling them about Christ and what He had done for them. He draws the Old Testament example of David trying to show them that Jesus was in fact the long awaited Messiah. Due to his fantastic defense of the faith, there were many that came to know Christ as Savior after Peter’s sermon. The church begins growing rapidly. They all pool their resources together ensuring that needs are met and the mission continues.

Nehemiah 4-6 and Acts 2: 14-47

Despite the fact that the rebuilding of the temple was endorsed by King Artaxerxes, there were still some in the land that tried to suppress the effort. Sanballat hears they are rebuilding the wall and he begins to make fun of the people, saying that a simple fox could knock the wall down. They continue to build. These folks are so dedicated to rebuilding, they are not going to let anyone slow them down.

The opposition to rebuilding grows stronger. So, they work in shifts. One group builds, while the other stands watch, ensuring that no one can come in and maim them while they are building.

There was an outcry from the poorer folks in Jerusalem. They were having a hard time paying the tax and paying back what they had borrowed. Nehemiah assembles the nobles and accuses them of charging interest to their fellow Israelites. According to the Levitical Law, charging interest to another Israelite was forbidden.

Throughout the rebuilding effort, we see that there is opposition. That does not stop them. They get the walls completed in 52 days. I have seen pothole filling projects take longer than that! These folks are motivated to get the temple finished! Do we let opposition and discouragement slow us down from doing God’s will in our lives? Do we rise above the nay-saying and continue to do His will regardless of what those around us think?

In the New Testament reading, Peter offers his defense against the accusation they were drunk. Of course, they cannot be drunk, it’s only 10 in the morning! From there, Peter delivers a fiery sermon telling them about Christ and what He had done for them. He draws the Old Testament example of David trying to show them that Jesus was in fact the long-awaited Messiah. Due to his fantastic defense of the faith, there were many that came to know Christ as Savior after Peter’s sermon. The church begins growing rapidly. They all pool their resources together ensuring that needs are met, and the mission continues.

Nehemiah 7-8 and Acts 3

When the wall had been rebuilt and the doors were installed, officials were appointed. At that point, the exiles begin returning. We are given an extensive list of the Israelite descendants that return. The text recounts the very low number of Levites returning to Jerusalem.

Ezra reads the Law at the Water Gate instead of the temple. There is speculation that tension existed between Nehemiah and and the priests, leading Ezra to meet with Nehemiah away from the temple. Everyone who is able to understand listen intently to the Law. As Ezra reads, the people realize that they have failed in keeping the Festival of Booths. They decide to observe this festival. Their intention is to get right with God. What we are seeing here is a group of people that had been displaced because of their unfaithfulness toward God. They are given the chance to get on the right course and they are doing what they can to live according to God’s Law. I like to keep this in mind when reading about the interactions Jesus had during His earthly ministry. I think that might be one of the reasons they approached things with such a legalistic mindset. They were worried they would be displaced again and were doing what they could to prevent it from happening.

In Acts, Peter and John go to the temple to pray at three in the afternoon. This shows us that the disciples continued with the Jewish prayer times and other Jewish customs even though they were followers of Jesus. It is not until later that there is a distinct line drawn between the Jew that believes in Jesus and those that do not believe in Him.

As they are walking, they come across a beggar that is unable to walk. Peter says that he does not have any money to give him. However, he gives him something better. The man is healed and begins praising God. The people in attendance are amazed. Peter then asks why they would be so amazed at what happened. He uses this opportunity to point out Jesus as the Messiah. Peter takes them all the way back to Moses’ statement that a prophet like him would come from among their brothers (Deut 18:15-19). All signs point to Jesus as the Messiah. The people here at Solomon’s Colonnade should be able to see that.

Nehemiah 9-11 and Acts 4: 1-22

The people assemble and there is a widespread confession of sin. Notice that they do not just confess their sins, but they confess the sins of their fathers as well. Rather than blame their parents for leading them to sin, they take ownership of what they have done and what their parents had done. They choose to own the problem, rather than placing the problem on someone or something else. Often it is a lot easier to blame our indiscretions on outside forces instead of placing it where it belongs.

The Levites give a run down of the Israelite history. They repeat the account of being freed from Pharaoh. They talk about all of the wonderful things God had done for them in the wilderness. They remind the people that there were some on the exodus that wished to be back in Egypt under oppression. They recount when the Israelites made a false god to worship. Even in their rebellion, God did not abandon them.

The people make a vow to God. They promise that they will not marry women from the surrounding pagan nations. They will not buy or sell on the Sabbath or an holy days. They will bring the first fruits of their harvest to God every year. Essentially, the people are promising that they will be faithful to God. They will return to the ordnances God gave Moses and the freed Israelites.

In Acts, John and Peter are arrested because of their proclamation of resurrection from the dead and using Christ as an example. They are brought before the Jewish leadership and are questioned. Peter is filled with the Holy Spirit and gives an eloquent defense of Christ as the cornerstone and salvation only coming from Him. The leaders realize that both Peter and John were uneducated and untrained, but they gave a great defense. They cannot say anything to retort what Peter is saying. Rather than give any credence to Peter’s message, they take the easy way out and decide that they will just forbid people to speak the name of Jesus.

Peter and John will not yield. “Whether it is right in the sight of God for us to listen to you rather than to God, you decide; for we are unable to stop speaking about what we have seen and heard.” Peter and John have the greatest message for the people of Israel, they won’t be stopped by the law of men.

Nehemiah 12- 13 and Acts 4: 23-37

Nehemiah 12 starts with a list of temple personnel. These lists represent the generation after Zerubbabel and Jeshua. When it is time for the wall to be dedicated, they sent for the Levites wherever they lived and brought them to Jerusalem. The singers were gathered. One procession of thanksgiving went to the Dung Gate. The other thanksgiving procession goes past the Tower of the Ovens, above the Gate of Ephraim, by the Old Gate, the Fish Gate, the Tower of Hananel, the Tower of the Hundred, the Sheep Gate and stops at the Gate of the Guard.

When the walls had been dedicated, the book of Moses is read publicly. Everyone in Jerusalem is given instruction on what God expects of them. Nehemiah begins to make reforms. Since the Ammonites and Moabites worked against them, they are not allowed to enter the temple.

We read about Eliashib’s evil act. He prepared a large room for Tobias where they had previously stored the grain offerings, the frankincense, the articles, and the tenths of grain, new wine, and oil. All of these offerings were taken. Nehemiah is quick to point out that this happened while he was gone. He had returned to Artaxerxes when Eliashib did this. Upon his return, Nehemiah rebukes the officials and appoints treasurers over the storehouses to prevent such thievery from happening again. Nehemiah, though he has explained he was not there at the time, still takes some blame for Eliashib’s act. He asks that God not erase the deeds that he had done for the temple.

In the New Testament reading, Peter and John are released. They return to the other believers and give the grave news that they are no longer allowed to preach in Jesus’ name. Rather than wring their hands and clutch their pearls, they all go to prayer. They pray that God give them boldness in the face of this new opposition.

All of the believers hold everything in common. No one has any want or any need. Barnabas, the son of encouragement, goes so far as to sell a field of his. He takes the proceeds and lays them at the apostles’ feet. This money will be used to help the believers meet their mission.

Esther 1-3 and Acts 5:1-16

Esther is an interesting book in the fact that God is not mentioned in the narrative. Even though His name is not mentioned, we can see His hand in what happens in the story. To fully understand the purpose of this book, we have to look at the story as a whole.

Ahasuerus is king, ruling over 127 provinces from India to Cush. He was a mighty king. To show off his power, he invited al of his officials and staff, along with the officials from the provinces and the army of Persia and Media. He spared no expense. All of the best food was brought out. He ordered that is wine attendants give the guests as much as they wanted to drink. As the feast went on, Ahasuerus wanted to bring out his wife Queen Vashti to show her off to all of the guests. Vashti is holding a feast of her own and denies the request. This infuriates Ahasuerus and strikes fear in the other officials. If the queen is telling the king no, then what will prevent their wives from telling them no? As we read through Esther, it is important to remember that the social norms and mores were vastly different back then than they are today.

Since Vashti has done this, a decree goes out. The king will search for a new queen. Esther, whose Jewish name is Hadassah, is an orphan raised by her cousin Mordecai. He has told her not to let anyone know of her Jewish heritage. Esther was taken into the harem and received oil treatments for six months and then was treated with perfumes and cosmetics for another six months. After a year of these treatments, she finds herself before Ahasuerus. He is taken by her beauty and makes her queen.

Mordecai discovers a plot by two eunuchs to kill the king. He takes this news to Esther. Esther is not only Mordecai’s best point of contact to get news to the king, it will also endear her in the heart of the king. The line that it was “recorded in the Historical Record in the king’s presence” is important part of the plot because it will later set up Ahasuerus’ later discovery that he failed to honor Mordecai.

Haman, son of Hammedatha rises in the ranks. He becomes puffed up and full of himself. He orders that people bow before him and pay him homage. Mordecai does not yield. As a result, Haman will launch a plot to kill not only Mordecai, but all of the Jews.

In the New Testament reading, we read about the unfortunate case of Ananias and Sapphira. Just like Barnabas, they sold some of their property. Unlike Barnabas, they only gave a portion of the money to the mission. This would not have been that big of a deal. No one had said they had to sell their field and give all of the money to God. The reason it becomes a big deal is that they lie about it. They tell the people that they had sold this field for a set price and gave that. If they had said, “We sold this property and are giving 50 percent of it”, then it would not have been an issue. They want to look good in front of the people, so they lie about it. They did not realize, they were not just lying to the people, they were lying to God. We cannot hide anything from Him. God knows all and sees all. Ananias and Sapphira both lose their lives because of their dishonesty.

Esther 4-6 and Acts 5:17-42

With the news that the Jews are to be annihilated, Mordecai mourns. He puts on sackcloth and ashes, went into the middle of the city, and cried loudly. He only went so far, though, because there was a strict order prohibiting people wearing sackcloth from entering the King’s Gate. The other Jews mourn fiercely as well. Esther sends clothes to Mordecai, but he refuses them. Instead, he sends a message to Esther, asking her to approach the king on the behalf of their people.

Esther is understandably worried about approaching the king. After all, she became queen because Vashti had refused to dance for the king. Anyone that approaches the king in the inner court, including the queen, that has not been summoned will receive the death penalty. Their lives will only be spared if the king extends the gold scepter.

Mordecai sends word to her that her royal position will not save her in the long run. If she remains silent, then liberation and deliverance will come to the Jews from another place. He leaves her with the understanding that she has been called for such a time as this. After receiving this message, Esther becomes emboldened and sends word to Mordecai. She asks that he and the rest of the Jews fast for three days for her. She will do the same. After the three days, she will approach the king and if she dies, she dies.

Esther approaches the king. He extends the gold scepter. She does not make a request just yet. Instead, she invites the king and Haman to a banquet. Haman is overjoyed at the fact that he has been invited to this little get together. Even in all this happiness, when he comes across Mordecai and receives no bowing or homage from him, rage burns within. He tells his wife about all of the good stuff coming his way, but he is not happy with any of it all because Mordecai will not bow to him. His wife suggests that he build a 75 foot gallows and ask the king to hang Mordecai from it.

That night, the king isn’t able to sleep, so he has the Historical Records brought and read to him. The record recounts the instance of Mordecai saving the king’s life. When the king asks what they did to honor the man, he learns they did nothing. Haman is the only person in the court at that time of day, so the king asks Haman what should be done to honor a man. Haman thinks the king is asking how he himself should be honored. It is not until he gives his ideas to the king that he learns the pomp and ceremony is intended for his enemy Mordecai. Even when he learns that Mordecai is now over him, Haman does not stop.

In the New Testament reading, the believers are going in and out of jail. A well respected Pharisee by the name of Gamaliel gives them advice. He tells the Sanhedrin that they should leave the movement alone. If this is all being driven by man, then the plan is destined to fail. If the movement is being directed by God, then they will be working against Him.

Gamaliel had great advice, but the Sanhedrin will not listen to it. They are too full of themselves and puffed up with their own pride. The persecution will only get worse for the believers. Despite the opposition, the church will continue to grow. Gamaliel was correct, the movement is from God. If that were not the case, we would not be having this conversation thousands of years later!

Esther 7-10 and Acts 6

Ahasuerus and Haman go to the Esther’s banquet. The king asks Esther what she would like. Whatever it is, he will give it to her. Esther then asks that her people be spared. The king asks who had devised the scheme against the Jews. Esther identifies Haman as the man. The king is so mad that he gets up and leaves. Haman is terrified and begins begging Esther that his life be spared. However, he gets a little too carried away and falls on the couch where she is reclining. The king enters again and interprets Haman’s actions as violating the queen. Haman’s head is covered and he is hung from the gallows he had built for Mordecai.

Mordecai becomes second only to the king. The Jews then launch military campaigns against their adversaries and take the plunder as spoils of war. In this campaign, all of Haman’s sons are killed, ensuring that his blood line ended with them. The Jews are prosperous. Since Mordecai had done so much to preserve the people, he became famous. Even as he continued in his leadership position, he always sought the good of the people and spoke for their welfare. Mordecai did not use his power to serve himself, he used it to serve others.

In the New Testament reading, an issue arises with the Hellenistic Jewish widows. They have not been receiving their bread like the Hebraic Jewish widows. There was language barrier between the two groups. They Hellenistic widows had not been overlooked on purpose. When the apostles learn about this, they decide to fix it. They tell the people to appoint seven men that are mature and faithful as overseers for the daily distribution. This pleases the people and they select the seven. Of the seven, Steven goes and preaches about Jesus near the Freedmen’s Synagogue. These people do not appreciate his message at all. They try to argue his points, but find that they cannot match his wisdom. Rather than accept what Steven is saying, they accuse him of blasphemy.

Job 1-3 and Acts 7:1-19

Job is one of the oldest books in the Bible. It takes place in the time of the patriarchs. We know this because the measurement of wealth was livestock and servants, not silver or gold. Job is very wealthy. He has seven sons and three daughters.

We read about an assembly in heaven in which Satan is present. God boasts about Job and his faithfulness to Him. The adversary claims that Job is only that way because God has blessed him tremendously. God gives Satan the power over everything Job owns. Job loses everything. He loses his children, he loses his servants, and he loses his livestock. When all of this happens, Job mourns. Even in his mourning, he praises God, proclaiming that God gives and He takes away.

The assembly meets again. The adversary claims Job is only faithful because he has not suffered. So, God gives him the power to harm Job’s body. Satan strikes Job with terrible boils. Job is miserable, having to scrape his sores with broken pot shards. His wife sees him in misery and tells him to “Curse God and die.” She was not saying this to be insensitive, she legitimately wanted Job to be out of pain.

Job’s response is one of faith. Should they only accept the good from God and not the bad? Three friends of Job come to visit him. They barely recognize him. The last little bit of chapter two gives the best example of Christian counseling out there. They come alongside Job and they weep with him. They tear their clothes and throw dust in the air. They do not say a word about what Job is going through. They give him the ministry of presence.

Job, still faithful to God, curses the day he was born. His suffering is that bad.

In the New Testament reading, Steven launches his defense against the charges of blasphemy. He starts at the beginning with Abraham being called to leave his father. He then moves on to Joseph, the brother that had been sold to slavery and became a high ranking official in Pharaoh’s court. After Joseph died, a new Pharaoh came that did not know what Joseph had done, so he dealt deceitfully with the Israelites. This Pharaoh tried to kill off the Israelites by killing off the newborn babies.

Job 1-3 and Acts 7:1-19

Job is one of the oldest books in the Bible. It takes place in the time of the patriarchs. We know this because the measurement of wealth was livestock and servants, not silver or gold. Job is very wealthy. He has seven sons and three daughters.

We read about an assembly in heaven in which Satan is present. God boasts about Job and his faithfulness to Him. The adversary claims that Job is only that way because God has blessed him tremendously. God gives Satan the power over everything Job owns. Job loses everything. He loses his children, he loses his servants, and he loses his livestock. When all of this happens, Job mourns. Even in his mourning, he praises God, proclaiming that God gives and He takes away.

The assembly meets again. The adversary claims Job is only faithful because he has not suffered. So, God gives him the power to harm Job’s body. Satan strikes Job with terrible boils. Job is miserable, having to scrape his sores with broken pot shards. His wife sees him in misery and tells him to “Curse God and die.” She was not saying this to be insensitive, she legitimately wanted Job to be out of pain.

Job’s response is one of faith. Should they only accept the good from God and not the bad? Three friends of Job come to visit him. They barely recognize him. The last little bit of chapter two gives the best example of Christian counseling out there. They come alongside Job and they weep with him. They tear their clothes and throw dust in the air. They do not say a word about what Job is going through. They give him the ministry of presence.

Job, still faithful to God, curses the day he was born. His suffering is that bad.

In the New Testament reading, Stephen launches his defense against the charges of blasphemy. He starts at the beginning with Abraham being called to leave his father. He then moves on to Joseph, the brother that had been sold to slavery and became a high ranking official in Pharaoh’s court. After Joseph died, a new Pharaoh came that did not know what Joseph had done, so he dealt deceitfully with the Israelites. This Pharaoh tried to kill off the Israelites by killing off the newborn babies.

Job 4-6 and Acts 7:20-43

Earlier we mentioned that Job’s friends gave a great lesson on pastoral care during his time of anguish. They sit with him in the pile and are present with him without offering any words. Unfortunately, that silence and “ministry of presence” only lasted so long. We see that there is an awkward silence that drives Eliphaz to speak. He opens his mouth, but words of condolences or comfort do not come out. Instead, he tells Job that his hope is in his piety and in God’s punishment.

Essentially, Eliphaz is stating that Job had clearly done something to earn God’s wrath. He assumes that Job has lost everything because he had done something wrong. Job had been a very pious man. He was still pious. He has not cursed God or the situation he is in. However, his close friend now looks to him and makes the accusation of sin. That is the last thing that Job needed. He is already down and doesn’t know why all of this is happening to him. Now one of his friends accuses him of being the root to his troubles.

As a society, we do not like silence. It seems that there is always something filling the void. Sometimes, it is better for us to remain silent when confronted about things or when we are trying to help people out. Words might fill the void, but if they are the wrong kind, then they will work against us. It is better to remain quiet than say the wrong thing. Two things that don’t come back to us are the stones we throw and the words once they are out of our lips.

Job responds that is hope is neither in his piety or God’s punishment. Instead, his hope is in the day he dies. He feels so bad that he is ready for it all to end.

In the New Testament reading, Stephen continues his defense against the blasphemy charge. He now reminds the people of Moses and how he left Egypt after killing an Egyptian and being confronted about the murder by an Israelite. Stephen recounts when Moses was sent by God to free the Israelites. He also reminds them of how the Israelites completely abandoned Yahweh and chased after false gods after they were freed.

Job 7-9 and Acts 7: 44-60

Job continues his defense against Eliphaz. However, we see that Job begins asking God why all of this tragedy has come down on him. One thing I love about the book of Job is how Job asks these questions of The LORD. He maintains his faith, but he questions why. He wants to know what sin it was that he committed that caused him to fall out of favor. This shows us the relationship Job had with God. He had no problem going and griping about the situation. In life, sometimes we are going to get knocked down. Sometimes things are going to hurt and it just won’t make sense. It is okay to question why. We will not always get an answer right away. Sometimes we will never get the answer.

Now Bildad speaks up. He contends that Job had to have done something. Bildad argues that God killed Job’s kids because they had sinned against Him during their last gathering. Bildad is asking Job to confess his sin so that he can be restored. He explains what it is like to be an unbeliever. This person leans on his own understanding. The unrighteous person does well and thrives when things are good. However, if they are plunged into bad times, they quickly become miserable.

Job responds that Bildad is correct, but he has a problem. Job cannot take God to court. It would be impossible to stand justified before Him! That’s the awesome thing about knowing Christ. He makes us so that we are justified before The LORD. We cannot do it ourselves, we are completely reliant on Him.

In Acts, Stephen finishes up his defense. He talks about the temple that David dreamed up and Solomon completed. The temple was vitally important to the Israelites. However, God was not contained to the temple. He was not limited to that man made building. Instead, He goes well beyond the temple. Heaven is His throne, the earth is His footstool. Stephen gives them one of the harshest insults a person could receive back then. He calls them all stiff necked and uncircumcised. At this, the men rage against Stephen. They stone the man. Even in his execution, Stephen remains filled with the Holy Spirit. He looks to the heavens and sees Christ at th right hand of the Father. The people scream, trying to drown out Stephen’s voice. Even as the rocks continued raining down on him, Stephen asks that God forgive them for what they are doing. Stephen dies well for The LORD.

Job 10–12 and Acts 8: 1-25

Job continues speaking in his anguish. He cries of the bitterness in his soul. He boldly proclaims that he will ask God why he is being prosecuted and why it is good for God to oppress him. Job continues on with his pity party, expressing his desire to have never been born. He is struggling with this affliction, trying to make it make sense.

Zophar, another friend, speaks up and asks how long Job is going to speak foolishly. He asks if Job can fathom the depths of God or His limits. God is God and He can do what He wants to do. If He wants to throw someone in prison and lift someone else up, then that is His prerogative.

Job responds to Zophar’s speech with hostility. He explains that he is not inferior to Zophar. Everyone knows what Zophar is talking about. Of course God can do what He wants to do. The life of everything is in His hand. Job goes on to explain that wisdom is found with the elderly and understanding comes with long life.

I do not enjoy getting older. The only thing I enjoy about getting older is that I can look back on my life and see where God’s hand was in it. There have been times that it seemed like God was taking me down a path toward one thing. In one particular instance, the path I thought we were on took a vastly different route. As I look back on that tumultuous time, I thank God that He brought me where He did rather than sending me where I thought I wanted to go. It’s a wonderful thing to look back on my life and see how all the detours brought me to where I am today. The challenge is to look for His hand in everything we are going through, in good times or in bad.

In Acts, Saul is now identified as the lead persecutor. He becomes feared within Judea and the believers scatter. The Word starts to spread. There was a man in Samaria named Simon that had done magic tricks for the Samaritans. Philip comes to Samaria and does even greater things than Simon. Simon wants to have the same power as Philip, so he goes and asks how much he needs to pay them to give him the Holy Spirit. Peter confronts Simon for his sin. Simon’s sin was not that he wanted the Holy Spirit. Instead, the sinfulness was in his motive. He wanted the Holy Spirit to give himself clout. He was not interested in serving God. Instead, he wanted to use God for his own gain.

Job 13-15 and Acts 8: 26-40

Job is understandably upset. He again confirms that he knows just as much as his friends. They are all on equal footing when it comes to knowledge of God. He exclaims that it would be better for him if they would just “shut up and let that be” their wisdom. Job then confirms his trust in God. He states that even if God kills him, his hope remains in The LORD.

Job acknowledges that one day he will die. Our bodies are all on a finite timeline. We are short of days and full of trouble.

Eliphaz answers Job with more rebuke. He thinks that Job’s rebuttal is all from an underlying sin. He accuses Job of arguing with useless talk. As far as Eliphaz is concerned, Job’s words have no purpose, he is merely speaking hot air. Eliphaz reminds Job of the wicked’s plight. The wicked writhes in anguish all of their lives. Dreadful sounds fill their ears. Eliphaz goes so far as to ask how a human can be righteous and trustworthy since God doesn’t even trust the angels. If that is the case, how can Job be any better than them?

In the New Testament reading, Philip receives a message from the LORD. He is to go south to the road that goes down to Gaza. He will meet an eunuch of Candace, the queen of Ethiopians. Philip does as he is instructed and approaches the eunuch’s chariot. He hears the man reading Isaiah. Philip asks if he understands what he is reading. The eunuch responds that he cannot. Philip uses the Old Testament prophecy to prove Christ is the Messiah. The eunuch comes to belief and when he sees a body of water asks if there is anything that could prevent him from being baptized. The man is baptized, and Philip is whisked away. The Ethiopian eunuch thinks nothing of it and goes on his way rejoicing.

Job 16-18 Acts 9:1-22

Job responds to Eliphaz’s accusations. Job’s assessment is that it is easy for them to cast judgment on him. They are not suffering like he is, so they can give lip service to the problem without it affecting them. Job claims that if they were in his position and he was in theirs, he would have compassion on them. There is a definite lack of compassion from Job’s friends. I am curious how it would be if the shoe was on the other foot. The fact is that we do not know how we will respond in certain situations until we find ourselves in one of those situations. Job is getting tired from all of this. Grief has made his eyes tired.

Bildad responds with more rebuke. He wants Job to stop talking. Both parties would have been better off if they had just kept their mouths shut. Now it is a race to see who will be proven right and who will be proven wrong in their assessment. Job doesn’t know why he is suffering. His friends don’t understand why he is suffering. However, they think they do, so they make the situation even worse by their accusations.

In the New Testament reading, Saul is on his way to Damascus. He is still breathing murderous threats against the Christians. He got approval to go into the homes in Damascus and pull people out. In those days, believers were meeting in homes to worship The LORD. On his way, he sees a blinding light and The LORD confronts him. He tells Saul to go to Damascus and wait.

Meanwhile, The LORD tells Ananias to go find Saul and baptize him. Ananias protests, but God explains that He is going to use Saul to take the message of Jesus to the Jews, Gentiles, and beyond. This man that killed many believers will become an asset to furthering the kingdom. Ananias is obedient and baptizes Saul. When that happened, scales fell from Saul’s eyes and he could see again.

Job 19-20 and Acts 9:23-43

Job responds to Bildad. His anger is increasing from all of the “friendly” advice he has even receiving. Job says that “If you really want to appear superior to me and would use my disgrace as evidence against me, then understand that it is God who has wronged me and caught me in His net.” This in response to Bildad’s claim that Job had sinned and was therefore caught in God’s trap. Job reminds his friends that there are plenty of wicked people out there that are thriving in the secular realm. Just as Job witnessed sinful and unrepentant people succeed from a worldly standpoint, we see the same things today. There are plenty of people living the opulent lifestyle while living in sinfulness. However, that is only going to last so long. We all have one final destination in our present state, the grave. The righteous might suffer for a little while here, but it is better to have a little suffering with eternal bliss than have easy times on earth and an eternity of despair.

Zophar responds, telling Job that he has to answer Job’s response because it has upset him. That is clearly not the best place to respond from. When we feel the need to respond immediately, it is less of a response and more of a reaction. Zophar speaks about the plight of the wicked. Their joy is brief. They spend their lives chasing down things with temporal value. Their appetite is never satisfied. They are always seeking more. When they get more, then even more is required. We can’t know true satisfaction until we know Christ. Until we know Him, we seek the pleasures of the flesh. The sins of the flesh will not fulfill.

In the New Testament reading, Saul had been preaching and teaching in Damascus. He developed quite a name for himself to the point that everyone was mad at him and wanted to kill him. It got so bad that they even posted guards at the gates to prevent Saul from leaving. Knowing this, the brothers lowered him through a window in a basket. Saul heads to Jerusalem. Unfortunately, the believers there do not trust him because of what he had done to them before he was converted. Barnabas, the son of encouragement, goes to them and speaks on Saul’s behalf. They allow Saul in, and he begins preaching and teaching there. Saul has come a long way.

Job 21-22 and Acts 10:1-23

Job responds to Zophar. He tells him to pay close attention. When Job is finished speaking, then Zophar can continue to insult him and mock him. I think this is the crux of the entire situation here. The friends think they are helping. Meanwhile, they are just beating Job down. Job is trying to explains where he is coming from, but they do not want to hear anything from his perspective. They want to maintain the idea that they have it all figured out. One thing that we should all be able to admit is that we don’t have it all figured out. When we approach a person that is suffering, we can’t assume we know everything about the situation. These friends are not listening to Job. God gave us two ears and one mouth for a reason!

When Job finishes, it is Eliphaz’s turn to brow beat Job some more. We can read the mockery in there. “Does God correct you and take you to court because of your piety?” The answer, of course, is no. When we do what God has commanded us to do, He will not punish us for it. Eliphaz is still digging in his heels, trying to get Job to admit whatever sin he committed to bring him to such a state. He then tells Job that he needs to get right with God so that Job can be a blessing to other people again. Can you imagine being in destitution and then have one of your friends tell you that it’s your fault and now others are suffering because of your sin?! While all of these accusations seem crazy when we read it here, the fact is that there are people that will do the same thing as Job’s friends.

In the New Testament reading, a centurion named Cornelius is a good and upright man. He does what is right for the LORD. He has belief in Yahweh, but has not gone through the full conversion process. Cornelius receives a vision. His prayers and acts of charity have gone up to the LORD as an offering. He is directed to send folks to retrieve Peter. Cornelius is obedient.

Meanwhile, Peter receives a vision from The LORD. It is time for Peter to stop looking at other nations as less than the Israelites. Whatever God has made clean cannot be called unclean. Jesus has made a way for every person, Jewish or not, to be reconciled with the Father.

Enter your email to receive our newsletter, so you can stay in the loop with our latest promos.

Dania and Andy have four children ranging from full fledged adult to middle schooler. They have been partners in leading youth ministry for the last two decades. In addition to kids, they have plenty of pets including two dogs, two fish tanks, and one cat.

In his free time, Andy likes to read, drink black coffee, lift weights, play video games, and tell sea stories.