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2024GOAL – Reading Through The Bible Chronologically, day 271

Sep27

    Day 271—We are in the NINTH month of Bible reading with more of Israel’s history and the book of NEHEMIAH.

    Day 271 – Nehemiah 8 – 10 (Joy at the reading of the Law, Feast of Booths celebrated, confession, and commitment)

Nehemiah 8. After the wall was finished, and the people were living in their towns, in the seventh month, the men, women, and children of the age to understand gathered in the square just inside the Water Gate on the east side of the city and south of the Temple.

They gathered together to hear Ezra read the “Book of the Law of Moses.” (1st five books of the Bible, the “Torah”). “Bless the LORD, the great God,” Ezra said, and all the people answered, “Amen, amen.” Then they lifted their hands, bowed their heads, and worshiped the LORD. 

(I should do this before I read God’s word each morning, too!)

Standing on a raised wooden platform, with Levites on either side, Ezra read from early morning until midday. The Levites helped the people to understand the Law while they listened. The people were attentive, hearing like it was the first time, and they wept.

“This day is holy to the LORD your God,” said Nehemiah. “Go, eat the fat, drink sweet wine, and share with the needy.  Do not be grieved, for the joy of the LORD is your strength.

Then, they gathered again the next day to study the words of the law. They heard about the Festival of Booths/Tabernacles and realized they hadn’t obeyed that command for quite a while.  Ezra told them to gather branches and build booths, for they would celebrate the week unto the LORD. (It was to remember the days they’d lived in temporary shelters those 40 years in the wilderness.)  And they kept the feast, after which there was a “solemn assembly.” (The Day of Atonement)

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Nehemiah 9.  The people assembled, fasting and in sackcloth. They confessed their sins and the iniquities of their fathers.  They stood and heard the reading of the Law for a quarter of the day, and for another quarter, they confessed and worshiped the LORD their God.

Then, in verses 4 – 37, the Levites stood on the stairs and cried to the LORD their God. Then they commanded the people to  “Stand up and bless the LORD your God from everlasting to everlasting.”

In worship and confession of sin, the Levites recited God’s mighty redemptive acts on Israel’s behalf, from creation through His promises to their forefathers, His faithfulness and care of them despite their sin and rebellion, and His offers of grace and mercy. “You gave Your good Spirit to instruct them, and did not withhold your Manna and gave them water.”  

They praised God for bringing them into this good land and giving them prosperity but confessed that when they were filled with His great goodness, they became disobedient, rebelled, and committed great blasphemies. He had given them to their enemies (in Judges), but, when they cried to Him, He had sent them saviors and rest. However, soon, they were back into their old sinful ways.

God had warned them for many years by His prophets, but they would not listen. Finally, He sent them as captives to foreign lands.  But even there, He had spared a remnant. 

“Now, therefore, our God, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God, who keeps covenant and steadfast love, let not all the hardship seem little to You that has come upon us.  You have dealt faithfully, and we have acted wickedly.  

They confessed that despite being in the land God had promised to their fathers, they were slaves. SLAVES! The land’s rich yield all went to the kings God set over them….because of their sins. Those kings now rule over their bodies and livestock as they please.

“Because of all this, the Levites prayed, “We make a firm covenant in writing” to obey God and not repeat the sins of our fathers.”

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Nehemiah 10. Like John Hancock boldly signing our own Declaration of Independence, Nehemiah, the governor, was the first to sign the seal of that “firm covenant.” Then came the names of the priests, Levites, and others. Surprisingly, Ezra’s name is not listed. All the rest of the people entered an oath (and a curse for breaking it) to walk in God’s law, to observe and do all the commandments, plus His rules and statutes. They also “obligated themselves” to bring yearly tithes and offerings to the house of God. “We will not neglect the house of our God.”

 

(Fresh starts, vows, and commitments are so wonderful. I wonder how long they – like we – can keep them.) 

 

2024GOAL – Reading Through The Bible Chronologically, day 257

Sep13

    Day 257—We are in the NINETH month of Bible reading, with more of Israel’s history and future visions in DANIEL’S prophecy.

    Day 257 – Daniel 4 – 6 (Daniel serves under 3 kings, the tree stump dream, the handwriting on the wall, and the lion’s den.)

Daniel 4. Nebuchadnezzar’s praise of the God of Heaven from chapter 3 continues here… for a little while. Then he has another ominous dream – a great tree fallen with only the stump remaining. 

Daniel is called again to interpret the dream and is sad about its meaning.  He tells Nebuchadnezzar that HE is that beautiful tree that spreads far and wide, sheltering and giving food to all.  But a “holy one” coming down from heaven will chop it down and leave only the stump, bound with an iron band, for seven years. 

“Sorry, O King, but YOU shall be driven from among men, and your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field, and you shall be wet with the dew of heaven for seven years…..until you know that the Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom He will.”

Daniel begs the king to repent and practice righteousness so that this dream will not happen for a long time.  But alas, 12 months later, we see the uber-proud king strutting on his rooftop proclaiming that all the riches and glory of Babylon were built by HIS OWN MIGHTY POWER and for the glory of  HIS MAJESTY.  And while he spoke… um… he became like an ox and was driven from the city to eat grass in the field, his body – long hair and long nails – wet with the dew of heaven.

Yikes! Talk about a God-inspired severe mental breakdown!

Seven years to the day, old King Nebuchadnezzar “came to his senses.” (What am I doing eating grass in a pasture??? I need a haircut and a manicure! )   He “lifted his eyes to heaven and blessed the Most High, and praised and honored HIM who lives forever.”

At the same time, his reason returned, as did his glory, majesty, and splendor. And he said, “Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and extol and honor the “King of Heaven” for all His works are right, and His ways are just; and those who walk in pride He is able to humble.”

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Daniel 5.  Twenty years after Nebuchadnezzar’s death, his son, Belshazzar, is about to meet his Maker, and his kingdom is violently given to the Medes & Persians. 

He is feasting and drinking with a thousand of his lords. In drunken braggadocio, he calls for the splendid gold and silver chalices his father took from the Temple – the House of God – in Jerusalem. “Why aren’t we drinking from them?”  He, his guests, and concubines drank wine and praised the gods of gold, silver, bronze, iron, wood, and stone.

And IMMEDIATELY, the fingers of a human hand appeared and wrote on the wall plaster, and the king saw them. His pallor changed, his limbs weakened (Can you imagine the goblet slipping from his fingers, wine splashing on him?), and his knees knocked together.  He called for all his magicians to interpret the writing, but they could not.

Then, the Queen (his mother) mentioned a man ‘in whom is the spirit of the Holy gods.’ Your father, King Nebuchadnezzar, trusted him because he could interpret dreams and solve problems.  ” Let Daniel be called, and he will show the interpretation.”

Daniel is located and brought to the palace. The king said, “You are that Daniel, one of the exiles, whom the king my father brought from Judah. I have heard that light, and understanding, and excellent wisdom are found in you. I have heard that you can interpret dreams and solve problems.  IF YOU WILL READ THIS WRITING AND INTERPRET IT, I will make you Number Three in my kingdom!”

“Keep your gifts, O king,” said Daniel shortly. “But I will read and interpret the writing.”  

But first, Daniel gives a little history of this king’s father, Nebuchadnezzar, how God made him great, how he was prideful, how God made him like an ox, and how God restored his majesty when he humbled himself and acknowledged the God of Heaven.  “But YOU, his son, Belshazzar, have NOT humbled your heart though you knew all this. You have lifted yourself up against the God of heaven. You have praised the gods of gold, silver, bronze, iron, wood, and stone.  But the God in whose hand is your breath, and whose are all your ways, you have NOT honored.  And so, this hand was sent.” 

It says, “MENE, MENE, TEKEL, PARSIN.  It means that God has numbered the days of your kingdom and brought it to an end. You have been weighed in the balances and found wanting. Your kingdom is divided and given to the Medes and Persians.”

That very night, Belshazzar, the Chaldean king, was killed. And Darius the Mede received the kingdom.”

(You don’t mess with the God of heaven or His Holy stuff!)

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Daniel 6. And now, Daniel is serving under a third king, Darius. He is now one of three ‘presidents’ in charge of the 120 satraps (governors).  They all had to report to him.  Soon, they were resentful and jealous of him, “one of the exiles” ruling over them, and they devised a wicked, deceitful plan to get rid of him. The only grounds of complaint against Daniel that they could find (for he was exemplary) was to see it in the law of his God.

They convinced King Darius that he should be honored for a month.  (Darius month!!)   During that month, if anyone asked anything (petitioned) of anyone except the king, he would be thrown into a lion’s den.   The king said that sounded cool and stamped it into law.

The jealous governors camped outside Daniel’s house, and when they saw him open his East-facing window toward Jerusalem, kneel, and pray three times each day, they knew they had him. Wide-eyed, with innocent smiles, they tattled to the king.

Of course, the king was distraught. Daniel was one of his chief men. A “rainmaker.” But, the law of a Mede or Persian could not be changed. (We’ll see this again in Esther.)  And he condemned his ‘fave guy’ to the lion’s den. (BTW, Daniel is about 82 years old by now.)

All night, Darius prayed and fasted for Daniel. (Quite a turnabout.)  Early in the morning, he rushed to the lion’s den.  “O Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to deliver you from the lions?”

A tiny wait while he held his breath.

“O king, live forever! My God sent His angel and shut the lions’ mouths, and they have not harmed me.” 

Daniel is drawn from the den joyously, and those jealous, sneaky satraps and their wives and children are tossed in. (Does this remind you of the fiery furnace story??)  Having been denied dinner all night, the lions leaped on them before they even hit the bottom of the den. 

Darius then sends a message throughout his kingdom that people are to tremble and fear the God of Daniel. “For He is the living God, enduring forever; His kingdom shall never be destroyed, and His dominion shall be to the end.”

And this chapter of Daniel ends with…”So this Daniel prospered during the reign of Darius and the reign of Cyrus the Persian.”

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(Tomorrow, we begin Daniel’s prophetic visions.)

 

 

 

2024GOAL – Reading Through The Bible Chronologically, days 238 and 239

Aug26

    Day 238 & 239—We are in the eighth month of Bible reading, with more of Lamentations about the destruction of their land.  And the beginning of the book of Ezekiel.

NOTE: Sundays and Mondays are posted together.

    Day 238 – Lamentations 3 – 5 (more acrostics in chapters 3 & 4 of sorrow and hope, a prayer)

Lamentations 3 is also an acrostic of the 22-character Hebrew alphabet but with 3 verses per letter. In the middle of his wailing about affliction and horror (of himself and Judah)…Jeremiah turns to God’s faithfulness.

“I am the man who has seen affliction under the rod of his wrath.”  “He has broken my bones.”   He has made me dwell in darkness like the dead;”  “He has made my chains heavy;”   “He has made me desolate;”   ” Though I call and cry for help, He shuts out my prayer;”   ” He has made my paths crooked.”   He has filled me with bitterness;”   “my soul is bereft of peace;”   “I have forgotten what happiness us;”  

3:21-24
"But this I call to mind,
and therefore I have hope;
The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases,
His mercies never come to an end;
they are new every morning;
great is Your faithfulness.
The LORD is my portion, says my soul,
therefore I will hope in him.
The LORD is good to those who wait for Him,
to the soul who seeks Him.

3:31-33
For the Lord will not
cast off forever,
but though He causes grief, He will
have compassion
according to the abundance of His 
steadfast love;
for He does not willingly afflict
or grieve the children of men.

“Let us test and examine our ways and return to the LORD!  Let us lift up our hearts and hands to God in heaven; We have transgressed and rebelled….”

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Lamentations 4.  (another acrostic) Again, the lamentation turns to the destruction of Jerusalem and her People.

“The holy stones lie scattered at the head of every street. The precious sons of Zion, worth their weight in fine gold, how they are regarded as earthen pots…”     “Those who once feasted on delicacies perish in the streets; those brought up in purple embrace ash heaps.”    “Happier were the victims of the sword than the victims of hunger…”

“The LORD gave full vent to His wrath; he poured out His hot anger, and He kindled a fire in Zion that consumed its foundations.”

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Lamentations 5 is a (non-acrostic) prayer to God for restoration.

“Remember, O LORD, what has befallen us…”   “Our fathers sinned and are no more, and we bear their iniquities.”     “The joy of our hearts has ceased; our dancing has been turned to mourning. The crown has fallen from our head; woe to us, for we have sinned!”

“But you, O LORD, reign forever….. restore us to yourself, O LORD, that we may be restored! Renew our days as of old…unless…You have utterly rejected us, and you remain exceedingly angry with us. 

(The godly sorrow over sin was the beginning of that restoration.)

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     Ezekiel 1 – 4 (The call & first visions of Ezekiel)

The book of Ezekiel backtracks some from where we finished in Jeremiah. Ezekiel was taken captive in the second siege of Jerusalem when Nebuchadnezzar took 10K Jews captive along with the surrendered King Jehoiachin. (Daniel was taken in the first invasion 7 years earlier).  Ezekiel was 25 when taken, and God called him at 30 to serve as a prophet. (He would have assumed duties as a priest at that age, before captivity.)  It would be about six more years before Nebuchadnezzar’s final siege and Jerusalem fell and was destroyed.

Ezekiel 1. While Ezekiel sat by a canal in Babylon, God showed him the first of his extraordinary visions. It’s a picture of the Glory of the LORD, and while many have tried to illustrate the vision, it stands as something unseeable and unknowable.  A stormy wind out of the north, a great, bright cloud, and fire flashing continuously with what seemed like gleaming metal in the middle of the fire. (Got that picture?)

Then, the “likeness” (he can’t actually describe it) of four living creatures…human in form, but not really. They had 4 faces and 4 wings. Their legs were straight, with hard callouses on the bottom of their feet. And they sparkled. 

Each had four wings; two went down, covering their hands and bodies. The other two wings were outstretched, tips touching the other creatures’ wings facing out at the four corners. The heads of these creatures each had four faces facing in four directions, human, lion, ox, and eagle.  They could travel straight forward in any direction.  They glowed like burning torches, and lightning shot from them. 

And beside each creature, but not touching it, was a gleaming wheel. They actually looked like a wheel within a wheel. The rims were tall and awesome and had eyes all around them.  (like a giant war machine)

Over the heads of the living creatures was a shining, awe-inspiring crystal platform. When it moved, the wings that covered the creatures’ bodies went into action with the sound of rushing water or the tumult of war.  On that shining, crystal platform was a throne, like a sapphire. Seated on the throne was “a likeness with a human appearance.”  And upward and downward from this being the appearance of gleaming, bright metal on fire. And a bright rainbow all around. 

And Ezekiel concluded this was “the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD.”  And when he saw it, he fell flat on his face.

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Ezekiel 2 & 3.  God speaks to Ezekiel and commissions him as a prophet.  As God spoke to Ezekiel, the Spirit entered him and stood him on his feet.   “Son of man, I send you to the people of Israel, to the nations of rebels, who have rebelled against me. Whether they hear or refuse to hear, they will know that a prophet has been among them.”

“Be not afraid of them nor of their words, nor be dismayed at their looks, for they are a rebellious house. You shall speak my words to them whether they hear or refuse to hear.”

Then the LORD gives Ezekiel a scroll with the words of lamentation, mourning, and woe written on both sides. Ezekiel is to eat it.  He does, and it tastes like honey.  Then God tells him to speak to the exiles of Israel (not Babylon), but they won’t listen to him.  “Fear them not, nor be dismayed at their looks.”

Then a voice like an earthquake boomed, “BLESSED BE THE GLORY OF THE LORD FROM ITS PLACE.”  Then the roaring of the angel wings and the wheels and the earthquake. And the Spirit lifted up Ezekiel and took him away to the exiles at the Chebar canal and sat him there – silent for seven days.

Then God told Ezekiel how he would be a WATCHMAN FOR ISRAEL.  He was to warn them. If he doesn’t, THEIR blood will be on HIS hands. 

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Ezekiel 4. In this chapter, Ezekiel is to perform a series of “object lessons.”  He first builds a miniature replica of Jerusalem and places siegeworks around it, pressing in. 

Next, he was to assume the role of a scapegoat, be bound with ropes, and lie on his left side facing North 390 days, symbolizing judgment for the number of years of Israel’s sin. Then he was to do the same on his right side for 40 days, symbolizing Judah’s years of sin. 

(Whew, the life of a prophet was very hard!)

















			


	



			
				


	

		
2024GOAL – Reading Through The Bible Chronologically, day 237


					
Aug24
			


	

		
    Day 237—We are in the eighth month of Bible reading: Israel’s history and Jeremiah’s prophecy/Lamentations.


    Day 237 – Lamentations 1 – 2 (loud cries, mourning the destruction of Jerusalem for unrepentant sins, probably written by Jeremiah. Lamentations 1 & 2 are acrostic poems; each verse begins with a letter of the 22-character Hebrew alphabet)


Lamentations 1. Speaking of the now destroyed and deserted Jerusalem, the City of God. 


“How lonely sits the city that was full of people! How like a widow has she become, she, who was great among the nations! She, who was a princess among the provinces, has become a slave.”     “….because the LORD has afflicted her for the multitude of her transgressions…”


The vanquished people remember their beloved city for “all the precious things that were hers from days of old.”


The author confesses, “Jerusalem sinned grievously; therefore, she became filthy…”     “Her uncleanness was in her skirts; she took no thought of her future.”


“…the LORD has trodden as in a winepress the virgin daughter of Judah.”


“The LORD is in the right, for I have rebelled against His word;”


“…I have been very rebellious.”




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Lamentations 2.  More of the LORD’s judgments on Judah.





“He has cast down from heaven to earth the splendor of Israel (the temple). He has not remembered His footstool (Ark of the Covenant) in the day of his anger.”





“In His wrath, he has broken down the strongholds (walls) of the daughter of Judah; He has brought down to the ground in dishonor the kingdom and its rulers (kings and princes).  He has cut down in fierce anger all the might (armies) of Israel; He has withdrawn from them His right hand in the face of the enemy.”





“All who pass along the way clap their hands at you; they hiss and wag their heads at the daughter of Jerusalem; ‘Is this the city that was called the perfection of beauty, the joy of all the earth?”





And did not the people remember the years that God called to them and warned them by His prophets? Did they not see the early and later warnings? Did they not remember his calling them away from idolatry and filthiness to worship Him, the one true and living God?  Did they not remember even Jeremiah’s warnings about death, famine, and destruction?





“The LORD has done what he purposed; He has carried out His word, which He commanded long ago; He has thrown down without pity; He has made the enemy rejoice over you and exalted the might of your foes.”





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(And may this be a warning to us today as well.)






			


	



			
				


	

		
2024GOAL – Reading Through The Bible Chronologically, day 164


					
Jun12
			


	

		
   Day 164—We are in the 6th month of Bible reading and continue in the History of Israel.


  Day 164 – 1 Kings 8, 2 Chronicles 5. (The Ark brought to the Temple, Solomon’s blessings)


These chapters tell of King Solomon now bringing the holy furnishings to the temple he (and his dad) built. He did it the “correct way” – carried by poles on the shoulders of the Levite priests.  


As they came from the heart of the City of David to the Temple Mount, thousands of sacrifices were made for sin and for thanksgiving. This was around the time of the Feast of Booths, or Tabernacles. There was great rejoicing and celebration with music and congregational singing as the items were put into the new Temple.


1 Kings 8:9 says that nothing was inside the Ark except the tablets of law that Moses put there.  I wonder what happened to the jar of manna, and Aaron’s rod that budded?


1 Kings 8:4 says that the old Tabernacle (tent) was also brought. I wonder what happened to it. Was it stored in some of those rooms alongside the Temple? A good topic to research, maybe.


When the priests came out of the Holy place, a great cloud of glory – the Shekinah of God – filled the temple, so much that the priests could not go near to minister.  “The glory of the LORD filled the house of the LORD.”  


And Solomon blesses the LORD before the people, telling them that God had fulfilled His promise to them, for a dwelling place among them.  Then Solomon turns and kneels before the great altar, spreads his arms wide, and offers prayer to the LORD God of Israel.  




"O LORD, God of Israel, there is no God like you, in heaven above or on earth beneath, keeping covenant and showing steadfast love to your servants who walk before you with all their heart, who have kept with your servant David my father what you declared to him. You spoke with your mouth and with your hand and have fulfilled it this day.

"But will God indeed dwell on the earth? Behold, heaven, and the highest heaven cannot contain You; how much less this house that I have built!  

"Yet have regard to the prayer of your servant and to his plea, O LORD my God, listening to the cry and to the prayer that your servant prays before you this day, that your eyes may be open at night and day toward this house, the place of which you have said, My name shall be there, that you may listen to the prayer that your servant offers towards this place,

"And listen to the plea of your servant and of your people Israel when they pray toward this place. 

"And listen in heaven your dwelling place, and when you hear......forgive. 




Solomon’s prayer then includes all the possibilities of sin and calamity that may (will) befall the people and begs God to HEAR their confession, forgive their sins, and teach them the good way in which they should walk.


Then he turns again to the people and offers a benediction on them, finishing with: “Let your heart therefore be wholly true to the LORD our God, walking in his statutes and keeping his commandment.”


Then comes the sacrifices and offerings before the LORD almost without number, and a great feast for the entire assembly of Israel for seven days.


After that, the people go home, joyful and glad of heart for all the goodness that the LORD had shown to David and to Israel His people.







			


	



			
				


	

		
2024GOAL – Reading Through The Bible Chronologically, days 149


					
May28
			


	

		
   Day 149—We are in our FIFTH month of Bible reading and we have begun our 13th book – 1 Kings.  Are you loving God more each day? What are you learning about Him?  Share in the comments section.


   Day 149 –  1 Kings 1 – 2, Psalms 37, 71, 94. (David dies, but first stops a coup)


1 Kings 1.  David is old and frail and can’t get warm. The court brings a young and beautiful woman to care for him and keep him warm at night. (No hanky-panky, however.)  


Taking advantage of his father’s advanced age, Adonijah, next in line to be king, claims himself the heir to the throne by collecting chariots, and soldiers, one of the high priests, and even the aging Commander of David’s army, Joab. They hold a huge festival with loads of sacrifices.  


But when the prophet Nathan hears of it, he enlists Bathsheba in a plan to officially crown the LORD’s choice, Solomon, as king after David.  The old king musters enough strength to do just that, authorizing them to have Solomon ride through town on his royal donkey, the priests to anoint him king in front of all the people, encourage them to shout, “Long live King Solomon” and to sit him on his father’s throne.


Adonijah hears the commotion and knows what it means. He makes a wild dash for the horns of the altar at the Tabernacle (a place he can claim clemency). Solomon grants him that… IF HE WILL SHOW HIMSELF A WORTHY MAN.”  (We’ll see about that in a bit.)


By the way, verse 6 points out a fault of David with ALL his sons and probably the reason so many went wrong. It’s a warning to parents today. “His father had never at any time displeased him by asking, ‘Why have you done thus and so?“ Not only was Adonijah handsome like Absalom, he was spoiled rotten.


1 Kings 2. Like all Jewish patriarchs, King David calls for Solomon when he knows he is dying. He blesses Solomon and encourages him in the LORD. “Be strong, and show yourself a man, and keep the charge of the LORD your God, walking in His ways and keeping His statutes, His commandments, His rules, and His testimonies…. that you may prosper in all that you do and wherever your turn, that the LORD may establish His Word that He spoke to me…. ‘you shall not lack a man on the throne of Israel’.”


HOWEVER, the old king then instructs Solomon to assassinate two men “according to your wisdom, for you are a wise man.”


    

  1. He is to kill Joab for revenge-killing the commanders of Saul’s and Absalom’s armies (Abner & Amasa) IN TIME OF PEACE.
    2. 

  2. He is also to kill Shimei, the Benjamite, who cursed David as he fled from Absalom. David had sworn that HE himself would not kill the man but now instructs Solomon to do it.
    3. 



Then David dies – after reigning for 40 years as king. He was buried in Jerusalem, the City of David. And Solomon’s kingdom is firmly established…almost.


Next, that slippery Adonijah comes to Bathsheba and asks HER to ask SOLOMON to pretty please give him Abishai as his wife. TWO THINGS TO REMEMBER:  1. Abishai was the beautiful woman given to David to keep him warm and was considered a concubine.. 2. Someone who wanted to claim the kingdom for himself would sleep with the former king’s wife/concubine.


ADONIJAH WAS ATTEMPTING A SNEAKY COUP TO STEAL THE CROWN FROM SOLOMON!!


Solomon sends his commander, Benaiah. to kill Adonijah. 


Solomon sends Benaiah to kill Joab.


After giving Shimei a narrow place to live, and the man leaves it, Solomon sends Benaiah to kill him. 


His oaths to his father accomplished, the kingdom was now established in the hand of Solomon.


Psalm 37.  “Fret not yourself because of evildoers; be not envious of wrongdoers! For they will soon fade like the grass and wither like the green herb. Trust in the LORD and do good…”   “Delight yourself in the LORD…”   “Commit your way to the LORD…”   “Be still before the LORD….”


“The steps of a man are established by the LORD, when he delights in His way; though he fall, he shall not be cast headlong, for the LORD upholds his hand.”


“I have young, and now am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken or his children begging for bread.”


Psalm 71. “For you, O Lord, are my hope, my trust, O LORD, from my youth.”    “Do not cast me off in the time of old age; forsake me not when my strength is spent.”    “Whom have I in heaven but You? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.”


Psalm 94. “He who planted the ear, does He not hear? He who formed the eye, does He not see? He who disciplines the nations, does He not rebuke? He who teaches man knowledge – the LORD – knows the thoughts of man, that they are but breath.”


“Blessed is the man whom You discipline, O LORD, and whom You teach out of your law, to give him REST from the days of trouble…”     “If the LORD had not been my help, my soul would soon have lived in the land of silence. When I thought, ‘My foot slips,’ your steadfast love, O LORD, held me up. When the cares of my heart are many, your consolations cheer my soul.”





			


	



			
				


	

		
2024GOAL – Reading Through The Bible Chronologically, day 147 & 148


					
May27
			


	

		
    Day 147 & 148—We are in our FIFTH month of Bible reading and today we finis the 12th book!   What insights have you gained about God and yourself through reading so far?  Share in the comments section.


(Note: SUNDAY’s and MONDAY’s readings are combined.)


    Day 147 – 2 Chronicles 26 – 29, Psalms 127 (David appoints all who will be in charge of the kingdom as it passes to Solomon.)


Chapter 26. David continues to assign specific work in the Kingdom to men and groups who can handle it. Here, he assigns Gatekeepers, the first line of defense for the City of David. He also assigns men in charge of the treasuries of the house of God, and dedicated gifts.


Interestingly, he assigned “men of great ability” to oversee the tribes east of the Jordan in everything pertaining to God and the king’s affairs.  


Chapter 27. Here, David assigned a standing army of 24,000 for each month, rotating throughout the year (total: 288,000). He also appointed one man to oversee each of the tribes. As for his own property, he appointed men over the treasuries in the country, cities, villages, and towers. Chosen men who oversaw the farms, vineyards, wine cellars, olive & sycamore trees, stores of oil, herds of cattle, camels, donkeys, and flocks of sheep. David also appointed men to “oversee” all his sons (for the LORD had given him many.)  


Lastly, Joab stands as the commander of the king’s army. (David didn’t like him because he killed Absalom and tried to replace him, but the army leader persisted, obeyed the king in everything (even when the king sinned), and was a great military leader.)


Chapter 28.  David assembled all the officials of Israel at Jerusalem.  He tells them how it was in his heart to build a House for the LORD, but that God had given that task to Solomon. He tells how God allowed him to amass all the materials and make the plans.  He also tells them again that young SOLOMON will be the next king of Israel, chosen by GOD! 


David charges Solomon with the task and with obedience to God and then gives him the plans. He reminds him (and the assembled officials there) that “the people will be wholly at your command.”


Chapter 29. David challenges the assembly that the task of building the Temple is great and Solomon is young. He tells of the huge offerings he himself has given and asks, “Who then will offer willingly, consecrating himself today to the LORD?”   As one, they come forward with huge offerings for the treasury for the House of the LORD.  Then everyone REJOICES greatly.


David blesses the LORD in their presence. “Yours, O LORD, is the greatness and power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, for all that is in the heavens, and in the earth is yours. YOURS IS THE KINGDOM, O LORD, and You are exalted as head above all. Both riches and honor come from You, and You rule over all. In Your hand are power and might, and in Your hand, it is to make great and to give strength to all.  And now we thank You, our God, and praise YOUR GLORIOUS NAME.”


“O LORD, our God, all this abundance that we have provided for building You a house for Your holy name comes from Your hand and is all Your own.”     “Grant to Solomon my son a whole heart that he may keep your commandments, your testimonies, and your statutes, performing all, and that he may build the palace for which I have made provision.”


Then the whole congregation made Solomon, the son of David, king a second time, and they appointed him as Prince for the LORD.


Psalm 127 is a psalm written by Solomon.  “Unless the LORD builds the house, those who build it labor in vain.  Unless the LORD watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain.” 


King David’s death is mentioned at the end of 2 Chronicles, but we’ll see a little more of him in 1 Kings.


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    Day 148 – Psalms 111 – 118 (Psalms of assents and praise written by others)


111. “I will give thanks to the LORD with my whole heart.”    “Holy and awesome is His name! The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: all who practice it have a good understanding.”


112.  “Blessed be the man who fears the LORD, who greatly delights in His commandments!    “It is well with the man who deals generously and lends; who conducts his affairs with justice.”


113. “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 above reminds me of the modern song “10,000 Reasons” by Matt Redman —


Verse 1
The sun comes up, it’s a new day dawning;
It’s time to sing Your song again.
Whatever may pass and whatever lies before me,
Let me be singing when the evening comes.


Chorus
Bless the Lord, O my soul,
O my soul, worship His holy Name.
Sing like never before, O my soul.
I’ll worship Your holy Name.


114. “Tremble, O earth, at the presence of the Lord, at the presence of the God of Jacob, who turns the rock into a pool of water, the flint into a spring of water.”


115.  “Not to us, O LORD, not to us, but to Your name give glory for the sake of your mercy and your faithfulness.”    “Our God is in the heavens; He does all that He pleases.”    


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. The snares of death encompassed me; the pangs of Sheol laid hold on me; I suffered distress and anguish. Then I called on the name of the LORD; ‘O LORD, I pray, deliver my soul!’ 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;…”    “What shall I render to the LORD for all his benefits to me?”


“Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of His saints…“


117. “Praise the LORD, all nations! Extol Him, all peoples!”


118. “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.”   “I thank You that You have answered me and have become my salvation.”


“The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. This is the LORD’s doing; it is marvelous in our eyes. This is the day that the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.”





			


	



			
				


	

		
2024GOAL – Reading Through The Bible Chronologically, day 140 & 141


					
May20
			


	

		
    Day 140 & 141—We are in our FIFTH month of Bible reading.   What insights have you gained about God and yourself through reading so far?  Share in the comments section.


(Note: SUNDAY’s and MONDAY’s readings are combined.)


    Day 140 – Psalms 5. 38. 41. 42. – (Psalms of David in a tumultuous time)


Psalm 5. “Lead me, O LORD, in your righteousness because of my enemies; make straight before me. For there is no truth in their mouth…”     


“But let all who take refuge in You rejoice; let them ever sing for joy, and spread your protection over them, and those who love your name may exult in you. FOR YOU BLESS THE RIGHTEOUS, O LORD; You cover him with favor as with a shield.”


Psalm 38. “I am feeble and crushed; I groan because of the tumult of my heart.”     “I confess my iniquity; I am sorry for my sin. But my foes are vigorous, they are mighty, and many are those who hate me wrongfully.”    “Do not forsake me, O LORD! O my God, be not far from me! Make haste to help me, O Lord, my salvation.”


Psalm 41. “Blessed is the one who considers the poor! In the day of trouble, the LORD delivers him; the LORD protects him and keeps him alive; he is called blessed in the land; You do not give him up to the will of his enemies. The LORD sustains him on his sickbed; in his illness, you restore him to full health.”     “Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, from everlasting to everlasting! Amen and Amen.”


Psalm 42. “As a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.”


“Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? HOPE IN GOD, for I shall again praise Him, my salvation and my God.  My soul is cast down within me; therefore, I remember you…”     “By day, the LORD commands his steadfast love, and at night, His song is with me, a prayer to the God of my life.” 


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    Day 141 – 2 Samuel 22 – 23, Psalm57 – (Songs of David & a recount of all his mighty men)


2 Samuel 22 is a song of David praising God for deliverance. Notice all the nouns he uses.


“The LORD is my ROCK and my FORTRESS and my DELIVERER, my GOD, my rock in whom I take refuge, my SHIELD, and the HORN of my salvation, my STRONGHOLD and my REFUGE, my SAVIOR, you save me from violence. I call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised.”


“In my distress, I called upon the LORD; to my God, I called. From His temple, HEARD my voice, and my cry came to His ears.”     “He SENT from on high, He TOOK me; He DREW me out of many waters. He RESCUED me from my strong enemy, from those who hated me, for they were too  mighty for me.”   “He BROUGHT me out into a broad place; He RESCUED me because He DELIGHTED in me.”


“This God–His way is perfect; the word of the LORD proves true; He is a shield for all those who take refuge in Him.”


“You have given me the shield of your salvation, and your GENTLENESS made me great. You gave a wide place for my steps under me, and my feet did not slip…”     “You delivered me from strife with my people; You kept me as the head of the nations; people whom I had not known served me.”


“The LORD lives, and blessed be my rock, and exalted be my God, the rock of my salvation.”    “Great salvation he brings to His king, and shows steadfast love to his anointed, to David and his offspring forever.”


2 Samuel 23 opens with these words: “Now these are the last words of David; the oracle of David, the son of Jesse, the oracle of the man who was raised on high, the anointed of the God of Jacob, the sweet psalmist of Israel.”  The following words (praise to God for choosing him and these people) are not David’s final oral speech but his final literary legacy to Israel.


The last part of this chapter is a repeat recalling of David’s mighty men and some of their actions of greatness. The last one mentioned is “Uriah the Hittite…”


 





			


	



			
				


	

		
#2024GOAL – Reading Through The Bible Chronologically, days 138


					
May17
			


	

		
    Day 138—We are in our FIFTH month of Bible reading.   Are you loving God more each day? Are you reciting, praying, and singing the Psalms we’ve been reading?  Share in the comments section.


    Day 138 – Psalms 26, 40, 58, 61, 62, 64. – (Psalms of David during and after the calamity with Absalom)


Psalm 26. “Vindicate me, O LORD, for I have walked in my integrity and I have trusted in the LORD without wavering. Prove me, O LORD, and try me; test my heart and my mind.”


Psalm 40. “I waited patiently for the LORD; He inclined to me and heard my cry. He drew me up from the pit of destruction, out of the miry bog, and set my feet upon a rock, making my steps secure. He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God.”


“For evils have encompassed me beyond number; my iniquities have overtaken me, and I cannot see; they are more than the hairs of my head; my heart fails me.  Be pleased, O LORD, to deliver me! O LORD, make haste to help me!”    “As for me, I am poor and needy, but the Lord takes thought for me. You are my help and my deliverer; do not delay, O my God.”


Psalm 58. David proclaims judgment on the wicked but contrasts the righteous. “Mankind will say, ‘Surely there is a reward for the righteous; surely there is a God who judges the earth!”


Psalm 61.  “Hear my cry, O God, listen to my prayer; from the end of the earth I call to you when my heart is faint.  Lead me to the rock that is higher than I, for you have been my refuge, a strong tower against the enemy.”


Psalm 62. “For God ALONE, my soul waits in silence; from Him comes my salvation. He ONLY is my rock and my salvation, my fortress, I shall not be greatly shaken.     “For God ALONE, O my soul, wait in silence, for my hope is from him.”     “Trust in Him at ALL times, O people; pour out your heart before him; God is a refuge for us.”


Psalm 64.  “Hear my voice, O God, in my complaint; preserve my life from dread of the enemy. Hide me from the secret plots of the wicked, from the throng of evildoers…”     “Let the righteous one rejoice in the LORD and take refuge in Him! Let all the upright in heart exult!,,”















			


	



			
				


	

		
2024GOAL – Reading Through The Bible Chronologically, day 132


					
May11
			


	

		
    Day 132—We are in our FIFTH month of Bible reading.   Are you loving God more each day? Are you reciting, praying, and singing the Psalms we’ve been reading?  Share in the comments section.


    Day 132 – Psalms 65, 66, 67, 69. 70. – (Psalms of God’s glory and awesomeness, and of humility and confession)


Read Psalms 65-67 in one swoop!  I’ll highlight phrases and verses. 


Psalm 65. “Praise is due to you, O God in Zion.:”   “O you, who hear prayer..”  “…You atone for our transgressions.”


“Blessed is the one You choose and bring near, to dwell in your courts!”    “By awesome deeds, you answer us with righteousness, O God of our salvation.”   “You make the going out of the morning and the evening to shout for joy.” (Sunrise & sunset)


Psalm 66.  “Shout for joy to God, all the earth; sing the glory of His name, give to Him glorious praise!  Say to God, ‘How awesome are your deeds! So great is your power that your enemies come cringing to you.”    “Come and see what God has done: He is awesome in his deeds toward the children of man.”


“Come and hear, all you who fear God, and I will tell what he has done for my soul. I cried to Him with my mouth, and high praise was on my tongue.”    “If I had cherished iniquity in my heart, the Lord would not have listened.”    “Blessed be God, because He has not rejected my prayer or removed His steadfast love from me!”


Psalm 67. “May God be gracious to us and bless us and make His face to shine upon us.”    “Let the people praise you, O God; let all the peoples praise you! Let the nations be glad and sing for joy.”    “,,,let all the ends of the earth fear Him.”


Confess, lament your sin, and plead for God to help. But then praise Him. He is GREAT.


Psalm 69. “Save me, O God!”    “O God, You know my folly; the wrongs I have done are not hidden from you.  Let not those who hope in You be put to shame through me, O Lord God of hosts; let not those who see You be brought to dishonor through me, O God of Israel.”


“Answer me, O LORD, for your steadfast love is good; according to your abundant mercy, turn to me.  Hide not your face from your servant, for I am in distress; make haste to answer me. Draw near to my soul, redeem me….”


“I will praise the name of God with a song; I will magnify Him with thanksgiving. ”    “For the LORD hears the needy and does not despise His own people …”    “Let heaven and earth praise Him, the seas and everything that moves in them. For God will save Zion…..”




Psalm 70.  “Make haste, O God to deliver me! O LORD, make haste to help me!”    “May all who seek You rejoice and be glad in You! May those who love your salvation say evermore, “God is great!”    “But I am poor and needy; hasten to me, O God!  You are my help and my deliverer; O LORD, do not delay!”





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Hey, it’s okay to ask God to act quickly!  Don’t panic, but pray!