Daily Bible Reading Day 181

Job 16-18; Acts 9:1-22.  Job says that his friends are sorry comforters. He goes on to describe that the derision that he receives from others. To some degree it almost sounds like the situation of Jesus on his last couple of days. Bildad weighs in again and describes the situation of those who don't know God and seems to imply that Job fits that situation.

Saul is feeling strong after Stephen's death and his initial efforts to stop the Way. He is growing in strength. He asks for permission to go to Damascus to arrest followers of Jesus and bring them back to Jerusalem. Does the Roman government allow the Jews to police their own in this way?  On the way there Jesus appears to him. He is blinded and taken to Damascus Ananias is sent to him. He tells him what is going to happen. Saul regains his sight and is baptized. He begins to proclaim Jesus in the synagogues in Damascus. 

Daily Bible Reading Day 180

Job 13-15; Acts 8:26-40.  Job want to contend with God because God appears to have made Job an enemy. Job cries out but God isn't listening. Though He slay me, I will still trust in him. No matter what emotions bubble up during this ordeal Job will maintain his trust in God. Eliphaz speaks again, Claims his experiences demonstrate his side of the story. 

Philip is taken by the Spirit out to a lonely desert road. There he sees a chariot. Does this Ethiopian eunuch have a big entourage or is he by himself? Anyway, the eunuch is reading an Isaiah scroll and in particular from chapter 53. So Philip begins with that portion of Scripture and proclaims Jesus. During Philip's proclamation they come across water and the eunuch requests baptism. Here is the confession we use before baptism yet the best MSS don't contain this confession. Philip baptizes the eunuch and the Spirit snatches him away to Azotus. Philip continues proclaiming Jesus and arrives at Caesarea. 

Daily Bible Reading Day 179

Job 10-12; Acts 8:1-25.  In this cycle Job states rather clearly that he doesn't understand what is happening to him. He does believe what his three friends believe - namely that what is happening to him (Job) usually happens to those who are wicked. Job knows he isn't in the wicked category so he wants God to explain it to him. Zophar now weighs in the discussion. He doesn't really add anything to what the others have said.

After Stephen's death Saul gains confidence and enthusiasm to stop Christianity. He starts dragging people to prison for believing in Jesus. The persecution becomes so bad that people are scattered from Jerusalem. Far from being a bad thing the people leave and start proclaiming the word as they are traveling. The apostles however do not leave. 

Philip leaves and goes to Samaria. He is up against Simon the magician. I think the KJV calls Simon a sorcerer. This is perhaps correct since magic back then was often associated with a pagan god or what we call the occult. Many believe and are baptized, including Simon. None of them are filled with the Holy Spirit to do miraculous things. So Peter and John are sent. They pray and then lay hands upon the Samaritans and they receive the Holy Spirit and begin to do miracles. Simon tries to buy this ability and Peter condemns him. I think Simon is repentant. 

Daily Bible Reading Day 178

Job 7-9; Acts 7:44-60.  Job says "What is man?" during his first rebuttal and this sounds a lot like Psalm 8. Anyway, Job complains bitterly about his situation. Then Bildad weighs in. Bildad seems to understand Job as saying he has not done anything worthy of the trouble he has received. Bildad seems to be saying Job should repent and it will all go away. Job seems to agree with Bildad but still claims that there is nothing for him to repent of.

Stephen comes to the conclusion of his message. God gave Israel the land and then Solomon built the temple and God dwelt in it though no building could hold him. But Israel rejected the prophets and persecuted them. Stephen accuses the current generation of being stiff-necked like Israel has always been. Then the crowd could contain themselves no longer and they took him out of the city and stoned him to death. Interesting that the leaders turned Jesus over to Pilate because they weren't allowed by the Romans to execute those worthy of death but here spontaneously they executed Stephen. Stephen sees Jesus standing at the right hand of God and Stephen speaks to Jesus to receive his spirit.

Daily Bible Reading Day 177

Job 4-6; Acts 7:20-43.  Job is not going to be easy to summarize. Job's friend, Eliphaz, sees Job's first words as suggesting that he doesn't know why he is in such bad times. Eliphaz says that God is just and that only the wicked feel the pain of God's wrath. Job answers back that this isn't the case. The Almighty has wounded him without cause.

Stephen continues his message with Moses. Moses was born into a Jewish family but raised in Pharaoh's house. At age 40 he goes to visit his brethren. Discovers an Egyptian guard beating a Jewish a slave. Moses decides to intervene and kills the guard. He thinks the Jews will understand his intention but they don't. Then in the wilderness they show that they really don't understand what is going on when they ask Aaron to build them a god to worship as the god who brought them out of Egypt. Actually some of them will never get it right because they brought gods with them from Egypt into the wilderness and didn't give them up.

Daily Bible Reading Day 176

Job 1-3; Acts 7:1-19.   Job begins with a description of Job. He is an exceptional man of God. He is wise, mature, and thoughtful about God. He has it all. Wealth, family, and a great reputation. Then Satan challenges God to see if Job would curse God because Satan alleges that Job is only faithful because of his blessings. So his blessings are taken away. Four servants in a row come and tell Job of his loss of his wealth and then his children. Job appropriately mourns but doesn't curse or blame God. Satan furthers the challenge and says that if Job is inflicted with a disease then he would curse God. So Satan is allowed to smite Job with boils. His wife encourages him to curse God and die. But Job doesn't. His three friends show up and they mourn with him for they see his pain. Then Job curses the day he was born and begins his journey to try to make sense of what has happened to him.

Stephen begins his explanation before the high priest and other leaders of his message. He begins with Abraham and how God called him to a new land. He was promised the new land but first his descendant must spend some time in bondage before getting there. In order to make that happen the plan began with Joseph sold into slavery by his brothers. Then the process of rising to the top at Egypt and saving his family in Egypt. Then a pharaoh arose who didn't know Joseph and he enslaved the descendants of Israel.

Daily Bible Reading Day 173

Ester 1-3;  Acts 5:1-16.  Esther opens with the king of Persia (Ahasuerus) throwing a big banquet. His queen (Vashti) was throwing a banquet for the women. Ahasuerus wanted Vashti to come display her beauty before those at his banquet. She refuses. So the king, on advice of his wise men, replaces her. They don't want the women of the kingdom to think they run the place. So young women are sought to replace her. They are pampered and given what they need to make themselves beautiful for the king. Esther has been raised by her uncle Mordecai and is placed in the palace for preparation to see if she is the one. Mordecai tells Esther not to reveal her ethnic background. Esther spends her time with the king. She pleases the king and is chosen as the replacement for Vashti.  Meanwhile Mordecai uncovers a plot to kill the king and reports it. The two men are hanged. The incident is recorded. The king advances a man named Haman. Haman loves his position and expects everyone to bow to him. Mordecai refuses. Haman discovers Mordecai is Jewish and plots to kill all the Jews. He uses his position to convince the king that's it's best to destroy the Jews. So the plot becomes law and a day is set for the destruction of the Jews.

The church is growing but there is trouble in the camp. A man and woman plot to look like they are righteous and generous but you can't escape the all-seeing eye of God. They sell their land and pretend to give all the proceeds to the apostles. Peter confronts the man and he dies. Then Peter confronts the wife and she dies. Great fear comes over the church. The church continues to grow. The church finds favor with the people. The people bring their sick to be healed. They even try to bring their sick in contact with Peter's shadow. 

Daily Bible Reading Day 171

Nehemiah 12-13; Acts 4:23-27.   Nehemiah records the priests and Levites who returned with Zerubabbel. He assigns various duties. They celebrate the finishing of the wall. Then he heads back to the capital. Then he asks permission and comes back to Jerusalem. He finds that that one of the families has set up Tobiah, a foreigner, in a chamber of the temple. He throws out the man's stuff and cleanses the room. He discovers they are not keeping the Sabbath like they promised. He recalls the priests and Levites and stations them to receive the tithe. He gets the gatekeepers to close the gates on the Sabbath. He runs off the merchants who hang around during the Sabbath. Then he confronts those who have married foreigners.

The apostles come back from their first persecution by the Council and speak with the church. They quote some Old Testament passages that predict the situation. They continue their generosity by selling off property and putting the money into the hands of the apostles who see to it that it is distributed to those in need. Leading the way in this is Barnabas. 

Daily Bible Reading Day 171

Nehemiah 9-11; Acts 4:1-22.  The reading today starts off with a prayer in which Nehemiah confesses the rebelliousness of the Israelites. The chapter contains a recitation of the history of Israel from the release from Egypt, through the wilderness, and on into the promised land. Israel is portrayed as rebellious but God is seen as faithful to his promise to Abraham. The people then make a covenant on a written document which they sign and seal. They promise to be faithful but also to honor the Sabbath by not buying grain from the merchants and contributing yearly to the upkeep of the temple. As in Chronicles, Nehemiah focuses on Israel's relationship to the temple, the house of God. They then cast lots to supply wood to the priests and Levites. Then the section closes with a look at the priests, the Levites, the gatekeepers, the temple servants, and where they live.

Peter and John and the man they healed are arrested by the Jewish Council. They are brought in and interrogated. Peter lets them know that the man was healed in the Name of Jesus whom they crucified, whom God raised from the dead. They threaten them to not preach in the name of Jesus but Peter says no.

Daily Bible Reading Day 170

Nehemiah 7-8; Acts 3.  The wall is finished. Nehemiah gathers the people to read the original genealogy of those who came back with Zerubbabel. This connects the current generation with the generation who originally came back from captivity in Babylon.

The Ezra reads from the Law of Moses. While he reads the priests and Levites filter among the people and explain the meaning the of what was being read. This reading connects the current generation n with the original generation that came out of Egypt and received the Law through Moses at Mount Sinai. 

Peter and John go up to the temple at the hour of prayer. There is a man who was lame begging at the temple. Peter heals the man. He gets up and clings to them. The people are amazed. Peter tells them that they shouldn't be amazed because the man was healed by Peter's power but through faith (Peter's faith) n Jesus who was raised from the dead. Jesus' resurrection was to fulfill the promises God made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. 

Daily Bible Reading Day 168

Nehemiah 1-2; Acts 2:1-13.   Nehemiah gets word that the folks in Jerusalem aren't doing well. In particular the walls and gates are in such condition that they are a reproach to those areas around them. Nehemiah spends quite a bit of time in prayer. In fact prayer comes up quite a bit of the time in Nehemiah's time at Jerusalem. As it turns out Nehemiah is in an important position in the capital. He's cupbearer to the king. It's really a high and trusted position for the king. The king sense Nehemiah is down hearted and asks why. Nehemiah responds. The king decides to let him go and help his people. So Nehemiah makes his requests and off he goes. Upon arrival he surveys Jerusalem at night. Then tells the people why he's there. They say, Let's build!

The apostles are empowered by the Holy Spirit to begin the work of proclaiming the gospel to the world. I believe that the baptism in the Holy Spirit is Jesus sending/pouring out the Holy Spirit on his people. When you are baptized you receive the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38). But the Holy Spirit then decides how to empower you.The Holy Spirit has already been sent. He now empowers the apostles and they begin to speak in other languages. The crowd gathered for Pentecost is amazed that they each hear in their own language. I had not noticed before but Pentecost was when the Jews celebrated Moses receiving the Law at Mount Sinai. So it is appropriate that on that day God would give the gospel to the world.

Daily Bible Reading Day 167

Ezra 9-10; Acts 1.   As the book of Ezra draws to a close we come upon perhaps the reason for Ezra's coming to Jerusalem, to cleanse Jerusalem and the land of their impurity. Namely, marriage to foreigners. It's not because they are foreigners (i.e. racially different) but because they worship foreign gods and idols. Marriage brings idolatry into the life of an Israelite. Israel pledged to God in the Torah (Law of Moses) that she would not do this. So the purge begins. Alas we will learn in Nehemiah that not everyone got the message.

The book of Acts opens with Luke addressing Theophilus of his previous writing (Luke) and that now he intends to take the story a step further by showing Jesus' disciples in their doing and teaching. Jesus continues to teach the disciples for 40 days. Tells them to wait in Jerusalem until they receive the promise of the Father (the Holy Spirit). Then Jesus ascends to heaven. An angel tells them that he will return just as he left. In Jerusalem Peter tells them they need to replace Judas according to Scripture. He gives the requirements of the one they need and two are put forth as candidates. They cast lots, trusting God to guide their lots, and choose Matthias. 

Daily Bible Reading Day 166

Ezra 6-8; John 21.   King Darius issues a decree for those in the area to leave the Israelites alone while they rebuild their city and temple. So they complete the temple and then observe the Passover.

Ezra 7 opens with Ezra being given permission by king Artaxerxes to travel back to Jerusalem with supplies to continue doing the work started by the initial return. Ezra assembles his entourage and discovers that no Levis are present. So the travel is delayed while they find some which they do. Chronicles, Ezra, and Nehemiah all have a similar outlook on the need for faithful Levites in addition to faithful priests. Ezra calls for a fast while they pray for God's protection on their journey. They have a lot of precious metal. They arrive and place the supplies in the temple.

John's last chapter has the disciples out fishing. Jesus arrives after they have been out all night. Has them cast their net on the other side and they have a big catch that normally would tear their net but the net isn't torn. They realize it's Jesus. Peter is stripped for work and jumps in the water. They come to the shore where Jesus has a fire going. He asks for some fish for breakfast. Then he quizzes Peter three times - do you love me? Some make a point that Jesus uses agape in the first two questions and Peter responds with phileo. Then Jesus uses phileo and Peter responds the same. Some today think that in the first century the Greeks wouldn't have seen much of a difference between the two words. Still why does John record a conversation that uses two different words? The chapter closes with John's testimony that his words are true. I was reading recently about the Gospels and this author pointed out that John's Gospel has a strong eyewitness component to it, unlike the other three. Although Matthew certainly is an eyewitness he doesn't stress such in his Gospel. I wonder if John's Gospel comes last because of this final statement that there is an eyewitness behind all the Gospels? This is how the Gospels close out, 

Daily Bible Reading Day 165

Ezra 3-5; John 20.  Upon return the priest build the altar and begin offering sacrifice. They are frightened by the people in the land. They get started building the temple and lay the foundation. Those old enough to remember the first temple weep The rest shout for joy. Their joy is short lived since the enemies decide to shut them down. So the work stops. Then two prophets bring word that God wants them to build that temple. So they start. The enemies again write to the king in order to stop them. 

Mary Magdalene comes to the tomb of Jesus. He isn't there so she runs and tells Peter. Peter and another disciple (John) run to the tomb. They find the burial clothing still there but no Jesus. Mary comes back. She sees two angels. She turns and sees Jesus. She doesn't recognize him at first but then does when he speaks to her. Jesus then appears to some of the disciples. They tell Thomas who wasn't there. Thomas says he won't believe unless he can touch. Then Jesus comes back when Thomas is there. He wants Thomas to touch him. Doesn't say whether or not Thomas actually touched him but Thomas gives that famous confession, My God and My Lord. Jesus says those who believe without seeing are blessed. The chapter ends with John stating his purpose in writing. He wrote about signs that demonstrated that Jesus is the Christ (Messiah), the son of God (king of Israel) and that by believing (present, active) one might have life.

Daily Bible Reading Day 164

Ezra 1-2; John 19:23-42.    Ezra begins with the same text that closed 2Chronicles, namely, Cyrus sending the exiled Jews home to Jerusalem. Ezra records what they brought and who come. Plus the resources that Cyrus pledged to them,

Jesus is crucified John doesn't record the derision that the crowd heaps on Jesus. Instead he focuses on the soldiers dividing his garments among them. Then on Jesus passing his mother to him (John) in order for John to care for her. Jesus says he's thirsty. This is to show fulfillment of Scripture. A soldier checks to see if Jesus is actually dead by piercing his side. Blood and water come out. Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus prepare the body for burial. He is buried nearby in a tomb that has never been used. And so we wait.

Daily Bible Reading Day 163

2Chronicles 34-36;  John 19:1-22.  Josiah becomes king at age eight. How does a king become so faithful at a young age? Especially since his father was unfaithful. He reigns a good while but his youthful start makes him 39 at his death. He begins reforms early on. Then they find the book in the temple.  Is this the king's copy they find or the actual book of the Law? I guess in heaven we'll find out. He continues to his reforms even to the point of seeking out a prophet to find out God's will at that moment. Josiah dies when he tries to stop Pharaoh Neco of Egypt from coming through Israel to fight the Babylonians 

One son of Josiah's becomes king and is deposed by Neco after only three months. Another son is put on the throne. He does evil. Eventually Babylon comes and takes him off and his son becomes king. He is shortly deposed and his uncle, Zedekiah, becomes king. He reigns over Judah until Babylon puts Judah down completely.

Chronicles ends with the first few verses of Ezra. 

The more Pilate tries to release Jesus the more the leaders push to have him crucified. The more they push the more afraid Pilate becomes. Finally Pilate turns him over to be crucified. 

Daily Bible Reading Day 160

2Chronicles 26-28; John 17.  Uzziah becomes king at 16 years old. Initially he does right like his father. The text does not compare him to David. He builds fortifications in the land. His army gets big and powerful. Somewhere along the way he gets a little too big for his britches. He enters to the temple to perform the priest's duties. They try to get him out of there and he refuses at first. Then leprosy breaks out on his forehead and he is rushed out. He remains a leper to the day of his death.

Jotham replaces Uzziah. He walks in his father's ways. Again he is not a bad king but is not compared to David. Chronicles has a short listing for him. He is smart and doesn't enter the temple like his father. 

Jotham dies and Ahaz takes his place. Ahaz walks in the ways of the kings of Israel. He not only lets the people worship as they want, he does as well. He burns his sons in the fire. He continually loses in battle and doesn't receive the help he wants. During his loss to Aram, Israel tries to take captive some of the people of Judah. A prophet meets them along the way and tells them if they don't return the captives they will be in for big trouble. They return the captives. Ahaz appeals to Assyria for help. Instead of helping they afflict Judah. Ahaz gets deeper into idol worship as a result. He still doesn't find the relief he seeks. He dies and Hezekiah reigns in his place.

This is called Jesus' high priestly prayer. He prays first about himself and his work. He is bringing glory to the Father as was planned. Then he prays for his apostles and their work. Then he prays for those who would believe in him through the word of the apostles. Throughout this prayer he emphasizes the oneness that is and should be.

Daily Bible Reading Day 159

2Chronicles 23-25; John 16:16-3.   Jehoiada takes courage and puts Joash on the throne. He first gets the loyalty of the priests and Levites. Then he has a great coronation. Athaliah is put to death. As long as Jehoiada is alive the king is faithful but once Jehoiada dies he goes astray. One of Jehoiada's sons comes to Joash as a prophet but Joash has him stoned. Then the Arameans attacked with a small number yet they were able to defeat the army of Judah. Some of Joash's servants conspired and put him to death. Amaziah his son reigns in his place.

Amaziah puts to death those servants who conspired against his father. He goes to put down a rebellion in Edom. He takes on the gods of Edom after the battle. A prophet comes and asks why he would do such a thing. Then he goes against Israel. The king of the North warns him that he is being over-confident but he doesn't listen. Israel defeats him and loots the treasury of Judah. He dies in Lachish fleeing from Israel.

Jesus tells his disciples that he will speak plainly about his upcoming death. They come to realize that he has spoken plainly. He tells them not to worry about the world's response to them after his death because he has overcome the world. 

Daily Bible Reading Day 158

2Chronicles 17-19; John 15.  I think there is a blip in YouVersion's daily Bible reading schedule since it is having me read again chapters I've already read plus it skipped John 15 but now is putting it back in.

John 15 is where Jesus talks about us being the branches and he is the vine. Why is it assumed so readily that Jesus is talking about evangelism? Jesus goes on to remind his disciples that they will face opposition and persecution in the world for following him. Be prepared.

Daily Bible Reading Day 157

2Chronicles 20-22; John 16:1-15.  Chronicles is such a great read! A great army (an alliance of Moab and Ammon plus others) comes against Jehoshaphat and Judah. The king gathers everyone together and they call upon The Lord. The Lord routs the army and the people take three days to gather up the spoils. Jehoshaphat is a faithful king and praised as such. Yet towards the end of his life he does act wickedly and God thwarts his plans.

Jehoram becomes king. He walks in the ways of Ahab, king of Israel, because his wife is Ahab's daughter. He receives a letter from Elijah warning him of what was coming. The Philistines attack and carry off his wives and sons but his youngest son is left. He reigns only eight years and he dies of an incurable bowel disease. Jehoahaz, Ahaziah, takes over as king. He also walks in the ways of Ahab because his mother is Ahab's daughter. He reigns only one year. He is killed by Jehu who was sent by God to stop the house of Ahab. When his mother, Ahab's daughter, hears about her son's death she kills all of her son's sons. However, Ahaziah's sister, Jehoshabeath, saves one son, Joash. 

Jesus reveals a little more about the upcoming plans for when he departs. When Jesus goes back to the Father he will send the Holy Spirit. The Spirit will convict the world. The Spirit will also guide the apostles into all truth and will be their guide. So their sorrow will give way to joy.

Daily Bible Reading Day 156

2Chronicles 13-19; John 14.  Abijah becomes king. There is war between he and Jeroboam, between Judah and Israel, between North and South. Jeroboam has the bigger army, double in size. Yet Abijah has a speech that shows Jeroboam in rebellion against God. God helps Abijah to rout Jeroboam. 

Asa becomes king next. The text didn't say whether or not Abijah was a good or bad king. The text says Asa was a good king. He had lots of building projects. Then Ethiopia attacks with a million men. Asa and Judah cry out to God for help and they rout the Ethiopians. A prophet meets Abijah on his way home and has a good prophecy for him. Asa continues his reforms. There is peace in the land. Then the king of Israel attacks and Asa makes a treaty with the king of Aram. A prophet approaches Asa and asks why he didn't trust in The Lord the same way he did with the Ethiopians. Asa throws the prophet in prison. Asa then has a disease in his feet. He dies and Jehoshaphat becomes king.

The text says that Jehoshaphat is not only a good king but walks in David's ways.He is one of only three kings after Solomon of whom that is said. It is interesting that in spite of his faithfulness not only does Jehoshaphat enter into a treaty with Ahab but he allies himself with him through marriage. When he goes to battle with Ahab he does request a prophet of The Lord instead of the yes-men prophets of Baal that belong to Ahab. Ahab dies in the battle and Jehoshaphat escapes. Back home he is met by a prophet who rebukes him for his alliance with Ahab and Jehoshaphat responds well unlike his father Asa. In fact he sends out Levites to teach throughout the land. Even the Philistines send tribute to him because of the dread of The Lord that spread throughout the land through the teaching. 

This chapter has one of Jesus' most memorable statements, "Do not let your hearts be troubled." I think he is preparing his disciples for his upcoming death. He wants them to know that in the midst of their sadness that what is about to happen to him is planned and will bring about great benefits. They know the Father because they know Jesus.

Daily Bible Reading Day 155

2Chronicles 10-12;  John 13:18-38.  Rehoboam becomes king and Israel, the northern tribes, approach him with a request to lighten their load. Rehoboam doesn't listen to Solomon's advisers who tell him to lighten their load as they requested. Instead he listens to his friends who tell him to take a get tough attitude with them. The advice doesn't work and Israel is divided. He gathers the troops to go against the north but a prophet stops them. Then Rehoboam gets busy building and fortifying some of the cities of Judah. He also wisely distributes his sons throughout Judah. He forsakes The Lord and the Law and God brings the king of Egypt against them He plunders the gold. But Rehoboam and the other leaders do repent so God doesn't allow the king of Egypt to destroy them. However over time it appears that Rehoboam isn't faithful to God.

Jesus tells his apostles that one of them will betray him. They don't understand. Peter gets John to ask Jesus who it is. Jesus' response they don't understand. Judas leaves but the others think he's going to buy more food for the night. Jesus tells them that loving one another as he has loved them is how the world will know that they are his disciples. Peter proclaims that he will follow Jesus to the death but Jesus tells Peter that he will betray him before the rooster crows.

Daily Bible Reading Day 153

2Chronicles 4-6; John 12:20-50.  Solomon has the bronze altar built. It is big and has oxen (bronze) underneath.  He made 10 basins for washing the utensils needed for making the offerings. He made a bigger basin (sea) for the priests to wash. He brings the ark and places it in the temple. Then he assembles everyone. The musicians play, the singers sing, and God fills the temple with His Cloud. Solomon then has his dedication speech/prayer. He basically reminds the people that they have obligations to God and when those obligations are violated if they pray earnestly to God, God will heal them of their afflictions. 

Some Greeks come to Philip and request an audience with Jesus. Jesus tells them (us) of the importance of following him and doing his word. He didn't come to judge us but to save us but his word will judge us if we reject it.