Tag Archives: Read the Bible in a year

Daily Bible Study

October 3, 2021 Bible Study — Produce Good Fruit Or Be Cut Down

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

So, we finally get to the New Testament on the 3rd day of the 10th month.  Make of that what you will.  Everything I have read about the Gospel of Matthew says that he appears to have been writing in order to keep Christianity grounded in Jewish tradition.  This suggests to me that even though I would not read the Old Testament prophecies they way he did that much of the Jewish community of the First Century did (even if they did not apply the prophecies to Jesus, they saw them as applying to the Messiah).

As I read this I was thinking about how I was going to write something tying together all of the important things in this passage.  Then I got to Matthew’s introduction of John The Baptist and decided that I was going to focus on that.  Many people came out to hear John’s preaching.  They heard his message and it struck them to the heart.  So, they confessed their sins and were baptized.  When the political leaders realized what was going on, they too went out to hear John.  Except they were not there to hear the word of God.  They were there to harness the popularity of John The Baptist for their own political ends.  John The Baptist was having none of it and he called them out for their hypocrisy.  He told them, and the rest of the people listening, that it was not enough to put on the appearance of righteousness.  We need to hear that message today.  We need to both make sure that we do not fall into the trap of trying to use the show of righteousness for our own ends and call out those who are doing so.  As Jesus is quoted later, we will be judged by the fruit which we produce.

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

Daily Bible Study

October 2, 2021 Bible Study — Being Faithful To God In The Small Things And The Big Things

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

I see two ways we may dismiss today’s passage.  First, we may say that the particular offenses which Malachi lists do not apply to us. For example, we do not offer sacrifices of animals, so we do not need to worry about offering defective animals.  But this is about the attitude, not the specific behavior.  Second, we may think that we aren’t so bad because we are only guilty of one of these, not all of them.  But I read this as responding to those who smugly think that it does not apply to them by listing another thing of which they are guilty.

Malachi (I use this as a proper name here, but it may be intended to be read as “My messenger”)  lists these various sins all the same.  Offering substandard animals is no worse, and no better, than breaking your marriage vows by getting a divorce.  Dismissing evil behavior as acceptable to God is no worse, and no better, than failing to give back to God some of the material goods with which He has blessed you.  The failure of religious leaders to faithfully teach God’s word is no worse, and no better, than those “in the pews” who say, “What’s the point of doing God’s will? The rich and powerful get away with their misbehavior.”

There is more to the above than I have been able to put into words.  Hopefully, you have read the passage and see that part as well.  However, there is one last piece to this passage.  Malachi refers to a number who heard his prophecy and feared the Lord.  They spoke to each other about how they had fallen short and how they could do better (I know, I am reading a lot between the lines here).  They committed themselves to being held accountable by each other to do according to God’s will.  And Malachi prophesied that God noticed their desire to be faithful and would bless them for it.

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

Daily Bible Study

October 1, 2021 Bible Study — When We Reject God’s Favor Disunity Follows

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

The first thing which struck me concerned the prophecy about breaking the staff called “Union”, which symbolized the breaking of the family bond between Judah and Israel.  Zechariah prophesied after the Return from Exile, so theoretically after the split between Israel and Judah had become moot.  However, this come just before God told Zechariah that He was going to raise up a worthless shepherd over the land, a shepherd who would not care for the lost, nor seek  the young, nor heal the injured.  This shepherd would divide the members of the flock against one another (this is me interpreting what I am reading here).  This prophecy of abandonment comes after Zechariah had prophesied that the oppressed of the flock had rejected God as their shepherd.   This gave this whole passage a meaning I had never seen before.  God has promised to protect the weak, the powerless, and the oppressed, but when those who fall into those categories reject His protection He will allow “leaders” to arise who will show them their folly.  When those whom God has vowed to protect reject His protection He will allow leaders to arise who divide them against one another and take advantage of them for the benefit of the leader.  Look around and I think you will see how that is happening today.

All of the above being said, Zechariah follows that with a prophecy of promise.  God promises that the day will come when He will pour out His Spirit on people and they will mourn for what they have done.  Then He will purify them as silver is purified by fire and they will burn like a fire in straw, purifying the world around them.

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

Daily Bible Study

September 30, 2021 Bible Study — Our Worship Rituals Should Remind Us To Show Compassion To Each Other

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

When some of the Returned Exiles came and asked if they should continue to fast and mourn the destruction of the Temple now that the Temple was being rebuilt (that last part is my understanding of the unstated context of the question), Zechariah asked them if that fasting and mourning was really for God?  Or was it more for themselves?  Zechariah’s answer from God tells us that God did not establish the feasts and fasts for the sake of those events.  Those events were established to remind us to show mercy and compassion to each other and to administer justice.  All of our worship rituals should serve that purpose.  If we start to view them as ends in themselves, they have become idols and we have become idolaters.

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

Daily Bible Study

September 29, 2021 Bible Study — Cleansed, Not By Might, Nor By Power, But By The Spirit Of The Lord

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

Zechariah begins by reminding the people of how their ancestors sin had led to the destruction of Jerusalem and the exile of its people.  He then tells them that restoration took place when those same ancestors repented of their sins and accepted the punishment which God had meted out to them.  God had scattered the people if Israel to all parts of the earth.  Now He was calling them back to gather in Jerusalem once more.  But as part of this, God will be calling people of many nations to become part of His people.

Zechariah proceeds to give a message for both the High Priest and the Governor over the Returned Exiles in Jerusalem, a separate message for each, both of these message have relevance for us today.  Zechariah’s message to Joshua, the High Priest, was that Satan would accuse him before God of sin.  The accusation would have merit, but God would strip him (Joshua) of his sin and dress him in righteousness. It is only after cleansing him of his sin and dressing him in robes of righteousness that God asks Joshua to walk according to His requirements.  Something similar happens to us.  Satan, the adversary, brings us before God and accuses us of the sins which we have committed.  Often times, he is that little voice in our head which tells us that we are no good and worthless.  God neither dismisses our sins as meaningless, nor does He pretend they do not exist.  Instead, He removes them from us and washes away the filth they have placed upon our bodies and souls.  Then He dresses us in the finest clothes of righteous behavior and tells us, “Look, this is what you were made to be.”

Which brings us to Zechariah’s message to Zerubbabel, the governor.  God has given Zerubbabel a difficult task, to rebuild His Temple.  Zechariah tells Zerubbabel that he will not accomplish this task by might, nor by power.  No, he will only accomplish the tasks he has been set by the Spirit of the Living God.  In the same way, we will only live up to the beauty and righteousness of which God has shown us to be capable by His Spirit.  We will not do so by our strength, nor by our will, but only by the Spirit of the Lord.

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

Daily Bible Study

September 28, 2021 Bible Study — Do God’s Will First And He Will Sort Everything Else Out For You

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Today, I am reading and commenting on  Zephaniah and Haggai.

Zephaniah prophesied during the reign of Josiah, who implemented religious reform and tried to turn the people of Jerusalem back to God.  Some references I found suggested that Zephaniah prophesied before Josiah began his reforms, but this reads to me as directed at those who paid lip service to Josiah’s reforms while worshiping idols in secret.  More than that Zephaniah also seems to prophesy against those who are indifferent to the idolatry and corruption going on around them.  Zephaniah calls the people of Jerusalem and Judah to seek the Lord with humility.

Haggai prophesied to the Returned Exiles.  The Returned Exiles had not begun rebuilding the Temple because they wanted to get themselves solidly established in the land before doing so.  They believed that they should make sure that they had enough to survive before they began spending resources on building the Temple.  There is merit to such an attitude: one should not starve oneself or one’s children in order to have a more pleasant place to worship.  However, the problem with that attitude is that there is always more one must do before one’s own survival is assured.  Haggai actually tells us another reason to not take that approach.  If we truly put our faith in God then we will trust Him to provide us with enough to do His will and to survive.  Haggai’s message was, “Don’t wait to get your affairs in order before doing God’s will.  Do God’s will first, and He will sort that all out for you.”

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

Daily Bible Study

September 27, 2021 Bible Study — God Will Bring To An End Those Who Plot Against Him

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Today, I am reading and commenting on  Nahum and Habakkuk.

Both of these books were written about the same time and contain prophesies foretelling the same events.  Nahum describes how Nineveh will fall because its people opposed God, While Habakkuk writes about Babylon suddenly rising and destroying the Assyrian Empire.  Nahum asks if Nineveh is any better than Thebes, a clear reference to when the King of Assyria had sacked Thebes a generation earlier.  As I said, Habakkuk speaks of the sudden rise of Babylon, which had been soundly defeated by that same King of Assyria.

Nahum tells us that God will bring down Nineveh because of the cruelty of the Assyrians.  Habakkuk writes that Assyria’s power was built on stolen goods and unjust gain. Both prophets speak of how the fall of Assyria will be good news to those who seek the Lord.  I really meant to spend more time writing about how these passages applies to us but I got caught up in the weeds about the prophetic nature of them. Nahum reminds us that God is a refuge in times of trouble and cares for those who trust in Him.  Habakkuk tells us to rejoice in the Lord because He will bring down the violent and cause justice to prevail.  Both prophets speak a message which tells us to put our trust in God during times of turmoil.  We may not see how it can happen, but God has plans to bring the powerful to justice.

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

Daily Bible Study

September 26, 2021 Bible Study — Walk Humbly With God

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

To a greater extent than other prophets, Micah holds the leaders to blame for the sins of Israel.  He condemns the leaders who use their position to benefit at the expense of those over whom they hold power.  He accuses them of hating good and loving evil.  Political leaders offer to rule in favor of those who bribe them, religious teachers only teach when paid, and those who offer people guidance for their lives only do so for money.  Because they do not embrace justice, God’s destruction is coming.  When it comes, they will cry out to God, but He will not answer.

Yet for all of the “doom and gloom” in Micah’s prophesies, this promise is contained within them as well:

“He will judge between many peoples
and will settle disputes for strong nations far and wide.
They will beat their swords into plowshares
and their spears into pruning hooks.
Nation will not take up sword against nation,
nor will they train for war anymore.

God has promised the above to us and Micah tells us what we must do to get to that promise.  We must act justly and love mercy, but most important, and most difficult, we must walk humbly with God.

 

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

Daily Bible Study

September 25, 2021 Bible Study — While Jonah Was Running From God, God Still Revealed Himself Through Him

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

Usually when I read the book of Jonah I focus on Jonah and God’s message to us through Jonah, but today something else caught my eye.  Let’s look at this, God called Jonah to go to Nineveh and prophesy against it, sdo something and he didn’t want to do it. So, he went the opposite direction, because Jonah knew that if he went anywhere near Nineveh God would use him to accomplish His purposes.  There are some things in there that deserve a little attention, but I am not going to go there today.  What I want to focus on is what happened on the ship, and not the part we normally look at.  So, after the sailors threw Jonah overboard and the storm abated, they worshiped God and vowed to serve Him going forward.  Think about that, Jonah did not intentionally witness to those men.  He was not there because God sent him there.  Jonah was there running away from God, and God was STILL able to use him to reveal Himself to those who did not know Him.  Think about it: God can, and will, use us to make the world a better place, even when we are resisting Him.

In many ways the Book of Jonah is an excellent precursor to the opening of Micah.  When Jonah preached in Nineveh that God was about to bring judgement on that city, the people of that city repented of their sins in sackcloth.  They mourned their sinfulness and turned to God. When Micah prophesied about the judgement coming against Samaria and Jerusalem, the people of those cities told him not to say such things.  Then he says something I think we should take to heart: those who do what is right find his words comforting.  Think about that.  In the middle of his fire and brimstone message about the doom and disaster which are looming over the nation, Micah tells us that those who do right are comforted by his words, why?  Because his words mean that those who abuse others, who oppress the poor, who perform various wicked acts, will suffer for the suffering they have caused.

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

Daily Bible Study

September 24, 2021 Bible Study — We Pay A Price When We Profit From The Suffering Of Others

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

Amos continues his prophecy against the Northern Kingdom of Israel in today’s passage.  I was going to start with the prophecy about the plumb line, but as I composed my thoughts I realized I was not sure what I understood it to say reflected what it was intended to say.  So, I decided to speak about Amos goes on to condemn those who joyously sing worship songs while eagerly awaiting the end of the service so that they can get back to cheating others.  Those who live such lives and do not turn to God will bring terrible destruction upon themselves. And yet, for all of the doom and gloom which Amos preached, he ended on a note of hope.  A time of destruction is coming to those who refuse to turn from their sins, but God will bring a time of plenty for those who turn to Him.

Now let us turn our attention to the short book of Obadiah.  I believe that Obadiah is the only Old Testament prophet who prophesied entirely against nations other than Israel or Judah.  He primarily prophesied against Edom, but there is a small bit against the Philistines.  Obadiah condemns the people for two things, pride and epicaricacy (or taking joy in the misfortune of others).  He tells them that they will suffer because they proudly thought that they could take advantage of the people of Israel (or Judah) when they were overrun.  They took joy when their neighbors suffered and they profited from that suffering in ways which increased the suffering.

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