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Journaling through the Bible Chronologically in 2025, Day 199

Jul18

Day 199 – Reading – Isaiah 23 – 27

Read today’s Scriptures.  (Yes, they are hard to understand!)

Isaiah 23.

This “oracle” is directed at Tyre and Sidon (modern-day Lebanon). They were famous for their ships and shipping industry, as far west as Tarshish (modern-day Spain). The King of this country assisted Solomon in supplying building materials for his palace and the Temple of the LORD.  Later, relations were broken.

Now Isaiah predicts doom for these proud people. “The LORD of hosts has purposed it, to defile the pompous pride of all glory, to dishonor all the honored of the earth.”

“In that day, Trye will be forgotten for seventy years, like the days of one king.”   

“At the end of seventy years, the LORD will visit Tyre…. Her merchandise and wages will be holy to the LORD. It will not be stored or hoarded, but her merchandise will supply abundant food and fine clothing for those who dwell before the LORD.”   Tyre’s sinful gain was to support Judah when they returned.

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Isaiah 24.

The horrific judgments in this chapter, against the WHOLE WORLD, reflect the tribulations as described in Revelation 6+.  The LORD God is to deal with the whole earth MORE SEVERELY than He did at the Tower of Babel and Noah’s Flood!

  • “Behold, the LORD will empty the earth and make it desolate, and He will twist its surface and scatter its inhabitants.
  • “The earth shall be utterly empty and utterly plundered; for the LORD has spoken this word.
  • “The earth is utterly broken, the earth is split apart, the earth is violently shaken.
  • The earth staggers like a drunken man; it sways like a hut.

And the PEOPLE of the earth languish. The inhabitants of the earth are scorched, and few men are left.  WHY??

  • Because they have transgressed the laws, violated the statutes, broken the EVERLASTING COVENANT.

What is “the everlasting covenant?”  See Genesis 17:7, 13, & 19 and 1 Chronicles 16:15-17.

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Isaiah 25.

Isaiah now praises the LORD for the wonderful things He’s planned (judgment and future restoration).

  • “He will swallow up death forever; and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from all faces, and the reproach of His People He will take away from all the earth.”
  • “It will be said on that day, ‘Behold, this is our God; we have waited for Him, that He might save us.  This is the LORD, we have waited for Him; let us be glad and rejoice in His salvation.'”

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Isaiah 26.

The prophet continues praise for that day of final restoration.

  • “In that day, this song will be sung in the land of Judah. ‘Open the gates, that the righteous nation that KEEPS faith may enter in.”
  • “You keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You.
  • “Trust in the LORD forever, for the LORD GOD is an everlasting rock.”
  • “The path of the righteous is level; You make level the way of the righteous.
  • “O LORD, You will ordain peace for us, for You have indeed done for us all our works. (“It is finished,” said Jesus.)

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Isaiah 27.

And then that great promise of the final destruction of that Great Serpent, Satan…

  • “In that day, the LORD, with His hard and great and strong sword will punish Leviathan the fleeing serpent, Leviathan the twisting serpent, and he will slay the DRAGON that is in the sea.

And then there is ANOTHER VINEYARD SONG.  How different this one is from the sad tale of a wasted one in Isaiah 5:1-7.  This one is called “a pleasant vineyard.”

  • “In days to come Jacob shall take root, Israel shall blossom and put forth shoots, and fill the whole world with fruit.”  (In Messiah’s kingdom)
  • “In that day from the river Euphrates to the Brook of Egypt the LORD will thresh out the grain, and you will be gleaned one by one, O people of Israel.  (Matthew 24:31)
  • “In that day a great trumpet will be blown, and those who were lost in the land of Assyria and those who were driven out to the land of Egypt will come and worship the LORD on the holy mountain at Jerusalem”

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(Promises of the horrors of Revelation, and the promises of the beautiful restoration of Israel in the Millennian Kingdom.  God can be trusted to fulfill each … in detail.  I believe the “beginning of sorrows”
has, or is about to start.   LORD, Thank you for your word that tells us to PERSEVERE to the end… the glorious end.)

Journaling through the Bible Chronologically in 2025, Days 166 & 167

Jun16

Sundays and Mondays studies are posted together on Mondays

Day 166. Reading Psalm 134, 146, 147, 148, 149, and 150.

Day 167.  Reading 1 Kings 9,  2 Chronicles 8

Read Today’s Scriptures.
What insight or comfort do you receive?
 

Day 166 – Psalm 134 – 150.

What a wonderful psalm to remind us of Solomon’s dedication of the Temple.

  • Come, bless the LORD, all you servants of the LORD who stand by night in the house of the LORD!
  • Life up your hands to the holy place and bless the LORD!
  • May the LORD bless you from Zion, he who made heaven and earth!

Oh, DO READ the rest of these Psalms to 150.  These are the songs the people sang as they “sent up to Jerusalem” for the feasts of the Lord. They are psalms of praise!

Here’s just a verse or two from each.

  • Psalm 146.  “Praise the LORD! Praise the LORD, O my soul! I will praise the LORD as long as I live; I will sing praises to my God while I have being.”
  • Psalm 147. “Praise the LORD! For it is good to sing praises to our God; for it is pleasant, and a song of praise is fitting.”  “Sing to the LORD with thanksgiving, made melody to our God on the lyre.”
  • Psalm 148. “Praise the LORD! Praise the LORD from the heavens, praise Him in the heights! Praise Him all his angels, praise Him, all His hosts!  Praise Him, sun and moon, praise Him, all you shining stars! Praise Him, you highest heavens, and you waters above the heavens.”
  • Psalm 149. “Praise the LORD! Sing to the LORD a new song, His praise in the assembly of the godly!”
  • Psalm 150. “Praise the LORD!”   “Let everything that has breath praise the LORD! PRAISE THE LORD!”

 

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Day 167 – 1 Kings 9a.

The first part of this chapter repeats God’s “If-Then” blessings and warnings to Solomon and Israel.

IF Solomon will walk in the ways of David with integrity of heart and uprightness, keeping God’s statutes and rules … THEN God will establish his royal throne over Israel forever.

But IF Solomon and Israel do NOT keep God’s commandments and statutes but serve other gods and worship them … THEN God will cut off Israel from the land and make it a byword and a proverb among the peoples. And the “house” (Temple) will become a pile of ruins.

Dire warnings, indeed!

1 Kings 9b and 2 Chronicles 8.

It took Solomon twenty years to build the Temple, his own palace, and the palace of his queen. The queen’s “house” was outside Jerusalem, away from the temple, because she was the daughter of Pharaoh, a pagan, and Solomon did not want her living near the Ark of the Covenant.  

(You wonder why Solomon’s first wife (of Song of Solomon?) was a pagan Egyptian, the very people from whom God had rescued Israel. It was breaking God’s specific law about a King’s marrying.  Yes, it was a political deal, and Pharaoh had killed a bunch of Canaanites and given a city to Solomon as part of the dowery for his daughter, but still …  

  • Deuteronomy 7:3-4. “You shall not intermarry with them (pagans) giving your daughters to their sons or taking their daughters for your sons, for they would turn away your sons from following me, to serve other gods…”
  • 1 Kings 11:1-4. “Now King Solomon loved many foreign women, along with the daughter of Pharaoh …. “Solomon clung to these in love …. “And his wives turned away his heart. For when Solomon was old, his wives turned away his heart after other gods, and his heart was not wholly true to the LORD his God as was the heart of David, his father.” 

There go God’s promises.

But meanwhile, Solomon got busy building cities.  He gave twenty of them in Galilee to King Hiram in appreciation for all the help and material he had supplied. But Hiram didn’t like them and gave them back. (What??)

Solomon used forced labor (slaves) for all his building projects, much like his father-in-law, the Pharaoh, had done.  But since God’s law forbade any Jewish people from being enslaved, Solomon used the Canaanites, which they had captured, to do the work and oversee the projects.

Solomon filled in the land depression between the city of David and the temple/palace, built the wall of Jerusalem, and the military outposts of Hazor, Megiddo, Gezer, and others, as well as grain storage cities (also like Pharaoh), and cities for stabling his horses and chariots.  He also built a fleet of ships at Ezion-Geber on the shore of the Red Sea for international trading. (Gold from Ophir, etc.) (King Hiram sent ship-builders and seamen to teach Solomon’s workers the trade.)

“And whatever Solomon desired to build in Jerusalem, Lebanon, and in all the land of his dominion, he built.”

It’s interesting that in Ecclesiastes, Solomon bemoans all this grandeur and wealth as “vanity,” worthless to his soul. (We’ll get there soon.)

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  • 1 Timothy 6:6-10.  “Now there is great gain in godliness with contentment, for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. But if we have food and clothing, with these, we will be content. But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction.  For the love of money is the root of all evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith…”

 

  • Hebrews 13:5.  “Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”

Oh, Father, keep me from greed and a desire for riches and the abundance of “things.”  Help me see the so much greater value of knowing YOU. Help me to be content with what I have.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Journaling through the Bible Chronologically in 2025, Day 165

Jun14

Day 165.  Reading 2 Chronicles 6-7, Psalm 136

 
Read Today’s Scriptures.
*What truth about God stays in your mind?
 
Today’s reading is similar to yesterday’s verses in 1 Kings, about Solomon’s blessing the people of Israel and his prayer of dedication of the Temple.

2 Chronicles 6 and 2 Chronicles 7a.

Verses of note:

  • “Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, who with His hand has fulfilled what he promised with his mouth to David, my father.”
  • “Now the LORD has fulfilled His promise that He made.”

God’s word is ever true, and we can be sure He will “fulfill what he promises.”

  • “O LORD, God of Israel, there is no God like You, in heaven or on earth, keeping covenant and showing steadfast love to Your servants who walk before you with all their hearts.”
  • “Behold, heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain You, how much less this house that I have built.”

Then Solomon prays for all the “if-then” times when Israel will fail and sin, and God will bring disaster on them … that if they turn, repent, and pray, that God will indeed HEAR and FORGIVE.

  • “…then hear from heaven your dwelling place and forgive and render to each whose heart You know, according to all his ways, for You, You only, know the hearts of the children of mankind.”

Even when Israel is taken into captivity for their sin, perversion, and wickedness (wow, prophecy for sure!), but they REPENT with all their mind and with all their heart and pray toward their land and this house…. Solomon prays that God would HEAR and FORGIVE.

And when Solomon’s prayer was finished, “fire came down from heaven and consumed the burn offering and the sacrifices ... and the glory of the LORD filled the temple.  And everyone – Solomon, the priests, and the people – bowed down with their faces to the ground on the pavement and WORSHIPPED and GAVE THANKS to the LORD, saying, “for He is good, for His steadfast love endures forever.”

King Solomon offered sacrifice before the LORD = 22K oxen and 120K sheep (wow!).  The Levites stood at their posts with instruments playing music to the LORD that King David had written for giving thanks, “for His steadfast love endures forever.”

Psalm 136.

David wrote: “Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good.”  “Give thanks to the God of gods.”  “Give thanks to the Lord of lords.”  “For His Steadfast Love (mercy) endures forever.”  

In this psalm, David repeats that concluding phrase after every element of praise he states about the awesome God of Israel…. 25 TIMES!   For His Steadfast Love endures forever.  

Read all those praise phrases!  If you ever find your heart stingy and grumpy.  Read all these beginning praise praises. How awesome is our God. He does such wonderous things for His own people. He is strong and mighty.  He is tender and kind. 

SERIOUSLY!! Read them and praise Him.  

WHY is He so good to His own people???  For (because) his everlasting love and mercy towards us …. endures…. forever!  (FOREVER!  THINK ON THAT.)

(And then, after you read those praise phrases in Psalm 136, make a list of your own.  I’ll start…

  • Lord, You searched me out and found me – Why? Your love endures forever.
  • You saved me and gave me new life – Why? Your love endures forever.
  • You help me walk in righteousness – Why? Your love endures forever.
  • You forgive and restore me when I sin and repent – Why? Your love endures forever.
  • You supply all I need – Why? Your love endures forever.
  • You give me joy in sorrow and suffering – Why? Your love endures forever.
  • Your presence is with me, even in death – Why? Your love endures forever.
  • You have promised me eternal life with YOU – Why? Your love endures forever. 

And on, and on, and on…….

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2 Chronicles 7b.

After all the celebration, glory, and praise, God appeared to Solomon in the cool, dark, silence of the night.

  • “I have heard your prayer and have chosen this place for myself as a house of sacrifice.”  “My eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayer that is made in this place. For now I have chosen and consecrated this house that my Name may be there forever. My eyes and my heart will be there for all time.”

And then that verse we know so well, and often maybe mistakenly pray for our own countries.  God says about Israel, 

  • “If my people who are called by name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”
  • “If you (Solomon) will walk before me as David your father walked, doing according to all that I have commanded you and keeping my statutes and rules, then I will establish your throne, as I covenanted with David your father, saying ‘You shall not lack a man to rule Israel.”

Such glorious promises!!

But there is a dire warning as well.  Sadly, this one comes to pass…. 

  • “BUT IF…. you turn aside and forsake my statutes and my commandments that I have set before you, and go and serve other gods and worship them, THEN….I will pluck you up from my land that I have given you, and THIS HOUSE THAT I HAVE CONSECRATED FOR MY NAME, I will cast out of my sight, and I will make it a proverb and a byword among all peoples.
  • “And THIS HOUSE, WHICH WAS EXALTED, everyone passing by will be astonished and say, ‘Why has the LORD done thus to this land and this house?’
  • “Then they will say, ‘Because they abandoned the LORD, the God of their fathers who brought them out of the land of Egypt and laid hold on OTHER gods and worshiped them and served them. Therefore He has brought all this disaster on them”

Solomon’s dream/vision turned into a nightmare of warning.  Will it keep his heart wholly for the LORD???

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*As for the truth(s) about God that stays in my mind after this reading?  It is His utter, enduring, amazing grace and love that He has for His people …. until they raise a fist in His face, turn their backs on Him, and seek to fulfill their own sinful and prideful cravings away from Him.  EVEN THEN, He is willing to forgive and restore if they repent and return to Him.  SUCH MERCY and STEADFAST LOVE!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Journaling through the Bible Chronologically in 2025, Day 161

Jun10

Day 161.  Reading Proverbs 22 – 24.

Read Today’s Scriptures.

WHAT truths have you learned about God, His Word, everyday living, or God’s Sovereignty from Solomon’s proverbs so far?

Proverbs 22.

Insights to ponder—

  • Your good name is better than getting rich.
  • God makes both the rich AND the poor.
  • One who borrows is a slave to the one who lends (so watch out about too much debt on your credit card!)
  • Don’t be friends with an angry person because you’ll learn to be angry, too. (The same goes for one who swears, tells off-color jokes, is malicious, rude, or mean, etc.)
  • (Humor) An excuse for not going to work for the lazy person is, “There is a lion outside! I shall be killed in the street!”
  • Train your kids in God’s ways and His Word.
  • Don’t be afraid to spank your kids when they act foolishly.

Then Solomon says, “I’ve written for you 30 sayings (chapters) of counsel and knowledge.”  Why did he write this book? “So your trust will be in the LORD.”

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Proverbs 23.

There are some interesting pieces of advice from King Solomon in this chapter about dining with wealthy, powerful, or influential people. 

  • Use restraint in eating their delicacies (they may be trying to bribe you).
  • Don’t assume they are “treating” you because they like you, for they are probably inwardly calculating how to trap/use you.
  • “Eat and drink!” your host may say, but desist. You’ll end up vomiting if you eat/drink too much (and how will that look?).

Solomon also expands on the relationship between parents and children.

  • Don’t be afraid to spank your children as a part of their discipline.  They won’t die, though their yells may sound like it.
  • Children should listen to and respect their fathers and mothers when they are old.
  • Children, be wise and righteous so your parents will be glad and rejoice over you.

Then Solomon writes seven vivid (humorous if it weren’t so sad) verses about what happens to a person when they get DRUNK.  (Do we really want to look, act, and feel that way???)

  • Wounds without cause, red eyes, it’s smooth going down but with a serpent’s sting at the end.
  • Seeing strange things, speaking vile words, staggering, dizzy, numb.
  • And when they awake? Proof of addiction.  “I must have another drink!

(I wonder if Solomon observed this or experienced it.)

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Proverbs 24.

Solomon built his own palace and the Temple of God. He watched, read the plans his father drew up, and organized the building materials. (TOMORROW, WE WILL SEGUAY TO 1 KINGS AND 2 CHRONICLES FOR A FEW DAYS TO READ ABOUT THAT GREAT WORK.)

Meanwhile, in this chapter, he speaks of other building projects.

  • Verse 27.  He advises getting your fields in order (fences, plowing, and planting) first and then building your house.
  • Verses 3-4.  Solomon compares spiritual education to building your house.  “Wisdom is a house built, and by understanding, it is established; and by knowledge, the rooms are filled with all precious and pleasant riches.”  
  • Knowledge = the facts of God’s truth,
  • Understanding = the meaning of the truth,
  • Wisdom = the application of the truth.

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I love verses 13-14. “Eat honey, for it is good. The drippings of the honeycomb are sweet to your taste. Wisdom is like honey to your soul. If you find it, there will be a future and a hope.”

This reminds me of the words of Solomon’s father, David, in Psalm 19, speaking of the wisdom (all the law) of the Lord. “More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and the drippings of the honeycomb.”

(Do I seek for that sweetness of God’s Word and truth?

Do I desire His wisdom, understanding, and knowledge like a taste of honey? 

LORD, oh, help me to long for Your word and to “devour” it constantly.)

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Solomon also writes about our responsibility to help others in physical or spiritual distress.

  • Proverbs 24:11-12.  “Rescue those who are being taken away to death; hold back those who are stumbling to the slaughter. If you say, “Behold, we did not know this,” does not He who weighs the heart perceive it?  Does not He who keeps watch over your soul know it, and will He not repay man according to his work?”

Many prophets in the Old Testament warn about the responsibility of being a watchman and telling others about approaching disaster.  Jesus’ brother, Jude, urges this too.

  • Jude 22-23, “And have mercy on those who doubt; save others by snatching them out of the fire; to others show mercy with fear, hating even the garment stained by the flesh.”

Salvation should not mean complacency. Love for our Lord and others (friend or enemy) should always guide us.

Journaling through the Bible Chronologically in 2025, Day 157

Jun6

Day 157.  Reading Proverbs 10 – 12.

Read Today’s Scriptures.
Which proverbs made you “think”?

Proverbs 10.

The Proverbs of Solomon. The proverbs in chapters 10-15 usually offer contrasts or opposites. Look for them.  There are a few familiar phrases, such as “love covers all offenses,” reminding us of 1 Peter 4:8.

Although I have to remember that these proverbs are “general truths” and not theology or promises, I enjoyed all that this chapter says about the “righteous.” (those who fear the LORD)

  • 3. The LORD does not let the righteous go hungry…
  • 6. Blessings are on the head of the righteous…
  • 7. The memory of the righteous is a blessing…
  • 11. The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life…
  • 20. The tongue of the righteous is choice silver…
  • 24. The desire of the righteous will be granted…
  • 28. The hope of the righteous brings joy…
  • 30. The righteous will never be removed…
  • 31. The mouth of the righteous brings forth wisdom
  • 32. The lips of the righteous know what is acceptable..

All of these are contrasted to that of the foolish, wicked, and slothful.  It’s true that the righteous often prosper, but not always.  They are frequently mocked and persecuted horribly.

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Proverbs 11.

There are more contrasts between the righteous and the wicked, perverse, cruel, and foolish in this chapter: common truths that often play out today.  Solomon also writes about money and wealth, as well as greed and dishonesty, pride and humility in this chapter, ending with, “Whoever trusts in his riches will fall.” (29).  (Says the wealthiest man of his time!)

Humorously, right in the middle of the chapter, is this proverb (22): “Like a gold ring in a pig’s snout is a beautiful woman without discretion.”  He also writes about a gracious woman getting honor” in verse 16.  (Most of chapter 31 is honoring the “virtuous woman.”)

I love the truths about generosity in verses 24-25.

  • “One gives freely, yet grows all the richer; another withholds what he should give and only suffers want.  Whoever brings blessing will be enriched, and the one who waters will himself be watered.”

This truth is reinforced in Malachi 3:10 and 2 Corinthians 9:6-9.

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Proverbs 12.

This chapter holds more contrasts between good and evil, knowledge and stupidity, the righteous and the wicked, pride and humility, hard work and sloth, prudence and foolishness, and much about the power of the mouth and lips and what/how they speak.

Also, two other kinds of women!

  • 4.  An excellent wife is the crown of her husband, but she who brings shame is like rottenness in his bones.”

.On speech,

  • 17-19. Whoever speaks the truth gives honest evidence, but a false witness utters deceit. There is one whose rash words are like sword thrusts, but the tongue of the wise brings healing. Truthful lips endure forever, but a lying tongue is but for a moment.”
  • 22. “Lying lips are an abomination to the LORD…
  • 25. “Anxiety in a man’s heart weighs him down, but a good word makes him glad.”

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Many of these proverbs convict me, especially about women and my speech.  Father, remind me from Your Word how to be a gracious woman and an excellent wife.  And may the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O LORD.

Journaling through the Bible Chronologically in 2025, Day 156

Jun5

Day 156.  Reading Proverbs 7 – 9.

Read Today’s Scriptures.
Name some things you have learned about Wisdom.
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Proverbs 7.

Solomon continues with his warnings about the Adulteress. He knows his son (and perhaps he, himself) needs to be repeatedly told of her sly ways.

But first, he extols the virtues of the other woman, Wisdom. “Keep my WORDS, treasure up my COMMANDMENTS, keep my TEACHING as the “apple (pupil) of your eye,” and write them on your heart.”

Let your “sister” and “intimate friend,” Wisdom, “keep you from the forbidden woman, from the adulteress with her smooth words.

  • This reminds me of David’s Psalm 119:11, “Thy Word have I hid in my heart, that I might not sin against thee.”

Then follows a scene that has happened many times. A young man is lured to the house, the arms, and the bed of either an adulterous wife or a prostitute. She is wily; she knows what he wants; she tells him what he wants to hear. She’s ritually “clean,” and her husband is far away.  Oh my!

And the fellow listens and follows “as an OX goes to the slaughter, or as a STAG is caught fast till an arrow pierces its liver, as a BIRD rushes into a snare.  He does not know that it will cost him his life.”

  • James 1:14-15 says, “Each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.”
  • James 1:5 also says, “If any of you LACK wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.”

“O sons! Listen to me.  Let not your heart turn aside to her ways.”

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Proverbs 8.

Now Solomon praises the “other path,” that of Wisdom (sometimes personified as Christ).  Unlike the Adulteress, Wisdom’s call is faithful and righteous.

  • On the heights beside the way, at the crossroads, she takes her stand; besides the gates in front of the town, at the entrance or the portals, she cries aloud, “To you, O men, I call, and my cry is to the children of man.  O simple ones, learn prudence; O fools, learn sense. HEAR, for I will speak noble things, and from MY lips will come what is right, for the words of MY mouth are righteous.”

And then Wisdom’s worth.

  • “Take my instruction instead of silver, and knowledge rather than choice gold, for wisdom is better than jewels, and all that you may desire cannot compare with her.  My fruit is better than gold, even fine gold, and my yield is better than choice silver.

Christ used His eternal Wisdom in creation.

  • “The LORD possessed me at the beginning of His work, the first of His acts of old. Ages ago I was set up, at the first, before the beginning of the earth. 
  • “When He established the heavens, I was there; when He drew a circle on the face of the deep… when He made firm the skies above… when He established the fountains of the deep… when He assigned to the sea its limit… when He marked out the foundations of the earth, then I was beside Him, like a master workman.
  • “I was daily His delight, rejoicing before Him always, rejoicing in His inhabited world and delighting in the children of man.”

Blessed are those who keep my ways.

Blessed is the one who listens to me

Whoever finds me finds life and obtains favor from the LORD.

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Proverbs 9.

Solid truth: “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight.”

The pleasant, abundant, long-lasting ways of Wisdom are contrasted now with the ways of “Folly.”

  • The woman Folly is loud; she is seductive and knows NOTHING.
  • She sits at the door of her house; she takes a seat in the highest places of the town and calls to those who pass by.  “Stolen water is sweet, and bread eaten in secret is pleasant.”
  • But the listener does not know that the DEAD are there, that her guests are in the depths of Sheol.

And so, Solomon ends his warnings there.  Does his son(s) hear and respond?  Does he “get” Wisdom? Does he learn to fear the LORD above all?

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Do I heed the sweet words of Wisdom?  Do I shun the blatant, off-key untruths of Folly? 

O, LORD, the Holy One, please keep me on the narrow way. May I not be tricked and seduced by my own desires but seek You and Your face always!   

“Remind me constantly to keep Your Word in my heart as a guardrail against Folly.” 

Journaling through the Bible Chronologically in 2025, Day 151

May31

Day 151.  Reading 1 Kings 3-4.

Read Today’s Scriptures.
What do you see of God’s heart in these chapters?
1 Kings 3.

What??  Marry the daughter of Pharaoh!!  Where God had delivered His people from slavery??? Seriously??  Bad boy, Solomon!  What was he thinking?  Political alliances and stature in the world, that’s what.

Note verse 3.  “Solomon loved the LORD, walking in the statutes of David, his father …  ONLY (except), he sacrificed and made offerings at the high places.” Already, you see Solomon’s heart dividing, using those pagan places to “worship God.”

God is SO gracious to him (and to us). He came to Solomon in a dream, and asked what He could give to the new king.

  • Wow, what would I ask of God if given that opportunity?  Search your heart with me, and let’s see our priorities. What is important to us?

Solomon lists the kindnesses and love God had shown to his father, how David had walked in God’s ways, and how God had chosen

Solomon to rule. (Was he stalling, thinking of what he wanted?)  And then he thinks of his inexperience and the hugeness of his responsibility to God’s chosen people.

“Give your servant an understanding mind to govern Your people, that I may discern between good and evil, for who is able to govern this Your great people?”  (In my mind, he should have asked to discern between good and evil IN HIS OWN HEART!)

But God was pleased that he hadn’t asked for a long life, riches, or victory over enemies.  And God gave him a “wise and discerning mind like none other.”  God also gave him what he didn’t ask for: riches and honor greater than any other king.

“And if you will walk in My ways, keeping My statutes and My commandments, as your father David walked, then I will lengthen your days.”

Right after that, Solomon went to the Ark of the Covenant of the LORD, offered sacrifices to God, and gave a feast to the people.  His heart is right NOW. Will he continue on?

  • As if to confirm to the people (and maybe Solomon himself) a situation arose that tested and highlighted the extensive WISDOM God had given him.  Two prostitutes (living together, perhaps even with others) came to Solomon, both claiming the baby boy they brought was THEIRS.  They’d both given birth, but in the night, one baby got suffocated when one of them rolled over onto him.

How do you tell the true mother?

  • Solomon quickly identified her by exposing the women’s hearts.  “Get a sword and cut the baby in half. Give a half to each woman.”  YIKES!  The un-mother agreed (the boy wasn’t hers, after all.)  But the true mother cried out to keep him alive, even if it meant giving him away. Solomon saw her love and settled the dilemma.

“And all Israel heard of the judgment that the king had rendered, and they stood in awe of the king, because they perceived that the wisdom of God was in him to do justice.”

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1 Kings 4.

This chapter is loaded with statistics and praise for King Solomon.  It gives a glowing overview of his kingdom and rule. (The next chapter begins the construction of the Temple,)

Much like David, Solomon appointed high officials, including the priests, secretaries, recorder, army commanders, other officers, governors over other lands, people in charge of the palace, and the … forced labor.  He also appointed leaders around the country who would provide his food for himself and his palace, month by month.  Judah and Israel ate and drank and were happy.

  • “Solomon ruled (eventually) over all the kingdoms from the Euphrates to the land of the Philistines and to the border of Egypt.  They brought tribute and served him all his days.”

He had peace on all sides around him. And Judah and Israel lived in safety from Dan to Beersheba (north to south), with every man under his vine and under his fig tree, all the days of Solomon.

Ah-oh! Wait!  “Solomon also had 40,000 stalls of horses for his chariots and 12,000 horsemen!!!

  • Didn’t we read in Deuteronomy 17:16 God’s rules and cautions about future kings… “He must not acquire many horses for himself or return to Egypt to acquire many horses.”  And… don’t we also read there in verse 17, “He shall not acquire many wives for himself, lest his heart turn away.  NOR shall he acquire for himself excessive silver and gold ….”

And again, this chapter tells of Solomon’s wisdom (in ruling others, it seems).  “God gave Solomon wisdom and understanding beyond measure, and breadth of mind like the sand of the seashore, so that Solomon’s wisdom surpassed the wisdom of the people of the East and all Egypt.

“Solomon also spoke 3,000 proverbs!   He wrote 1,005 songs. (We will read some of these soon.)

People of all nations and kings of the earth came to hear the wisdom of Solomon.

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  • Oh, LORD, how easy it is to turn from loving and serving YOU to loving the things you give us.  Help me not to value “stuff” more than my relationship with You. Solomon had everything in abundance … and it did turn his heart away.  In Ecclesiastes, he said (late in his life) that all he experienced, and possessed,  and was honored for … was vanity … futility.  ONLY YOU are worth my adoration!

Journaling through the Bible Chronologically in 2025, Day 150

May30

Day 150.  Reading Psalm 119.

 
Read Today’s Scriptures.
 
Psalm 119.

God’s Word is precious and good for any problem, joy, need, and instruction. 

This psalm reminds me of Paul’s words to Timothy in 2 Timothy 3:16 (“All scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man (or woman) of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.”) 

READ ALL 176 VERSES OF THIS WONDERFUL “ACCROSTIC” PSALM AND BE BLESSED. The verses in each alphabetical section begin with that letter in Hebrew.

Here are a few of my “fave” verses from each alphabetical section.

ALEPH, “A” verses 1-8

  • Oh, that my ways may be steadfast in keeping Your statutes!

BET, “B” verses 9-16

  • I have stored up Your word in my heart, that I might not sin against You.

GIMEL, “G” verses 17-24.

  • Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of Your law.

DALET, “D” verses 25-32

  • I have chosen the way of righteousness; I set your rules before me.

HE, (hay) “H” verses 33-40

  • Incline my heart to your testimonies and not to selfish gain!

VAV, “V” verses 41-48

  • I find my delight in Your commandments, which I love.

ZAYIN, “Z” verses 49-56

  • I remember Your Name in the night, O LORD, and keep your law.

CHET, “CH” (like clearing your throat) verses 57-64

  • At midnight, I rise to praise You because of your righteous rules.

TET, “T” verses 65-72

  • Before I was afflicted, I went astray, but now I keep Your word.

YOD, (yood) “Y” verses 73-80

  • I know, O LORD, that your rules are righteous, and that in faithfulness you have afflicted me.

KAPH, “K” verses 81-88

  • My soul longs for Your salvation; I hope in Your word.

LAMED, “L” verses 89-96

  • If Your law had not been my delight, I would have perished in my affliction.

MEM, “M” verses 97-104

  • How sweet are Your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth.

NUN (noon), “N” verses 105-112

  • Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.

SAMECH, (guttural) “S” verses 113-120

  • You are my hiding place and my shield; I hope in Your word.

AYIN, (guttural) “AYE” verses 121-128

  • Therefore, I love Your commandments above gold, above fine gold.

PE, (pay) “P” verses 129-136

  • The unfolding of Your words gives light; it imparts understanding to the simple.

TSADHE, “TS” verses 137-144

  • Your promise is well-tried, and your servant loves it.

QOPH, (koof) “Q” verses 145-152

  • My eyes are awake before the watches of the night, that I may meditate on your promise.

RESH, “R” verses 153-160

  • The sum of Your word is truth, and every one of Your righteous rules endures forever.

SHIN, (sheen) “SH” or “S” verses 161-168

  • Great peace have those who love Your law; nothing can make them stumble.

TAV, “T” verses 169-176

  • My tongue will sing of Your word, for all Your commandments are right.

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.There are so many more that are my favorites. How about you?  Which have you memorized? or held dear?

How David must have enjoyed composing this Psalm!  Can YOU try it?  Write one praise to God or His Word from each letter of your alphabet!

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Journaling through the Bible Chronologically in 2025, Day 148

May28

Day 148.  Reading Psalms 111, 112, 113, 114, 115, 116, 117, 118.

Read Today’s Scriptures.

Psalm 111.

  • “I will give thanks to the LORD with my whole heart, in the company of the upright, in the congregation.  Holy and awesome in His Name! The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; all those who practice it have a good understanding. His praise endures forever.”

Psalm 112.

  • “Praise the LORD! Blessed is the man who fears the LORD, who greatly delights in his commandments! His offspring will be mighty in the land; the generation of the upright will be blessed. Wealth and riches are in his house, and his righteousness endures forever.  He is not afraid of bad news; his heart is firm, trusting in the LORD.”

Psalm 113.

  • “Praise the LORD!  Praise, O servants of the LORD, praise the Name of the LORD1 Blessed be the name of the LORD from this time forth and forevermore!  From the rising of the sun to its setting, the Name of the LORD is to be praised!  The LORD is high about all nations, and His glory above the heavens! who is like the LORD our God who is seated on high…?

Psalm 114.

  • “Tremble, O earth, at the presence of the Lord, at the presence at the God of Jacob…”

Psalm 115.

  • “Not to us, O LORD, not to us, but to Your Name give glory, for the sake of Your steadfast love and your faithfulness!  O Israel, trust in the LORD!  He is their help and their shield.  O house of Aaron, trust in the LORD! He is their help and shield.  YOU who fear the LORD, trust in the LORD!”  “But we will bless the LORD from this time forth and forevermore. Praise the LORD!

Psalm 116.

  • “I love the LORD, because he has heard my voice and my pleas for mercy. Because He inclined His ear to me, therefore I will call on Him as long as I live.”  “Gracious is the LORD, and righteous, our God is merciful.”  “For You have delivered my soul from death, my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling; I will walk before the LORD in the land of the living.”
  • “What shall I render to the LORD for all His benefits to me?  I will life up the cup of salvation and call upon the Name of the LORD, I will pay my vows to the LORD in the presence of all His people.”  “I will offer to You the sacrifice of thanksgiving and call on the Name of the LORD.”

Psalm 117.

  • “Praise the LORD, all nations! Extol Him, all peoples! For great is His steadfast love toward us, and the faithfulness of the LORD endures forever. Praise the LORD!”

Psalm 118.

  • “Oh give thanks to the LORD, for (because) He is good; for (because) his steadfast love endures forever!”  “Out of my distress, I called on the LORD; the LORD answered me and set me free. The LORD is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me?  The LORD is on my side as my helper; I shall look in triumph on those who hate me.”  “The LORD is my strength and my song; He has become my salvation.”
  • “I shall not die, but i shall live, and recount the deeds of the LORD. The LORD has disciplined me severely, but He has not given me over to death.”
  • “Open to me the gates of righteousness, that I may enter through them and give thanks to the LORD.  This is the gate of the LORD; the righteous shall enter through it. I thank You that You have answered me and have become my salvation.” “This is the day that the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it!”

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Amen, and amen!

Journaling through the Bible Chronologically in 2025, Day 142

May22

Day 142.  Reading Psalm 95, 97, 98, 99.

 
Read Today’s Scriptures.
 

Psalm 95.

This psalm reads like Psalm 100; praise and thanksgiving to “the LORD, a great God, and a great King above all gods.  Perhaps you have even sung the following as a chorus.

  • O come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the LORD, our Maker! For He is our God, and we are the people of His pasture, and the sheep of His hand.

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Psalm 97.

Another wonderful psalm of praise and glory at the majesty of the LORD.

  • The LORD reigns, let the earth rejoice. Clouds and thick darkness are all around him; righteousness and justice are the foundation of His throne. Fire goes before Him and burns up His adversaries all around. His lightnings light up the world; the earth sees and trembles. The mountains melt like wax before the LORD, before the LORD of all the earth.  YOU, O LORD, are most high over all the earth; You are exalted far above all gods.
  • Rejoice in the LORD, O you righteous, and give thanks to His holy Name.

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Psalm 98.

More praise to the Lord, plus a hint at the coming Messiah.

  • O sing to the LORD a NEW song, for He has done marvelous things! His right hand and His holy arm have worked salvation for Him.  The LORD has made known His salvation; He has revealed his righteousness in the sight of all nations.
  • …make a joyful noise before the King, the LORD!  Let the sea roar, and all that fills it; the world and those who dwell in it!  Let the rivers clap their hands; let the hills sing for joy together before the LORD, for He comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world with righteousness, and the peoples with equity.

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Psalm 99.

The LORD our God is holy. His awesome Name is to be praised!

  • Exalt the LORD our God; worship at His footstool!  HOLY IS HE!
  • Moses and Aaron were among his priests, Samuel also was among those who called upon his name. They called to the LORD, and he answered them.  In the pillar of the cloud, He spoke to them; they kept His testimonies and the statute that He gave them.  O LORD, our God, You answered them; You were a forgiving God to them. 
  • Exalt the LORD our God, and worship at His holy mountain; FOR THE LORD OUR GOD IS HOLY!

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Father, God, we too worship You, for YOU ARE WORTHY!