Month: March 2019

[NOTE: For those who are continuing the 1-year Bible reading plan we started on April 1, 2018, just go to the end of this entry and you will find the Day 366 – Revelation 20-22; CHALLENGE: Read Mark 1-16!

1 Kings 8 records Solomon bringing the Ark of the Covenant into the Temple, his praising God, his dedication of the Temple and his benediction. The sheer numbers of animals sacrificed in the process of bringing the Ark into the Temple and the dedication service was most likely never rivaled either before or after in any religious service in Israel. Solomon made it quite clear the LORD’s Temple was to be the place for the Israelites to pray, whether it was to thank the LORD for His goodness or to call out to the LORD for his mercy during times when the people had turned away from Him either individually or corporately. Take time to note the details of the dedication process. King Solomon took it quite seriously and made sure the people understood both the importance of the Temple to Israel’s worship, and the connection of David and his line of descendants to the Temple and to the leadership of Israel.

1 Kings 9 tells us the LORD appeared to Solomon a second time in a dream. This time He came to affirm Solomon’s action in building the Temple, and to warn him if he turned away from the LORD, he would experience grave consequences. The LORD renewed His covenant with David through Solomon, but He also told Solomon if any of his descendants abandoned the LORD, the LORD would abandon them. After the account of the dream, we are given a list of Solomon’s actions as king. Most of twenty years was devoted to the construction of the Temple and his palace. We’re told Solomon conscripted slaves from the conquered people of the land, but he didn’t enslave Israelites. We’re also told Solomon built a fleet of ships and sent them to various places to trade with other nations. Through King Solomon’s efforts, Solomon became one of the great world leaders of his day.

1 Kings 10 tells us of the famous visit of the Queen of Sheba to Solomon. While she was there, she realized Solomon was even greater and wiser than she had been told. Solomon was extremely wise, and the remainder of the chapter tells us about his wealth. Again, Solomon’s wealth was incredible. We’re told during Solomon’s time silver was considered nothing, because it was so plentiful. Most everyday utensils were made of gold and even his drinking cups were made of gold.

Today we turn to Matthew’s gospel for the first time. Matthew is the longest of the synoptic gospels. It was written from a Jewish perspective, which isn’t surprising given that Matthew was a Jewish tax collector. Matthew offers many Old Testament references in his gospel to demonstrate Jesus’ fulfillment of them. Matthew starts his gospel with a genealogy of Jesus’ line. Luke’s gospel also starts with a genealogy, but they are quite different in their layout. Matthew’s genealogy starts with Abraham, the “father” of the Jewish people and proceeds forward to Jesus. Luke’s genealogy starts with Jesus and proceeds backward all the way to Adam. Luke was a gentile, so his genealogy didn’t stop with Abraham, the “father” of the Jews, but with Adam the “father” of all people.

After the genealogy, Matthew gives us a brief account of how Jesus’ birth came about. Matthew tells us Mary conceived Jesus, before she and Joseph, her espoused husband had “come together.” As a result, Joseph was going to divorce Mary quietly, but an angel of the LORD appeared to him in a dream and assured Joseph the child within Mary was holy. Luke offers an extensive explanation for how the birth of Jesus came about by comparison, but Matthew provides us enough information to make it clear Jesus’ birth was anything but “normal.” That is as we would expect given He is the Son of the living God!

Day 366 – Revelation 20-22; CHALLENGE: Read Mark 1-16!

Revelation 20 might be the source of more “controversy” than any chapter in the Bible. It records the “millennium” or the thousand-year period when Jesus reigns on the earth with those who had been martyred for their faith. During that time, Satan and his legions will be locked away. After the 1,000 years, Satan and his legions will be released. They will engage in a final battle with Jesus and his army. Jesus will win, and then everyone living and dead will be judged before the great white throne. The controversy comes over whether this is a literal period, whether all the tribulation spoken about happens before this, and whether the believers on the earth will be taken up before the tribulation, or after, before the millennium or after. The questions are many and the answers are as many as the questions. One of the most important aspects of all this is: One day Jesus willreturn. He willconquer Satan once and for all. Those who are faithful willlive with Him forever. We can argue and debate all the pre-, post-, mid-tribulation; pre-, post-, a-millennial positions, but as I have often said, “I’m no longer on the planning team for Jesus’ return. I’m on the welcoming team!” My goal is to share, grow and live the new life of Jesus with the world–one person at a time, so as many as possible will be on the welcoming team with me, when Jesus returns.

Revelation 21-22 close out the Bible with incredible pictures of what it will be like when Jesus returns and establishes His new heaven and new earth. As the Bible starts in Genesis 1-2 with perfection in a garden with God and humanity in perfect relationship and harmony, so it ends in Revelation with perfection in a beautiful garden, with God and humanity in perfect relationship and harmony. As you read through these two chapters, note who will and who will not be included in the joyous reality.  One of the aspects of those excluded that has always caught my attention is in Revelation 21:8 we are told the first group excluded from heaven are “the cowardly.” We would expect murderers, the sexually immoral, idolaters, and others who haven’t repented of their sin and turned to Jesus to be excluded from heaven, but why the cowardly? It seems being a coward would be so much less worthy of punishment and exclusion from heaven than some of the others, but remember: When Revelation was written, people were being imprisoned, persecuted, and executed for following Jesus. Those who renounced Jesus would have their lives spared, but such cowardly action excluded the person from fellowship in the church, and sometimes such people even turned in their relatives and friends. This kind of action, avoiding pain and punishment for following Jesus, had grave long-term consequences, and Jesus told John this, so it would be included in Revelation. This reminder helps us all to remember to put Jesus first regardless of the current consequence. The long-term benefit and blessing is literally out of this world!

Today’s final challenge is to read the entire Gospel of Mark. That’s sixteen chapters. If you are an average reader it will take you about twenty minutes. As you read it, all the teachings, the miracles, and the interactions of Jesus’ life will be familiar. That one of the major goals when we started, that the life, teachings, ministry, death and resurrection will be part of our experience, through our reading and re-reading them. As we go about our days, having that information in our minds and hearts, will lead to our transformation as we apply them in the power of the Holy Spirit!  Thank You for investing the time and effort into reading the Bible through in a year, and more than that in meditating on and living God’s word in your life. The benefits and blessings of this discipline and practice are for here and now, and forever. 

[NOTE: For those who are continuing the 1-year Bible reading plan we started on April 1, 2018, just go to the end of this entry and you will find the Day 365 – Revelation 17-19; Luke 24 summary!]

1 Kings 4 offers us a list of Solomon’s leaders in virtually every area of life. Then it tells us of his wisdom and expertise in many different areas. While the chapter contains a great deal of detail, this written explanation is short, because it doesn’t contain many principles or points of significant application for us.

1 Kings 5-7 tells us of Solomon’s construction of the Temple and of his own palace. He used Hiram of Lebanon to oversee the cutting of the cedar lumber for the project. He conscripted Israelites to do the work. The number of workers is prodigious. He conscripted 30,000 workers, who worked in shifts of 10,000 at a time, so they worked one month and were off for two months during the project. He also had 70,000 men who carried the wood, along with thousands of others who undertook various aspects of the project. We’re given the details of the project, both the exterior and interior construction, and the furnishing of the Temple. King David had set aside supplies for the project, and we’re told the wood and the stones were cut and made to size before they were brought to the Temple for its construction. This meant that no stone or hammer was heard on the construction site itself. Solomon’s palace was bigger than the Temple and was furnished opulently. As we read the details of the Temple and palace’s construction, we see not only had David planned ahead by providing the materials, but Solomon planned ahead so every detail of the project was thought through and completed in a timely and effective manner. We can learn a great deal from reading through these three chapters, and one of the most important truth it contains is the importance of effective planning and execution of those plans.

As we return to Mark 16, which recounts the resurrection of Jesus, we’re reminded once again that the “shorter” ending of Mark, which most biblical scholars agree was the original ending to it, doesn’t contain many details about Jesus resurrection, except that it happened and Jesus promised to appear to His disciples. The longer ending tells us Jesus rebuked His disciples for not believing the women’s account that He had risen. It also includes detail about His commission to preach the gospel in the nations we don’t find in the other gospels. It speaks about signs accompanying their preaching which would include casting out demons, tongues, handling poisonous snakes without harm, and laying hands on sick people and healing them. The details are consistent with events recorded in the Book of Acts, so we need not doubt them just because they don’t occur in the other gospels, nor in the shorter ending of Mark itself. As we live out Jesus’ commission in the power of the Holy Spirit, He will provide what is necessary for us to fulfill it near and far.

Day 365 – Revelation 17-19; Luke 24

Revelation 17-18 focus on the fall of Babylon the “great prostitute.” The destruction of this bed of sexual immorality and idolatry will be mourned by people the world over, because the leaders of the world have indulged in “her” immorality and idolatry. As we read through the two chapters what stands out is while all the mourning is going on, no one attempts to help the prostitute. No one doubts her judgment is just, or they fear retribution if they get involved. We’ve all heard the saying, “As thick as thieves,” meaning there’s a loyalty among thieves, but in this case there will be no loyalty among those who watch the decimation of the core of the evil on the earth.

In Revelation 19, we read of a celebration in heaven for the destruction of Babylon and the beginning of the true beginning. What that means is Jesus comes forth on a white horse and rides out to bring judgment on the earth. We’re told the judgment comes from the sword of His mouth. Again, some consider this to be a literal sword, while others recognize, Jesus created the universe with a word, and He can judge it the same way. 

As we return to Luke 24, Jesus rises from the dead, and leaves the tomb, before the women who came to embalm Him arrive. When they enter the tomb, they find it empty, except for two angels who remind them of Jesus promise to rise from the dead. The women run to the disciples and tell them what they saw, but they don’t believe the women.

Luke moves to a scene with two men, disciples of Jesus, but not members of the twelve who were walking from Jerusalem to their home in Emmaus. Jesus appears to them, but they don’t recognize Him. When they tell them why they’re upset, Jesus goes through the Scriptures pointing out how they confirm the Messiah would be crucified and rise again. As they reach their home, Jesus acted as if He was going to continue on, but they invited Him into their house. When Jesus broke the bread in front of them, they recognized Him, and He disappeared. The men ran back to Jerusalem and found the disciples. As they told their story Jesus appeared. He greeted them, comforted them and then told them to wait until He sent the “Promise of His Father,” which is the Holy Spirit. Because Luke also wrote acts, we’re left hanging a bit as to what happens next. Luke picks that up in Acts 1, and that’s when Jesus returns to heaven.

[NOTE: For those who are continuing the 1-year Bible reading plan we started on April 1, 2018, just go to the end of this entry and you will find the Day 364 – Revelation 13-16; Luke 23 summary!]

Today we move to 1 Kings. The book starts with David’s death. He “bequeathed” the monarchy to his son, Solomon, who would become the wisest and wealthiest king in the history of Israel. As we will see, though, Solomon did not finish well. By the time we move to David’s grandson, Rehoboam, the monarchy fractures into two separate kingdoms: Israel and Judah. While those distinctions were around in David’s time, in Rehoboam’s time those divisions become clear and pronounced. The LORD kept His promise to have one of David’s sons sit on the throne “forever,” but the influence of those sons after Solomon would never be close to the level of David or Solomon’s.

1 Kings 1 starts with the account of David as an old man, who was so frail he couldn’t keep warm. A young woman, named Abishag, was brought to sleep with him, and literally all she did was sleep with him, to keep him warm.  Obviously, David’s reign as king was nearing an end. The only remaining question was which of his sons would be king. As they say, “Nature abhors a vacuum,” and because David had not announced his successor, his son Adonijah, his second-born after Absalom, talked with Joab, and Abiathar the priest, and they sided with him and proclaimed him king. Nathan the prophet heard about it. He remained loyal to David, as did Zadok the priest, and Benaiah his bodyguard. Nathan knew David had said Solomon would be his successor, so he called Bathsheba and told her to go to David and tell him that Adonijah had pronounced himself king. Nathan’s plan was to come in shortly after Bathsheba spoke to David and confirm Bathsheba’s report and ask David what his wishes were. The plan went as expected and David proclaimed Solomon his successor. David’s leaders made a public display of Solomon as the new king, and Adonijah realized he was doomed. His supporters left him, so he went to the tabernacle and grabbed the horns of the altar, symbolic of his putting himself at King Solomon’s mercy. Solomon showed himself a son after his father’s heart, by announcing if Adonijah proved true, his life would be spared.

In 1 Kings 2, we read David’s last words to Solomon. While some of the words simply reminded Solomon of the LORD’s promise to have one of his descendants remain on the throne of Israel, and some advice about ruling, David also showed revenge toward those who had not been faithful to him at the end of his life. He charged Solomon to see they were killed. To solidify his grip on the kingdom after David died, Solomon had his and David’s enemies killed. They included Adonijah, Joab, and Shimei. He didn’t kill Abiathar, because he was a priest, but he did exile him from his presence. In Solomon’s actions, we see his obedience to his father, and his own willingness to do what was necessary to establish his reign over Israel.

In 1 Kings 3, Solomon had a dream, and in it the LORD asked him what he wanted the LORD to give him. Solomon’s answer was he wanted wisdom to rule the people of Israel well. The answer pleased the LORD. Because it was an unselfish answer, the LORD promised to give Solomon wisdom, and to give him wealth and victory over his enemies, as well. Solomon had a great start to his leadership as king, and the closing section of chapter 3 shows us the LORD’s answer to the dream was real. Two prostitutes came to Solomon, and one claimed the other had taken her child. She did it because she had suffocated her own child as she slept, by rolling over on him. Then she took the other prostitute’s baby and placed the dead one in her arms. As they argued about whose child the living baby was, Solomon called for a sword. He said, “Let the child be divided in two and half given to each.” Immediately, the one prostitute said, “Yes, do that.” The other prostitute said, “No, give the child to her (the other prostitute). Solomon then said, “Give the child to the one who said not to kill him, but to give him to the other. She is the mother.” Everyone realized how much wisdom it took to come up with such a plan. They praised Solomon, and recognized God’s hand on his life.

As we return to Mark 15, we find Jesus before Pilate. Pilate finds no fault with Jesus–because there was no fault to be found. Yet, because of his fear of the crowds, and for his position, he condemns Jesus to die. Jesus is crucified, and endures the physical pain, but much more the spiritual anguish of taking the sins of the world upon Himself. At his death, Jesus is taken to the tomb of Joseph, and the stage is set for the greatest reversal in all of human history–the resurrection!

Day 364 – Revelation 13-16; Luke 23

In Revelation 13, we read of two beasts. The first beast caused people to worship the “Dragon,” who is the devil. This beast was given authority to kill the saints, the faithful who remained on the earth.  Who gave the beast the authority? Ultimately, it was God. After all, He is the final authority, and nothing can happen without His permission. But just as it was when He gave Satan permission to test Job, God didn’t take away anyone’s free will to continue following Him. Job passed that test, as have many down through the ages to the present day. Following Jesus doesn’t guarantee an easy life, or a long one here on earth. It doesn’t promise eternal life with Him when this life ends!  A second beast appears after the first and he has a “number,” which is 666. The number is the number of “imperfection.” As we have said the number 7 is the number of God, perfection, and heaven. That makes the number 666 evil to the ultimate degree. The antichrist represents the devil and causes everyone on earth either to receive his “mark” or be destroyed. This suffering is a theme from the time of the opening of the first seal on the first scroll and continues until Jesus comes to restore all things. As already noted, some see this as cycles of suffering, and others as a restating of the same suffering. Either way, things will get incredibly bad at the end of time, before Jesus comes to establish His eternal Kingdom.

Revelation 14 records the time of the earth’s judgment, as Jesus and the 144,000 are sent out. Then three angels come to proclaim the gospel and to proclaim judgment. The gore of the “harvest” is unimaginable as we are told the blood that was shed from those who died was as high as a horse’s bridle and extended for miles around. While this may or may not be a literal expression of what will happen, one thing is sure: Those who reject Jesus will be judged and the result will be both physical and spiritual suffering as has never been seen on the earth.

Revelation 15 records the sending of the seven final plagues of God’s judgment. Consider the patience of God even in this final sequence of judgment: As each plague would be sent out the people who were still alive would have the opportunity to repent and receive Jesus as Savior and Lord.

Revelation 16 records the seven final plagues, and it seems each is more devastating than the one before it. After each of the plagues we are told the people who remained cursed God and would not repent. I have known folks who suffering has caused them to curse God, and at times in my own suffering I have been angry with God. Here, though, we see God giving people the opportunity to turn to Him in their suffering, and instead they reject the salvation being offered. This reminds us how important it is to grab the grace of God in Jesus with everything we have. He wants us to know Him and to experience His presence in us through the Holy Spirit. As much as He wants that for us, He won’t force us to experience it. The response to His grace is to each of us to receive or reject.

As we return to Luke 23, we have the account of Jesus’ trial before Pilate, and then His crucifixion. In Luke’s account we read of Jesus’ offering forgiveness to those who drove the nails in His hands – which includes you and me, because we also caused Jesus’ death through our sins. We read of Jesus offering forgiveness to one of the thieves who was on a cross beside Him. The man asked Jesus to remember Him when He came into His Kingdom, and Jesus promised he would be with Him in paradise. When Jesus died, He was laid in the tomb of Joseph, and the women watched to see the location, so they could come and do the final preparation of the body for burial when the Sabbath ended. They and the whole world would be surprised at what they found! 

[NOTE: For those who are continuing the 1-year Bible reading plan we started on April 1, 2018, just go to the end of this entry and you will find the Day 363 – Revelation 9-12; Luke 22 summary!

2 Samuel 22 offers us an example of David’s poetry. We know David wrote many of the Psalms included in the Bible. The poem in chapter 22 gives God the credit and glory for all of David’s victories in battle and for protecting him throughout his life. We find parts of this poem in several of the psalms. David calls God his “rock.” He tells us he called out to God in his distress and God answered. We see the personal nature of the relationship David had with God, and we are reminded of God’s desire for us to be in relationship with Him. As we examine the various religions of the world, we find most of them point to an impersonal god or gods, but the God of Israel, the true and living God, always looks for people, and upholds the righteous. That was certainly the case in David’s life. David was imperfect as all of us are, but God loved him and blessed him throughout his life.

As we move to 2 Samuel 23, we are told we are reading the last words of David. They aren’t the “last” words of David, but they do point us to the end of David’s reign as king. David recalls that God promised to have one of his descendants rule on Israel’s throne for all generations after him. The second half of the chapter lists David’s thirty mighty men. In reality, the list includes “the three,” who were mightier than the thirty along with the thirty. As we read the men’s names, along with their exploits in David’s service, what strikes me is the loyalty these men showed David. Every leader knows loyalty is a vital component of being an effective and successful leader. After all, as John Maxwell once put it, “If you think you are leading, but no one is following, then you’re only taking a walk.” David was never simply taking a walk. He had people who were willing to die for him, to kill for him, and to go wherever he led them. That loyalty was earned by David’s own loyalty to the LORD, and to his men.

In 2 Samuel 24, we read about one of David’s last actions as king. It was an ill-advised command to take a census of Israel and Judah. The reason the action was ill-advised was it resulted in God’s judgment. We’re told God incited David to command the census, but the command was a test from God, which David failed. To count one’s people or troops in that day showed a desire to demonstrate one’s power or influence. David ought to have trusted in the LORD and not the number of his people or troops. Joab realized as much and attempted to dissuade David from having the census carried out. When the census was completed, the LORD sent Gad, the prophet, to David and gave him three options for how judgment would be carried out for this act of rebellion against God and His provision. David chose a plague, because it would put the final death toll in the LORD’s hands, rather than in the hands of David’s enemies. 70,000 people died through the plague, which finally ended when David bought the threshing floor of Aruanah, and offered sacrifices to the LORD there. When Aruanah offered to give David the threshing floor and the oxen needed to offer the sacrifice, David said he would not offer to the LORD that which cost him nothing. What a powerful principle for us to keep in mind as we live our lives. God offers His salvation to us freely through the blood of Jesus, and yet Jesus told us if we want to be His followers, we must deny ourselves, take up our crosses daily and follow Him. Our salvation was free to us, but it cost Jesus everything. As we live out our faith, it will have a cost for us as well.

As we return to Mark 14, we return to the painful last night of Jesus’ life. The chapter starts with Jesus having a meal in Bethany and being anointed with expensive perfume. Some in the group were upset the money was “wasted,” as the perfume could have been sold and the money given to the poor. But Jesus affirmed the action and pointed out the woman was preparing his body for burial.  He said she would be remembered for her good deed. Then we read about the Last Supper, Jesus’ prediction of Peter’s denial, Jesus’ time of prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane, His arrest and finally of Peter’s denying three times he had ever known Jesus. When it came to the last moments before Jesus was crucified, He was alone. Those closest to Him either betrayed Him, denied Him or abandoned Him. This had to be one of the darkest moments in Jesus’ life. We know from His prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane that He asked God to remove what was coming ahead of Him. Jesus knew He was going to take the sin of the world on His shoulders on the cross, and it shook Him to the core. Yet, in the end He told His heavenly Father, “Not My will, but Your will be done.” That attitude shows us Jesus is both Lord and Savior for us. While as Lord He owns us and gets to tell us what to do, He was first willing to die for us to purchase our lives out of sin, so He can lead us. That kind of Lord is worthy of being served!

Day 363 – Revelation 9-12; Luke 22

Revelation 9 offers us an explanation for what will happen when the fifth and sixth trumpets are blown. The first will result in a plague of locusts, with stings like scorpions that will hurt but not kill those who are stung. The second will result in the death of one third of humanity. I once had a professor who called the fractions of people killed by the various attacks in the end times as “fractions of grace.” God could simply wipe out everyone and everything on the earth, as He did during the time of the flood in Genesis 6-9, but He promised not to do that. It’s striking to notice the reaction of those who experienced the plagues and the attacks: they did not repent. Fallen humanity, of which we all start out as a part, seeks to blame others, to deny responsibility, and to reject God’s grace. Thankfully, some of us do accept it and receive the forgiveness of sin that has always been the only hope we have for living life in its fullness now, and forever.

Revelation 10 tells of another angel who came down from heaven with a scroll. He stood with one foot on the land and one on the sea. (We have a similar image in one of Daniel’s visions in the Old Testament.) In this case, the scroll causes seven “thunders” to speak, and John was about to write down what he heard, but he was told not to record it. Then John was given the scroll to eat. He was told it would be sweet in his mouth, but it would be sour in his stomach. This reference to sweet in the mouth and sour in the stomach is one we read fairly often among the prophets of the Old Testament. The point is sometimes a message of judgement “tastes” good as we offer it, but when we consider the consequences of it, it sours our stomachs. Once we have tasted the grace of God in our lives, it is no longer possible to experience His judgment without some sorrow for those who must experience it.

Revelation 11 starts with a record of two witnesses, who are Moses and Elijah. They will testify for “1260 days.” This number is significant in the Book of Revelation, and in the Book of Daniel. It is also recorded as three and a half years, or as a time, two times, and a half time. Each is a way of saying a short (three and a half years), and indefinite period of time.  After their time of prophesying against those who have rejected God, the beast or anti-Christ is released to kill them. After they were dead for three and half days, God resurrected them and called them back to heaven.  Following this the seventh trumpet was sounded, and worship is proclaimed forever and ever. If the Book of Revelation ended here, we wouldn’t miss not having the rest of it, except that Revelation 21-22 tells us some amazing things about heaven. The intervening chapters 12-20 tell us again and again of the judgment on those who reject Jesus.

Revelation 12 offers us a fantastic description of two crucial events: Jesus’ birth and the devil and his demons being cast down from heaven. The first part of the account seems to happen after the first, because the devil couldn’t have been waiting to kill Jesus, before he became the devil! In any case, the descriptions in the book of Revelation cause a great deal of challenge to those who seek to interpret every image literally. The dragon has long been an image for the devil, but he is a fallen angel, who even now can appear to us as “an angel of light,” as the Apostle Paul reminded us. The scariest thing about the devil these days is how many people he has convinced he doesn’t exist. It’s extremely challenging to fight an enemy we don’t believe exists. Revelation 12 reminds us he does exist and his goal is to destroy anyone and anything that serves Jesus.

As we return to Luke 22, Judas leaves the group to meet with the religious leaders. He agrees to betray Jesus. This is followed by Jesus last supper with the disciples, followed by Jesus praying in Gethsemane. After this is Jesus’ arrest, Peter’s denial of Jesus, and the soldiers mocking Jesus, and His trial before Pilate. All-in-all, next to Jesus being crucified, this was the worst day in the history of humanity, because we conspired to crucify our Creator, Redeemer and Sustainer. When I say “we” conspired, “we” weren’t there physically, but it was our sin that put Jesus in that place, and if we were in that time and place we know we would either have ignored Him, denied Him or betrayed Him, because that is what those closest to Him did!

[NOTE: For those who are continuing the 1-year Bible reading plan we started on April 1, 2018, just go to the end of this entry and you will find the Day 362 – Revelation 5-8; Luke 21 summary!]

In 2 Samuel 19 Joab rebukes David for mourning so forcefully for Absalom.  David realizes he must affirm the troops, or lose them. When David returns to Jerusalem, he shows his character once again, by pardoning those who spoke against him when he left the city. He also reinstates Mephibosheth, who Ziba had deceived and left in the city.  Because David couldn’t tell for sure whether it was Ziba or Mephibosheth who was telling the truth, he divided Mephibosheth’s property between them. Even so, Mephibosheth was grateful that his relationship with David was reestablished, because that meant more to him than the property. David also appointed Amasa as his commander over the army, because Joab had killed Absalom.

In 2 Samuel 20, Sheba, an Israelite (as opposed to a citizen from Judah) rebelled against David. When David sent his troops out against Sheba under Amasa’s command, Joab once again showed his treachery by murdering Amasa. Joab and Abishai then led Judah’s troops to victory and reestablished David’s leadership over all of Israel.

2 Samuel 21 records God’s judgment against the Israelites, because Saul had broken their pledge with the Gibeonites and killed some of them during his reign. The judgment came in the form of three years of famine. When David realized what was happening, he went to the Gibeonites and asked what could be done to satisfy this wrong. They didn’t ask for money, but for seven sons of Saul to be hanged. While the request seems so inhumane from our perspective, when David provided the men, and they were hanged the famine stopped. In addition, to this account, the chapter tells us about a couple of additional battles with the Philistines. David was nearly killed during the first battle, and his commanders told him he must no longer go into battle. We see David is aging, and literally his reign is going downhill at this point. In all of our lives, we grow and mature, and at some point, while our mental and spiritual abilities may continue to grow, our physical capacity diminishes. When that happens, we are wise to do as David did and realize our limitations.

As we return to Mark 13, we read Jesus’ record of what will take place in the future at the time of the end. Many signs and evidences of the end are noted, but Jesus made it clear no one would know the exact time of His return. He made one point extremely clear: Be ready.  While many folks in our day spend their time attempting to determine when Jesus will come back, we must invest our time attempting to help as many people as possible to know Him as Savior and Lord. That way when He returns, we will be found ready!

Day 362 – Revelation 5-8; Luke 21

Revelation 5 continues the scene from the throne room in heaven. In it a scroll is presented, but no one can open it. After some time, a “Lamb” that looked as if it had been slain, came and opened the scroll. The “Lamb” is Jesus. The description of the Lamb must be metaphorical, given that Jesus is a person. The elders and angels worshiped the Lamb and sang Him their praise. Take a good look at this chapter, because one day, we will be among those who are singing our praises to Jesus as well–so long as we belong to Him, because He is our Savior and Lord!

In Revelation 6, the Lamb removes six of the seven seals on the scroll, one at a time. With the removal of each seal comes a significant event. The first four seals being removed releases what has often been referred to as “The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.” They will be given power to devastate the earth. The fifth seal revealed martyrs who had died for their faith and are waiting for their full reinstatement in the time of Jesus’ victorious establishment of His eternal kingdom. The sixth seal released natural disasters on the earth. The impact will be felt throughout the planet. The question always asked is:  When will this happen? The short answer is: Even Jesus didn’t know when He was on the earth, so our efforts ought to be put forth in seeking to help people come to know Jesus before they take place!

Revelation 7 reveals an event debated, discussed, and that has even brought about a cult that focuses on the “144,000 virgin men” from the various tribes of Israel. The Jehovah’s Witnesses claim only 144,000 people will be in heaven. Once their numbers surpassed 144,000 people, they adjusted their views to say those 144,000 will be in heaven, while the others who believe and are faithful will be on the new earth.  In reading the rest of the chapter we see, the number of folks in heaven cannot be counted! That is much more than 144,000.  We see they will come from every people, tribe, tongue and nation. So much for those who think heaven will be populated only with people like them. This amazing scene in heaven will include people from everywhere on earth.

Revelation 8 tells us when the seventh seal was opened there was silence in heaven for half an hour. Talk about a dramatic pause…. Then seven angels came before God and they were given seven trumpets.  Remember the number seven symbolizes God, perfection, and fulfillment. So far, we’ve seen seven seals, now seven trumpets. We will experience more sevens before we’re done.  We’re told another angel came before the throne with a bowl of incense. The “incense” was actually the prayers of the saints. Consider that picture. Our prayers go up to the Lord in the same manner as incense used to go up from the Temple in Jerusalem. In the remainder of the chapter, the seven angels start to blow their trumpets, each in succession. As it was with the seven seals, the seven trumpets release disaster on the earth. Some of the disasters are similar to the plagues poured out on Egypt. We read of four of the trumpets’ disasters as the chapter closes, and a voice warns us the next three will be even worse.

As we return to Luke 21, Jesus affirms a widow who gave her last two pennies into the Temple offering. This is the only time Jesus affirmed someone for faithfulness in giving. He pointed out the amount wasn’t what made it special, but the sacrifice involved–it was all she had. The remainder of the chapter is devoted to Jesus telling us some of the signs of the end of the age. This fits well with the reading from the Book of Revelation. While Jesus and the Book of Revelation are detailed in telling us what will happen as the end approaches, they don’t tell us when it will happen. When isn’t ours to worry about, that leaves us with plenty of time to think about how we can help others to trust Jesus, while there is still time! 

[NOTE: For those who are continuing the 1-year Bible reading plan we started on April 1, 2018, just go to the end of this entry and you will find the Day 361 – Revelation 1-4; Luke 20 summary!]

In 2 Samuel 16-18, we read the record of David’s continuing retreat from Jerusalem, of Absalom’s arrival there, and of Absalom’s defeat and death. The high points of the chapters are: 1) David was cursed by Shimei a Benjamite as he was leaving Jerusalem. One of David’s men wanted to kill him, but David’s response was his own son had rebelled against him, how much more this Benjamite. 2) When Absalom entered Jerusalem, Ahithophel, his advisor, told Absalom to go in to David’s concubines as a sign he was taking over the palace. Then he told Absalom to go after David with 20,000 men at that time and destroy him, before he made it across the Jordan. Hushai, one of David’s trusted advisors, who had stayed behind in Jerusalem to confound Absalom’s plans, told Absalom to wait until the next day, and to amass all of Israel against David. This plan saved David’s life and set into motion Absalom’s defeat. Ahithophel was so upset that his plan was not received that he left the group, went home, and hanged himself. 3) Absalom and his army went after David the next day. David had told his commanders and all his troops to deal gently with Absalom, but when the time came, and Absalom was literally caught in a tree, Joab killed him. When the troops returned from battle, they returned to find David sobbing in remorse for Absalom’s death. That is how chapter 18 ends. A day that was a great victory for David appeared to be more like a defeat.  All these events are the living out of the consequence of David’s sin with Bathsheba. While David repented of the sin, the consequences remained. What an important lesson for us to remember: God will always forgive our sins when we repent, but the consequences of our sins may remain with us. We can escape from sin and eternal death, but the consequences of our actions often remain.

As we return to Mark 12, we read one of the longest sections of teaching in Mark’s gospel. Jesus has entered Jerusalem. Holy Week has begun. He has cleansed the Temple, and now He takes on the religious leaders. First, He tells the Parable of the Tenants, an obvious illustration of how the religious leaders were going to kill Him. Then He faced several tests from the religious leaders, passing each one easily. In the first test the religious leaders asked whether it was lawful to pay taxes to Caesar. They saw this as a “lose-lose” question for Jesus. If He said, “Yes,” they would say He was disloyal to Israel. If He said, “No,” they would turn Him into the Romans. Jesus didn’t answer either yes or no but told them to render to Caesar the things that belong to Caesar and to God the things that belong to God. Next, the Sadducees who didn’t believe in the resurrection (That’s why they were “sad, you see!”) came to him with a story about a woman who was married to seven different brothers over time, because each one day in his turn , and asked whose wife she would be in the resurrection, because she was married to each? Jesus answered that in heaven we are neither married nor given in marriage, but we are like angels. Then He pointed out that in the time of Moses when God appeared to Moses, He told Moses, I am the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob…. At that time, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob had been dead for a long time, but Jesus’ point was God said they were alive, proving the resurrection is a reality. Finally, Jesus was asked which commandment in the Law is the greatest. The test here was Jesus might answer in a way the religious leaders could argue was “wrong.” Once again Jesus demonstrated His command of the Law by stating the greatest commandment is to love God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength, and another commandment is like it: to love our neighbors as ourselves. No one could argue with that answer. Jesus closed out His time with the religious leaders by pointing out the Messiah is both the Son of David and the Lord of David, which astounded the crowd. He warned the crowd about the hypocrisy of the scribes. Then chapter 12 ends with Jesus pointing out the faithfulness and generosity of a poor widow, who gave her last two coins as an offering to God. Jesus said this was a greater gift than the “generous” gifts of those who gave a great quantity of offering, but only out of their surplus. Jesus’ interactions in chapter 12 show us no one is wiser than He, and no one is more faithful than He. As some political leaders have been described as “presidential,” we would have to describe Jesus as “Messiah-like,” because He was, indeed, the Messiah!

Day 361 – Revelation 1-4; Luke 20

Today we turn to the final book of the Bible: Revelation. This book has caused a great deal of controversy through the millennia. The book is a record of the vision Jesus revealed to the Apostle John, about the “end times.” The controversy has often been over whether the book provides a “time line” for the end, which can be determined from examining it. Some claim the book was only given as a comfort for those who suffered so deeply for their faith in Jesus in the first century but has no instruction for today. As with the rest of God’s word, it had meaning for the people in the time it was written and for today. As we read through Revelation, we will find some bizarre images, which some take literally, while others take metaphorically. On this much we can agree: Revelation makes it clear Jesus willreturn and when He does He willestablish His kingdom and reign forever!

Revelation 1 starts with a “beatitude” that is a blessing for those who read it aloud, and for those who hear it and keep it. We’re told what it records is for a time that is “near.” (While we might see 2,000 years and county as anything but near, we must remember in God’s timing 1,000 years are as a day.) Next, we’re told the letter is addressed to the seven churches that are in Asia. In chapters 2 and 3, we will read specific letters to each of the churches, but here they are greeted, and then John tells us many characteristics of Jesus in language taken mainly from images of the Hebrew Scriptures, what we call the Old Testament. Here’s how He is described: ¹³and in the midst of the lampstands one like a son of man, clothed with a long robe and with a golden sash around his chest. ¹⁴The hairs of his head were white, like white wool, like snow. His eyes were like a flame of fire, ¹⁵his feet were like burnished bronze, refined in a furnace, and his voice was like the roar of many waters. 
¹⁶In his right hand he held seven stars, from his mouth came a sharp two-edged sword, and his face was like the sun shining in full strength.Revelation 1:13-16 (ESV)

We read the letters to the seven churches in Revelation 2-3. While the letters are addressed to seven individual churches, numerology is important in the Book of Revelation. The number seven symbolizes God, perfection and completeness. Thus, the “seven churches,” can also symbolize the one universal church. As we will see, the letters are written in a specific format with a salutation, then comes either commendation, condemnation, or a combination of the two. Finally, the letter closes with encouragement to continue doing well to receive a reward, or a challenge to correct the errors or face permanent condemnation. Let’s look at each of the letters briefly:

The first letter was addressed to the Church in Ephesus. The letter starts with commendation for not permitting false teaching in the church. But then comes the condemnation: you have abandoned the love you had at first. The challenge every church faces is to hold the tension of truth andlove. The Ephesian Church had tipped to the side of focusing on truth but letting go of love. This leads to legalism and Pharisaism. Jesus challenged them to regain their love or their “lampstand” would be removed. Yet, those who held true would be given the opportunity to eat from the tree of life!

The next letter was addressed to the Church in Smyrna. This church received only commendation for holding true during times of trial and suffering. They were told a time of imprisonment was coming that would last “ten” days. The ten is in quotes because it is a symbolic number. Round numbers and multiples of tens often signify indefinite periods of time in this book. The promise to the Smyrnans is those who stand firm or conquer the period of suffering, will not be hurt by the second death–by hell.

The third letter was addressed to the Church in Pergamum. Once again, Jesus commends the people for their faithfulness in suffering, but condemnation comes in the form or renouncing those who participated in sexual immorality and the teachings of the Nicolaitans. As we see, while these words were directed at the Church in Pergamum at that time, the words are true of people in all churches of all times. The reward for victory was to be given a white stone with a new name only to the one who received it. That means having a special name given to you by Jesus that only you and He know!

The fourth letter was addressed to the Church in Thyatira. It holds commendation for those who have been faithful, and have endured suffering with patience. Yet, it also condemns those who practice sexual immorality. This letter makes it clear that some of each group were part of the church, and those in sin were called to repent. Those being faithful were called to remain faithful.  The promise for those who overcome in this situation, is they would rule the nations with Jesus!

The letter to the Church in Sardis, which is found at the beginning of Revelation 3, contains only condemnation. They have a reputation for being alive, but they were dead. Imagine being told that by Jesus! It isn’t how we appear on the surface the matters, or what people think of us. What matters is how our hearts stand before Jesus. He promised those who overcame white robes, symbolizing purity and victory. He also promised them their names would never be blotted out of the book of life.

The sixth letter is addressed to the Church in Philadelphia. This church receives only commendation. Jesus tells them He has opened a door for them that no one can close. He tells them He will bring false believers in front of them to bow before them. He tells them if they continue to remain faithful as they have been, He will make them “pillars” that will stand forever. What a promise!

The final letter, to the Church in Laodicea, is famous for the line, “Behold! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.” Billy Graham often used this verse to invite non-believers to put their faith in Jesus. But Jesus addressed it to those who were supposed to be following Him but weren’t. He said they were “lukewarm,” and because of that, He would spit them out of His mouth. Again, we see how it applied to the particular church to whom it was written, but it also applies to ever believer who has ever lived. Our goal is to be “hot” for the Lord, and not “lukewarm”!

As we move to Revelation 4, we experience our first celebration of worship in heaven. As we read the chapter, the imagery is hard to imagine. That is as it must be. How can anyone describe the indescribable? John attempted to tell us what heaven is like with earthly words and images. Until we experience it ourselves, none of us will be able to imagine it fully. Thankfully, John paints us several pictures of God, the “throne room,” and other parts of heaven. As we read through the book of Revelation, our minds will be informed, and our spirits will be touched!

As we return to Luke 20, Jesus’ authority is questioned by the Pharisees, but Jesus turns the question on them, and asks where John the Baptist’s authority originated. They couldn’t (or wouldn’t) answer the question, so Jesus left their question unanswered as well. Next, Jesus tells the Parable of the Tenants, which we’ve experienced before in Matthew and Mark. The gospel writers saw this as a clear statement of how the religious leaders were going to treat Jesus, and three of the four included it.  Next, we read of the religious leaders testing Jesus with a question about paying taxes to Caesar, followed by a question about the resurrection. The chapter closes with Jesus asking the leaders whose son the Christ/Messiah is? He showed them the Messiah is both the Son and the Father of David. We see again it’s always best not to test Jesus, because He always passes, and usually makes the “testers” look foolish in the process.

[NOTE: For those who are continuing the 1-year Bible reading plan we started on April 1, 2018, just go to the end of this entry and you will find the Day 360 – 2 John; 3 John; Jude; Luke 19 summary!]

In 2 Samuel 13, the prophecy of Nathan regarding David and his household starts to come to pass. First, David’s son Amnon raped his half-sister Tamar. Tamar’s brother, Absalom, retaliated by killing Amnon. The report that came to David said Absalom had killed all of his brothers, but it was only Amnon. Absalom ran away, but eventually came back to Jerusalem, and David was “comforted” by this return. While every family has its dysfunctions, King David’s family shows us how far a family’s dysfunction can go when its leader sets a poor example.

In 2 Samuel 14, Joab conspires to have King David bring Absalom back to Jerusalem by having a woman of Tekoa, tell a story about her son who had killed another, and seeking David’s help in the situation. When David told her he would help her, she asked why the king put his own son in the same situation. David asked the woman if Joab had put her up to it, and she confessed he had. David permitted Absalom to come back to Jerusalem, but he was not permitted to live with David, and David did not see him for two years. Absalom then convinced Joab to get David to permit him to see his father. It seemed that all was well, but in 2 Samuel 15, Absalom turned the hearts of the people against his father, by showing them favor, and judging their disputes. It took four years, but eventually Absalom staged an attempted overthrow, and had himself pronounced king at Hebron. David didn’t attack Absalom or go to Hebron to defend himself. He simply packed up and left. He made a few strategic moves, such as having the Ark of the Covenant stay in the city, so it would be protected, and because it would be there if the LORD saw fit to have David retain his throne. In addition, he had some trusted advisors pretend to have rebelled against him, so they could thwart Absalom’s planning. The situation was dire, but as we will see, God was not yet finished with David.

As we return to Mark 11, we look once again at Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem. The sequence of events included the people acknowledging Jesus as a descendant of David and honoring Him in a way they had not done before. Jesus cursed a fig tree that wasn’t bearing figs, and overturned the money changers’ tables in the Temple, demonstrating His authority to protect His Father’s house. Jesus explained the lesson of the withered fig tree, and how faith in God can move mountains. At the end of the chapter the religious authorities challenged Jesus’ authority, but as always Jesus was ahead of them. He asked where John the Baptist’s authority originated. The leaders wouldn’t say, because they knew the people thought John was a prophet, so they didn’t want to offend the people by saying John’s authority was merely human, but if they said it was from God, Jesus would ask them why they hadn’t obeyed him. So, they said they didn’t know. Jesus responded He wouldn’t tell them from where His authority arose. We can never outwit Jesus, because He is both wiser than us, and He is always at least one step ahead of us. Our goal as Jesus’ followers is to give Him the credit He is due all the time, not just once as the folks did on the first Palm Sunday so long ago. Also, we must submit to Jesus’ authority daily, so our lives will be lived to His glory and praise.

Day 360 – 2 John; 3 John; Jude; Luke 19

Today we turn to 2 John, 3 John and Jude. Each of these letters is brief, and in the big picture of God’s word might not even seem to be incredibly important. But as Paul reminded Timothy all scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching and correcting us in His ways. 

In 2 John, John address the letter to “The elect lady and her children.” This could be a local Christian church. In any case, John’s message is similar to that of his larger focus in 1 John: stay faithful and obedient to Jesus. One additional focus comes to light: we must offer hospitality to true believers, but we want to avoid doing so for false teachers. John closes by writing he has much more to say but wanted to do it in person than through a letter. This reminds us our faith is first and foremost a relational faith. It is not simply words of instruction.

In his brief 3 John, John praises Gaius a local church leader whose faithfulness to Jesus and the Church are evident. At the same time he points to Diotrephes as an object lesson in how not to live as Jesus’ follower. Diotrephes was arrogant and resistant to offering hospitality to those who deserved it. Again, John closes by writing he had much to say, but wanted to say it in person rather than with pen and ink.

Jude, who was likely another half-brother of Jesus, wrote to correct false teaching, to challenge some false teachers directly, and also to encourage the faithful to continue in their obedience to Jesus. This brief letter closes with one of the most beautiful ascriptions of praise or doxologies in the entire Bible: ²⁴  Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, ²⁵to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen. Jude 1:24-25 (ESV) As we return to Luke 19, we read of Jesus’ powerful interaction with Zacchaeus, who was a tax-collector, but Jesus treated Him with love and respect. As a result, Jesus proclaimed Zacchaeus had received salvation. Jesus then told the Parable of the Ten Minas, which reminds us Jesus expects us to “multiply” whatever He entrusts to us in serving His Kingdom. Following this we read of Jesus’ Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem, where Jesus is acknowledged as the Son of David. Unfortunately, the accolades were short-lived as a brief five days later the same crowds were shouting, “Crucify Him!”  The chapter closes with Jesus driving the money-changers out of the Temple. Jesus’ confrontations with the religious leaders as we move through the next five days will prove to be the straw that broke the camel’s back, and the religious leaders will fulfill Jesus’ prophecy by arresting Him, trying and finding Him guilty, and turning him over to the Romans to be crucified.

[NOTE: For those who are continuing the 1-year Bible reading plan we started on April 1, 2018, just go to the end of this entry and you will find the Day 359 – 1 John 1-5; Luke 18 summary!]

2 Samuel 9 shows us David’s compassion. After becoming solidly in charge of Israel, he asked whether anyone was left of Saul’s household to whom he could show kindness, because of his friendship with Jonathan. Mephibosheth, Jonathan’s son, was still alive. He had become lame in both feet, because he had been dropped by his nurse, when he was a boy. David restored to Mephibosheth all of Saul’s land, and gave him a place at his own table for meals. In other words, Mephibosheth lived in David’s home.  David called on Ziba, Saul’s servant to take charge of all of Saul’s land, and to care for it for Mephibosheth. In a time when victorious kings generally slaughtered everyone left in their predecessor’s family, we see why David was called a man after God’s own heart.

In 2 Samuel 10 we read of another act of compassion shown by David, which ended up with Israel defeating two nations in battle. The king of the Ammonites died, but when David sent a delegation to Hanun, the king’s son, to pay David’s respects, the princes of the Ammonites convinced Hanun David’s motives weren’t to console him, but to spy out their situation. Thus, the Ammonites humiliated David’s delegation by cutting off half of each of their beards and cutting off their robes at the hips. As a result, David went to battle against the Ammonites. As was common in that day, when a nation saw they were likely to lose in battle, the Ammonites called on the Syrians to fight on their behalf. David’s leaders, Joab and Abishai, went against the two nations and defeated them, but the Syrians mounted a counter-offensive. This time David gathered the whole army of Israel and defeated the Syrians soundly. The result was the Syrians paid tribute to Israel and were unwilling to fight for the Ammonites again. David’s power was reaching its apex. Soon, no nation would dare fight against Israel. God’s favor was upon him, and we can see why the Israelites would later refer to David’s reign as the golden age of their nation.

2 Samuel 11 marks a great and sad turning point in David’s life. It starts off with the statement, “In the spring of the year, the time kings go out to war, David sent Joab…” It was David’s task to go to war, but he sent his army commander, and stayed in Jerusalem. David shirked his work as king. As a result, he was idle. One afternoon, after he got up from a nap, he went out and saw a beautiful woman taking a bath on her roof. He called for the woman, even though he knew she was married. He had sex with her and she became pregnant. The woman was Bathsheba. She was the wife of one of David’s bravest soldiers, Uriah the Hittite. When David realized what he had done, he called Uriah home from the battlefront to have some time with his wife. David’s plan was for Uriah to have sex with his wife and then he would assume the child was his when it was born. The plan failed, because Uriah was too honorable to go home and be with his wife, while the rest of the army remained in battle. He slept outside David’s palace. This went on for several days, and when David realized he couldn’t convince Uriah to go home to be with Bathsheba, he sent Uriah back to the front with a sealed message for Joab. The message was for Joab to see that Uriah was killed in battle. David planned to cover up his adultery with murder. The plan “worked.”

2 Samuel 12 shows us why I put “worked” in quotes. While David got away with murdering Uriah, and then took Bathsheba into his palace as his wife after her time of mourning was over, God sent the prophet Nathan to David to confront him over his sin. Nathan couched the confrontation in terms of a poor man who had a ewe lamb, whose rich neighbor took it, killed it and served it for dinner when guests came rather than taking a lamb from his flock. David became so incensed at the story that he shouted, “That man deserves to die!” Nathan responded, “You are the man.” At once David recognized his sin. He repented, and God forgave him, but the consequences of his actions were grave. God told him there would always be internal conflict in his family, and one of his own sons would sleep with his concubines in broad daylight. The son born to Bathsheba would die.  This happened. We see once again no one is beyond God’s judgment, not even David the great king. Sin is sin. There’s always a consequence. Even if no one else knows about it, God does. David’s story is a powerful reminder we must live in God’s righteousness and the power of His Spirit. Otherwise, even the “best” among us will fall.

As we return to Mark 10, the chapter starts with Jesus affirming God’s plan for marriage as stated in Genesis 2: marriage between one man and one woman for life. He adds, “What God has joined let no one separate.” Then Jesus blesses children who have been brought to Him by their parents. The disciples protested Jesus was too busy for this, but Jesus rebuked the disciples and reminded them the Kingdom of God belongs to those who are like children.

Next, we read the account of the rich young man who wanted Jesus to tell him how to gain eternal life. When Jesus told him to obey the commandments, and the man said he had, Jesus told him he lacked one thing: he needed to sell all he had and give it to the poor, and then to come follow Him. The man declined the offer, because His wealth was too important to him. How sad that the man put money before a relationship with Jesus!

Jesus then tells the disciples a third time He was going to be crucified and rise again. This time James and John seeing the opportunity Jesus’ enthronement would bring, ask to sit at the right and the left side of His throne when He came into His Kingdom.  Jesus told them it wasn’t for Him to give this honor, and that it wasn’t for those who follow Jesus to seek it. Our task is to serve first, and let the LORD decide our position.

Finally, as is Mark’s custom, Jesus heals someone. This time it’s blind Bartimaeus. Jesus tells Bartimaeus it was his faith that healed him. Once again, we see the connection between faith and healing. This time the person needing the healing had faith. At other times it was a friend’s faith. At others it was Jesus own faith and power that healed. Faith is always a key component when it comes to receiving God’s wholeness in our lives.

Day 359 – 1 John 1-5; Luke 18

Today we turn to the Apostle John’s first general letter to the church. In all, John wrote or dictated five books: The Gospel of John; 1, 2, and 3 John, and Revelation. The reason I said wrote or dictated is the Book of Revelation has the worst Greek writing in the entire New Testament, while the Gospel of John has some of the best. How could the same person have written both? If we think about it for a moment, it isn’t hard to see what might have happened. When John wrote the Book of Revelation, he was in exile on the island of Patmos. He didn’t have a “scribe” someone to whom he could dictate what he experienced. He had to write it himself. He was a Hebraic Jew by background, born and raised in Israel. He wouldn’t likely have been too good at writing Greek. It would have been a second or third language for him. In the Book of Revelation, we find a number of “Hebraisms,” which means the writing is in Greek, but the words or phrases themselves are rooted in Hebrew words and phrases. Why bring this up when we’re about to read 1 John? Because John authored a significant portion of the New Testament, and I wanted to point that out. 1 John is by far the longest of the “Johanine” letters. The other two are only one chapter each. In 1 John, John lays out his theology of Jesus, and reminds us he and the other apostles wrote from lives of personal experience: They had heard Jesus’ words personally. They had seen Jesus perform miracles and they had touched Him personally. That included seeing and touching the risen Jesus! What an amazing opportunity they experienced, and because of that experience, John was able to speak clearly about Jesus’ life, death and resurrection and the significance of each for our lives. John’s experience allowed him to verify Jesus was fully God and fully man, which was often doubted in the early Church, and false teachers seemed to present ideas that elevated Jesus’ humanity or His divinity but denied the reality of His being both fully God and fully human.

In 1 John 1, John sets for his basic premise: We have seen, heard and touched Jesus in our lives. Therefore, we know He is God’s son, and the light of the world. All who walk in that light will know the light of life. John also reminds us whoever claims he has no sin is self-deceived or a liar, but when we confess our sins to God, He is just and faithful to forgive those sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. What a powerful and important truth: We don’t serve a God who rejects us if we aren’t perfect. He knows we aren’t perfect, which is why Jesus died for us. When we admit these imperfections, our sins, and everything about us that is broken, God is eager to forgive us and help us be made whole.

In 1 John 2, John reminds us we are called to live holy lives, but when we sin, and repent, we have an advocate–Jesus­­–who will forgive and restore us. John makes it clear that if continue to live habitually sinful lives, we are deceived if we think we belong to Jesus. John reminds us of Jesus’ new commandment to love one another. For John that is the litmus test of our faith. If we say we love God, but don’t love each other our claims are false. John writes at some length about the “antichrists” who were already in the world and the antichrist who was to come. John rightly points out anyone who is working against the ways and will of Jesus is an “antichrist,” which means being opposite or opposed to Christ. John reminds us we are children of God. What an amazing position and relationship! Regardless of who we are or who our biological parents may be or have been, we are children of the living God through the shed blood of Jesus!

1 John 3 is a powerful chapter that starts with the reminder that we are called children of God through Jesus and that is what we are! John reminds us we won’t continue to live lives of sin when Jesus is in charge of our lives. In 1 John 3:16 we read these powerful words: ¹⁶By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers.1 John 3:16 (ESV) Most of us know John 3:16 (from the Gospel of John): For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son that whoever believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.  But 1 John 3:16 reminds us of Jesus laying down His life for usand then calls us to lay down our lives for one another! It’s easy to rest on John 3:16, but a genuine faith is going to move forward in laying down our lives for each other.

1 John 4 starts with a reminder we aren’t to believe every “spirit,” but we must test the spirits to make sure they are from God. The test is simple: Any spirit who says Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God. Any spirit that doesn’t make that confession is from the antichrist. John goes on to write a great deal about God and His love. John reminds us God doesn’t merely exhibit love: God is love. As we would expect, John also goes on to say our own love of God is shown in our love for one another. Anyone can say, “I love God,” but as John reminds us if we don’t love our brothers and sisters whom we have seen, we most certainly don’t love God whom we have not seen. 

1 John 5 closes with a strong reminder that when we love God and believe in Him, we will obey His commandments. As I’ve mentioned in other posts, one of my mentors, Pastor Dale Milligan, often said, “To love God is to trust God enough to obey Him.” Talk is free when it comes to loving God, but when we live out that love in obedience, in the power of the Holy Spirit, others know we are Jesus’ followers. John goes so far as to say we will overcome the world when we live in loving obedience to Jesus. John concludes the letter by writing he has written to keep his readers in the truth, to remind them God hears their prayers and responds to them as they live in His truth and love. He writes to call them again to holy lives and to remember no one who knows God continues to live sinful lives. He closes with the simple admonition: keep yourselves from idols. While that might not seem to apply to us, we must remember not all idols are statues made of wood, metal or stone. Even the good things in our lives can become idols when we value them more than we value our relationship with God.

As we return to Luke 18, Jesus tells His disciples the Parable of the Persistent Widow, which He told them to remind them of how important it is for us to persist in prayer. After that, Jesus told the Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector, which reminds us how important it is to remember we’re all sinners, and the humble prayer of confession and repentance is the most important prayer we can offer. Next, families bring their children to Jesus for Him to bless them. The disciples don’t see the value in this until Jesus rebukes them and invests time with the children. That tells us we must value and invest time in children as well.  Jesus then has a conversation with a rich, young ruler who wants to know how to gain eternal life. Jesus tells the man to have riches in heaven, he must give up his worldly wealth. The man was unwilling, because he had great wealth. How sad that the man gave up the opportunity to be with Jesus as one of His followers, because he couldn’t let go of material wealth! After this, Jesus tells the disciples a third time of His impending crucifixion. We’re told they didn’t get it at all. Finally, the chapter closes with Jesus healing a blind man. Luke tells us Jesus focused on the man’s faith as being responsible for the healing. As we think about the matters in our lives, whether physical or spiritual that need healing, we must exercise our own faith as our part in the healing process.

[NOTE: For those who are continuing the 1-year Bible reading plan we started on April 1, 2018, just go to the end of this entry and you will find the Day 358 – 2 Peter 1-3; Luke 17 summary!]

In 2 Samuel 5, we read of David being made king over all of Israel at the city of Hebron. It took David seven years to overtake Jerusalem and make it his home and the capital of Israel. We’re told David “ruled” over Israel for forty years. We also read of David defeating the Philistines, and the LORD defeating them a second time. The LORD was with David as we have already seen and will continue to see as we move through 2 Samuel.

In 2 Samuel 6, David has the Ark of the Covenant returned to Jerusalem, but not without difficulty. Uzzah, one of the men who transported the Ark was killed when he reached out to steady it, because the ox had stumbled. While it seems Uzzah was only trying to help, he was not a priest. This both frightened and angered David, so he left the Ark where it was at the home of  Obed-edom. During the three months it was there, the family of Obed-edom was blessed, so David decided again to bring the Ark to Jerusalem. This time he offered a sacrifice to the LORD after every six steps. David danced before the LORD, and Michal, his wife, was offended by David’s display before the LORD. As a result, she never had children. Again, we see actions have consequences, and they were often more immediate than at times in our lives.

In 2 Samuel 7, David told Nathan the prophet he wanted to build a “house” for the LORD. Nathan told him to do what was in his heart, but then the LORD told Nathan David would not be the one to build the Temple, but David’s son. The LORD promised the leadership of Israel would never depart from one of his offspring. David’s response was gratitude and humility.

In 2 Samuel 8, we read of David’s conquests over the near neighbors of Israel. Often David gave the spoils of the victories to the LORD. While it’s fitting That David did so, we find David’s response was consistently right and good, unlike that of Saul who came before Him. Soon enough David will show his own weaknesses, but in the initial years of his reign, he followed the LORD faithfully.

As we return to Mark 9 once again, we’re reminded of the powerful moment when Jesus was transfigured with Moses and Elijah in front of Peter, James, and John. The moment shows us all Jesus is who He says He is. It only confirms what Peter had proclaimed in Mark 8. When the foursome travelled down the mountain, they found the other nine disciples struggling unsuccessfully to remove a demon from a boy. Jesus shows an unusual lack of patience, or a bit of consternation at the situation. He heals the boy, but not before a brief confrontation with the boy’s father. When the man said, “If you can do something…” Jesus corrected the man, “If?…All things are possible for those who believe.”  What a helpful reminder to us as well. Jesus’ power to save, heal, deliver people from demons, and whatever else needs to be done in our lives is more than sufficient. We must sometimes ask Jesus to help us in our unbelief, and He will. Our task is to open ourselves to Jesus in every situation, so He can work in and through us to will and to work for His good pleasure!

Day 358 – 2 Peter 1-3; Luke 17

Today we turn to Peter’s second letter to the universal Church of his day. In this letter, Peter focuses on correcting heresy or false teaching. He also reminds us to live faithfully as we’re waiting for Jesus’ return.

In 2 Peter 1, Peter exhorts his readers to continue in the faith and to grow in the faith they have received from Jesus Christ. Peter also appeals to his experience of the transfiguration as evidence that Jesus is truly Lord. He tells his readers he is going to be dying soon, and he wants to ensure that after he is gone, they will continue in the faith. He reminds them that the prophetic word must be interpreted faithfully in accordance with the truth of God.

In 2 Peter 2, Peter rehearses many types of false teaching and false teachers that were seeking to lead people away. Peter offers a “laundry list” of the types of false teaching and immorality they faced. He reminded his readers of God’s protection from the evil we face, using Lot as an example of how God has protected His people from ancient times. As we seek to follow Jesus in our lives, we must remember the importance of holiness and godliness, which come from learning the truth of God and living it out in the power of the Holy Spirit.

In 2 Peter 3, Peter reminds everyone to prepare for Jesus’ return, because He isreturning. Some had told the believers Jesus wouldn’t be returning, because He hadn’t returned yet. Peter reminded them for the Lord a thousand years are as a day, and that He wasn’t being slow in returning, but patient. My prayer is for the Lord’s patience to continue, because I don’t want the billions of people in the world who don’t know Him to miss the opportunity of being saved. Peter closes by reminding the folks the importance of the Scriptures and includes the Apostle Paul’s writings in the list of the Scriptures. That is important to us, because in Peter and Paul’s day, the Scriptures were the Jewish Scriptures, what we call the Old Testament. Peter’s own words help us to see that Paul’s writings are God’s word, too.

As we return to Luke 17, Jesus reminds us how important it is for us to be faithful to Him, and particularly important not to lead one of His “little ones” to sin. Then Jesus heals ten lepers, but only one returns to give Him thanks. The one was a Samaritan. Jesus asked why only one of ten returned to say, “Thank you.”? It’s a great question. Sometimes, we take so much for granted, and forget every good and perfect gift comes from God. That leads us to have a hart of gratitude. The chapter closes out with Jesus talking about the time of His return and the importance of being ready. So often, I remind us that more important than whenJesus will return is that He will return, so we must be ready when He comes!

[NOTE: For those who are continuing the 1-year Bible reading plan we started on April 1, 2018, just go to the end of this entry and you will find the Day 357 – 1 Peter 1-5; Luke 16 summary!]

Today, we turn to 2 Samuel. In the first chapter, David learns of Saul’s death. The account of Saul’s death is slightly different than we read it in 1 Samuel. An Amalekite came and told David about Saul’s death. He said he had killed Saul at Saul’s request, because Saul was mortally wounded, but hadn’t died. David responded to the report by mourning, having the Amalekite killed for killing Saul, and then pronouncing a poem of praise in memory of Saul and Jonathan. We see David’s honor once again. He didn’t gloat at the death of the man who had attempted to kill him on numerous occasions and hunted him as if he were a wild animal. Instead, he carried out justice against Saul’s “killer,” and honored the memory of Saul and Jonathan.

In 2 Samuel 2, David was anointed King of Judah, but Abner, King Saul’s body guard proclaimed Ish-Bosheth one of Saul’s son as king over the remainder of Israel. The two armies went out against each other, and twelve men were selected from each side to battle in hand-to-hand combat. With one move each man killed his opponent, so all twelve were dead. This led to more fighting and at one point, Asahel, one of three brothers who were David’s right hand men: Joab, Abishai, and Asahel, chased after Abner. Abner told him to turn aside from chasing him, but Asahel would not, so Abner killed him. Then Joab and Abishai chased after Joab. Finally, Joab called for a “cease fire,” and everyone went home. This would not be the end of the conflict, as God had Samuel anoint David as king over Israel many years before, and that anointing meant one day David would rule over the entire nation.

In 2 Samuel 3 Abner saw the LORD was with David and decided to go over to his side. David welcomed the gesture, but when Joab heard about it, he called Abner to a private meeting and killed him in retribution for killing Asahel. David made it clear to everyone that Joab had acted on his own and mourned for Abner. This pleased all the people of Israel and made David’s position as king secure. In 2 Samuel 4, two men decided to do David a “favor,” and killed Ish-Bosheth. When they brought his dead body to David, David responded by pointing out he had avenged Saul’s death, and how much more would he avenge the death of an “innocent” man. So, he had his men kill Ish-Bosheth’s murderers. As we read through these chapters, we see much killing both in the battles with foreign nations, and through infighting among the Israelites themselves. Many see this as an indication that the “God” of the Old Testament is a different God than that of the New Testament, who we see through Jesus. It is not a different God. There is only one, true God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. As we have pointed out on a number of occasions, thus far, God was establishing a nation. It was to be a holy nation. While some of the killing we see was not God’s justice, and would be condemned by God, we cannot miss the truth that sometimes people died because of God’s judgment on their lives.

As we return again to Mark 8, remember this is the turning point in Mark’s gospel. It starts with the record of Jesus feeding the 4,000. Then it moves to a confrontation with the Pharisees–nothing new there. This time it was over the Pharisees wanting Jesus to show them a sign. He had just fed thousands of people with a small amount of food. What was that? Then Jesus healed a blind man. The turning point comes when Jesus asks His disciples who the crowds said He was? After they responded to that question, Jesus asked, “But who do you say I am?” That is the question, isn’t it? Who do you and I say Jesus is? Peter got the right answer and immediately after that Jesus told the disciples He was going to be handed over to the religious leaders and be crucified, but He would rise again. Peter took Jesus on over that statement. He didn’t expect the Messiah to die. His plans didn’t include it, and undoubtedly, he had grown used to Jesus’ supernatural powers and presence in his life. Jesus made it clear Peter’s plans were not from God, but from Satan. He then turned to the crowd and reminded them (and us!) of the cost of following Him. From this point forward in Mark’s Gospel, Jesus is heading toward Jerusalem and His appointment with His destiny-dying on the cross to pay the penalty for human sin and rising again to show He had conquered sin and death.

Day 357 – 1 Peter 1-5; Luke 16

Today we turn to Peter’s first letter to the Church at large. Peter wrote two letters, and each was intended to encourage, challenge and correct. Peter’s pastoral side comes out in the letters, and he wanted to encourage those who were suffering for their faith in Jesus to persevere and to expect Jesus’ rewards for their faithfulness. We see he might be coming to consider Jesus’ return as something that won’t happen as quickly as the apostles and other believers thought originally.

In 1 Peter 1, Peter tells us he was writing to those who had been dispersed because of their faith throughout the known regions of the world. He encouraged them to maintain the hope of the faith, because as those who were born again to a new hope, they were assured of their ultimate rescue through Jesus. Peter also emphasized we are called to be holy, that is set apart for God’s purposes in our lives. While our “flesh” is temporary, we can be assured of our futures, because they are tied to God’s eternal word.

In 1 Peter 2, Peter calls the people “living stones,” and just as Jesus, the true living stone, caused offense, but ultimately overcame, so will we.  Peter then moves to exhorting his readers to submit to authority. He mentions submission to the emperor and governors first and speaks of submitting even when it means suffering. Next, Peter challenges slaves to submit to their masters, even when they were treated improperly. Peter also points out there is blessing for suffering when you are doing right, but not when you suffer for doing wrong.

In 1 Peter 3, Peter continues his conversation about submitting, by telling wives to submit to their husbands. He reminds the wives their faith might be the means by which their husbands come to know the Lord. Peter tells husbands to live with their lives in and understanding way, and to treat them well. Otherwise, their prayers might not be answered.  Peter closes out the chapter by reminding his readers to be willing to suffer for doing good, and always to be ready to give an explanation for the hope they have in Jesus. He reminds them Jesus also suffered for doing right, and in so doing brought them salvation!

In 1 Peter 4, Peter reminds his readers they are stewards of God’s grace and must not misuse it. He continues to write about the importance of being willing to suffer for doing right, and to remember when we have suffered in the flesh, we are done with temptation. The chapter helps us to recognize the world will not agree with our lives when we put Jesus first, and thus, we can expect some discomfort.

In 1 Peter 5, Peter exhorts the elders, pastors and overseers, who are all one group of people, to lead the people effectively and humbly. Peter reminds all of them to live in humility and to remember the devil is roaming around like a hungry lion seeking to devour them. The good news is when we trust in the Lord and live in His will, the lion has no opportunity to devour us.

As we return to Luke 16, Jesus tells an odd parable. It is odd in the sense that Jesus affirms a “shrewd” manager who was going to be fired, who used his master’s debtors as a means of finding a new job. He did it by cutting deals with each of them, so one of them might consider hiring him, because of his efforts on cutting their debts toward his master. Jesus’ point is the people of the world are wiser in using money that we are, so we need to be wiser in this area. Jesus closes the chapter with the story of the rich man and Lazarus. Both died and the rich man, who had never helped Lazarus who was poor, or thought of anyone but himself was sent to hell, while Lazarus went to heaven. The rich man begged Abraham to send Lazarus across the chasm between heaven and hell to give him a drink.  Abraham responded it wasn’t possible. Then the man begged Abraham to send Lazarus back to warn his brothers about their need to change. Again, Abraham said it wasn’t possible. Even it was possible, Abraham pointed out the brothers had Moses and the prophets to lead them to God. If they wouldn’t respond to that truth, sending someone back from the dead wouldn’t either. What a great blessing it is we have the word of God, and the words of Jesus to instruct us about the matters of our life and salvation!