Category: 1 Year Bible Reading Plan

Psalm 52 shows us King David wrote psalms not only to praise the LORD, or to petition him for some overarching challenge in his life, but even concerning individual events that on the surface didn’t seem so major. Here, David wrote about Doeg the Edomite, who told King Saul where David was. While the event itself was not the important in the grand scheme of things. It resulted in Saul’s execution of many priests. The psalm reminds us, we can go to God with any event in our lives the “big” and the “small.”

Psalm 53 is a brief “maskil” of King David. We believe maskil is a musical term, but no one knows for certain. In it, David points out two facts regarding those who don’t believe in God, and all of us when it comes to sin: 1) The fool says in his heart there is no God; and 2) no one does what is good, not even one. It is, indeed, foolish not to believe in God, given the abundance of evidence for His existence. David didn’t have the clear example of Jesus’ life, teaching, death, and resurrection, but even in his day, ample evidence existed for God’s existence. David’s acknowledgement that all of us are sinners, was picked up on by the Apostle Paul in his teaching, and used to show us all of the universal need for salvation in and through Jesus.

Psalm 54 comes from another time in David’s life before he was king, and Saul was chasing him, and the Ziphites had told Saul where he was. David relied on the LORD for his deliverance, and called on the LORD to protect him from his enemies. David’s faith in the LORD reminds us that in every situation, whether good or evil, we must rely on the LORD. He is the only one who will not betray us.

In Psalm 55, David cries out to the LORD to deliver him from his enemies. That is common in David’s psalms, but what differs in this one, is the enemy is a former friend, one who was his companion, who fought at David’s side. The cry for deliverance if familiar, but the pain in David’s words over the identity of this enemy is obvious. In the end, David acknowledges that once again the LORD will deliver him.

As we turn to Luke 10, the first half of it is devoted to Jesus sending out 70 (or 72 depending on the translation and the manuscripts used by the English translators of the passage) to preach, teach, heal and cast out demons in the towns He was about to go in Israel. In His instructions to them, Jesus called on them to pray for the LORD of the Harvest to send workers into the harvest. He told them not to take anything extra as they went, but to rely on the generosity of the people in the places they would go. Where they were received, they were to stay and minister, where they were rejected, they were to wipe the dust off their sandals as a sign against the place. Jesus pronounced judgment against several towns in northern Israel for their rejection of Jesus and His message. When the group returned they told of the wonderful things done in Jesus’ name. Jesus told them He had seen Satan fall like lightning from the sky, and then made an vital statement about the response the group had experienced: Don’t rejoice that the demons are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in the book of Life. We must always have an eternal view in our daily lives. Even when we experience miracles in Jesus’ name, the greater miracle is we get to be with Him for eternity, because of His great salvation in our life.

In the next section of the chapter, we’re told of a teacher of the Law who came to test Jesus. The “test” was to state which teaching in the Law of Moses was greatest. Jesus turned the test on the lawyer and asked him what he thought? Jesus often did this, and in this case the lawyer couldn’t resist the opportunity to show of his knowledge. He said it was the command to love the LORD your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength, and your neighbor as yourself. Jesus said he had answered rightly. Test over. But the lawyer wanted to “justify” himself, so he asked Jesus, “Who is my neighbor?” Jesus responded with a parable. We call it the Parable of the Good Samaritan, but to the Jews the idea that a Samaritan could be good, kind, and compassionate was beyond comprehension. Even so, Jesus told of a man who had fallen among thieves, was beaten and left for dead. Three men came along with an opportunity to help him: a priest, a Levite, and a Samaritan. To the shock of all His listeners, it was the Samaritan who proved to be the neighbor, the one who helped. Jesus asked the lawyer who had proven to be neighbor to the one in need? The lawyer had to respond, “The one who helped.” He wouldn’t even say Samaritan. Jesus then told him to go and do the same. What an amazing turn around. Rather than Jesus looking foolish for not knowing the answer, or giving the wrong answer. The lawyer had just been challenged to act like a Samaritan!

In the final event of chapter 10, Jesus visited the home of Mary, Martha, and Lazarus. As Jesus sat talking and teaching, Martha busied herself with preparing a meal for the group, while Mary sat at Jesus’ feet listening. Eventually, Martha was fed up and came to Jesus challenging Him to tell her sister to help her with the food preparation. Jesus, told Martha she was worried and troubled about so many things, but only one thing was necessary, and Mary had chosen it. So what was the “one thing”? Being with Jesus. Not doing for Jesus, but being with Jesus is the necessary thing. We know from Jesus’ former miracles, He could have “prepared” the meal even if thousands were there, but investing time with Jesus is the more important matter. It’s interesting that Luke places this event immediately after the one in which Jesus told about the 72 going out and doing ministry, and the Parable of the Good Samaritan. The first two tell us of powerful activity for good, while the final one tells us there is also a time for rest, renewal and sitting at Jesus’ feet. We must ensure we take time for both in our lives. We cannot only sit at Jesus’ feet listening, but we dare not engage in frenetic activity in His name without having first done that.

Psalm 48, another psalm of the Sons of Korah praises the LORD with an affirmation of His presiding over His holy Temple. The LORD is seen as the King over all other kings.

Psalm 49 is also a psalm of the Sons of Korah. It focuses on the brevity of life, and on the reality that we can’t take it with us when we die. They remind us whether we’re rich or poor what we have will be left to someone else. We are also reminded that honoring the LORD is the way we show ourselves wise, but it is foolish not to honor Him.

Psalm 50 is a psalm of Asaph. The psalm reminds us to honor the LORD, and much of the psalm is written in the LORD’s voice. He tells us He doesn’t need our sacrifices, and we dare not take the side of thieves. He tells us He owns the cattle on a thousand hills, and He would never tell us if He needed anything from us, yet He does tell us to offer our sacrifices to Him, and honor Him.

Psalm 51 is a powerful psalm of King David. It is his response to God after he was confronted by the prophet Nathan, for his sin with Bathsheba. David starts by confessing his sin. He tells the LORD it was against Him and Him alone that he sinned. He also confesses that He was a sinner from his birth, and was conceived in sin. David makes no attempt to make excuses, or to cast blame on anyone else. This is a great model for us, when we sin. The first step is to confess our guilt. Next, David asks the Lord to “forget” his iniquity, and also to create in him a pure heart and to renew a right spirit within him. This, too, is so vital for us to remember. It isn’t enough for us to feel bad when we sin, or even to confess we have sinned. We must ask God to restore us, and to renew our spirits. That is a prayer the LORD is more than willing to answer. David asks the LORD to restore the Holy Spirit to him. When David was anointed king by the prophet Samuel, we are told the Holy Spirit came on David and remained with him. Here David acknowledges that sin can “quench” the Holy Spirit in our lives, and thus asks for the LORD to restore the Spirit to him. David tells the Lord if he restores him, he will tell others of His restoration, and instruct them in the Lord’s ways.

As we turn to Luke 9, Jesus gives the apostles authority to preach, teach, heal and cast out demons and sends them out. Nearly as an aside while the apostles are out doing their work, we’re told King Herod after being told of Jesus’ amazing work believes Him to be John the Baptist resurrected from the dead. Then we’re told the apostles came back and told Jesus all they had done. Jesus then took them away to the town of Bethsaida. This is instructive. After a productive ministry “tour,” Jesus gave the apostles a break. He wanted the to have a time of reflection and restoration. The time was short-lived, though, as the crowds found them. Jesus healed some, and then started teaching. He taught all day, and at the end of the day told the apostles to feed the group. Jesus ended up being the source of the meal, as He turned five loaves of bread and two fish into a meal for 5,000 men along with all the women and children. Immediately, following this event, we’re told Jesus was praying alone, and then He asked the apostles who the crowds said He was. This question is so vital. It doesn’t matter, though, who the crowds say Jesus is, as we see, because Jesus then asked the apostles, who they thought He was? Peter gave the right answer, as we know from reading Matthew and Mark. Jesus is the Messiah. In Luke’s account, after Jesus tells the apostles He is going to be crucified, Peter does not rebuke Him, but Jesus tells the crowd immediately how important it is to deny themselves, take up their crosses and follow Him.

The events that follow start with Jesus being transfigured with Moses and Elijah, and then Jesus heals the demon-possessed boy. Following this, Jesus told the apostles again that he was going to be crucified. This time the apostles argued about who was going to be the greatest in the Kingdom of God. Jesus brought a small child into their midst and said that to be great one must turn and become like a child. Following this John told Jesus of a man who was casting demons out of people in Jesus’ name, but they told the man to stop, because he wasn’t one of them. Jesus told them not to stop such activity, because whoever isn’t against them is for them. This is an important principle for us to remember. Everyone doesn’t have to be or think exactly as we do to be on our “side.” Next, Jesus “set His face” to go to Jerusalem. He sent some folks on ahead, because He wanted to travel through Samaria, but the Samaritans weren’t going to permit Him to , because He was heading to Jerusalem. This incensed James and John and they asked Jesus whether He wanted them to call lightning down from the sky on them. Jesus rebuked them. The chapter closes with three different men coming to Jesus and each one was potentially a follower, but each one had a reason why he couldn’t do it at that moment. Jesus made it clear that delayed obedience, is disobedience, and He wasn’t interested in having someone who wanted to serve Jesus “later.” As we reflect on that reality, consider whether there’s any area in your life where you are delaying your obedience to Jesus.

We’re told Psalm 44 was written by the Sons of Korah. They were Levites, members of the priestly family. The psalm has a purpose: to “remind” God of His faithfulness in times past, and to petition Him to remember that faithfulness in current times. The Sons of Korah start with history. They remind God of how He delivered the people from their enemies, how He fought for them. Then the psalm turns. They ask God, why do our enemies defeat us? They are confused and deeply grieved, because they tell God they have not turned from Him. They have been faithful, but they aren’t experiencing His faithfulness. The psalm closes with a brief petition for God to restore them, because of His nature, His faithfulness. We could ask, “Were the Sons of Korah right? Were they faithful, and yet they were overcome by their enemies?” Or “Were they wrong? Was their current situation, simply God fulfilling His promises to turn them over to their enemies, for their disobedience?” Either could be true. We know from Job’s life, the righteous are sometimes subjected to terrible situations, and sometimes their enemies prosper for no good reason. We also know, human beings tend to exaggerate our innocence before God. Whichever it was, the psalm is a plea for God to restore His people. It is a cry God’s people have offered in every generation. We do well to remember our part in fulfilling this cry: being obedient to Him in the power of the Holy Spirit. The rest is up to Him, and we know His nature: He is holy, righteous, and good.

Psalm 45 was also written by the Sons of Korah, and we’re told it was a “wedding song.” As we read it, we see three major aspects of the psalm: 1) praise for the king; 2) praise for the LORD; and 3) a call for the bride to recognize the blessing of her situation. At some points in the psalm it is difficult to discern whether we are reading about the king or about the LORD, but the key to this psalm is to remember the kings in Israel were given their place by a promise the LORD made to King David, and the LORD always keeps His promises. That is a helpful reminder to us, when we are not going through joyful moments in our lives, and we wonder whether the LORD will be faithful in our circumstances.

Psalm 46, also a psalm of the Sons of Korah, is a powerful song of praise and affirmation of who the LORD is and what He does. It starts with this reminder “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” We’re reminded that even if the foundations of the earth would be shaken or moved, the LORD is with us. This psalm is often read at funeral services, because of its focus on the LORD’s presence with us in every situation of life.

Psalm 47 is another psalm of the Sons of Korah. Although it is brief, it is a joyous psalm of praise to the LORD. The psalm reminds all the nations to clap our hands, because of who the LORD is and all He does for us. As we read it, or sing it, the psalm offers glory to the LORD and brings joy to our hearts.

As we turn to Luke 8, Luke tells us Jesus not only had twelve disciples who followed Him, but there were also women, whom Luke names, who traveled with Him. These women provided for the group financially out of their own means. While, we might be inclined to zip right past this brief detail, having women in the group was a major departure from tradition. Rabbis in Jesus’ day often wouldn’t even look at women in public, but Jesus had them in His group. He gave them the opportunity to provide financial support, which was always a “man’s responsibility.” This was a major affirmation of women by Jesus, and a reminder to us that all people have an opportunity to serve Jesus.

After Luke’s brief account of women being part of Jesus’ ministry, he recorded Jesus telling the parable of the Sower, and giving the explanation of it. This was followed by Jesus’ parable of the Lamp, and a reminder to be careful how we hear, because depending on how we listen and respond, what we have of God’s truth will be multiplied or removed. What a vital reminder. Next, Luke tells us of Jesus’ mother and brothers coming to see Him, but they couldn’t get near because of the crowd. When the crowd told Jesus they were seeking Him, Jesus responded by telling the crowd those who do His Father’s will are His mothers, sisters, and brothers. Jesus was not minimizing His biological family. He was reinterpreting how we are to see family as His followers. Our relationship as “spiritual parents, siblings, and children” is as important as our biological relationships. In reality, they might be more important, because we will be with our spiritual family for eternity, while we will only be with our biological family members for eternity, if they, too, become followers of Jesus.

The remainder of chapter 8 records familiar events for us, because we find them in Matthew and Mark’s gospel as well. First, we are told of Jesus calming the storm on the Sea of Galilee when He had been asleep in the boat, and the disciples woke Him, because they feared the storm would drown them. Next, we have the accounts of Jesus’ healing the Geresene demoniac, Jesus’ healing of the woman with the issue of blood, (or rather the woman taking the initiative to be healed by Jesus by touching His robe), and Jesus’ raising Jairus’ daughter from the dead. These amazing events demonstrate again Jesus has power over nature, over the spiritual realm, over physical ailments and death. With those areas of life covered, Jesus is truly Savior and Lord of all!

Psalm 40 starts with a statement that has become extremely important to me: ¹I waited patiently for the LORD; he turned to me and heard my cry. Psalm 40:1 (NIV) I waited. On a daily basis, after I turn to the LORD in praise for who He is, I wait on Him. He is our King, so we wait on Him. We wait for His instruction. We wait for His encouragement, His correction. Whatever it is  He wants to do in our lives, we must wait for it. King David said, “I waited patiently…” Patiently. That’s a big challenge for most of us. We want to get to the tasks of the day, or the appointments of the day, or we’re distracted with the needs of our husband or wife, or children, or parents, or … Life waits for no one the saying goes. But unless we wait for the LORD, how will we know what life is? How will we know who we are, and why we were created in the first place and what we were created to be and do? The remainder of the Psalm speaks of how the LORD delivered David, and how David continue to call on the LORD for deliverance. It all starts with waiting.

Psalm 41 is a blend of King David reminding us the LORD blesses those who are kind to the poor, and a call for the LORD to remember David as he struggles through illness, and his enemies are crying out against him, and even hoping he will die. David asks the LORD to deal with these enemies and closes with his usual affirmation of praise to the LORD.

In Psalm 42, King David offers a powerful image of his great love for the LORD. He tells us “as the deer pants for the water, so my soul longs after You.” What a vital reminder! The LORD is the Creator of the universe. He is the giver of every good and perfect gift. He sent Jesus to live a perfect life and die in our place, so we might have a restored relationship with Him, and life forever! How can we not long for the LORD in the same manner a wild deer who has been running through the forest on a hot day pants for a drink of cold water? I have often heard preachers say, “If you are too busy to pray, you are too busy,” but what about this, “If we are to busy to long for the LORD, to seek His Kingdom and righteousness in our lives, we are too busy.” King David understood that all of life flowed from the LORD, just as water sustained the panting deer. May we not only understand that, but live it in our lives today.

Psalm 43 is anonymous, no author’s name comes at the top of it. Yet, it is reminiscent of King David’s cries for the LORD to deliver him from his enemies. Indeed, Psalm 43:5 is “cut and pasted” from Psalm 42:11. They are word for word the same. What is the meaning of that? The meaning is simple: when we are downcast in our souls, because of the circumstances of our lives, we must look up to the LORD, because He is always with us, and is always worthy of our praise.

As we turn to Luke 7, Luke recounts for us Jesus’ encounter with the Roman centurion who wanted Jesus to heal his servant. We’re given some details here, we don’t have in the other gospels. We’re told he loved Israel, and had even built the synagogue in the town. Once again, when Jesus responded, and was willing to enter the centurion’s home, even though it would have made Him ceremonially unclean to enter a gentile’s house, the centurion appealed to Jesus’ authority. The centurion understood authority. He knew his soldiers didn’t obey him, because of his authority, but that he had the delegated authority of the emperor, and therefore his men obeyed him. In the same way, the centurion understood Jesus’ power and authority came from God, and trusted that was enough. Jesus marveled or was amazed at the man’s faith, and healed the servant. (Jesus is only recorded being amazed twice in the gospels. He was amazed at the Roman centurion’s faith, a faith greater than any Israelite had displayed in His experience, and He was amazed at the lack of faith of the people in His hometown. Far better to amaze Jesus with our faith in Him than with our doubt!

Next, Luke tells us about Jesus approaching a funeral procession outside the town of Nain. The widow, was mourning the loss of her only son. Jesus’ compassion moved Him to touch the young man and restore him to life. As we would guess, this amazed everyone who saw it, and the people marveled at Him.  Some of John the Baptists disciples were watching Jesus as He did these things, and reported them to John, who was in prison. John sent two of his disciples back to ask Jesus whether He was the one to come–the Messiah, or whether they ought to wait for someone else. John, and many in Israel, expected the Messiah to be a conquering hero, not a traveling miracle worker, who would ultimate sacrifice His life for the people of Israel and the world. Jesus responded by quoting the book of Isaiah, a passage with which John would be well acquainted: ²²And he answered them, “Go and tell John what you have seen and heard: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, the poor have good news preached to them. Luke 7:22 (ESV)  As John’s disciples left Him, Jesus told the people John was greater than anyone who had come before him, and they ought to receive his message. This pleased the tax collectors and other “sinners” who had responded to John’s message, repented, and prepared their lives to receive Jesus. Not so much with the Pharisees and other religious leaders, who had rejected John and were also rejecting Jesus. Afterward, Jesus told the people they were like children, whose beliefs are fickle. He said this because John had come neither eating nor drinking (John didn’t eat normal food, or drink wine), and they said he had a demon. Then Jesus came eating and drinking, and they said He was a glutton and a drunk. One application of those words of Jesus is not to get our assessments of what is happening around us from the latest poll, but rather from the voice of the LORD.

Luke closes the chapter by telling us the account of Jesus having dinner with a Pharisee who offered Jesus none of the culturally accepted amenities upon His arrival in the home: a kiss on the cheek, water to wash His feet, and oil to anoint His head. Yet, during the meal a prostitute came in and anointed Jesus feed with oil, “washed” them with her tears, and dried them with her hair. The Pharisee was aghast that Jesus didn’t know what kind of woman this was. Jesus offered a parable to the man about two men who owed their master differing amounts of money. One of the men owed a great amount, while the other only a tenth of the amount. The master forgave both debts. Jesus asked the Pharisee, which would love the master more? He answered, the one forgiven the most. Jesus agreed, and then told the Pharisee the woman’s sins, which were many, were forgiven, because of her great love for Him, and the implication was the Pharisee’s sins remained, because he didn’t even show common courtesy to Jesus. We do well to be sure we don’t assume we are better than we are, because the best of us deserve eternal punishment separated from God apart from the grace and mercy we receive from Jesus on the cross. Once we realize how much we have been forgiven, our task is to live that forgiveness forward to others in Jesus’ name.

 

We could call Psalm 36 “King David’s ode to the unworthiness of sinners, and the goodness of God.” The first portion of the psalm describes what sinners are like, and then shifts quickly to David’s praise for God, for His mercy not only to people, but even toward animals. The LORD is good and David wants everyone to know it.

Psalm 37 shows us King David extolling the virtue of loving and serving the Lord. One of the familiar verses of the Bible is found in it:  ⁴Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart. Psalm 37:4 (NIV) David promises goodness and blessing to those who follow the LORD. The promises seem to be without qualification, but several times David does point out we must sometimes wait for our reward. The tone of this psalm affirms the idea that those who follow the LORD will always be blessed. While David has shown us in other psalms that he knew and even experienced times when the righteous were not exalted, Psalm 37 elevates the “rule” that obedience to the Lord brings blessing.

Psalm 38 offers us a quick return to King David’s realization both that his sinfulness has caused him great spiritual and physical pain, and his enemies have rewarded his goodness with evil. David once again confesses his own sin and asks for forgiveness, and then calls on the LORD to vindicate him from experiencing the vindictiveness of his enemies. The psalm ends with an affirmation of the LORD, as is often David’s tendency.

In Psalm 40 King David focuses on the brevity of life. While his tone is quite that we find from his son, King Solomon, in the Book of Ecclesiastes, there is a sense in which David sees a bit of “vanity” in the brief life we live, and then leave our wealth to others, who we might not even know. There is no sense of hopelessness from King David, but he makes us quite aware of the permanence of the LORD and the brevity of our lives.

As we turn to Luke 6, Luke starts by telling us the account of Jesus’ disciples picking grain on the Sabbath, and the Pharisees calling Jesus to take for it. Jesus responds with an example of David “breaking the rules” by eating bread reserved for the priests, and then telling the religious leaders the Sabbath was made for us and not the other way around. That account is followed immediately by Jesus healing a man with a withered hand on the Sabbath, and drawing the wrath of the religious leaders. Next, Jesus chooses the twelve disciples. Following that the remainder of the chapter is devoted to what has often been called “The Sermon on the Plain.” If you line up the content of this portion of Luke 7, with Matthew 5-7, you will see a great deal of overlap. While the order differs, many of the points are word-for-word the same as in the Sermon on the Mount. Some biblical scholars contend Luke has just varied the content, because he wasn’t there, while others contend Jesus would have taught this content many times, because it was the core of His teaching. Either way, the content is vital, because it is recorded in both gospels.

Psalm 33 is an “anonymous” psalm, that is we are not told who wrote it. It sounds much like the psalms of King David we have read that extol the virtues of the LORD and offer Him praise.  The psalm emphasizes the LORD’s power and superiority over any army or other force in the world. It focuses on the LORD’s creative power, and in that sense is something of a creation psalm. It also reminds us the LORD is with the righteous, with those who follow His ways. The psalm serves as a helpful reminder to us that the LORD is sovereign and we do well to praise and obey Him.

The introduction to Psalm 34 tells us King David wrote it when he pretended to be insane before Abimelech. David found himself in a difficult position, his own king, Saul, had vowed to kill him, even though David had always been faithful to Saul. David and his men were forced to go on the run. He decided it would be “safer” to go to the land of the Philistines, Israel’s enemy, than to stay in Israel. The plan worked far better than David could have imagined, and for a time he, his men, and their families lived in relative peace. The psalm offers praise to God for protecting those who call out to them, to those who face difficult challenges, who are willing to obey Him.  The circumstances of the writing of Psalm 34 help us to remember we can always praise the LORD, we can always call out to Him, and He is with us in our most difficult challenges as well as in our times of blessing and ease.

In Psalm 35, King David calls on the LORD to protect him from his enemies and to destroy those enemies. David “reminds” the LORD he has shown mercy and compassion to all, even to his enemies, but when they have the opportunity they gloat over David’s misfortune. This psalm petitions the LORD to vindicate David and judge his enemies. While we might assume it is always better to pray for mercy on everyone, David calls on the LORD’s justice in this situation and to respond accordingly. When we offer such a prayer to the LORD, it is vital we are, indeed, walking in His ways ourselves.

As we turn to Luke 5, Luke offers us an account of Jesus interacting with Peter, Andrew, James, and John that differs from the accounts we read in Matthew and Mark, about how Jesus came to call them to follow Him. In Luke’s account, Jesus asks the men to let Him board their boat, and uses it as a “pulpit” from which to teach the crowds. After the message has ended, Jesus calls the men to take their boats out into the lake and lower their nets for a catch. Peter “knows” this is not the time of day to fish. After all, he was a professional fisherman. He protests he and his partners and fished all night (when one is supposed to fish!) and caught nothing, but he obeys Jesus’ command. The result is an unprecedented catch of fish. The boats become so filled with fish they start to sink. On seeing this, Peter exclaims, “Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man.” Peter called Jesus “Lord.” Peter recognized the power of God in Jesus’ discernment, and in providing the catch of fish. Peter’s response in the presence of such goodness and holiness, is to recognize his own sinfulness.

Jesus’ response is so helpful. He didn’t say, “Peter, your sins are forgiven.” After all, Peter’s protest was that he was a sinful man, implying his unworthiness to be in Jesus’ presence. Yet, Jesus responded, “Do not be afraid…” Jesus realized Peter’s true response was fear. He responded to Peter’s fear and promised they would catch people if they followed Him. Peter and the other’s responded by heading back to shore, leaving their boats, (and possibly the amazing catch of fish, although some biblical scholars believe they sold the fish so their families would be supported while they followed Jesus) and following Jesus. When Jesus calls us to follow Him, we might feel unworthy, and we will certainly feel fear. Peter’s example helps us to realize Jesus is greater than our unworthiness and our fear.

In the rest of Luke 5, we read of events, which are quite familiar to us after reading Matthew and Mark.  Matthew, Mark, and Luke are called the “synoptic” gospels, which means “seen together,” because they are so similar in content. As we read them, we see how connected they are, and yet how the details differ–as we would expect, given Luke was not an eyewitness, but a historian, Matthew was one of the disciples, and Mark was most likely recording the events from Peter’s perspective. In the remainder of Luke 5, Jesus touches a leper and heals him. He then heals others. Next, Jesus heals the paralyzed man who was brought to Him by four friends. Before the healing, Jesus forgave the man’s sins, showing He is God’s Son, because only God can forgive sin. Next, Jesus called Levi or Matthew, and finally, Jesus had a discussion about fasting with the religious leaders. Jesus pointed out that His disciples didn’t fast, because no one fasts when the “bridegroom” is present. (Jesus was [and is] the bridegroom!) He pointed out fasting would become part of the disciple’s spiritual discipline after He left. He also pointed out it was a time of new realities, and used an analogy of putting new wine in old wineskins, to show, that such an action ends badly. Thus, Jesus bringing new realities would bring them in “new wineskins.” As we seek to live out our faith in Jesus, we will find ourselves struggling with traditions from our upbringing and even the free-wheeling culture in which we live. In those times, let’s remember Jesus didn’t come to bring us back to where we were, but to give us a whole, new life!

The words that stand out in Psalm 29 are “Ascribe to the LORD…” and “The voice of the Lord…” King David is in full-on praise mode in this brief psalm. He wants everyone to know of God’s worthiness to be praised and of His great power. David recognized it is the voice of the LORD, or His word that has the power to change everything. When Jesus came to earth 1,000 years later, John would remind us Jesus is “The Word.” When we are struggling with anything, how important it is for us to remember the LORD’s worthiness to be praised, and His great power, because He is always good even when our lives aren’t.

In Psalm 30, King David recalls the LORD’s faithfulness in his times of difficulty, and reminds us the LORD is with those who trust Him. While this is a now familiar theme in David’s psalms, we can never be reminded too often of how loving and faithful the LORD is to us!

In parts of Psalm 31, it seems as if King David had taken the place of Job in his distress. He recalls times when he was cast aside, and when he wasn’t regarded by people. Yet the overall tone of the Psalm is one of confidence in the LORD’s deliverance. Once of the truest realities in our lives is life is not all good or bad. When we face the giants of our lives, it is easy to forget the LORD’s provision in the good times, and all the provision of the good times doesn’t erase the reality of a current conflict, illness, loss, or challenge in our lives. Maintaining our faith in times of trouble isn’t easy. Craig Groeschel has recently released a book title Hope In the Dark: Believing God Is Good When Life Isn’t that takes a serious look at maintaining our faith when we experience the hardest challenges of our lives. It is worth the time to read.

In Psalm 32, King David rejoices in the forgiveness of the LORD. He reminds us when we remain silent before the LORD, when we are guilty of sin, the result can impact us in every area of our lives. But when we confess our sins, God does forgive and restore us. While we know this truth as Jesus’ followers, King David’s reminder helps us to remember to turn to the LORD quickly when we have sinned, because all our sins are against Him.

As we turn to Luke 4, Luke records Jesus 40-day temptation in the wilderness after He was baptized. Luke records the same three major temptations as Matthew, but in a different order.  Both accounts record Satan tempting Jesus to turn stones into bread to satisfy His hunger after 40 days of fasting. Even though our English translations read, “If you are the Son of God, turn these stones into bread…” we realize Satan knew Jesus was the Son of God, because it wouldn’t be a temptation if he challenged you or me to turn a stone into bread, because we can’t do it. Only the Son of God would find Satan’s temptation to be a temptation! But Jesus saw through it and quoted Scripture to Satan in response. Luke reverses the order of the final two temptations. He tells us Satan offered Jesus the world if He would bow down and worship him, but Jesus would not. Nor would Jesus use His powers to amaze the people by jumping from the Temple and letting angels save Him for death. At the end of this account, we’re told Satan left Jesus “until an opportune time.” We must remember Satan and his minions are always waiting for an opportune time to tempt us. They never quit, but the good news for us is just as Jesus overcame the temptations by remaining strong in the LORD and in His word, so can we.

In the next portion of the chapter, we’re told Jesus returned to Nazareth and was given the opportunity to preach in the synagogue. He read from the prophet Isaiah, a portion of what the Messiah would do when He came, including healing the sick, and preaching the Good News to the poor. After reading the Scripture He put down the scroll and told the people the Scripture had been fulfilled in Him. The people were amazed, but as they were considering Jesus’ words, He told them a prophet is not without honor except in his hometown. Then He reminded them of examples in Israel’s history when the great prophets Elijah and Elisha helped foreigners in times of trouble, but not the people of Israel. At this the people attempted to kill Jesus, but He escaped.

Next, we’re told Jesus went to Capernaum and preached in the synagogue there. He also cast a demon out of man. The people were amazed. Afterwards, Jesus went to Simon’s home. (Luke has not yet told us of the calling of Simon, Andrew, James and John, as Matthew and Mark had done by this time.) Jesus healed her, and then healed the townspeople who were brought to Him that night, thus fulfilling the Scripture He had read in Nazareth. The next morning, instead of the disciples coming to find Jesus as we read in Matthew and Mark, Luke tells us it was “some people.” The same result was offered by Jesus. Rather than stay in that place and do more ministry, He left to preach in the other towns of Israel. We see again, Jesus knew His purpose and His timing. He would not have His agenda set by others, and we can learn an important lesson from this example: when we know God’s purpose and timing in our lives, we must pursue it and not be distracted.

Psalm 25 is a wonderful example of how King David praises the LORD for who He is, calls on Him both to forgive his sin and to restore him, rests on the truth of God’s word, and calls out for God to overtake his enemies, because of His great love and mercy. As we read it, we are reminded that apart from God’s mercy and forgiveness we stand condemned before Him, but because of that mercy and forgiveness we are empowered to live out His truth, and to receive His protection in our lives.

In Psalm 26, King David calls on the LORD to deliver him from his enemies, because of his righteous life. David contrasts his life with those who don’t follow the LORD, and offers in extensive detail the righteousness he has displayed. This psalm reminds us that the LORD does expect His followers to live righteous lives, and we must remember there is only one God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We don’t serve a God of mercy, while the King David served a God of works. God has always been a God of mercy, who expects His people to live His truth in the power of the Holy Spirit. As we read David’s account of the righteous deeds of his life, it reminds us to live righteously in the power of the Holy Spirit as well. Jesus reminded us in Matthew 7 not everyone who cries out, “Lord, Lord!” will enter the Kingdom of heaven, but only those who do the will of His Father in heaven. That was not a call to works-righteousness, but rather a call to righteous living in the Holy Spirit’s power.

In Psalm 27, King David calls on the LORD to deliver him from his enemies once again, and reminds himself how the LORD has been faithful already to do so. King David reminds himself (and us!) the LORD has been faithful even when His parents have not. He reminds himself the word of the LORD is faithful and true. He calls on the LORD not to turn away from him in his anger, and at the last he reminds himself to wait on the LORD. How important it is for us to remind ourselves to wait on the LORD. The LORD always hears us, but we must wait for the LORD’s response to our prayers, and even more importantly we must wait for the LORD to reveal Himself to us, and to make His will clear to us. We find the LORD’s will in His written word. He reveals it to us through the Holy Spirit in prayer. He also shows us His will through the circumstances of our lives, and even through the voice of fellow believers. But in all this we must often wait for the LORD to show us what He desires to do in and through us. As the prophet Isaiah reminded us, “Those who wait on the LORD will renew their strength; they will soar on wings as eagles; they will run and not grow weary; they will walk and not faint.”

In Psalm 28, King David cries out to the LORD for deliverance from his enemies once again. He compares his righteousness with his enemies’ sinfulness and calls on the LORD to deliver him. He makes his trust in the LORD clear, and at the same time demonstrates an urgency to have his life vindicated by the LORD. Sometimes in our lives, as we look around and see those who aren’t following the LORD seeming to prosper and enjoy a “better” life than we do, we need to remind King David’s constant struggle with this reality in his life. Good things happen to bad people, and bad things happen to “good” people, because we live in a fallen world, where the LORD lets us choose our own way, and when we choose not to follow Him, the results will be contrary to His desire, but that will only be for a time. In the end, the LORD’s will and purpose will be carried out, but for now, we are in the same position King David found Himself: crying out for vindication in the face of his enemies.

As we turn to Luke 3, Luke tells us of God’s’s call to John the Baptist to start his ministry of preparing the way for Jesus. It is interesting to note, Luke roots John’s call in history by telling us who was the Roman emperor, the Roman Governor of Judea, the King of Israel and even the Tetrarch of Iturea, but the word of God didn’t come to any of them. No doubt they were busily going about their work of governing their domains, but the word of God came to John “in the wilderness.” John was waiting on God’s call in his life, and it came to him. John took his work seriously, calling out people of every social strata as they came to him to be baptized. John called everyone to repent of their sins in preparation for Jesus’ coming. John’s word and work were so powerful, people started to wonder whether he was the Messiah. He set the people straight quickly. He told them One was coming after him who was more powerful than he was. When Jesus came, John baptized Him. Luke tells us King Herod arrested John for calling him to account for marrying his brother’s wife. Luke closes out the chapter by recounting Jesus’ genealogy. As we read it and compare it to the genealogy that starts the Gospel of Matthew, we find the two didn’t use exactly the same line of ancestry, and Luke traces Jesus’ ancestry all the way back to Adam, while Matthew only went back to Abraham. That difference in the details shows us a difference in sources between Matthew and Luke. The difference in how far back each went in their record of Jesus ancestry is because Matthew was a Jew, and for him, the key was to show Jesus was in the line of Abraham and David, while Luke was a gentile, who would have wanted all of us who are not of Jewish ancestry to see, Jesus is for us, too, because His ancestry goes all the way back to the very first human being. We are all descendants of him.

Psalm 21 is another royal psalm and in it King David extols the LORD for His blessing and protection over the monarchy. David offers explicit details of the terrors that have and will befall those who have turned against him, but invests most of the time in this brief psalm affirming the LORD’s blessing in his life.

Psalm 22 is a powerful psalm of lament, written by King David, but quoted by Jesus as He hung on the cross. Biblical scholars debate whether Jesus was merely quoting the psalm, which begins, “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?” as He hung on the cross, because He knew the psalms ending praised the LORD for His faithfulness. But Jesus agony on the cross was far different than David’s. Psalm 22 was definitely written by David to describe times when he felt deserted by the LORD. Yet the vivid details of the psalm also describe clearly what Jesus experienced as He endured crucifixion. This is a time when the psalm was written by David for his life and situation, but also pointed to the future time when Jesus would endure indescribable agony, as He bore our sins in His body on the cross.

Psalm 23 is the most beloved of all the psalms. Written by King David, the psalm describes the LORD as our Shepherd. David, having started his life as a shepherd, was intimately acquainted with the images he portrayed of the LORD’s watchful care in our lives. This brief psalm reminds us of God’s constant love, watchfulness, care, provision, and His constant seeking for us in our lives. The psalm is often read at funeral services, because of its immense comfort for any aspect of our lives, but particularly when we are facing “the valley of the shadow of death.”

Psalm 24 is another creation psalm. In this brief psalm, King David reminds us the earth belongs to the LORD and everything in it. He also reminds us that only those who are pure may ascend to the LORD’s presence.

As we turn to Luke 2, we come to what most people think of when they think of the birth of Jesus.  The first seven verses tell us of a decree that went out from the Roman emperor requiring everyone to return to the home of their ancestors, which is why Mary and Joseph went to Bethlehem even though Mary was about to have her child. While they were in Bethlehem, Jesus was born. He was placed in a stable, and laid in a manger–a feeding trough–because there was no place else to stay. The city was crowded past its capacity with all the people in town for the census.

Luke 2:8-20 tells us of the shepherds who were watching their flocks that night, and how the LORD made them aware of Jesus’ birth by sending first an angel to tell them the news, and then a host of angels to glorify God and sing His praises. After the angelic visitation, the shepherds ran to Bethlehem and found Mary, Joseph and Jesus. They told them what they had seen and been told, and then they told everyone in the town. Afterwards, they returned to their flocks rejoicing and praising God for everything they had seen and heard, which was just as they had been told.

The next nineteen verses record Mary and Joseph taking Jesus to the Temple in Jerusalem to dedicate Him. As the Law of Moses required, they went on the eighth day, and they offered a sacrifice to the LORD. While they were there, they were visited by Simeon and Anna. These two servants of the LORD had been waiting for the coming of the Messiah. Each offered a blessing to the family, and also a prophecy that Jesus would be the cause of the rising and falling of many in Israel. Mary was also told a sword would pierce her own soul.

The remainder of the chapter is devoted to the account of a time when Jesus was twelve years old, and the family went to Jerusalem for Passover. After the celebration, Mary and Joseph started home with their family entourage from Nazareth, which would have included many in their extended family. On the third day, they realized Jesus wasn’t with the group. (It’s challenging for us to understand how that kind of “oversight” could have happened, but it was a different era, when families cared for one another’s children, and Jesus absence wasn’t a cause for alarm.) Joseph and Mary returned to Jerusalem and searched everywhere. Finally, they found Jesus in the Temple talking with the religious leaders. We’re told the religious leaders were amazed at Jesus’ questions. Mary asked Jesus why He had done this to them? Jesus’ answered, they ought to have known He would be in His Father’s house. Jesus returned home with Joseph and Mary, and we’re told that He was obedient to them, and that He grew in wisdom and stature and in favor with God and people. What a wonderful blessing and challenge it must have been to be Jesus’ parents.

In Psalm 17, King David calls on the LORD to protect him from his enemies once again. He describes the tactics of his enemies, and then he acknowledges the LORD will prevail and David will serve Him faithfully as always.

Psalm 18 is the longest psalm we have encountered to this point. In it King David praises the LORD for protecting him from all his enemies. He speaks of the LORD’s fury being poured out on his enemies, and how the LORD protected him at every turn. These words came from the time in David’s life when he was eluding King Saul, and when he was being disparaged by Saul for no reason. David realized the LORD was vindicating him, and he offered the LORD praise and thanksgiving for it.

Psalm 19 starts out as a creation psalm and then in the middle turns to an affirmation of the LORD’s word. King David is consistent in praising God for the wonder of His creation and the amazing truth and power of His word. We do well to emulate King David in this. How often we race here and there without pausing to consider the majesty of the LORD we see in creation. How many times do we rush to read the Bible, so we can check that off our list for the day, without pausing to let the words sink not only into our minds, but also into our hearts? We must not let the busyness of life or even the work of the LORD, keep us from focusing on the LORD of our work!

Psalm 20 is a “royal psalm” that affirms the king and calls on God to protect him. While it was written by King David, it seems to have a bigger purpose, which was to affirm God’s leadership over all the kings who would follow him.

Today, we turn to the Gospel of Luke for the first time. Luke is the only gospel writer who tells us up front why he wrote a gospel. In Luke’s case, he wrote for a friend, most likely a Roman official, name Theophilus. He wrote to assure Theophilus of the certainty and truth of his faith in Jesus. Luke tells us he looked at the available accounts of Jesus’ life, as well as interviewing eyewitnesses. The result was an orderly account of the birth, life, teachings, death and resurrection of Jesus. As we read through Luke over these coming days, we can be sure Luke, who was a physician, will give us a clear account of who Jesus was, and what He did on our behalf.

After Luke tells us why he wrote his Gospel in Luke 1:1-4, the remainder of this long chapter is devoted to two major events: the appearance of the angel Gabriel to Zechariah, who would become the father of John the Baptist and then Gabriel’s appearance to Mary to tell her she would become the mother of Jesus. The chapter is divided into three sections: 1) John receives the news from Gabriel while serving in his priestly duties at the Temple. He doesn’t believe the news, so he isn’t able to speak until the time of John’s birth; 2) Gabriel appears to Mary and tells her she has found favor with God, and will be the mother of the Messiah. Mary, also questions the news, but for a different reason: she is a virgin, and she can’t understand how she will have a son. Gabriel tells her the pregnancy will come about through the power of the Holy Spirit, which will make her son the Son of God. After receiving the news Mary went to visit her cousin, Elizabeth, who was also Zechariah’s wife. As Mary approaches Elizabeth, the child in her womb leaps in recognition of the child in Mary’s womb; and 3) the birth of John takes place, and because Zechariah cannot speak everyone wants to name the child Zechariah. When Elizabeth tells the people the child’s name is John, they turn to Zechariah, who writes the child’s name for all to see: John. At that moment Zechariah’s ability to speak returns and he offers both praise to God and a prophetic pronouncement about John’s future ministry.