Tag Archives: Read the Bible in a year

Daily Bible Study

October 3, 2019 Bible Study — Jesus, a Jewish Rabbi, But Not Just a Rabbi

Leave a comment

I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on Matthew 1-4

Matthew starts his account of Jesus’ ministry by establishing the prophetic basis for believing that Jesus is the Messiah, the Chosen One of God.  Matthew also makes the case that God revealed Jesus’ Divine mission in other ways (that is the purpose of including the account of the wise men).  Actually, all of this passage up until Jesus’ temptation in the wilderness serves the purpose of placing Jesus’ ministry in the context of God’s working at the time.  First, Matthew establishes that Jesus is descended from David.  Then he shows the divine nature of His birth.  He follows that up by showing how God revealed Christ to those who worshiped Him who were not Jewish, and the threat which Jesus was to those in political power.  The account of John the Baptist and Jesus’ baptism by him ties Jesus to the Jewish religious revival movement of the Essenes (perhaps the only Jewish religious group of the period without a strong hint of hypocrisy about it).  There are other things we can learn from what Matthew wrote here, but his primary purpose in including these elements was to thoroughly establish Jesus’ ministry in Jewish religious traditions.

Even Matthew’s account of Jesus calling His first disciples fits into the Jewish religious context of the time.  However, as I understand how someone normally became a rabbi’s disciple in First Century Judaism, Matthew is using this to show that Jesus was a different sort of Jewish religious teacher.  Normally, someone who wanted to study with a rabbi requested to be taken as his student and the rabbi would accept only the best of the applicants.  Jesus, on the other hand, chose His disciples.  They did not choose Him.

Daily Bible Study

October 2, 2019 Bible Study — Let Us Honor Our Commitments To God and To Each Other

Leave a comment

I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on Malachi 1-4

This is the last Old Testament passage for the year, today on October 2.  Until the first time I did this blog using this system I never realized how much of the Bible is the Old Testament.  Before I get to my thoughts on the passage I want to point out that Malachi means “messenger”.  So, it may be that the writer of this passage was someone named Malachi.  Or, it may be that the writer of this book had a different name and styled themselves as God’s messenger, which they were.

Malachi challenges us on two fronts.  When we make sacrifices to God, are we truly sacrificing? Or are we just giving what we can spare or don’t really want anyway? And are we faithful in the commitments we make?  In particular our commitments to our wives or husbands.  When we make offerings to the Lord we should take them out of our earnings up front, not after we have paid all of our bills (especially not after the bills for things which were wants and not needs).  When we marry we need to make a lifetime commitment and keep it, even if our wants and desires change.  Of course, if we keep to our commitments, our wants and desires will change in accordance with the changes in those to whom we are committed.

Daily Bible Study

October 1, 2019 Bible Study — If We Think Our Leaders Are Evil, We Should Examine Ourselves

Leave a comment

I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on Zechariah 11-14

There is little in today’s passage which speaks to me today.  The main thing I want to focus on is what Zechariah writes about evil shepherds of God’s people.  From time to time, God appoints leaders over His people who are evil.  Such leaders do not rise to prominence in opposition to God’s will.  Rather, God appoints them to lead His people as punishment for their sins.  When the people of God are led by wicked, selfish people it is because they have become wicked, selfish people. 

However, I want to point out what Zechariah writes a little further on.  Yes, when God’s people allow themselves to fall into wickedness He will appoint over them wicked leaders, but in time He will pour out His Spirit on His people and draw them back to righteousness.  Revival comes about when each one of us is led by the Spirit to look at our own lives and allow the Spirit to cleanse us of our sins.

Daily Bible Study

September 30, 2019 Bible Study — Are Our Church Services For Us, Or For God?

Leave a comment

I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on Zechariah 7-10

Zechariah asks an important question.  When we take part in religious activities and events, both celebratory and mournful, are we doing so for God, or for ourselves?  How we feel about and treat others who also take part in such activities will tell us the answer to that question.  God calls us to show mercy and kindness, and to love justice.  Let us not snark at those who are not “up to our standards” at a worship service or other religious activity.  Let us not do anything to make them feel out of place.  Instead let us honor them for their attempt to serve and worship God.  That does not mean that we do not instruct those who act inappropriately, but let us make sure that we do so out of love for them and not out of our own selfish pride.  There is a lot more to be learned from this passage, but I am going to stop here for today.

 

Daily Bible Study

September 29, 2019 Bible Study –“Not By Might, Nor By Power, But By My Spirit,” Says The Lord

Leave a comment

I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.  

Today, I am reading and commenting on Zechariah 1-6

This passage contains two sections which influenced, and are often connected with, the description of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse in the Book of Revelation.  At one point Zechariah has a vision of a man on a red horse with other riders on horses of various colors behind him.  The number of riders is not mentioned, but one could easily read it to indicate a total of four riders (I think the passage suggests a larger number than that).  Then later Zechariah has a vision of four chariots, each pulled by horses of separate color from the others.  Both the horsemen and the chariot riders were sent out to patrol the earth.

Zechariah puts most of his focus on showing how God has blessed the two men most responsible for rebuilding the Temple after the Exile: Jeshua, the high priest, and Zerubbabel, the governor of Jerusalem.  These two men were blessed because they strove to do God’s will in rebuilding the Temple and to lead others to be faithful to God.  We can learn a lot from what Zechariah says about these two men.  God took away the dirty rags of Jeshua’s sins and dressed him in robes of righteousness.  Jeshua did not make or buy these robes, they were given to him by God.  The same is true for us.  Any righteousness we may have is not our own doing, but a gift from God.  Zerubbabel did not succeed by might or power.  He rebuilt the Temple by the Spirit of God.  We, also, will not accomplish the tasks God has given us by our power, might, or skill.  We will only do so as we allow God’s Spirit to work in us.

Daily Bible Study

September 28, 2019 Bible Study — Doing What You Know Is Right Will Help You To Stop Doing What You Know Is Wrong

Leave a comment

I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on Zephaniah and Haggai

Zephaniah starts out with what I take to be a bit of hyperbole, but might refer to the end of time.  Zephaniah writes that God says that He will wipe all people and animals from the face of the earth.   However, toward the end of his prophecy Zephaniah writes of those who remain will be the lowly and humble who trust in the name of the Lord, which leads me to believe that the beginning is a bit of hyperbole.  That hyperbole does address those who might say, “Well, He can’t kill us all.”  God says to those who say such things, “I will indeed kill all of those who remain complacent in their sin.”   God’s terrible day of judgement is coming for those who do not seek the Lord and humbly obey His commands.

Unlike many of the prophets, Haggai addresses not those who sin, but those who strive to serve the Lord.  The message of Haggai really resonates with me.  I interpret this message in two ways.  We should not wait to get our financial house in order before we start helping others both financially and in other ways.  In addition we should not let the fact that we keep on sinning in one area stop us from doing what we know God wants us to do in another.  In both cases, doing the right thing in one area will make it easier for us to stop doing the wrong thing in another.

 

 

Daily Bible Study

September 27, 2019 Bible Study — Those Who Dismiss God and Goodness As Irrelevant Will Face Destruction

Leave a comment

I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on Nahum and Habakkuk

Assyria was a powerful nation with powerful allies.  The people of Assyria had come to believe that the wealth and power they had acquired was forever theirs and that no one could stand against them.  We know from records elsewhere, and from what Nahum writes here, that they held God in contempt.  Nahum’s prophecy reminds us that despite the apparent power of those standing against God’s people they will fall quickly when God chooses to act.  Remain faithful to God in the face of a world hostile to His will because He will protect those who love Him.

In some ways the Book of Habakkuk is a logical partner to the Book of Nahum.  Nahum speaks of the fall of Assyria, and Habakkuk writes of the rise of Babylon.  Since the latter brought about the fall of Assyria the two prophets fit together well.  However, I want to look at the lessons we can learn from this passage.  And once again I find myself trying to figure out how to summarize what this passage says to me in a post which is shorter than the passage itself.  Habakkuk tells us to be patient when evil seems to be overwhelming what is good and right.  God will bring judgement upon those who do evil and overthrow the oppressor.  Do not be fooled by the appearances of the world.  Just as God raised up Babylon to overthrow Assyria and punish the people of Judah for their sinfulness.  From Jerusalem, Assyria seemed unassailable until the moment they fell to Babylon.  Yet God’s prophets foretold the fall of Assyria.  Once Babylon became powerful, they seemed, at best, no better than Assyria.  They considered themselves to be the measure of what was right, or wrong.  Even there, God told His people to wait patiently.  He would bring about the fall of Babylon as well.  The wicked and arrogant will come to destruction while God will protect and raise up those who are righteous and humble.

 

Daily Bible Study

September 26, 2019 Bible Study — Do What Is Right, Love Mercy, Walk Humbly With Your God

Leave a comment

I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on Micah 3-7

Micah condemns government officials who make their decisions based on what is in it for them, and religious leaders who only preach God’s word to those who pay them.  Further, he writes that the latter alter what God’s word according to what those who pay them want to hear.  Despite the fact that they base their lives and wealth on lies and corruption, they believe that God will protect them and their patrons.  Micah warns us that such a society cannot stand.  Those who rely on fraud and deception to steal wealth from those who produce it will find that all of the wealth is gone and destruction is upon them.  The warning Micah issues here applies today, when so many leaders seek leadership positions in order to build power and wealth for themselves rather than in order to serve those whom they lead.

Micah writes that despite the destruction which will come, God will rebuild Jerusalem.  God’s teaching will go out from that rebuilt Jerusalem and draw people from all nations to Him.  Those drawn to God will learn from Him to walk in His ways and follow His paths.  They will learn to live in peace with each other, with each person thriving from the work of their own hands.  Micah tells us what encompasses walking in God’s way: 

to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.

Let each of us strive to walk humbly with our God.

Daily Bible Study

September 25, 2019 Bible Study — God Does Not Wish For the Wicked to Suffer, He Wishes For Them To Stop Doing Evil

Leave a comment

I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on Jonah 1-4 and Micah 1-2

The Book of Jonah tells the story of a man who worships God, but who struggles to accept God’s will for the world.  When God called Jonah to prophecy to Nineveh, he went the other way because he feared that the people of Nineveh would repent of their sin and be spared.  Jonah desired that the wicked people of Nineveh be punished to the point that he did not want them to cease their wickedness.  Let us learn that God does not desire anyone to suffer punishment.  Rather He desires that they turn from their sin, their self-destructive behavior, and be saved.  We should desire the same.  We often desire to see the wicked suffer for the suffering they have caused others, but we should prefer that they start doing good and stop causing others to suffer.

Now I will make a few comments on Micah 1-2.   Micah condemns those who live in luxury obtained at the expense of others’ suffering.  He condemns those who cheat, defraud, and use government power to take what they want from others.   Rather than listen to the prophets who warn them to change their ways, they try to silence them.   They are only willing to listen to those who tell them that they should do what pleases them and enjoy themselves.  

Daily Bible Study

September 24, 2019 Bible Study — Having Been a Victim Does Not Give Me the Right to Oppress Others, Not Even Those Who Had Oppressed Me

Leave a comment

I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.  

Today, I am reading and commenting on Amos 6-9 and Obadiah

Amos warns those who lounge in luxury and sing trivial songs that they imagine make them great musicians similar to King David.  This tells me that Amos’ warnings were not, and are not, directed at those who proclaim themselves pagans.  No, Amos’ warnings are directed at those who imagine themselves to be worshiping but who also worship idols.  Amos goes on to remind the people of Israel, and us today, that all people are important to God.  The Israelites were not, are not more important to God, than other peoples.  God had brought the Israelites out of Egypt, but He had brought other peoples out of other lands.  The people of the United States are not more important to God than the people of other lands.  Those who have accepted Christ as their Savior are not more important to God than other people.  If we begin to believe that because we are Americans, or Canadians, or any other nationality, or because we are Christians that we are special to God over others, we will suffer for our arrogance.

I wrote above on the end of the Book of Amos, now a few comments on the Book of Obadiah.  The people of Edom took advantage of the suffering of the people of Israel and therefore they were subject to God’s judgement.  Fur much of the history of Israel and Judah, Edom had been under control from Jerusalem.  This led them to resent the people of Israel, and Judah.  This resentment led the people of Edom to feel entitled to take advantage of the misfortune of those who were almost their countrymen.  Let us be warned not to seek profit by increasing the suffering of those already experiencing misfortune.  The people of Edom imagined that the people of Israel deserved to suffer and that they deserved to profit from that suffering, even if that meant increasing the suffering.  Obadiah tells us that we never deserve to profit from causing others to suffer.