Category: 1 Year Bible Reading Plan

Psalm 90 is a psalm of Moses. It is a powerful acknowledgement of God’s eternal nature, and of the fleeting years of our lives. Moses reminds us to God “1,000 years are as a day.” He also reminds us our days are short by comparison 70-80 years is the length of our lives, and we live them in the midst of much strife. The LORD’s anger is often directed toward us according to Moses. He challenges us in light of the LORD’s eternal nature, and our fleeting lives to “number our days,” that we may live rightly. We are called to live our lives with intentionality each day, so we might bring glory to God and maximize our lives.

Psalm 91 is anonymous, but it is an amazing tribute to the LORD’s protection over those He loves. The psalmist lists a lengthy record of many different trials, and disasters that can befall us, and he tells us the LORD will protect us from each one. Little wonder, then, that Satan used this psalm to tempt Jesus to jump off the roof of the Temple, because as the psalm states, “…He will protect you so you won’t strike your foot against a stone.” The devil can quote  Scripture, even appropriate Scripture, which is why it is so important for us to know God’s word and be prepared to use in our assault on him.

Psalm 92 is another anonymous psalm, but it tells us it is a psalm for the Sabbath day. That makes sense, because it is a psalm of praise, and calls on us not only to praise the LORD with our mouths, but also with instruments. It is always appropriate to praise the LORD in our lives, and the psalmist reminds us how important it is to pause on a weekly basis and offer Him our praises as a people.

Psalm 93 is a brief anonymous psalm of praise, which also brings in a call to praise the LORD for His natural wonders, and for His power and authority of nature.

Psalm 94 calls on the LORD to avenge those who have sinned against Him or His people. Then the tone changes and is a call for the LORD to be with those who follow Him. The psalm is a blend of rebuking the wicked, calling on the LORD to strength the psalmist an an affirmation of the LORD for who He is. This blend is one we have become used to experiencing as we work our way through the “Prayerbook” of the Bible.

As we turn to Luke 20, Jesus engages in His last encounters with the religious leaders before He is arrested. It starts with the religious leaders asking Jesus by what authority He carried out His ministry? Jesus turned the question on them and asked by what authority John the Baptist had carried out his ministry? They realized Jesus had them, because if they said the LORD’s, He would ask them why they didn’t listen to John. If they said man’s authority, the crowds would turn on them, because they believed John was a prophet. They responded, “We don’t know.” Jesus told them He wouldn’t tell them either.

Next, Jesus told them the Parable of the Vineyard Owner, which we have come across before in our reading of the other gospels. The point of the parable is the “hired hands,” end up killing the master’s servants and ultimately his son. The religious leaders wanted to arrest Him for this, because they knew He was talking about them. They also stepped up their verbal attacks and questioning, so they could find some legitimate reason to arrest Him. Obviously, this could never work.

Next, came the religious leaders’ question to Jesus about whether it was lawful to pay taxes to Caesar. They thought they had Jesus regardless of how He answered, but they didn’t realize His answer would silence them all. The Sadducees attempted to stump Jesus next, with a question about a woman who was married to seven different brothers, and who she would be married to in heaven. Because they didn’t believe in the afterlife, they thought their question “proved” to believe in the resurrection is wrong. Again, Jesus showed them it was their knowledge that was flawed, not His.

The teachers of the Law realized Jesus had answered well, and they didn’t have any more tests for Him. Jesus closed out the interaction, by asking them How the Messiah could be the “Son of David,” when David called Him Lord? The great lesson in all of this is: don’t debate with the author about the content of the book!

Psalm 86 is a psalm of King David in which he praises the LORD for who He is, thanks Him for all He has done, and calls on Him to be merciful to establish and reestablish His relationship with David. It is a psalm we would do well to memorize if not in total in concept. Some will be aware of the “ACTS” formula for prayer in which A stands for adoration, C for confession, T for thanksgiving, and S for supplication.  David covers these areas in this psalm, which makes it a great model for us.

Psalm 87 is a brief psalm of praise to the LORD, written by the sons of Korah. It focuses mainly on the LORD’s love for Zion, the city of David.

Psalm 88 is a psalm of Korah, and specifically of Heman the Ezrahite, which calls out to the LORD for deliverance. The beginning of the psalm is Heman’s cry for deliverance, protection, and redemption from evil and the grave. The latter portion of the psalm focuses on the reality that those in the grave don’t offer praise to the LORD, which shows us the concept of heaven wasn’t fully developed in his time. The unusual aspect of this psalm is it doesn’t end on a note of praise or affirmation of the LORD’s deliverance, but with a statement that the LORD has taken his closest friends from him, and that darkness is now his closest friend. We might wonder why such a psalm would be included in the list of 150 we have. The short answer is: The LORD is not afraid of our fear and hopelessness. He affirms our right to question our situation and even  His presence in our lives. No idea is off limits for us to think, but at the end of the day whether we feel or experience it in the moment, the LORD is with us!

Psalm 89 is a psalm of Ethan the Ezrahite, and it cuts across the themes of the psalms we have read to this point. It starts with praise for the LORD and for His faithfulness. It moves to a reminder of the LORD’s promises to be faithful to David and his progeny. Then it states that David’s descendants are being wiped out, and it seems the LORD has forgotten His covenant. It sinks into despair with the question, “How long, O LORD? Will You hide Yourself forever?” Then it continues with a bit of recovery to the LORD’s faithfulness, and closes with “Praise be the LORD forever. Amen and Amen.” We have come to expect this kind of movement in psalms by this time. How helpful to us when we recognize the LORD is ready to hear whatever we have to offer Him, and to continue His relationship with us.

As we turn to Luke 19, we read an account that is unique to Luke’s Gospel: Jesus encounter with Zacchaeus. Any of us who have a church background remember the account of Zacchaeus the “wee little man,” who wanted to see Jesus. Zacchaeus was a tax collector, which as we know by this time meant he was an outcast among his own people. He was so eager to see Jesus, he climbed a sycamore tree to get a view of Jesus as he walked through Jericho. Jesus saw Zacchaeus, called him down from the tree, and invited Himself to Zacchaeus’ house for dinner. The religious people in the crowd “grumbled,” because Jesus was associating with such a man. Jesus wasn’t concerned. Jesus’ encounter with Zacchaeus transformed him from the inside out. Jesus concluded His interaction with Zacchaeus by telling the crowd salvation had come to Zacchaeus house, and that the Son of Man had come to seek and save the lost. What amazing good news for us. It doesn’t matter what or who we have been. By God’s grace in Jesus we can be born again, and become new people. If Zacchaeus could experience it, anyone can.

Next, Jesus told the Parable of the Minas, which is parallel to the Parable of the Talents in Matthew 25. The details are different, but the point is the same: the faithful servants of God multiply what their Master entrusts to them. The unfaithful “bury” their resources. When we are faithful with what the LORD entrusts to us, He entrusts us with more.

The remainder of the chapter is devoted to Jesus’ Triumphal Entry” into Jerusalem. While the account is found in all four gospels, one of the points Luke makes is in Jesus’ interactions with the Pharisees, the Pharisees tell Jesus to tell people to stop shouting praise to Him, and Jesus responds, “If they remain silent the stones will cry out.” Jesus didn’t often encourage people to glorify Him, but He is the Son of God. In this moment, as people recognized Him for who He was, Jesus affirmed it and noted that creation will praise Him if we do not. That is an important reminder for us, when we are hesitant to offer Him the praise He is due. We were created to glorify God and enjoy Him forever. One of the ways we praise Him is through praising Jesus!

Before we turn to today’s Bible readings, let’s pause for a moment to call on the LORD to protect our nation as we remember the tragic terrorist attached of September 11, 2001. Much has changed in our world in those seventeen years, but one thing remains the same: The LORD watches over His people, and blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD. May we live as His people, and as citizens of His eternal Kingdom, as we live also and secondarily as Americans.

Psalm 82, another psalm of Asaph, is brief and a bit confusing. It seems to be a psalm of praise, while at the same time seeming to question His motives for some of His actions. Verse 2 in particular reads,  ²“How long will you defend the unjust and show partiality to the wicked?Selah” Psalm 82:2 (NIV) In the Hebrew, the “you” is plural, and could refer to the angels, or to some human audience. In any case, the psalm seems to call God to defend the poor and take His rightful place of leadership.

In Psalm 83, Asaph calls on the LORD to repay Israel’s enemies. He lists those current enemies by name and calls on the LORD to do the same to them as He did to Israel’s enemies in the past. Sometimes when we read such requests, it offends our modern or post-modern sensibilities. It seems Asaph is calling on the LORD to be “evil.” In truth, he was calling on the LORD to show justice. Israel’s enemies were, in fact, evil. They worshiped false gods. They lived contrary to God’s will and purposes. Therefore, Asaph reasoned they deserved to experience the same end as Israel’s former enemies. We who live on the resurrection side of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection often focus solely on God’s mercy. Thankfully, He is gracious and merciful, but we must always remember the reason we rely on His mercy is because we deserve His justice!

Psalm 84 is a psalm of the sons of Korah. The psalm extols the greatness of God, and reminds us that one day in His presence is better than a thousand anywhere else. As we read the psalm, which is distinctively filled with praise and adoration, it lifts our hearts to God, and calls us to offer Him worship and praise as well.

Psalm 85, another psalm of the sons of Korah, calls on the LORD to remember His past forgiveness of His people, and calls on the LORD to forgive His people now. They don’t deny they have sinned, but they throw themselves on His mercy. This is a prayer with which we can all relate. God has forgiven us in the past, and we know we need that same forgiveness in the present, because none of us are without sin in our lives.

As we turn to Luke 18, Jesus tells a parable about an unjust judge who was badgered by a widow to hear her cause. She kept coming to him over and over asking for him to hear her case. The judge didn’t care about God or people, but the woman’s constant badgering led the judge to hear her case and act on her behalf. Jesus told us we are to pray as that widow did. Not that God is unjust or that we must badger Him to get what we want. Indeed, Jesus’ point is the opposite: God is righteous and He wants to act on our behalf, so if we have the persistence of the widow, He will act for us. Jesus closed out the parable with a serious question: When the Son of Man comes will He find faith on the earth? Given the content of the parable, we must conclude one component of faithfulness is diligence in prayer.

Next, Jesus told them a parable about two men who went to the Temple to pray. The first was a Pharisee, who called out to God to bless Him, because of how righteous He was. Then a tax collector cried out to God for mercy. He wouldn’t even look up to the LORD, because of his sin. Jesus said the tax collector went away justified, and those who humble themselves before the LORD will be lifted up.

Luke then records Jesus receiving little children to bless them. When the parents brought them, the disciples rebuked the parents, but Jesus rebuked the disciples, telling them the Kingdom of God is made up of those who are like little children.

Luke follows this account with the account of the rich young ruler, which we also find in Matthew and Mark. The account is similar and includes the man walking away sad, because of his great wealth. Every time I read this passage, I’m reminded this man could have been a disciple of Jesus, but instead, he is simply sad. When we let anything get in the way of our relationship with Jesus, we will be sad in the present, but even sadder in the longterm, because we were created for relationship with Him.

Jesus then told the disciples they were heading to Jerusalem and when they arrived He would be arrested, convicted, crucified and buried, but He would rise again. There is no additional comment this time, as Luke moves right to the account of a blind man coming to Jesus asking to be healed. Jesus tells the man, because of his faith he would receive his sight. And he did! This reminds us once again, sometimes our faith brings healing to us, while at other times it is others’ faith that brings healing to us, and at times Jesus heals through His own power. At times we don’t receive physical healing. It is possible that our lack of faith is the reason. It is also possible that Jesus has another purpose in the moment, as He did when Paul asked for healing from the thorn in his flesh, (which we will get to when we read 2 Corinthians). Faith in Jesus produces miracles, and He is the one who determines what the miracles will be. The key for us is to remember Jesus always knows what is best for us. That’s why we are always to put our faith in Him!

Psalm 79 is another psalm of Asaph and in it he mourns the defeat of Judah and the destruction of Jerusalem. He calls out to the LORD over and over again asking Him to punish those who have done this, and to restore His people. As always, at the end of the psalm, Asaph gives glory and praise to the LORD.

Psalm 80 is reminiscent of Psalm 79, except here Asaph calls out more for the LORD to remember His people, and His own glory, rather than crying against their enemies. At the close Asaph tells the LORD if He will restore them they will praise Him. This is not a conditional allegiance on Asaph’s part, as if the only way the people of Judah will praise God is if He does what they ask. The point is Asaph knows the only one who can restore them is the LORD, and the people will definitely glorify Him if He does restore them.

Psalm 81 starts as a psalm of praise, but then includes some strong reminders to Israel of her need to return to following the LORD. Asaph’s words remind us that we can praise the LORD at all times, and yet we must do more than praise Him with our words. Our lives must be lived in line with our words. We must practice what we preach as the old saying goes. Our praises ring hollow when our lives are lived contrary to God’s will.

As we turn to Luke 17, Jesus warns His followers against causing “one of these little ones” to sin. The punishment for leading another follower of Jesus astray is so severe, Jesus tells us it would be better to have a millstone put around our neck and be cast into the sea. When we read “little ones,” we might think Jesus was speaking of children, and He was, but here He didn’t use a word that specifies children. He wanted us to know, we are all His little children, and we are so valuable to Him the penalty is steep for leading one of us astray.

Next, Jesus tells His followers they must forgive a brother who sins against them up to seven times a day, if he comes and repents. The response of the disciples is, “LORD, increase our faith.” Jesus uses the request as an opportunity to remind us it is the quantity of our faith that matters, but the object of our faith. If we have only the amount of faith of a grain of mustard seed, but it is in the LORD, He will move mountains for us.

Next, Jesus uses an analogy of a servant coming in from the field to show us our relationship to the LORD. He reminds the disciples that when the servant comes in from the field, the master doesn’t tell him to sit down and recline at table, but he tells the servant to serve him, then the servant gets to rest. In the same way when we have done everything the LORD asks, we are only servants who are fulfilling our Master’s command. This brief parable reminds us, while we are privileged to be Jesus’ friends and followers, we are also His servants. He has the right to require us to do what He commands, and when we do we don’t deserve His thanks, because we’re just doing what He deserves from us.

As Jesus and His followers travelled through Samaria on their way to Galilee. They met ten lepers. One was a Samaritan. They cried out for Jesus to heal them, and He did. He told them to go the priest and offer the sacrifice for their healing. As they were going one of them, the Samaritan, realized he was healed, and went back to thank Jesus. Jesus looked around and asked, “Weren’t ten healed. Where are the nine?” It’s a great question. Is ten percent the standard proportion of people who are grateful when God answers their prayers? Gratitude is such a key attitude in our lives. When we remember everything good comes from God, it reminds us to say, “Thank You!” We would think being healed of leprosy would be ample reason for anyone and everyone to be grateful. Also, it’s possible that all of the ten were grateful for their healing, but only one voiced the gratitude. If that’s the case, Jesus wasn’t impressed by the “unvoiced” thanksgiving.

Luke 17 closes with Jesus responding to the Pharisees’ question of when the Kingdom of God was coming? Jesus first said, the Kingdom of God doesn’t come visibly, but the Kingdom of God is within or among us. Then He told His followers His return would be unexpected. He compared it to the days of Noah. In those days no one expected the flood to come and end life as they knew it. They were marrying, and giving in marriage. Life was “normal.” Then it wasn’t. In the same way, Jesus will come when no one expects it. The key is to be ready!

In Psalm 76, Asaph raises our “fear” of the LORD to a new level. Some claim the “fear” of the LORD is merely respect, or perhaps awe. It is those things, but here in this psalm, Asaph reminds us the fear of the LORD is fear and ought to be terror, because He can and does take on the armies of the earth. He is greater than any person and any group of people. He rules over Judah and Israel, and He alone is worthy of all worship and praise.

In Psalm 77, Asaph was going through a time of crying out to the LORD during a season of despair. Again, Asaph raises the question, “Why was the LORD with us in previous times, but not now?” Then He recalled the power of the LORD in Israel’s past, and calls on the LORD to show up in the same way again. Then he closes with the trust and assurance that the LORD will be with us now, as He was then.  This is such a crucial reminder, and we read it time and again in the psalms. As the old saying goes, “When you’re up to your neck in alligators, it’s hard to remember your goal was to drain the swamp.” Even in moments such as that, the LORD is with us!

Psalm 78 is one of the longer psalms, and in it Asaph calls on the people of Judah to look back over their history. The purpose of that stroll through memory lane, all the way back to the time when the LORD delivered His people from slavery in Egypt through the time when David became king is so they would remain faithful. As Asaph pointed out: The LORD showed the people of Israel amazing miracles time after time, yet they didn’t follow Him. They rebelled against Him over and over again. The fickle nature of human beings and the unchangeable nature of the LORD show us how important it is to trust in the LORD instead of in ourselves.

As we turn to Luke 16, we find Jesus telling one of the more challenging parables for us to understand. It is frequently called the Parable of the Dishonest Steward. As the parable unfolds, the main character is a steward who has misused his master’s funds. The master calls him to account. The steward realizes he is going to be out on the street, so he calls all those who owe his master money, and cut deals with them to settle the debts for far less than they owed. Because the steward represented the master, the deals were legally binding. We would think the master would be incredibly upset, but he affirmed the “shrewdness” of the steward. By ingratiating himself to all his master’s debtors, the steward was ensuring himself of a future job. Jesus was not affirming dishonesty. He was affirming using “unrighteous wealth” to advance the Kingdom of God. In another place, He told us to be as wise as serpents and as gentle as doves. Jesus’ followers must not be naive, because we live in an evil world.

Next, Jesus underlined the reality that we cannot serve two masters, and the chief rival to God in our lives will be money. This reality is also presented in Matthew 6:19 and following.  Luke tells us the Pharisees were lovers of money, so they ridiculed Jesus for these sayings, but Jesus turned the matter on them and pointed out in the end His teaching was consistent with the Law, while theirs was not.

Jesus moved on to talk briefly about marriage and divorce. As in Matthew and Mark’s gospels Jesus condemned divorce, but here He does it categorically and swiftly and moves on to other matters.

Luke 16 closes with the Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus. The parable focuses once again on how we steward the blessings God entrusts to us. The rich man in the parable lived a life of ease, while Lazarus was a poor beggar who begged outside the gates of the rich man’s house. When both died, the beggar went to heaven, while the rich man went to hell. Realizing the situation, the rich man attempted to get permission from Abraham (who was “holding” the poor man in his bosom), for Lazarus to bring him some water. Abraham pointed out this was impossible, because the chasm between heaven and hell is fixed and no one can cross. Then the rich man asked Abraham to send Lazarus back to his brothers who were still alive so they would repent. Abraham responded that they had Moses and the Prophets, and if that wasn’t enough to change their hearts, neither would a man coming back from the dead. That last statement may or may not be referring to Jesus who was going to be coming back from the dead. It certainly makes clear the weight God’s written word is to have in convincing us of His salvation in our lives. The “punchline” of this parable is to be rich toward God and others with the resources God entrusts to us, and not to use them only for ourselves.

Psalm 72 is interesting in that it is attributed to King Solomon, but at the end of it there’s a note that reads, “This concludes the Psalms of David, Son of Jesse.” The psalm itself is a “royal” psalm, and King Solomon calls on the LORD to bless the king, because of the kings righteous actions toward his subjects. This is a longer psalm, and Solomon lists many aspects of how the king blesses others, as well as calling on the LORD to bless that obedience.

In Psalm 73, Asaph raises a poignant prayer to the LORD. Poignant because in the end, Asaph realizes the many blessings of the LORD, he realizes the LORD is always with him, and the LORD is always worthy of praise, but at the start he tells us “my foot had almost slipped.” What does that mean? It means Asaph had nearly abandoned his pursuit of the LORD. Why? Because he saw evil people prospering. Asaph wasn’t so concerned at the moment with why bad things happen to good people, but rather with why good things happen to bad people. Asaph wanted life to be fair and just. He wanted the good to be blessed and the evil to be cursed. It wasn’t working out that way, so he assumed a lack of faithfulness on the LORD’s part. In the end, he came around and realized the LORD’s goodness and faithfulness are beyond our understanding at times, but they are always sure. That’s such a helpful reminder for us when we are ranting about good things happening to bad people, and our getting the short end of the stick. In the end, the Lord’s holiness, justice, and mercy are always apportioned in a way that glorifies Him, and builds up His people.

In Psalm 74, Asaph calls on the LORD to deliver His people from their suffering. They were going through a time of great despair and devastation. Asaph forgets one important detail: they were suffering for their abandonment of the LORD and His Law. Yet Asaph calls on the LORD, “reminding” Him of His covenant and of how He had been with Israel in the past. Asaph calls on the LORD’s faithfulness and recognizes, He will deliver His people in the end.

In Psalm 75, Asaph’s tune has changed. He is extolling the virtues of the LORD and reminding us of all He has done. The LORD is God forever, and Asaph calls us all to remember that. As with every book of the Bible, we need to see one verse in light of the rest, then one chapter in light of the rest. We also need to see each book in light of the others. In this way, we let the Bible interpret the Bible rather than taking every statement or chapter, or book as an isolated offering. When we let the verses, chapters, and books stand alone, we can come up with some strange understandings of the LORD and His will, but when we gain an understanding of His written word as a whole, and then compare and contrast one part with another, each part becomes more understandable and the whole is seen as the integrated testimony to God it is.

As we turn to Luke 15, we turn to one of my favorite chapters of the Bible. In it Luke tells us the context first. Jesus had gather with a group of tax collectors and other “sinners.”  Jesus did this so often and it frustrated the religious leaders so much, because they would not associate with “those” people. Jesus showed us we are all “those” people, which means all people are “us.” As Jesus gathered with the outcasts, the Pharisees gathered around, too. By this time, they were always present, watching to see if they could catch Jesus in some word or action through which they could accuse Him. Jesus tells us three parables about things which become lost: a lost sheep, a lost coin, and a lost son. In the Parable of the Lost Sheep, Jesus tells us about a shepherd who leaves his ninety-nine sheep in a field to go look for one lost sheep. This is significant, because when the shepherd left the ninety-nine, there was great potential for them to wander off. Nevertheless, the value of the one was so great to the shepherd, he went and searched for it until he found it. When he found the sheep, the celebration was out of all proportion to what had happened. He called all his friends and threw a party. Then Jesus offered the punchline:  ⁷I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent. Luke 15:7 (NIV) Remember the audience: “sinners” and Pharisees. At the end of the story, some of the “sinners” would perhaps dare to hope Jesus was talking about them. The Pharisees would be shaking their heads.

Next, Jesus told a story of a woman who had ten coins and lost one. Just as the shepherd before her, she made a diligent search throughout her house until she found it. When she found it her response was again extravagant, as it was with the shepherd. She called her friends and threw a party. Once again Jesus offered the punchline: ¹⁰In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” Luke 15:10 (NIV) By this time the “sinners” had to have been thinking, “He is telling these stories for us.”

Finally, Jesus told the story of a man who had two sons. The younger came to the man and said, “Drop dead.” Jesus doesn’t put it that dramatically, but the younger son wanted his share of the inheritance, which one only gets after one’s parents die. In that culture such a request would have been so offensive the father would have cut the son off from the family. Instead, the father gives the son the money. He leaves and wastes it all on wild living. When he is broke, his friends leave, because they weren’t really friends. They were only there for the party the younger son provided. He found himself feeding pigs, which for a Jew, was the lowest it gets. As he was watching the pigs eat, while he starved, he “came to himself.” In that moment of self-remembrance, he realized his fathers servants had more than enough to eat. He had forfeited his right to be a son, but perhaps if he returned to his father, he would be given the position of servant. He rehearsed his apology as he returned, but while he was still a long way of his father saw him and when running to him. (Note: The only way the father could have seen the son from a long way off, is if he were on top of his house watching the horizon for the son’s return. Also, in that culture a father never ran to his son. We would think especially not this son, who had told him to drop dead.)

As the son attempted to apologize, the father fell on his son’s neck, hugged him, kissed him, and then called for a robe to be brought, sandals, and a ring. While these might seem like “nice” gifts to us, they were symbols of the son’s belonging as a son, not as a servant. The father was reinstating him in full. Then he killed the fattened calf and threw a party. We might think, “Wow! Now the ‘sinners’ really know God loves them!” But there’s more.

The older son comes in from a hard day’s work in the field and asks one of the servants what was happening? One of the servants told him his brother had come home and their father was throwing a party. The older son was indignant. Somehow the father heard about the son’s unwillingness to join the party and went out to him. (No father in that culture went out to a son. Spoiler alert: the older brother represents the Pharisees.) The older brother pitches a fit, and complains that he had “slaved” all these years for his father, and not once did he even receive a goat to have a party with his friends, but this “son of yours” (not brother of mine) who wasted all your money on “prostitutes” (While that might have been the case, Jesus made no mention of it in telling of what the younger son did in the far country. We would assume the older brother’s body had been in the field all those years, but his mind was with his brother.) you throw him a party. The brother was right from a legal standpoint, but his father’s response goes far beyond what was right.

The father said, “Son, everything I have is yours.” (This was literally true, because when the father divided his property between the two sons, the younger son would have received one third, and the older brother the other two. He was now the “owner” of his father’s property, but in his mind he was acting as a slave.) Then he got to the point: “We had to rejoice and be glad. This brother of yours (not son of mine) was lost, but has been found, was dead but is now alive” The story ends there. We don’t know whether the older son went into the party. We don’t know whether the younger brother got up the next day and went and worked in the fields with his brother. Jesus left it that way on purpose. The Pharisees had to realize they were the older brother. The “sinners” had to realize they were the younger brother. Now, they all had to choose whether to receive the truth and love of the father and respond accordingly.

Many times when I have preached this passage of Scripture at the end I ask, “With which of the characters in the story do you identify most?” Typically, people will either say, “The older brother,” or “The younger brother.” But there is another character: the father. After forty-nine years of following Jesus, I still have plenty of both the older and young brother in me, but the one in the story with whom I identify the most is the father. I have come to understand how important it is to welcome the younger brothers/sisters who return after coming to themselves. I understand how important it is to implore the older brothers/sisters to remember their relationship to their other siblings, and to remember that those relationships are more important than what is right or fair. By the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives, we become more and more like the father over time, and we are more and more able to speak the truth in love to folks whether they are “sinners” or Pharisees. Many people have said to me, “What right do I have to tell someone else what to do, when I have sinned so often myself?” We not only have a right to tell others what is right according to the LORD’s teaching, but an obligation. Otherwise, how will anyone learn what is true? At the same time, we must offer the truth in love. When we rail against the sin of others, but show no compassion, even though we are also sinners, people rightly reject our hypocrisy. When we admit we are also sinners, who have fallen short of God’s glory, and show others that doesn’t excuse us from repenting, turning back to the LORD, and calling on Him for restoration, we give them the path they need to return.

It isn’t older brother or younger brother. Although when we recognize Jesus’ salvation was provided for both, we move closer to becoming like the father. That is Jesus’ will for each of us, that we move from where we are,  whether we’re more like the older brother or more like the younger brother, and let the father’s truth and love transform us to being more like Him!

Psalm 69 is another of King David’s desperate cries to the LORD for deliverance in a time of difficulty. It starts with extreme desperation. He tells us he is in a flood up to his neck. Most likely this is a metaphor, but given the extreme circumstances David lived through, it could be an actual event. Some of the events David describes also happened to Jesus on the cross, so some see this as a prophetic psalm. As David does so often, he ends the psalm with an affirmation of the LORD’s goodness and deliverance in His life.

Psalm 70 is a brief psalm of King David that is similar in content to the much longer Psalm 69. Again, David cries out in desperation to the LORD, and in the end He affirms the LORD’s work in his life.

Psalm 71 is another Psalm of David, and though he mentions his adversaries, much more of this psalm is devoted to affirming the LORD’s presence in his life from the time of his birth to his old age. David makes it clear the LORD has been his foundation and stronghold throughout his life, and he is never worried in the ultimate sense that the LORD will abandon him, or fail to provide his deliverance.

As we turn to Luke 14, Jesus heals another man on the Sabbath. He does it in a Pharisee’s home, so He knew this would cause problems. Then Jesus told those around Him not to choose the best seats at a banquet, because the one in charge might move you to a lesser place. Rather start at the lesser place and let the one in charge move you to the greater position. This was certainly directed at the Pharisees’ predisposition to value their position. Jesus continued by speaking directly to the man who had invited Him to the dinner, and told him not to invite his friends, relatives, and others who could pay him back by inviting him to their home for dinner, but rather to invite the poor and crippled, because then he would receive the reward from God.

Next, Jesus told the Parable of the Wedding Banquet, in which the guests invited first made excuses for why they couldn’t come. Then the host invited everyone who would come. What an analogy for the Kingdom of God! God chose the Jews, and when many of them rejected Him by rejecting Jesus, He opened the door to everyone. Now, through Jesus, each of us can enter.

Finally, Jesus uses several illustrations to remind us how precious the Kingdom of God is, and how we must put Him and His Kingdom before anything else in our lives: before our families, our work, even ourselves. When we do, everything will fall into its intended place, but if we don’t we will forfeit the greatest gift of all–eternal life. Always remember: do not forfeit what is temporary for what is eternal!

We’re told Psalm 65 is a song of King David. What a song of praise it is! In this brief song, David covers virtually every attribute of God. He tells us of God’s worthiness to be praised, of God’s forgiveness, of God’s creative power, of God’s love for us. Psalm 65 is worth remembering and maybe even singing!

We’re not told the author of Psalm 66, although it is reminiscent of many of King David’s psalms of praise. We are told it, too, is a song. It resounds with praise of the LORD and also makes brief mention of various aspects of Israel’s history including the crossing of the Red Sea (or the Jordan River), times the Israelites spent “in prison,” (which could have been in Egypt or during the times of the judges in Israel), and time spent worshiping the LORD in His Temple.  The psalm offers us a heavy dose of praise to God and a brief history lesson to go along with it!

Psalm 67 is a brief, anonymous psalm, which is also labeled as a song. While the psalm is so brief it is difficult to tell where it was going, one noticeable point is when we bring our praises to God, His response is to pour out blessing in our lives. This is a general truth found throughout Scripture, and while Job would call it into question, at least during the suffering portion of his life, putting God in His proper place–first–in our lives, generally leads to blessing.

Psalm 68 is an extended psalm of praise written by King David. It is also called a song. The psalm flows back and forth between telling us of the LORD’s blessing on His people, and His punishment on His enemies. We must always remember the LORD has a chosen people, and while that chosen people was quite obviously Israel in the Old Testament, His holy people are now any who trust His Son, Jesus, as Savior and Lord, and follow in His ways in the power of the Holy Spirit.

As we turn to Luke 13, in the first five verses, Jesus tells of two incidents were people were killed by the Roman governor, Pilate, and others who died when a tower fell on them. He asked the people whether they thought this happened because their sin was worse than others? His answer was brief, “No, but unless you repent, you shall all likewise perish. Here Jesus sounds more like John the Baptist than what we typically think of Jesus, but always remember: Jesus’ first message was a message of repentance!

Next Jesus told a parable about a vinedresser who had a plant that bore no fruit. The owner wanted to cut it down, but the servant asked for more time to fertilize it and if it didn’t produce after another year, he would cut it down. The message here seems clear: Jesus expects “fruit” from us His “plants.”

Jesus then went into the synagogue on the Sabbath and healed a woman who had been bound with an illness for eighteen years. The religious leaders were upset, but Jesus pointed out they would free one of their animals if it were bound on the Sabbath, and shouldn’t this child of God be freed? The question put them all to shame.

Jesus told two quick parables about the Kingdom of Heaven. He compared the Kingdom to a mustard seed, that grows to be a massive tree, in which many birds and animals can shelter, and yeast of which a little can leaven a whole lump of dough. In other words, it doesn’t take “much” of the Kingdom of Heaven to impact a great deal. Even a little of the Kingdom in our hearts can make an eternal difference.

Jesus was asked whether many would be saved? His response was the door is narrow that leads to life and we must strive for it. That doesn’t mean we can earn salvation. It does mean once we have received salvation, we are to work that salvation out in our lives in such a way that we glorify God and help others to find it, too.

Psalm 60 is a different kind of Psalm of King David than we have read. The difference is David starts by stating God has not been with them, that they have been defeated in battle, that God has given them wine that has made them stagger. It’s as if God is their enemy. But David calls on God to restore them, to give them victory over their enemies as He has done in the past. David “reminds” God once again of the victories He has given Israel before, and the promises He has made to them. He concludes with confidence that God will deliver them from their enemies. This pattern is helpful for us, because we all go through times in our lives when we have been defeated. When that happens, David helps us to remember the LORD has been with us in the past, and He is with us now. We must trust in His faithfulness, and call out in confidence based on who He is, regardless of our circumstances. That challenge “says easy and does hard,” when we’re in the midst of it, which is why it’s always helpful to learn these truths in easier times, so they will be there for us to remember in the difficult ones. To sum it up succinctly, “Don’t doubt in the darkness, what you’ve seen in the light.”

In Psalm 61, King David praises the LORD and calls on Him to bless “the king,” who would be himself, forever. We might think, “What a selfish prayer.” Not at all. It is not selfish to desire the LORD’s blessing in our lives forever. Indeed, unless we experience that blessing our lives will never be what He created them to be. It’s helpful for us to thank the LORD for His blessings, and to call on Him to continue those blessings, and as important our relationship with Him–forever!

In Psalm 62, King David praises the LORD and reminds us of a vital truth: it doesn’t matter whether we are “lowborn” or “highborn” our end is the same. What matters in each person’s life is to trust the LORD, to praise and honor Him. As we do that, each life becomes valuable.

Psalm 63 is another Psalm of praise from King David. He extols the LORD and reminds us that His loving kindness is better than life. This psalm is one we ought to turn to when our lives are going well, and we want to offer the LORD our thanks and praise for watching over us and providing us all we need.

Psalm 64 starts with King David writing, “Hear me, O God, as I voice my complaint.” This tells us no subject is off limits for us as we turn to God in prayer. As usual, David states his case before God, tells of God’s goodness, and closes with assurance that God will vindicate him and other righteous people. This message has become clear to us by now!

As we turn to Luke 12, Jesus devotes the first twelve verses to warning His disciples about the hypocrisy of the Pharisees, to encouraging them not to worry about those who could kill their bodies, but not their souls, and to remember that the Holy Spirit would tell them what to say in future times when they were arrested for serving Him. He closes out the section by warning them about blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, which is attributing to Satan the work of Jesus.

As we move to verse 13 and following, Luke records Jesus interaction with a man who asked Jesus to divide his father’s property between him and his brother. This seems odd on the surface, but rabbis were used often for such matters. Jesus showed He wasn’t that typical rabbi, by saying He was not a judge between them, but He used the opportunity to tell a parable about a rich man, whose arrogance left him with the assumption that the biggest thing he had to worry about in life was where to store his riches. The LORD showed the man he was a fool, when he told him, “This very night your soul is required of you.” Jesus’ punchline was “So is the one who lays up treasure for himself, but is not rich toward God.” We must always remember our financial resources are not ours. They have been entrusted to us by God, and He expects us to manage them wisely, to meet our needs, and to advance His Kingdom.

Next, Jesus told His disciples the same thing He told them in Matthew 6:19-34: not to worry about their needs, but to seek God and His Kingdom first. Then they would have everything they needed. Here in Luke 12, Jesus went on to remind the disciples both to store up their treasures in heaven, and to steward their master’s good’s well, because the reward for such behavior is great blessing from the master. Luke seems to have combined Matthew 6 and Matthew 25 in this passage, or it could well be that Jesus instructed the disciples on this matter more than once, because it is so important, and matters pertaining to stewardship are often challenging for us to remember in live with only one hearing!

The phrase David repeats in Psalm 56 is “I will trust in You.” David found himself being pursued by the Philistines, and he did what he always did: he called out to the LORD for help and he confessed his trust in the LORD. It’s important for us to do both when we find ourselves in trouble. After all, if we’re going to call on the LORD when we’re in trouble, it needs to be from a position of our trust in Him.

Psalm 57 is another brief psalm in which David calls out to the LORD for help, this time in escaping once again from King Saul, and alls out in trust to the LORD. David found himself in the position time and time again before he became the King of Israel of avoiding King Saul, and other enemies. In the middle of that David was always praying–calling out to God in trust and in petition for deliverance. Once again, we do well to emulate such faith, a faith that recognizes opposition and calls out to God for help to overcome it, and a sure trust that God hears us and is already at work on our behalf.

In Psalm 58, King David speaks frankly about his desire for the LORD to deal with evil rulers and evil people in general severely. He calls on the LORD to break their teeth. While we might find such a “prayer” offensive, few, if any of us, have ever dealt with ongoing assault in our lives as David did in his. He once again speaks of how the LORD will deal favorably with those who honor Him, but calls for judgment on those who don’t. We live in a culture that has stands against any type of judgment for all but the most heinous behavior, but David lived with a strong sense of justice, and often called on the LORD’s holiness and justice to judge the wicked and vindicate the righteous.

In Psalm 59, David calls out to the LORD to judge the evil men who lie in wait for him for no cause. We read in the notes at the top of the psalm this particular time the evil men were sent by Saul to capture him at his own house. Those notes show us the psalms of David are not presented in chronological order. We don’t know why the psalms are presented in the order we find them, but it’s clear chronology wasn’t the key concern. Once again, David calls out to the LORD for deliverance and affirms his trust that the LORD will deliver him. This recurrent theme offers us the challenge to do the same in our lives.

As we turn to Luke 11 the disciples ask Jesus to teach them to pray as John taught his disciples. In Jesus’ day, rabbis typically taught their disciples prayers to deal with various aspects of life. Jesus offers what we call the Lord’s Prayer in response. Then Jesus continued His instruction on prayer with several illustrations. First, He used the example of a man who went to his friend’s door at midnight to borrow some bread. He said even though the friend wouldn’t get up because of their friendship, he would eventually get up if the guy kept knocking. Wow! What Jesus was not saying, was: God doesn’t want to answer our prayers, so we need to nag Him until He does. He was saying we need to be persistent in prayer. Next, Jesus told us to keep on asking, seeking and knocking, once again telling us to persist in prayer. He reminded us that we, as human beings, even though we’re evil know how to give good gifts to our children, so how much more does our Heavenly Father want to give the Holy Spirit to us when we ask Him. Luke’s statement is a bit different than Matthew’s, because Luke made it clear what our Heavenly Father wants to give us is the Holy Spirit. We need the Holy Spirit to live as Jesus, so it’s a helpful reminder for us to ask our Heavenly Father to send the Holy Spirit to us.

Next, we’re told Jesus cast an unclean spirit out of someone, and the religious leaders said Jesus was able to do this by the authority of Satan. Jesus responded immediately  by making it clear that idea makes no sense. After all, a kingdom divided against itself cannot stand. Jesus continued on the offensive stating His casting out of demons was a sign that the Kingdom of God was coming. He then challenged them by saying whoever is not for Me is against Me.

Jesus offered another illustration, a vital one, about what happens when an evil spirit is cast out of a person. He said the man’s “house,” or soul, is swept clean, but the spirit will travel over arid places and find more spirits who will come back and possess the man again, and the last state of the man is worst than the first. The point here is if a person is freed of an evil spirit, the “emptiness” must be filled with the Holy Spirit.

As Jesus spoke these words of wisdom, someone in the crowd shouted a blessing on His mother. Jesus responded the blessed one is the one who does the will of God. Jesus wasn’t discounting His mother, but emphasizing that more than one person is blessed–all are blessed who obey God.

Jesus went on the offensive once again, telling the crowd it was an evil generation and wanted a sign. He said no sign would be given, but the sign of Jonah, which was a reference to His three days in the tomb after His crucifixion. Then he said the Queen of Sheba would testify against this generation, because she showed proper honor to the LORD in her time.

Luke 11 closes out with Jesus being invited to dinner by a Pharisee. While He was there, Jesus pronounced woe after woe on them for their practices, which didn’t honor God, nor lead people to God. When the lawyers said Jesus’ words offended them, too, Jesus was not impressed. He spoke similar words of judgment on them. The end result of all this was the religious leaders determined to find a way to catch Him in His words, and ultimately arrest Him.

As we read Luke 11, we see Jesus’ concern to teach His disciples, and to correct the Pharisees. This is helpful for us, because we want to remain in the position of disciples throughout our lives. Disciples are learners. As long as we remain teachable, we are useful to ourselves and to Jesus. When we think we know it all, we become Pharisaic, and we move to dangerous ground.