Archives

2024GOAL – Reading Through The Bible Chronologically, day 284

Oct11

    Day 284—We are in the TENTH month of Bible reading and studying the New Testament Gospels.

    Day 284 – Matthew 9, Luke 7 (Jesus heals many and raises the dead)

Matthew 9.  Matthews covers some incidents that we’ve read in the other Gospels. First, the paralytic man brought to him by friends. Nothing is said about their letting him down through the roof, but Jesus’ response was the same when He saw their faith.  “Take heart, my son; your sins are forgiven.” 

This, of course, angered the religious leaders who said that Jesus was a blasphemer, for only God can forgive sins.  Jesus knew what they were thinking, turned to the man, and healed him. Jesus, as God, had authority over sin and sickness (and death too).

The following two incidents have also been covered. Jairus, the synagogue ruler, comes to Jesus about his deathly ill daughter, and Jesus agrees to go to her. But He’s intercepted by the woman with the issue of blood (who is healed). By then, Jairus’ daughter has died, and the situation seems hopeless. But Jesus goes in and raises the newly dead girl to life, joy, and… some food.

Jesus then meets and heals two blind men who call to Him, “Have mercy on us, Son of David.”  “Do you believe that I am able to do this?” Jesus asked them. When they affirmed it, Jesus said, “According to your faith, let be it done,” and their blindness was gone. 

A man with a demon who caused him to be mute was delivered and restored. The crowds marveled at Jesus’ authority over evil spirits. (The Pharisees said He cast out demons by the power of the Prince of Demons,” which doesn’t make sense.) 

Jesus saw the multitude as a field ready for harvest. He had compassion on them because they were “harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.”  

.

Luke 7. This chapter also covers an incident we’ve read before about the Centurion with a sick servant. He doesn’t ask Jesus to come to heal the man, but only to “say the word and he will be healed.”  Jesus does and marvels at this Gentile’s faith.

Next is an incident we haven’t read before.  Jesus went to the small town of Nain. His disciples and a great crowd of people went with Him.  As THIS CROWD neared the gate of a city, ANOTHER CROWD was coming out.  It was the funeral procession for a young man, a son of a widow, who had died.  Jesus knew she was a widow and now completely alone with no prospects of a living. He had compassion on her, comforted her, then touched the casket (a big no-no, which would have made Jesus “unclean.”)  Except the boy came back to life, so the uncleanness of a dead body no longer applied. The young man sat up and began to speak, and Jesus handed him down to his mother. 

Fear seized the combined crowds, and they glorified God, saying, “A great prophet has arisen among us!” and, “God has visited His people!”

NOTE: Jesus has now raised a newly dead girl and a young man in a casket on the way to his burial. Soon, He will raise a man (Lazarus) who has been dead and buried for three days.  Indeed, God has visited His people. Immanuel.

These verses tell of a time before John the Baptist was beheaded by Herod and still in prison.  He hadn’t heard of Jesus claiming to be the Messiah who would deliver Israel from the Romans and set up a new kingdom.  He wonders about Jesus.  So he sends a few of his disciples (who still bring him food in prison) to ask Him, “Are YOU the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?

Instead of instantly replying, Jesus begins healing many people of diseases, plagues, and evil spirits. Even the blind see.  Then Jesus tells John’s disciples, “Go and tell John what you have seen and heard; the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, the poor have good news preached to them.  Blessed is the one who is not offended by me.”

How will these actions and words help John’s doubt?  Jesus knows that John is a prophet and that in those years in the desert growing up, he constantly studied the Scriptures.  John will instantly recognize Isaiah 35:5-6 and 61:1 as verses prophesying precisely what Jesus just did and relating them to Israel’s promised Messiah. He’ll be encouraged. 

As John’s disciples leave, Jesus turns to the crowd. “What did you expect to see when you went out to be baptized by John, a reed shaken by the wind?  A man in soft clothing living in luxury?  No, you went out to see a prophet, and yes, John was MORE than a prophet.  As it’s written, “Behold, I send my messenger before your face, who will prepare your way before you.” Malachi 3;1.  

Then Jesus continued praising the life and ministry of John. “Among those born of women, NONE is greater than John. Yet the person who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.”

Later, another Pharisee asked Jesus to have dinner with him. Jesus went to his house and took a place at his table.  Then, a woman of ill repute came in, bringing an alabaster flask of ointment. She stayed behind Jesus at his feet, weeping. She wet his feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair, kissed his feet, and anointed them with the ointment.

The Pharisee smirked and said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would have known this woman touching Him was a prostitute.”

Of course, Jesus heard his thoughts loud and clear and told him a “parable.” There were two debtors, one owing 500 denarii and the other owing but 50. The moneylender forgave both their debts. 

“Which one do you suppose loved the moneylender more?” Jesus asked.

“Well, I suppose the one who owed the most.”

“You supposed correctly,” Jesus said.  “This woman has washed and anointed my feet – you did not offer a slave to wash them.  She hasn’t ceased to kiss my feet – you didn’t welcome me with the customary kiss of greeting.   HER sins, which are many, have been forgiven, so she loves much.  The one (YOU) who is forgiven little loves little. 

Jesus turned to the worshiping woman and said, “Daughter, your sins are forgiven. Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”

The Pharisee and the others at the table grumbled.  “Who is this who even forgives sin???”

 

2024GOAL – Reading Through The Bible Chronologically, day 283

Oct10

    Day 283—We are in the TENTH month of Bible reading and studying the New Testament Gospels.

    Day 283 – Matthew 5 – 7 (beatitudes, salt & light, wrong attitudes, Lord’s prayer, treasures, fruit, house on sand/rock)

Jesus’ “Sermon on the Mount” is full of practical teachings on the Christian life, especially humility, love, and holiness.

“When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when He sat down, his disciples came to him, and he taught them.”

This almost sounds as if Jesus went away from the crowds to a place where He could teach his disciples. But most commentators say Jesus is teaching a large group spread out on a hillside.  Either way, His words are directed to ALL those who want to follow Him.  (Compare to Luke’s account in 6:17-49)

The first section, the Beatitudes, combines humble attitudes with rewards, and they seem to go in a progressive list.  Blessed are the poor in spirit, those who mourn, are meek, and hunger for righteousness. Blessed are the merciful, the pure in heart, peacemakers, and those persecuted for Jesus’ sake. The rewards are mountainous compared to the attitudes. They will receive the kingdom of heaven, comfort, the earth, satisfaction, and mercy. They will see God, be called His “sons,” and receive the kingdom.

Next, Jesus tells how His followers are to be “salt” (to make unbelievers thirsty for salvation) and “light,” both to the world (set on a hill) and their own families (a table lamp), pointing to God’s salvation through Jesus, the Light of the World.

Jesus also speaks of the Law, which the Jews revered.  He’s come to fulfill it, not abolish it. But God requires a greater righteousness than keeping Moses’ law. Only through Christ can one be made perfect in God’s sight.

Then Jesus teaches on sensitive topics like anger, lust, divorce, taking oaths, retaliation, donations, and praying.  These are all heart matters and not things that show on the outside. God sees the heart and rewards accordingly.

After this, Jesus gives a formula for praying to their Heavenly Father. Their prayer should begin with worship and acknowledgment of their Father’s perfect will and way, then include petitions for daily needs, confession of sin with the assurance of forgiveness, and end with an earnest desire not to yield to sin and temptation.

Jesus then teaches more about forgiving others, fasting in God’s way, storing treasure in heaven and not on earth, dealing with anxiety, and not judging other people but instead examining the “fruit” they manifest in their lives.  The heart attitudes Jesus taught earlier are considered a person’s “fruit,” but also is their obedience to the Father’s will.  It’s possible to miss out on the Kingdom by professing but not possessing, Christ.

The “Golden Rule” states the correct heart attitude, but the way is narrow and hard.  Walking the “wide path” of tolerance, selfishness, and pride is easy, but the end is destruction.   Jesus tells a profound parable about building your life on sand (temporal things of earth) or a rock (lasting faith in Jesus). The storms of life and the end times will cause you to either stand firm or fall and be washed away.

“When Jesus finished these sayings, the crowds were astonished at His teaching, for He was teaching them as one who had authority, not as their scribes.”

2024GOAL – Reading Through The Bible Chronologically, day 278

Oct5

    Day 278—We are in the TENTH month of Bible reading and studying the New Testament Gospels. 

    Day 278 – Matthew 4, Luke 4 – 5 (Jesus tempted, calls disciples, great crowds healed)

Matthew 4 and Luke 4 tell what happens immediately after Jesus is baptized and God expresses His pleasure in His Son. The Holy Spirit leads the Son of God into the wilderness for a 40-day fast… to be tempted by the devil.  WHY? We might ask.  

When John baptized Jesus, He identified with us sinners, only without sin.  And where and how did mankind first sin? In a beautiful garden where their every need was met when they were tempted by the devil in three distinct ways.

(These temptations are listed in 1 John 2:16, and Satan uses these three temptations on all of us often. They are: 1) the lust of the flesh (a desire to indulge self), 2) the lust of the eyes (a desire to acquire something), and 3) the pride of life (a desire to impress others.) See if you can see all three in Genesis 3:6.

And so Jesus also encountered these temptations by Satan as well, but in a harsh environment when he was hungry and physically weak. 

Luke 4.  1) “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.”  (Satisfy your physical hunger, indulge yourself.) 

Jesus resisted by using Scripture. “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone.” (Deut. 8:3)

2)  “If you will worship me, I will give you ALL THE WORLD’S KINGDOMS.” (Satisfy your desire to acquire power and glory.)

Again, Jesus resisted by speaking God’s Word. “You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only shall you serve.”  (Deut. 6:13)

3)  “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from this pinnacle of the temple, for you know angels will bear you up lest you strike your foot on a stone.” (Satisfy your pride by proving you are “special” to God.)

Here also, Jesus replied with Holy scripture: “You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.” (Deut. 6:16)

After the Devil’s three-fold temptation (Jesus the clear winner), he left the Son of God “until an opportune time.”  As Jesus nears the time of His crucifixion, Satan will intensify these temptations for Jesus to choose a different path than the one “set before Him” for our salvation (and the devil’s own head-crushing). 

.

Luke 4. Leaner and tested, Jesus “returns in the power of the Spirit to Galilee” to begin His ministry.  He goes into his hometown synagogue in Nazareth.  As any Jewish man could do, Jesus stood up to read. That day, it was the scroll of Isaiah.

He read Isaiah 61:1-2.  “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me because He has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

Jesus then rolled up the scroll and sat down.  All eyes were upon him, expecting Him to teach from the passage. Instead, he shocked them by saying, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”

WHAT! WAS THIS JESUS, JOSEPH’S SON, CLAIMING TO BE THE MESSIAH???   Yep.

They told Him to “do some miracle” as He’d done in Capernaum to prove his claim. But Jesus said He couldn’t because of their unbelief.  Then they got furious and actually rose up, drove Him out of town, and tried to throw Him off a cliff.  WHAT??? 

But Jesus, the Son of God, their unrecognized Messiah, simply walked through the crowd…unnoticed. 

After that, Jesus moved from Nazareth to live in Capernaum (possibly at Peter’s house).

.

Luke 5 and Matthew 4 tell of Jesus beginning His ministry by choosing His disciples.  Walking by the Sea of Galilee, He saw Peter and Andrew casting a net into the sea and said, “Follow me,” and they did.  Next, Jesus spotted James and John in a boat with their father and called them.  They also immediately left everything to follow Him. (Remember, these men had earlier met Jesus and been convinced He was the Messiah.)

Luke gives more detail, telling how Jesus got into Peter’s boat and pushed out a little way so he could teach the crowds who were flocking to him.  Later, when Jesus showed the fishermen a huge swarm of fish to catch, Peter fell down at Jesus’s knees and said, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.”  Jesus answered him, “Don’t be afraid; from now on, you will be catching MEN.”

Then, Jesus went on a massive teaching and healing campaign in Galilee, cleansing lepers, delivering those oppressed by demons, healing diseases and disabilities of all kinds (one time even telling a paralytic that his SINS WERE FORGIVEN, which freaked the religious leaders who said only GOD could do that.  Well…yeah.)

.

Probably to the shock of the four young fishermen following him, Jesus also called a hated TAX COLLECTOR to join them, and Levi (or Matthew) eagerly left his tax booth to follow Jesus.  Later, Levi held a big feast for his tax collector friends and introduced them to Jesus.  Of course, this incensed the religious leaders. How can he be a Rabbi and eat with such despicable people???

“Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick do. I have not come to call “the righteous” but sinners to repentance,” was Jesus’ response.

Then they raise the question about “fasting often,” complaining that Jesus’ disciples don’t do it.  

No, of course not.  The wedding guests don’t fast while the bridegroom is with them. One day, He’ll be gone, and then they will.  Then Jesus gives them a parable about NEW WINE put in OLD WINESKINS.

.

Tomorrow’s reading will find Jesus at an actual wedding and dealing with a shortage of wine.

 

 

 

 

 

2024GOAL – Reading Through The Bible Chronologically, day 276

Oct3

  Day 276—We are in the TENTH month of Bible reading and studying the New Testament Gospels.

    Day 276 – Matthew 2 (Visit of the wise men, Herod, Egypt to Nazareth)

Matthew 2.  A COUPLE YEARS after Jesus was born, the family is still living in Bethlehem but in a house now. 

Herod the Great (the cruel and psycho king who was an Idumean and descended from Esau) ruled in Israel. He was so paranoid about losing his power that he killed a couple of his sons and even a favorite wife.  It was to this king that the wise men from the east came and asked about the newborn KING OF THE JEWS.  (Oops!)  He freaked out (and all of Jerusalem with him because they knew when the king was upset, THEY would suffer.) 

The wise men (see Daniel 5:11 for a description) had traveled possibly 1K miles to Jerusalem after seeing “His star.” It had taken them nearly two years. Now they needed to know WHERE this new King lived. You better believe Herod wanted to know where He lived too and not to worship him, as the wise men desired.  Herod asked the Jewish scribes, who instantly knew the prophecy of Micah 5:2 that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem.  He called the wise men back and asked exactly when the star appeared, then sent them off with the request to be notified when they found him.

However, the wise men didn’t need Herod’s directions because when they left the court, the star appeared again, leading them right to the house where Jesus lived. There, they worshiped Him. Can you imagine the neighbors’ thoughts when a caravan of camels and funny-dressed rice men parked at Joseph’s house? Can you imagine Mary when these finely robed men came inside, bowed low before her toddler son, and offered those jewel-encrusted boxes of gold, frankincense, and myrrh?  They must have stayed at least one night because God warned them in a dream to go home a different way – avoiding Jerusalem and King Herod.

What was that star anyway? Some have suggested it was a comet, a unique line-up of planets, or even a supernova (star exploding).  But perhaps it was a supernatural reality similar to the Shekinah glory of God that led the Israelites through the wilderness after they left Mt. Sinai. 

What were those gifts the wise men gave?  Symbolically, the Gold represented Jesus as King. Frankincense pointed to His Deity as God.  Myrrh,  a perfume used to wrap in burial cloths, suggested Jesus would be the supreme Sacrifice for sin.  And, of course, they all could have been used as funds for traveling to Egypt and living there for a time.  God warned Joseph to flee there after the wise men left because King Herod was looking to murder the boy, Jesus.

When Herod realized the wise men were not returning, he was furious. He ordered all the baby boys two years old and younger in and around Bethlehem to be killed. NO ONE would threaten HIS THRONE!  His soldiers obeyed the command and murdered them all.  What a horror! 

Matthew quotes Jeremiah 31:15, “A voice was heard in Ramah, weeping and loud lamentation, Rachel weeping for her children; she refused to be comforted because they are no more.”  This mourning for the children killed in Jerusalem at the time of the Babylonian invasion and captivity was an echo of the current disaster caused by the insane Herod.  (Also, Jacob’s favorite wife, Rachel, died in childbirth and was buried near Bethlehem.)

Joseph obeyed his angelic dream, took Jesus and his mother, and set out for Egypt the following day. They stayed there until an angel told Joseph that Herod was dead.   They traveled back to Judea (where Bethlehem & Jerusalem were located), but the angel again warned Joseph not to stay there.  Herod’s three sons now ruled Israel, and the most wicked one, Archelaus, reigned in Judea.  Instead, Joseph took his family north into Galilee (where Herod Antipas ruled) and settled in Mary’s former town of Nazareth. 

How were the O.T. prophets’ prophecies fulfilled in that Jesus grew up in Nazareth? What did it mean that he was called a “Nazarene?” This possibly was because Nazareth was an “other side of the tracks” town. Everyone looked down on it as undesirable, even detestable.  Remember, even Nathanial asked, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” (John 1:46)  The prophets wrote that the Messiah would be “despised, abhorred, and rejected by men” (Isaiah 49:7, Isaiah 53:3) like someone from Nazareth. A Nazarene.

 

2024GOAL – Reading Through The Bible Chronologically, day 275

Oct2

    Day 275—We are in the TENTH month of Bible reading and studying the New Testament Gospels.

    Day 275 – Matthew 1, Luke 2 (Genealogy of Jesus, birth of Jesus, Jesus at the Temple as a baby and a boy)

Matthew 1. Matthew’s genealogy of Jesus begins with Abraham. It descends, following the kingly line of David down to Jesus’ stepfather, Joseph, showing that Jesus rightfully is in the line to reign as King, as God promised David. (Luke 3 shows the ascending line of Jesus from Mary to Adam and God)

Matthew’s genealogy of Jesus also includes women and gentiles. (Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, and Bathsheba).  (Be sure to read through this list. We’ve just finished the Old Testament reading, and you will recognize many names.)

In Luke’s gospel, we read how the angel Gabriel visited Mary and told her she would become pregnant by the Holy Spirit and give birth to “the Son of God,” whom she should name Jesus. 

Here, we see her betrothed, Joseph, learning of her pregnancy and deciding to “divorce” her privately. (He definitely was NOT the baby’s natural father.)  But the angel comes to him in a dream, explaining Mary’s Holy Spirit conception, the Son she will bear and call Jesus, “for he will save his people from their sins.” The baby will also be known as “Immanuel,” God with us.  (The angel refers to Isaiah 7:14, 8:8 & 10)

Joseph awoke from the dream and “did as the angel of the Lord commanded him; he took his wife, but ‘knew her not’ until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus.”

.

Luke 2. This passage is very familiar to believers. Some might even be able to recite it.  Christmas: the birth of Jesus.

It begins with the Roman Caesar Augustus needing more money and sending out a decree to all the constituents of his world to “register” in the towns of their birth so he could extract taxes from each of them. 

Joseph – a descendant of David, born in Bethlehem – started out for that town with his very pregnant wife.  They barely made it when she went into labor and gave birth to her firstborn son. He was wrapped and laid in a feed box in the stable because the inn had no vacant rooms. (Crowded with people coming to register.)

Meanwhile, out in the hills surrounding Bethlehem, a group of special shepherds watched over their flock of special sheep. (Special because these were the sheep used for sacrifices in the temple.)  All was quiet when suddenly a bright angel appeared to them, and the brilliant light of the glory of the Lord shone all around them.  Cringing from the light of God, they trembled.

(It’s interesting that the SHEEP did not panic and flee. Did they understand that “the Lamb of God” who would one day be “sacrificed” in Jerusalem, like them, had been born that night?)

The bright angel announced the GOSPEL (good news) OF JOY, which was for all people.  A Savior, Messiah, the Lord, had been born that night in a nearby stable. They would know Him because He was wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying IN A FEEDBOX. 

Then the Angel of the Lord was surrounded by a multitude (myriads) of angels, singing praise to God,  “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom He is pleased!”

Then silence and darkness came, and the shepherds sat/lay dumbfounded. Finally one said, “Let’s go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened.”  And they did.  And like the angel said, they found Mary and Joseph in a stable and a baby lying in a feedbox.  They told the couple about the angels, and everyone was amazed.  (Mary bloomed joyfully and hid these things in her heart for later.)  The shepherds returned to their sheep,  glorifying and praising God, having seen the Lamb of God which would one day take away the sin of their world.

.

FORTY DAYS LATER, when it came time for the ritual of cleansing for Mary after giving birth, and the dedication of the firstborn son, they went to the temple.  As those in poverty, the couple offered two birds (Leviticus 12:8), and then paid the coin required by law to “redeem back” their baby, according to the Mosaic law. (Exodus 13:2, 12-15)

Then, two old people came to bless the baby boy and his parents. Simeon, righteous and devout and waiting for the Messiah, approached them with his face alight with gratitude to God.  He took Jesus in his arms, saying he could now die peacefully because he had seen God’s salvation. “My eyes have seen Your Salvation that You have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people, Israel.”

He blessed Mary and Joseph and warned Mary that a “sword would pierce through her soul” because of Him.  Then, the second elder, Anna, a prophetess, came to them.  She also gave thanks to God for seeing the savior.  She began to give thanks to God and to speak of Him to all who were waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem.

This must have “wowed” Mary and Joseph and added more thoughts to Mary’s heart to ponder. 

.

TWELVE YEARS LATER (after a visit from some wise men, a trip to Egypt (recalled by Matthew), and the return to Nazareth), Jesus, having grown and become strong, filled with wisdom, and having God’s favor on him, went with Mary and Joseph (and possibly some younger siblings) to Jerusalem for the Feast of Passover.  (Was this also His Bar Mitzvah?)

After the ceremonies, as the family returned to Nazareth, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. Mary did not miss him until they were three days out.  Then she panicked, searching among the relatives and traveling companions and not finding him.  They decided they had to return to the City to look for him.  Sure enough, Jesus was in the temple, sitting among the rabbis, listening to them and asking questions.  Those teachers were totally amazed at His understanding and answers.

“Son! Why have you treated us so? Behold, your father and I have been searching for you in great distress!”  cried his mother.

Jesus answered them politely but truthfully, “Why were you looking for me? Did you not know I must be in MY FATHER’S house?”

Whoa. (More for Mary to think about.)

But Jesus went back with them to Nazareth, where He INCREASED in wisdom, in stature, and in favor with God and man.

 

 

2024GOAL – Reading Through The Bible Chronologically, day 274

Oct1

    Day 274—We are in the TENTH month of Bible reading and studying the New Testament Gospels.

    Day 274 – Luke 1, John 1 (the prophet, John, [the Baptist] is born, Zachariah, Elizabeth, Mary)

Luke 1. Dr. Luke, a learned Gentile, writes a long two-part letter to his friend Theophilus about “things that have been accomplished among us,” namely the appearance and work of the long-awaited Christ.  

He begins with the birth of the prophesied prophet, who will be like Elijah and be the forerunner of Christ and “prepare the way for him.” His story starts with two old righteous people: Zechariah, the priest, and his wife, Elizabeth, also from the priestly line.

Zechariah’s once-in-a-lifetime task is to burn incense in the Holy Place in the Temple. While performing the task, the angel Gabriel appears right next to him! Zechariah freaks out, but the angel tells him not to fear because God has heard his prayer for a son. Elizabeth is going to have a baby!  “Call him John. He will be great before the LORD. You’ll be so happy! Raise him as a Nazarite. He’ll be filled with the Holy Spirit from conception. He will prepare the way for the Messiah!

Zechariah is dumbfounded (and WILL BE dumbstruck) because he doubts the angel’s word, protesting that he and his wife are soooooo old. And, typical of Jewish men, he asks for a sign.  Gabriel is affronted and tells him the sign will be that he can’t speak a word till the baby is born.  Instantly, his tongue is mute. And Elizabeth gets the privilege of announcing it and when the time comes, of naming her baby.

Meanwhile, 100 miles north of Jerusalem, Gabriel appears to a young virgin girl named Mary in Nazareth and tells her she is to have a baby boy. Whoa!  She isn’t even married! But Gabriel says, “No problem,” because God will be His father. “Name him Jesus. He’ll also be called the Son of the Most High. God will give him the throne of David, and he’ll reign over Israel forever.”

As a sign for her (although she didn’t ask for one), Gabriel tells her about her old cousin, Elizabeth, who is expecting too.  “For nothing will be impossible with God.”  Mary makes plans and goes to visit Elizabeth. Isn’t God kind?  Mary, who knows nothing of pregnancy, gets to stay with the older Elizabeth, who  is experiencing everything three months ahead of her and can share what happens! 

For Elizabeth’s part, when she hears Mary’s greeting, John jumps for joy in her womb, and she breaks out in a song of multiple praises to the LORD.  Mary stays with her for three months (morning sickness gone) then returns to Nazareth. 

John, the forerunner of Jesus, the Messiah, is born!!  There is great rejoicing.  Elizabeth says, “His name is JOHN!” But Zechariah’s family protests.  They think he should be named after his father. But when the old priest is asked, he writes, “John.”  Instantly, his muteness is gone, and he, filled with the Holy Spirit, begins blessing God, NOT for his own son, but for the Messiah who will redeem His people.  

Then, looking at his own boy, he says, “You, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; for you will go before the Lord to prepare his way.

John grew up, became strong in spirit, and lived in the wilderness until the day of his public appearance to Israel.

.

John 1.  The apostle John begins the birth of Jesus WAY back further than even Dr. Luke. He starts before time begins, before the Son of God is named “Jesus.” When the Son, the Father, and the Holy Spirit created the world and all that is in it. He was LIFE and LIGHT shining in a darkness that couldn’t overcome Him. 

The apostle John says that John the Baptist was sent from God to be a witness of that LIGHT that everyone would believe in Him. 

The apostle John also says sadly about this One,  “He was the true LIGHT. He was in the world that He made, but the world did not know Him. He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him.”  But, hear the joy in the apostle John’s voice when he says, “But to all who DID receive Him, who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God, born not of blood or flesh, or the will of man…but of God.” 

“The Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen His glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.  For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known.”

Then, we see the ministry of John the Baptist begin.  He is baptizing repentant seekers in the Jordan River and preaching. “He who comes after me ranks before me because he was before me.” 

“Who are you?” Asked the priests and Levites from Jerusalem.

“I am not the Christ,” the Baptist said.

“What then?  Are you Elijah?

“I am not.

“Are you the Prophet (that Moses prophesied would come)?

“No.”

“Who are you?  We need to give an answer to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?”

And the Baptist answered, “I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness. Make straight the way of the Lord, as the prophet Isaiah said.” (Isaiah 40:3)

“Why are you baptizing if you are neither the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?” they ask, frustrated.

“I baptize with  water, but among you stands One you do not know, even He who comes after me, the strap of whose sandal I am not worthy to untie.”

The next day, the Baptist saw Jesus coming toward him.  “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!. THIS is He of whom I said, ‘after me, comes a man who ranks before me, because He was before me.’

“I, myself, did not know him, but He who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain, this is He who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’  And I have seen and have borne witness that this is the Son of God.”

.

Next, we see Jesus calling his first disciples. Two of the Baptist’s own followers follow Jesus after the Baptist exclaims, “Behold the Lamb of God.”  One of them, Andrew, runs to tell his brother Simon Peter that they have “found the Messiah,” and he comes.  Then Philip of Bethsaida believes and gets his friend, Nathaniel, who is initially skeptical, but after meeting Jesus, he also believes.  “Rabbi, you are the Son of God. You are the King of Israel.”

 

2024GOAL – Reading Through The Bible Chronologically, days 273 & Bonus Day

Sep30

    Days 273 & a bonus day—We are in the NINTH month of Bible reading, finishing the Old Testament with the prophecy of MALACHI,

NOTE: Sunday and Monday studies are posted on Monday.

    Day 273 – Malachi 1 – 4 (Jews become complacent and hard-hearted while Nehemiah is back in Persia; Malachi addresses their polluting sacrifices, marrying foreign wives, withholding tithes, and committing social injustice. When God often accuses them of sin, they respond arrogantly, HOW have we sinned?)

Malachi 1.  God tells the backsliding Jews, “I have loved you.”  They say, “HOW have you loved us?” And God reminds them of His choosing of the younger twin, Jacob (their ancestor) over Esau, and how He has cared for them as a father for a son.”

God then confronts the priests, “Where is my fear, O priests, who despise my name.”  And they answer belligerently, “How have we despised your name?”    “By offering polluted food upon my altar,” God says.  “How have we polluted you?“ they wonder.  When you offer blind animals in sacrifice, is that not evil?  I have no pleasure in you, and I will not accept an offering from your hand.”   “Cursed be the cheat who has a male in his flock and vows it…..and yet sacrifices to the Lord what is blemished!”

.

Malachi 2. God continues through Malachi. “And now, O priests, if you will not listen, if you will not take to heart to give honor to my name, then I will send the curse upon you, and I will curse your blessings.  Indeed, I already have cursed them.”  God had made a covenant with the tribe of Levi for life, to set it apart for Himself. These priests deceived themselves by claiming the covenant’s privileges while neglecting its conditions as if God was obligated to bless them.

“A second thing you do,” says the LORD. “You cover my altar with tears,  weeping, and groaning because I no longer regard the offering or accept it with favor from your hand.”   The people respond with, “Why do you not?”  And the LORD tells them why.  “Because I am a witness between you and the wife of your youth, to whom you have been faithless, though she is your wife by covenant.  What was I seeking? I was seeking godly offspring.  The man who does not love his wife but divorces her…covers his garment with violence.  SO, GUARD YOURSELVES in your spirit, and do not be faithless.”  (NOTE: They were divorcing their Jewish wives to marry pagan wives.)

‘You have wearied the LORD with your words.  But you say, “How have we wearied him?”    By saying, “Everyone who does evil is good in the sight of the Lord, and He delights in them.”  OR by asking, “Where is the God of justice?”

(What cantankerous, hard-hearted, arrogant people?  (Oh, LORD, am I like that sometimes?)

.

Malachi 3. The king is coming and sending his Messenger before him to prepare for and announce Him.  This is the voice of “one calling in the wilderness” (Isaiah 40:3) and the Elijah of Malachi 4:5 who initially comes before the Lord.  (The New Testament says he is John the Baptist. (Matthew 3:3, 11:10, 17:12+, Mark 1:2, Luke 1:17, 7:26-27, John 1:23)). The prophecy extends to the second coming of the Lord too, when judgment will come on all who have broken all God’s laws.

God calls to the ‘children of Jacob,’ “Return to me, and I will return to you.”  But they say, “How shall we return?  God accused them, “Will a man rob God?  You are robbing me.”  They say, “How have we robbed you?  

God answers them with a challenge.  “In your tithes and offerings, for you are robbing me, the whole nation of you!”  

THE CHALLENGE:  “BRING THE FULL TITHE INTO THE STOREHOUSE, THAT THERE MAY BE FOOD IN MY HOUSE. AND THEREBY PUT ME TO THE TEST, SAYS THE lord OF HOSTS, IF I WILL NOT OPEN THE WINDOWS OF HEAVEN FOR YOU AND POUR DOWN FOR YOU A BLESSING UNTIL THERE IS NO MORE NEED. I WILL REBUKE THE DEVOURER FOR YOU SO IT WILL NOT DESTROY THE FRUITS OF YOUR SOIL OR VINE.  AND ALL THE NATIONS WILL CALL YOU BLESSED, FOR YOU WILL BE A LAND OF DELIGHT….. says the LORD of hosts.”

Some feared the Lord, and He heard them. “They shall be mine in the day when I make up my treasured possession, and I will spare them as a man spares his son who serves him.”

.

Malachi 4. This last chapter features prophecies about the great and terrible DAY OF THE LORD when He will come in judgment to “set ablaze all the arrogant and evildoers.”  There are links to Isaiah, Joel, Zephaniah, and Revelation.  All who refuse to repent will be cast into the fire of hell.

And the “the Sun of righteousness shall rise with healing in its wings.”

Malachi closes with a promise of fulfillment. They can prepare by remembering the law of Moses, the statutes, and the rules.

“Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the LORD comes. And he will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children and the hearts of the children to their fathers….” (opposite of what happens in Christ’s first coming)  (Matthew 10:34-36)

NOTE: John the Baptist is a type of Elijah at Christ’s first appearance. Moses (the law) and Elijah (the prophets) appear with Jesus at the transfiguration, and they may also be the actual two witnesses in the great tribulation (Revelation 11:1-3)

THE END OF OLD TESTAMENT

.

    Bonus Day – A Free Day for Leap Year.

Spend this day thumbing through the Old Testament, remembering all you have read, reviewing the passages and verses that touched your heart (or conscience), and preparing your heart and mind for the New Testament and the story of Jesus Christ and His followers.

2024GOAL – Reading Through The Bible Chronologically, day 272

Sep28

    Day 272—We are in the NINTH month of Bible reading with more of Israel’s history and the end of the book of NEHEMIAH, with a PSALM.

    Day 272 – Nehemiah 11 – 13, Psalm 126 (leaders in Jerusalem, the dedication of the wall with choirs, Nehemiah leaves & returns & scolds people)

Nehemiah 11.  This chapter lists the secular and religious people living inside Jerusalem and tells how 1 in 10 were chosen by lot to live within the city’s walls. 

.

Nehemiah 12.  This chapter begins by listing the priests and Levites who had returned with Zerubbabel and Jeshua/Joshua and Nehemiah and Ezra. 

Next, the completed wall of Jerusalem, which Nehemiah was sent to rebuild, was dedicated in a large and joyful ceremony.  (With gladness, thanksgiving, singing; with cymbals, harps and lyres.)  The leaders of Judah were put up on the wall, and two great choirs were appointed to give thanks.  Ezra, the scribe, led the procession up to the temple. They sang and rejoiced, “for God had made them rejoice with great joy; the women and children also rejoiced. And the joy of Jerusalem was heard far away.”

Men were appointed over the storerooms, contributions, first fruits, and tithes to gather into them portions required by the Law for the priests and Levites.  “And all Israel in the days of Zerubbabel and Nehemiah gave the daily portions for the singers and gatekeepers as well as the Levites and priests.”

.

Nehemiah 13.  On that day of dedication, they read from the Book of Moses in the hearing of the people.  This time, they discovered the law that said no Ammonite or Moabite (descendants of Lot) should be allowed in the assembly of God. This was because of how they had treated Israel when they came from Egypt. (Numbers 22-23).  As soon as the people heard this, they separated from Israel those of foreign descent.

NOTE: It appears that after this, Nehemiah returned to the service of cupbearer to King Artaxerxes. He had been gone for two years.  While he was back in Persia, things began to fall apart. The priest, Eliashib, who was over the chambers for grain & offering storage, had cleaned out one of the larger ones and made a room for Tobiah. (Remember him? Arch foe of the Jews, back in Nehemiah 1-8) 

Other things had happened, too. The offerings for the Levites had fallen off, so they had to go work their farms outside the city. All kinds of work and buying & selling were done on the Sabbath, which had caused God’s anger in the past.  And, the people had begun intermarrying again with women of Ashdod, Ammon, and Moab, so much so that their children couldn’t speak or understand Hebrew. 

.

Nehemiah 13.  Nehemiah (after about 9 years, asked King Artaxerxes if he could return to Jerusalem to set things right. He was given approval.

He first threw Tobiah and all his furniture out of the temple storage chamber and had it cleaned.  Then, he confronted all the officials of Jerusalem and asked why the tithes had stopped coming in.  Soon, the people were bringing their tithes of grain, wine, and oil into the storehouses. Nehemiah chose reliable men to distribute it to the Levites.  (The prophet Malachi – which we’ll read tomorrow – also prophesied against these people for neglecting this very thing.)

Next, Nehemiah raged against the people for buying and selling in the city on the Sabbath. “What is this evil thing you are doing, profaning the Sabbath day? Did not your fathers act this way, and did not our God bring all this disaster on us and this city?”  He regulated the opening and closing of the city gates, closing them at the beginning of the Sabbath and not reopening them until afterward.  When merchants camped outside the walls to sell there, he chased them off. 

Nehemiah got very angry with those who were intermarrying with pagans. He confronted them, cursed them, beat some of them, and pulled out their hair.  He made them take an oath that they would not give their daughters to pagans or take women from them. 

 “Did not Solomon, king of Israel, sin on account of such woman?. He was beloved by his God and God made him King over all Israel. Nevertheless, foreign women made even him to sin.  Shall you do all this great evil and act treacherously against our God by marrying foreign women???

Even a grandson of the high priest had married a daughter of Sanballat (Remember him?).  Nehemiah chased him out. 

“Thus I cleansed them from everything foreign, and I established the duties of the priests and Levites, each in his work.”  Remember me, O my God, for good.

.

NOTE: We don’t know if Nehemiah ever returned to Babylon/Persia.  And even though we study the prophet Malachi tomorrow, the book of Nehemiah was the final book in the original Old Testament.  It was the end of the Biblical history of the Jews for about 400 years until the next prophet came saying… “Prepare the way for the Lord, make his paths straight. Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” (A voice crying in the wilderness: John the Baptist)

.

Psalm 126. 

"When the LORD restored the fortunes of Zion, 
we were like those who dream. 
Then our mouth was filled with laughter 
and our tongue with shouts of joy; 
then they said among the nations, 
'The LORD has done great things for them.'  
The Lord has done great things for us; we are glad."

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)

.

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.”

.

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 270

Sep26

    Day 270—We are in the NINTH month of Bible reading with more of Israel’s history and the book of NEHEMIAH

    Day 270 – Nehemiah 6 – 7 (Nehemiah threatened, wall finished, genealogies)

Nehemiah 6. Unable to get the building of the wall stopped with military force because the people kept weapons with them as they worked, Sanballat and Tobiah tried a new method.  They sent a letter inviting Nehemiah to come away for a little conference down by the coast. 

He saw through their murderous plot and said, “No thanks. I’m busy right now.”  Not to be discouraged, the conniving group sent four more invitations. (Hey, did it get lost in the mail? Come join us!”)  But Nehemiah’s answer was always the same. Nope.

Next, Sanballat sent him “an open letter.” This suggested that many people had read it and agreed with it.  The letter claimed Nehemiah planned to make himself king, and they were building the wall to revolt against Persia. Artaxerxes will hear about it and send an army.  “So come, let us counsel together.”

But again, Nehemiah saw through their attempt to get him alone to kill him.  He and Artaxerxes had a deal. When the project was done, Nehemiah would return to resume his position as cupbearer. The king trusted him.  Nehemiah knew these were attempts to keep the wall from being finished, and he prayed, “But now, O God, strengthen my hands.”

Finally, Tobiah and Sanballat hired a false prophet (actually a friend of Nehemiah’s) to tempt him, out of fear for his life, to go into the temple to hide because the plot was to kill him that night.  Well, Nehemiah was not afraid except to go into the temple.  “Should a man as I run away?  And what man such as I could go into the temple AND LIVE??” 

And he prayed, “Remember Tobiah and Sanballat, O my God, according to these things they did, and also the prophets who wanted to make me afraid.”

And so, the wall was finished!! After being in ruins for nearly 100 years, the wall around the holy city was completed in 52 days.  And the enemies around Jerusalem WERE AFRAID.  They knew God had helped them.

.

Nehemiah 7.  Then, after Nehemiah had finished all the gates and doors in the wall, he put his brother Hanani in charge of the city, telling him not to open the gates until the sun was well up, and to close and lock them in the evening, and post guards. The city was “wide and large,” and few people lived inside the walls. And their homes were not yet rebuilt. 

Then, Nehemiah found the record of the people who planned to return, written by Ezra in Babylon. Nehemiah updated it to the ones who had actually made it to the land, 42,360 besides servants (7,337). Some people could not trace their lineage, although they considered themselves Jews and they were included. He also listed the many gifts that were given, mainly for the upkeep of the Temple and those employed there. (Worth millions today.)