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Journaling through the Bible Chronologically in 2025, Day 288

Oct15

Day 288 – Reading – Mark 4 – 5

Read and believe in Jesus!

Mark 4 and 5.

There are some repeated passages here from the other Gospels. I’ll just emphasize a couple of them.

“This little light of mine, I’m going to let it shine.

This little light of mine, I’m going to let it shine.

Let it shine, let it shine, all the time.

Hide it under a bushel, No! I’m going to let it shine.

Hide it under a bushel, No! I’m going to let it shine.

Let it shine, let it shine, all the time.”

This kids’ song is from Mark 4:21-25, and the “light” it refers to is a believer’s witness or testimony of the Lord dwelling in him. Don’t hide it under “a basket” or a bed, but put it on a lampstand. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Testify of the Lord Jesus Christ at home, and out in the world. Let your light shine!

Matthew 5:16 says, “Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in Heaven.”

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(Mark 4:35-41)  Then, after Jesus was sitting in a boat and teaching the crowds at the shore of the Sea of Galilee, He turned to the disciples and said, “Let us go across to the other side.”  It was toward evening, so they might have hesitated, yet, at His word, they pushed off and began rowing.  Jesus made his way to the rear of the boat and lay down across the bench. Instantly, He was asleep.

Then one of those massive storms erupted on the Sea. “A great windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was filling!”

One of them staggered to the stern and shook Jesus, “Master, don’t you care that we are perishing?!”

Jesus awoke, and maybe (who knows) before even sitting up, called out to the wind and sea, “Peace!  Be still!”  Instantly, the wind ceased, and there was a great calm on the Sea.

Jesus perhaps sat up then and looked around at His disciples. “Why are you so afraid?  Have you no faith?”

The disciples were maybe lacking in faith, but they sure weren’t in fear.  “They were filled with GREAT fear and asked each other, “WHO THEN IS THIS??? That even the wind and the sea obey Him??”

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This incident reminds me of Philippians 4:6-7.

“Do not be anxious about anything.

But in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving,

Let your requests be made known to God.

And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding,

will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

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Then, after that awesome incident, they arrived on the other (Gentile) side of the Sea. (Mark 5:1-20)

Peter and Andrew jumped out of the boat to secure it with ropes.

Jesus barely had a sandaled foot on the sand when a wild, crazy man RUSHED AT HIM, screaming.  He’d been living in the tombs, and with his bleeding, scratched skin, ragged clothes, and wild, unkempt beard and hair, he looked terrifying!   

The fishermen were about to climb back into the boat and push off when the wild man fell down at Jesus’ feet.

“What have You to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God. I beg you by God, do not torment me!” screamed the man.

While the man screamed this, Jesus commanded, “Come out of this man, you unclean spirit!”  (Whose voice do you think prevailed?)

When the screaming stopped, Jesus asked, “What is your name?”

The demon in the man answered, “My name is ‘Legion,’ for we are many. Oh, don’t send us out of the country!! Send us into those pigs!!“

Jesus looked at the massive herd of unclean swine and nodded.  Immediately, the herd – like a swarm of lemmings – plunged down the hill and off the cliff, falling into the Sea.

The herdsmen saw this and fled back to town, and people came out to see what had happened.  What they SAW was MORE amazing, although they didn’t acknowledge it.  No pigs were in sight, but the crazy man, the wild and dangerous demon-possessed man, who terrified them, was —

  • Sitting there calmly
  • Clothed
  • In his right mind.

“Go away, you Jesus!” they cried.

The disciples held the boat ready, and Jesus began to climb in.

“O Jesus,” the healed man begged. “Please let me go with You!“

Smiling, Jesus shook his head. He had a more important job than ‘disciple’ for this Gentile man.  “Go home to your friends and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how He has had mercy on you.” 

The ex-demoniac was to be a witness for Jesus and an evangelist.  And I can’t help but think that, like the town in Samaria that all came to the Lord at one shunned woman’s testimony, that THIS area (perhaps minus the pig owners) would do the same.  

He went away and began to proclaim in the cities of Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him.  And everyone marveled.

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(O LORD, thank you for your mercy and gentleness. Truly, like You told the disciples, You are “gentle and lowly at heart.” But Lord, I also saw your great power in these verses too!  You calmed a raging wind and sea instantly.  Creation recognized its Master and instantly obeyed!  How I wish I would do the same!  I also saw Your extreme power when thousands of demons instantly fell at your feet and immediately obeyed your word.  What a strong God I have!) 

Journaling through the Bible Chronologically in 2025, Days 271 & 272

Sep29

Day 271 – Reading – Nehemiah  8 – 10

Day 272 – Reading Nehemiah 11 – 13, and Psalm 126

Today’s reading tells of the people weeping, experiencing “the joy of the LORD,” celebrating and rejoicing, and a deep and long confession of their sin and the sins of their ancestors, ending in a solemn commitment in writing to obey God.  All this … because they heard God’s Word read and explained.

(****Oh, LORD, may my reading and study of Your word elicit weeping, confession of sin, then joy & celebration with a commitment to love and obey You…from my heart.)

Day 271 – Nehemiah 8.

It was the first of the seventh month, usually when the Feast of Tabernacles was celebrated.  The people gathered as one to hear the Law of Moses read.  A wooden platform was built to elevate Ezra and 14 other priests who would help to read and explain the law. This was set up in the large area facing the Water Gate, south of the Temple Mount. 

Ezra opened the scroll, and all the people stood.  He blessed the LORD, the great God, and all the people said, “Amen, amen.” 

While the people stood in their places, they read from the book of The Law of God, clearly, and gave the sense (meaning) so the people understood.  They read from early morning until midday, about six hours or more…. all standing.  And all the people wept as they heard the words of the Law.

Nehemiah and Ezra said to the people. “This day is holy to the LORD your God; do not mourn or weep. Do not be grieved, for the joy of the LORD is your strength.”  They told the people to go their way, eat and drink sweet wine, and send food to those who had nothing ready. It was a holy day to the LORD.  So there was great rejoicing.

The next day, all the heads of fathers’ houses, with the priests and Levites, came together to Ezra to study the words of the Law. They found it written that the people should dwell in booths during the feast of the seventh month, and that they should publish it in the surrounding area. “Go out to the hills and bring branches and make booths.” 

So they obeyed and set up booths everywhere, living in them for the week. And day by day, they read from the Book of the Law of God.  They celebrated for seven days, and on the eighth day, there was a solemn assembly, according to the rule.

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Nehemiah 9.

And so, in the spirit of the solemn Day of Atonement, the people of Israel assembled with fasting and in sackcloth, and earth thrown on their heads (a sign of deep contrition). 

They STOOD and CONFESSED their sins, and the iniquities of their fathers. 

They stood and read the Book of the Law of the LORD their God for a quarter of a day. For another quarter of the day, they made confession and worshiped the LORD their God.

On the stairs, the high priest Jeshua and other priests cried with a loud voice to the LORD their God.

Then Jeshua and the others told the people to stand up and bless the LORD their God.

“From everlasting to everlasting, Blessed be your glorious name, which is exalted above all blessing and praise. YOU are the LORD, YOU alone. You have made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them, and You preserve all of them, and the host of heaven worships You. You are the LORD, the God who chose Abraham….  And You have kept Your promise, for You are righteous.

And throughout the day, they recited the history of how God dealt with His chosen people, Israel.

  • “You are a God ready to forgive, gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love … and you did not forsake them….. even when they made a golden calf…
  • “You in your great mercy did not forsake them in the wilderness…”
  • “You gave your good Spirit to instruct them, and did not withhold your manna…. and gave them water… sustaining them for forty years.
  • “You gave them kingdoms and peoples and allotted to them every corner.”
  • “You multiplied their children as the stars of heaven…”
  • “So they ate and were filled and became fat and delighted themselves in Your great goodness.”

They confessed the sin and rebellion of their fathers.

  • “But they were disobedient and rebelled and cast your law behind them….
  • “You gave them to their enemies who made them suffer…
  • “But when they cried out to You, You heard from heaven and sent saviors….
  • “Yet they turned again away from You and did evil… so You sent their enemies again.
  • “Many times You delivered them according to Your mercies.
  • “Many years You bore with them and warned them, yet they would not listen.
  • “Nevertheless, in Your great mercies, You did not make an end of them or forsake them, for YOU are a gracious and merciful God.

Now, they confess their own sins, and acknowledge that where they are, is because of their sin. 

  • “Now, therefore, our God, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God, You have dealt faithfully and we have acted wickedly.
  • “Our kings, princes, priests and fathers have not kept your law or paid attention to Your commandments and warnings, they did not serve You or turn from their wicked ways…..
  • And now, behold, WE ARE SLAVES THIS DAY, in this land You gave our fathers to enjoy.  WE ARE SLAVES, and the land’s rich yield goes to the kings whom you have set over us because of our sins.  They rule over our bodies and over our livestock as they please, and we are in distress.

And so they wrote and signed a “firm covenant” to obey God and not repeat the sins of their fathers. 

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Nehemiah 10.

The people who signed the Covenant are listed in detail at the top of this chapter. Nehemiah, the Governor, is first. Then, all the leaders and nobles, priests, Levites, temple workers, and of the laity, those who had separated themselves from the peoples of the land to the Law of God, with their wives and children. They enter into a curse and an oath to walk in God’s Law that was given by Moses, and to do all the commandments of the LORD.   They also pledged to give the yearly Temple tax to support the religious workers, and the regular required offerings. 

“We obligate ourselves to bring the first fruits of our ground and of all fruit trees, year by year, to the house of the LORD.  Also, the firstborn of our sons, our cattle, herds, and flocks.”

“We will not neglect the house of our God.”

(These are bold and righteous commitments.  Can they keep them? (If they were like me and the people today, probably not, sadly.)

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Day 272 – Nehemiah 11

The leaders of the people lived INSIDE Jerusalem, while the rest of the people lived outside the walls in their towns and villages.   So the people cast lots to bring ONE OUT OF TEN to live inside the city walls.  Nehemiah did this to hurry up the reestablishment of homes and businesses in Jerusalem.  Names of people and places are listed in this chapter.

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Nehemiah 12.

Before the fall of Jerusalem and the destruction of the Temple, there were 24 courses of priests, each course serving in the temple for a period of two weeks per year. (King David set up the schedule.)

Sadly, only FOUR of the 24 courses returned from Babylon.  These were now divided into 24 courses. 

  • (Only 22 are mentioned here, perhaps because these priestly families died out with no sons to follow at the time Zerubbabel originally named them.)

Next, the finished wall around Jerusalem was dedicated.   All the Levites were called in to celebrate the dedications with GLADNESS, THANKSGIVINGS, and SINGING.

The Priests and Levites first purified themselves, and then they purified the people and the gates and the wall.

Then Nehemiah brought the leaders of Judah up onto the wall and appointed two “great choirs” to give thanks.  One half went all the way south along the wall, and the other went to the north to meet them, all surrounding the House of the LORD.

They sang, offered sacrifices, and rejoiced, for God had made them rejoice with great joy. “And the joy of Jerusalem was heard far away!   For long ago in the days of David and Asaph, there were directors of the singers, and there were songs of praise and thanksgiving to God.” 

(Thank you, David.  And thanks to all our own music directors and leaders who lead congregations in praise in churches around the world!)

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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.

Restore our fortunes, O LORD,

like streams in the Negev!

Those who sow in tears shall reap with shouts of joy!

He who goes out weeping,

bearing the seed for sowing,

shall come home wit shouts of joy,

bringing his sheaves with him.

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Nehemiah 13.

Now in the 32nd year of King Artaxerxes, Nehemiah returned to Persia as he said he would.  He’d organized and led the people to rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, and they’d done it with God’s help and protection. The wall had been dedicated.  

But while he was back in Persia, bad things were happening again.  He (obviously) got news of it and asked permission from the king to return.

Problem #1. While they were reading from the Law of Moses each day in the annual cycle, they came on the portion (Deut. 23:3-6) that said “No Ammonite or Moabite should ever enter the Assembly of God because of that event with Balaam cursing them as they approached the Promised Land.”

As soon as they heard that law, the people separated out those of foreign descent from the temple workers, but…..  before the reading and the doing of this law, something awful had happened.  One of the priests – Eliashib, whom Nehemiah had caught siding with the enemy earlier (Neh. 2:10) – had smuggled Tobiah into one of the storage rooms of the temple, and he was LIVING THERE!   THE NERVE!

(You remember Tobiah, right?  He and Sanballat were two of the main hindrances to Nehemiah’s wall work.)

SO…………  when Nehemiah got back, he was VERY ANGRY!  He threw out Tobiah and all his household furniture from the chamber. Then he gave orders for the chamber to be cleansed, and for the vessels of the House of God to be brought back in.

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Problem #2. And while he was at it, Nehemiah found that the portions of support had not been given to the Levites, so they had gone home to work in their fields. 

Nehemiah confronted the officials, gathered the Levites back to their stations, and got after the people until they brought their tithes of grain, wine, and oil into the storehouses. He then appointed a reliable priest, a scribe, a Levite, and his assistant to fairly distribute to the Levites. 

Then Nehemiah prayed, “Remember me, O my God, concerning this, and do not wipe out my good deeds that I have done for the house of my God and for His service.”

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Problem #3. Then our eagle-eyed Nehemiah spotted people working on the Sabbath. They were treading grapes in the winepresses, and bringing in heaps of grain and fruit and fish which they loaded and brought into Jerusalem to sell on the Sabbath!!!   

Nehemiah confronted the leaders about this broken law. “What is this evil thing that you are doing, profaning the Sabbath day?  Did not your fathers act in this way, and did not our God bring all this disaster on us and on this city??? You are bringing MORE wrath on Israel by profaning the Sabbath.”

Nehemiah began closing all the gates in the walls of Jerusalem as it started to get dark before the Sabbath.  He gave orders for them not to be opened until AFTER the Sabbath.  And he stationed his guards to make sure it happened. 

Problem #4. Sooo… the merchants simply unloaded all their stuff outside the wall and held a “market” there.  But Nehemiah got after them as well.  “If you do this again, I will lay hands on you!”

He then told the Levites that THEY should purify themselves and come guard the gates, to keep the Sabbath day HOLY.

And Nehemiah prayed, “Remember this also in my favor, O my God, and spare me according to the greatness of your steadfast love.”

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Problem #5. And….. AGAIN…… Nehemiah saw Jews who had married women from Ashdod (Philistia), Ammon, and Moab.  And half their children couldn’t even speak Hebrew.

Nehemiah confronted them.  And cursed them.   And beat some of them.  And pulled out their hair!

(I’d say he was pretty angry and zealous for the LORD!!)

And Nehemiah made them swear an oath NOT to give their daughters or take daughters to foreigners.

“Did not Solomon, king of Israel, sin on account of such women???  Among the nations, there was no king like him, and he was beloved by his God, and God made him king over all Israel……. nevertheless, FOREIGN WOMEN made even him to sin!  Shall YOU now act treacherously against our God?

Nehemiah noticed that one of the sons of the high priest had married one of Sanballat’s daughters!!!  Nehemiah CHASED HIM AWAY!

And Nehemiah prayed, “Remember them, O my God, because they have desecrated the priesthood, and the covenant of the priesthood and the Levites.

Problems #6+. Then Nehemiah cleansed them from everything foreign … and he established the duties of the priests and Levites, each in his work … and he provided for the wood offering at appointed times, and for first fruits.

Wow.

And he prayed, “Remember me, O my God, for good.”

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(What a man and what a leader Nehemiah was!  He was strong and hard on sin.  He did not get distracted from his work. He honored his word.  He was honest and giving.  It seems he knew MORE of the law than even the priests and Levites knew.  He led the people in righteousness. And he prayed … again and again.

O LORD, for men in leadership like this today!  And I ask that some of Nehemiah’s “straight path” ways would be evident in me too.)

 

 

 

Journaling through the Bible Chronologically in 2025, Day 263

Sep20

Day 263 – Reading – Zechariah 1 – 4.

Read the Scriptures first. Do you like reading prophetic visions?  

Today begins three days in the book of Zechariah.  Remember in Ezra 5:1-2, God sent two prophets, Haggai and Zechariah, to get the Jews off their recliners and back to work to finish rebuilding the Temple. He was in a priestly line, born in Babylon and raised by his priest-grandfather, Iddo. He’s described as a “young man” in Zechariah 2:4, so he was probably younger than Haggai and hadn’t begun his priestly duties (age 30).  According to Matthew 23:35, he was murdered between the temple and the altar!

Not only did Zechariah challenge the Jews to complete the Temple rebuild, but he went on to encourage them concerning their Messiah and His glorious kingdom and new Temple in the future. 

In each of his three main prophesies, Zechariah begins with the present situation in Judah and goes forward to the exaltation of the Messiah’s reign.  It is sometimes called “the apocalypse of the Old Testament.”

God used Zechariah to bring an outburst of promise for the future to sustain the faithful remnant through the coming 400 “silent years” when no word from God was heard until John the Baptist’s words announcing “the Lamb of God.”

(I think it’s cool that Israel was in Egypt for 400 years, until they killed the Passover Lamb.  And soon there would be another 400 dark years until they heard the announcement of (and killed) Jesus, “the Lamb of God.”  See Mark 1:1-11)

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Zechariah 1.

“‘Return to me, and I will return to you,’ says the LORD.” were Zechariah’s first words. And the people repented. Then Zechariah gave these two visions for the comfort of the exiles.

  • 1.)  In the night, Zechariah “saw” a Man/angel among the myrtle trees, and 3 other riders of colored horses.  These men on horses patrolled the earth, and discovered all the nations (Gentiles) were at ease/rest, while Jerusalem & Zion lay in disaster.
  • The Man/angel then told Zechariah and the Jews these gracious and comforting words from the LORD.
  • “I have returned to Jerusalem with mercy; my house shall be built in it, and the measuring line shall be stretched out over Jerusalem (the walls were finished 75 years later).  My cities shall again overflow with prosperity, and the LORD will again comfort Zion and again “choose Jerusalem.” (during the Millennial Kingdom.)

 

  • 2.) Next, Zechariah “saw” four horns! He asked what they represented. 
  • The angel said they were “the horns (or powers) that scattered Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem.” (Maybe the four who attacked Israel: Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, and Persia, but most likely the four world empires of Daniel 2:7: Babylon, Persia, Greece & Rome.)
  • Then Zechariah “saw” four craftsmen (“hammers”), and asked the angel/man what these were coming to do.
  • The angel said, “These have come to terrify the “horns” that scattered Judah. The craftsmen will terrify them and cast them down.“

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Zechariah 2.

  • 3.)  Next, the prophet “sees” a man with a measuring line, and he asks the man where he’s going and what he’s planning to do.
  • “To measure Jerusalem, to see what is its width and length.”  The angel/man then sends a runner after the measuring man to tell him that the future Jerusalem will have NO WALL. The LORD will be a “wall of fire” all around the city, AND He will also be the Glory in her midst.

Then Zechariah comes back to the present with a message to the Jews still remaining in Babylon.  “Up! Up! Flee from the land of the north, declares the LORD.  Up! Escape to Zion, you who dwell with the daughter of Babylon, who plundered you.  For he who touches you touches the apple of His (God’s) eye. I will shake my hand over them, and they (captors) shall become the plunder for those who served them.”

  • Then Zechariah again resorts to the distant future when the LORD will dwell in Zion, and many nations shall join themselves to the LORD and also be His people.  He will dwell in their midst, in “the holy land.”  He will again “choose Jerusalem.”  So, “Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion!”

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Zechariah 3.

This next vision reveals the need for Israel’s cleansing and restoration as a priestly nation.

  • 4.)  The LORD showed Zechariah the High Priest Jeshua, standing before the angel of the LORD, and Satan standing at his right hand (God’s or Jeshua’s?) to ACCUSE HIM.  This is symbolic. Jeshua stands in for Israel as a whole. Will he be rejected or accepted? 
  • The LORD rebukes Satan for his accusation. He tells the enemy that He has snatched him (Jeshua/Israel) out of the fire of destruction/exile, like a stick about to burn. 
  • Satan fires back, pointing out Jeshua’s filthy garments (Israel’s sin). 
  • The LORD commands that the filthy garments be removed from Jeshua. Then He says to the priest representing all of Israel, “Behold, I have taken your iniquity away from you, and I will clothe you with pure vestments.”

(This is righteousness imputed, as God does to those who believe in Jesus, the Christ.  Nothing that they/we do can make us clean. God changes our filthiness to purity and glory, and the ability now to serve Him.)

  • Then, Zechariah joins the scene and reminds them to put a clean turban on Jeshua’s head.  The priestly turban, inscribed “Holy to the LORD,” is placed on Jeshua’s head.
  • The LORD of Hosts then charges Jeshua, “If you will walk in my ways and keep my charge, then you shall rule my house and have charge of my courts, and I will give you the right of access with those who stand here.” (Access to God’s throne room through offerings and prayer.)  “And behold, I will bring my servant, “the Branch.” (Jeremiah 23:5-6)  I will remove the iniquity of this land in a single day. “

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Zechariah 4.

  • 5.) The angel/man came again to Zechariah and showed him a lampstand, all of gold. It had a bowl on top and seven lamps.  There were two olive trees by it, on the right and left, which supplied a continual flow of oil to burn.
  • Then the angel/man gave a message from the LORD to Zerubbabel. “Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the LORD of hosts.” He was speaking of the task of finishing the rebuilding of the Temple. 
  • “Who are you, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you shall become a plain.  And he shall bring forward the “top stone” (finishing stone of the temple) amid shouts of “Grace, grace to it!” The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house; his hands shall complete it!”

(And it WAS completed 6 years later.)

  • Zechariah asked about the two olive trees on either side of the lampstand with pipes to pour in the oil.
  • “Do you know what these represent?” asked the angel/man.
  • “No, my lord,” said Zechariah.
  • “These are the “anointed ones” who stand by the LORD of the whole earth.” 

Who were anointed to serve in Israel?  The king and the priest.  Representing these two offices (for the returned exiles) through which the blessing of God would flow were Zerubbabel, descended from the royal line, and Jeshua, from the priestly line.  Both together foreshadowed the Messiah, as priest and king.

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****LORD, thank you for all the imagery in this section, especially the courtroom scene where Jeshua stood before You, clothed in filthy garments.  This is like all the people of the world, sinners in need of cleansing.  Then YOU took off the dirty clothes and put on clean ones. YOU, not Jeshua. And you gave him access to YOU! 

 This is such a beautiful picture of what Jesus did for all who believe in Him.  Just like 2 Corinthians 5:21 says. “For our sake, He made Him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in Him, we might become the righteousness of God.”  Thank you, oh, thank you!

Journaling through the Bible Chronologically in 2025, Day 260

Sep17

Day 260 – Reading – Ezra 1 – 3

Read the Scriptures listed.

Read 2 Chronicles 36:22-23 first. (It’s the book just before Ezra.)  Also read Isaiah 44:8 and 45:1-4,  Jeremiah 29:10-15, and Daniel 9:2.

This stirring up of Cyrus, king of Persia, was not just a random thing, but had been foretold by the prophets in detail.  Seventy years. Cyrus, king of Persia.  Return to rebuild the “House of the LORD”

Ezra 1.

The way the LORD changes people’s minds is by stirring up their spirits.  Perhaps Daniel, his prime minister, showed him his own name – Cyrus – in the ancient Hebrew prophet of Isaiah. Regardless, Cyrus proclaimed throughout his kingdom that the LORD, God of heaven, had charged him to rebuild HIS house at Jerusalem.  Then an open invitation.  “Whoever is among you of all His people, may his God be with him, AND LET HIM GO UP TO JERUSALEM AND REBUILD THE HOUSE OF THE LORD, THE GOD OF ISRAEL.”

The beginning of the returned Israel must begin with their God, and His house of worship.  Then they can see to themselves.  It’s like our own lives.  If God is honored at the center, then the rest will fall into place.

Cyrus also called for the people who remained (Jew or Babylonian) to assist those who were going by giving them silver, gold, goods, and beasts, and freewill offerings for the new Temple.  (Does this remind you of the night of Passover in Egypt?  The Egyptians then had loaded the Israelites with goods and beautiful ornaments, jewelry, vessels, and clothing. 

And so the priests, Levites, and the “leaders” of Judah and Benjamin rose up and made ready to go the 800 miles back to Judah and Jerusalem to rebuild the House of the LORD in Jerusalem. Cyrus brought out the gold and silver vessels from Solomon’s Temple (that Nebuchadnezzar had stolen, and Belshazzar had wickedly used). There were 5,400 articles!! WOW!   Cyrus gave them to Sheshbazzar, the treasurer, for safekeeping as they traveled and while the Temple building progressed. 

(There is no mention of the Ark of the Covenant with them.)

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Ezra 2.

This chapter lists by name and family those who returned in the first wave.  They returned each to his own town.

(Wow, what a sight it must have been! How many changes had there been in 70 years, with the crops, orchards, and vineyards barely kept going by the unskilled farmers who had been left behind?  Did the returnees “itch” to get things in order and fix up or rebuild their houses and barns?  BUT, the Temple was first.)

Those who led this group of 50,000 were Zerubbabel (in the line of Christ, see Matthew 1:13), Jeshua/Joshua (the high priest of the first return, in the line of Aaron), Nehemiah (not the same as the Book), Seraiah, Reelaiah, Mordecai (not Esther’s uncle), Belshan, Mispar, Bigval, Rehum, Baanah, and the king’s appointed treasurer, Sheshbazzar.  Twelve men.  

The returnees were divided into these categories: The (general) people of Israel, the priests, the Levites, the temple servants (singers, gatekeepers, etc.), the sons of Solomon’s servants, and those who could not prove (lost their lineage) that they belonged to Israel.  (They were only excluded from the priesthood.)

Some of the heads of families donated thousands of gold and silver coins to the project. They also gave 100 priests’ garments! 

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Ezra 3.

The returnees actually took seven months to fix up their own dwellings.  Then they built the altar of the God of Israel and sacrificed burnt offerings on it as was written in the Law of Moses. Morning and evening, they offered burnt offerings on it. There were also freewill offerings, offerings at the new moon, and at the feasts.  The first they kept was the Feast of Booths (Tabernacles).

Then they got to work on the foundation of the new temple.  They hired (with the money King Cyrus gave) Sidonians and Tyrians to bring cedar trees from Lebanon via the sea to Joppa.

Seven months later. Zerubbabel and the others made a beginning. Jeshua, the priests, and the Levites supervised the work and the workmen.  When the foundation was laid, the priests in their vestments came out blowing trumpets and praising the LORD, according to the directions of David, the king of Israel.  And they sang the songs he had written and thanked the LORD.

  • “For He is good, His mercy endures forever toward Israel.”

All the people shouted and praised the LORD because the foundation of the house of the LORD was laid. Many shouted for joy, but there were those–old men–who had seen the former Temple.  They wept with equally loud voices.

And the sound of rejoicing and weeping was heard far away.  (Ah-oh!)

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(How wonderful that the Temple was the first thing to be built. It would be the place where their God would live among them, as before. Yet it wasn’t exactly like before.   Things were not so lavish in gold. There was no palace or king. And for the most part, the city and the great walls were rubble.  But the Temple would stand again!!

O LORD, help me to make sure YOU are at the center of my heart and my life.  May I not stray from worship, praise and thanksgiving to You, oh, precious Lord.)

Journaling through the Bible Chronologically in 2025, Day 218

Aug6

Day 218 – Reading – Zephaniah 1 – 3.

Read today’s Scriptures … ANYWHERE you find yourself this summer. Stay in the WORD!

 

Zephaniah 1-3.

Zephaniah prophesied “in the days of Josiah.” These were probably in the early years of the boy king’s reign, before the Book of the Law was found and Josiah began those massive reforms. Perhaps Zephaniah had an influence on those reforms.  He was a contemporary of Jeremiah.

Zephaniah was unique among the prophets in that he was a descendant of King Hezekiah (his great-grandfather). This may have given him more access to the royal court and more respect for his prophesies. 

Remember how the LORD told King Josiah that he would have PEACE in his day, but in no way was the wrath of God on Judah and Jerusalem to be abated.  It was still going to happen.  (After Josiah died, it came on rapidly.)

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Zephaniah 1..

NOTE: The prophesies of Zephaniah spoke of two judgments: first, the victory of Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, and second, the “great” Day of the LORD yet in the future. Zephaniah quotes God’s words.

  • “I will utterly sweep away everything from the face of the earth … I will sweep away man and beast … the birds of the heavens and the fish of the sea … the rubble and the wicked … I will cut off mankind from the face of the earth.”  

Wow, that sounds like the flood, but we know it isn’t.  The message continues and is more specific.

  • “I will stretch out my hand against Judah, and against all the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and I will cut off from this place the remnant of Baal … the idolatrous priests … those who bow down to the hosts of heaven … who swear by Milcom … and have turned back from following the LORD.

Then He lists those whom He will punish.

  • “At that time I will search Jerusalem with lamps. I will punish the men who are complacent and say, ‘The LORD will not do good or evil.'”

But the warning is –

  • The great day of the LORD is near; near and hastening fast!  A day of wrath is that day, a day of distress and anguish, ruin and devastation, darkness and gloom, clouds and thick darkness, a day if trumpet blast and battle cry!”

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Zephaniah 2.

  • Then hope…
  • “Seek the LORD, all you humble of the land, who do His just commands; seek righteousness; seek humility; perhaps you may be hidden on the day of the anger of the LORD>”

Zephaniah then list WOES on surrounding cities and countries:  the cities of Philistia, the inhabitants of the seacoasts, Moab, Ammon, Cush, Assyria (He will make Nineveh a desolation), 

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Zephaniah 3.

And then the LORD turns to His own people.

  • Woe to her who is rebellious and defiled, the oppressing city!”  (Jerusalem)  She does not trust in the LORD; she does not draw near to her God.  Her officials, judges, prophets, and priests “know no shame.”

But judgment is coming to them as it was with all the surrounding nations

Then Zephaniah’s prophesies turn to the blessings of RESTORATION for God’s people and the nations, after “that great and terrible “DAY OF THE LORD.”

  • ” … all the peoples will call upon the Name of the LORD and serve Him with one accord.
  • ” … for then I will remove from your midst your proud, haughty ones, and will leave a people humble and lowly … who see refuge in the name of the LORD.

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The King of Israel, the LORD, is in your midst; you shall never again fear evil.

“Sing aloud, O daughter of Zion; shout, O Israel!  Rejoice and exult with all your heart, O daughter of Jerusalem! The LORD has taken away the judgments against you;

The LORD your God is in your midst, a mighty One who will save;  He will rejoice over you with gladness; He will quiet you by His love; He will exult over you with loud singing!

“I will make you renowned and praised among all the peoples of the earth, when I restore your fortunes before your eyes,”  says the LORD.

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(The sin of the world today will also bring judgment, woe, and sorrow. The LORD will sweep it all away.  And He will make a new Heaven and Earth with holiness, joy, and peace.  And He will be the righteous King. And the people who love and serve Him here and now will join Him there and forever. Thank YOU, LORD!)

 

 

 

 

 

Journaling through the Bible Chronologically in 2025, Day 213

Aug1

A NEW MONTH!

Day 213 – Reading – Isaiah 64 – 66.

Read today’s Scriptures … ANYWHERE you find yourself this summer. Stay in the WORD!

Isaiah 64.

We finish the wonderful and challenging book of Isaiah today. 

Isaiah continues to pray for mercy.  Remember, his prophecy is of Israel in exile, while they have not actually been captured yet. He is looking toward those dreadful times. “Oh, do the things You used to do!” he prays. 

  • When you did awesome things that we did not look for, you came down, the mountains quaked at your presence. From of old no one has heard or perceived by the ear, no eye has seen a God beside you, who acts for those who wait for him.
  • You meet him who joyfully works righteousness, those who remember you in your ways.”

But God’s people turned from him, and Isaiah mourns.

  • We sinned; in our sins we have been a long time, and shall we be saved?
  • We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment.
  • There is no one who calls upon your Name, who rouses himself to take hold of you;  for you have hidden your face from us, ad made us to melt in the hand of our iniquities.
  • O LORD, you are our Father; we are the clay, and You are the potter; we are all the work of your hand. 
  • BE NOT SO TERRIBLY ANGRY, O LORD, and remember not iniquity forever.

Can you hear Isaiah pleading for the people and for what they lost because of their sin?

  • Please look, we are all your people.
  • Your holy cities have become a wilderness; Zion has become a wilderness,
  • JERUSALEM is a desolation.
  • OUR HOLY AND BEAUTIFUL HOUSE, where our fathers praised You, has been burned by fire….

And a desperate cry…

  • Will you keep silent, and afflict us so terribly?

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Isaiah 65.

The LORD answers, repeating His warnings of judgment.  It’s harsh, but oh, did Israel deserve it.

  • “I was ready to be sought by those who did not ask for me; I was ready to be found by those who did not seek me. I said, ‘Here am I, here am I.’ to a nation that was NOT called by My name. 
  • I spread out my hands all the day to a rebellious people, who walk in a way that is not good, following their own devices; 
  • …a people who provoke me to my face continually, sacrificing in gardens and making offerings on bricks;
  • …who sit in tombs, and spend the night in secret places;
  • …who eat pig’s flesh, and broth of tainted meat is in their vessels;
  • …who say, ‘Keep to Yourself, do not come near me, for I am too holy for You.’
  • THESE ARE SMOKE IN MY NOSTRILS….

How, oh how, and a chosen people treat their God in such evil ways.  (Indeed, how can we do it??)  But then God shows mercy on a remnant, a small “cluster.”

  • I will bring forth offspring from Jacob, and from Judah possessors of my mountains; my chosen shall posses it and my servants shall dwell there.

And even greater and more wondrous!

  • Behold, I create new heavens and a new earth, and the former things shall not be remembered or come into mind….. I create Jerusalem to be a joy…. I will rejoice in Jerusalem…. no more shall be heard in it the sound of weeping and the cry of distress. 

And Isaiah goes on to describe more of the wonderful things of the Messiah’s Kingdom on earth.

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Isaiah 66.

The LORD reminds Isaiah and Israel (and us), that He is not looking for a Temple made of stone to dwell in, but a heart, a special kind of heart.   

  • This is the one to whom I will look (with favor); he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word.

David knew this as well, as he cried, “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.”   And, “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.”

And Isaiah continues with the final judgment and wrath of God on an unbelieving, grossly sinning people.  “For behold, the LORD will come in fire… to render His anger in fury, and His rebuke with flames of fire.  for I know their works and their thoughts and the time is coming.”

And then to the remnant of Israel, the survivors, “For as the new heavens and the new earth that I make shall remain before me, says the LORD, so shall your offspring and your name remain.”

Halleluia!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Journaling through the Bible Chronologically in 2025, Day 212

Jul31

Day 212 – Reading – Isaiah 59 – 63.

Read today’s Scriptures.  

Isaiah 59.

A little good news.

  • Behold, the LORD’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save, or His ear dull, that it cannot hear…

A lot of bad news.

  • But YOUR iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and YOUR sins have hidden His face from you so He does not hear.
  • YOUR hands are defiled with blood, YOUR fingers with iniquity; YOUR lips have spoken lies; YOUR tongue mutters wickedness. 
  • Their works are works of iniquity, and deeds of violence are in their hands.  Their feet run to evil, and they are swift to shed innocent blood; their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity; desolation and destruction are in their highways. The way of peace they do not know, and their is no justice in their paths.
  • Our transgressions are multiplied before you, and our sins testify against us: for our transgressions are with us, and we know our iniquities; transgressing and denying the LORD, and turning back from following our God.

Israel (and we) cannot save ourselves.  So God took it upon Himself to step in.

  • The LORD saw it, and it displeased Him that there was no justice. He saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was NO ONE TO INTERCEDE.
  • Then HIS OWN ARM brought Him salvation, and HIS righteousness upheld him.
  • AND A REDEEMER WILL COME to Zion, to those in Jacob who turn from transgression, declares the LORD.

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Isaiah 60.

The future glories of Israel in the Millennial Kingdom of Christ.

  • Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD has risen upon you.  And nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising.  They shall bring gold and frankincense, and shall bring good news, the praises of the LORD.

Isaiah continues to list all the glories that will come to the restored Zion and Israel in those 1,000 years.

  • And… Who are these that fly like a cloud, and like doves to their windows?  For the coastlands (Gentile nations) shall hope for me, the ships of Tarshish first TO BRING YOUR CHILDREN FROM AFAR,  their silver and gold with them for the name of the LORD your God, and for the HOLY ONE of Israel, BECAUSE He has made you beautiful!
  • Whereas you (Jerusalem), have been forsaken and hated, with no one passing through, I will make you majestic forever, a joy from age to age. They shall call you the City of the LORD, and Zion, the Holy One of Israel.  And you shall KNOW that I, the LORD, am your Savior and your Redeemer…”  “you shall call your walls, Salvation, and your gates, Praise.
  • I AM the LORD; in its time I will  hasten it.

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Isaiah 61.

And here is the section of scripture (verses 1-2) that Jesus read and identified with in the synagogue in Nazareth at the beginning of His ministry. (Luke 4:18-19)  He did NOT read the rest of the chapter, for that speaks of his SECOND COMING.

  • “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the LORD has anointed me to bring Good News to the poor, He has sent me to bind up the broken hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound….”

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Isaiah 62.

These are more promises of God for Jerusalem’s glory and the salvation and restoration of His people, Israel.

  • Say to the daughter of Zion, “Behold, your salvation comes; behold, His reward is with Him, and His recompense before Him.”  And they shall be called The Holy People, The Redeemed of the LORD; and you (Jerusalem) shall be called Sought Out, a City NOT Forsaken.

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Isaiah 63.

The LORD is depicted as an avenging conqueror of Israel’s enemies, with clothes red and resembling having been drenched with wine. 

  • I have trodden the winepress alone… I trod them in My anger, and trampled them in My wrath.  For the day of vengeance was in My heart.  I trampled down the peoples (represented by Edom) in My anger; I made them drunk in My wrath, and I poured out their lifeblood on the earth.

Um… wow!

Isaiah then prays for Israel, confessing sin and praying for restoration.

  • “I will recount the steadfast love of the LORD, the praises of the LORD, according to all the LORD has granted us, and the great goodness to the house of Israel that He has granted them according to His compassion, according to the abundance of His steadfast love…”
  • “But they rebelled and grieved His Holy Spirit; therefore He turned to be their enemy and Himself fought against them. 
  • “LOOK DOWN from heaven and see; from your holy and beautiful habitation.
  • “O LORD, why do you make us wander from Your ways and harden our heart, so that we fear you not:  RETURN for the sake of your servants, the tribes of your heritage.
  • “Oh that You would rend the heavens and COME DOWN….

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O LORD, these passages go back and forth from joyful pictures of glory, back to sin and sorrow and judgment. We confess we are sinners. And You sent your Savior-Redeemer to rescue us. Now, my heart pleads, like Isaiah, for you to RETURN, to rend the heavens and COME DOWN!

 

 

 

Journaling through the Bible Chronologically in 2025, Days 208 and 209

Jul28

NOTE: Sunday and Monday studies are posted together on MONDAY.

Day 208 – Reading – Isaiah 44 – 48.

Day 209 – 2 Kings 19, Psalms 46, 80, and 135.

Read today’s Scriptures.  PRAY and SING them too!

SUNDAY,

Day 208 – Isaiah 44.

(We are still in the section (chapters 40-66) that addresses Judah AS IF they were already in the Babylonian captivity, which in reality is perhaps 70/80 years off.)

Isaiah’s words from the LORD about the millennial kingdom are meant to encourage Judah.

  • But now hear, O Jacob my servant, Israel whom I have chosen! Thus says the LORD who made you, who formed you from the womb and will help you. “Fear not, O Jacob my servant, Jeshurun* whom I have chosen. “For I will pour my Spirit upon your offspring and my blessing on your descendants.”

*Jeshurun is an honored name for Israel, whose root meaning is “right or straight,” the opposite of the meaning of Jacob, which is “deceiver.”

  •  Thus says the LORD, the King of Israel, and his Redeemer, the LORD of hosts, “I AM the first and I AM the last; besides me there is no god.  WHO is like Me? Let him declare it.”  “Is there a God besides me? THERE IS NO ROCK; I KNOW NOT ANY!”

After that, the foolishness of idol worship is portrayed.  They are nothing!  “The carpenter cuts down a cedar, or cypress, or oak.  It becomes fuel to warm him, roast his meat, and bake his bread. He also makes an idol out of it and worships and prays to it, even though it falls down on its face.”

But the LORD, the LORD, is Israel’s Redeemer.

  • “I have blotted out your transgressions like a cloud and your sins like a mist; RETURN TO ME, for I have redeemed you! 
  • Sing O heavens, for the LORD has done it; shout, O depths of the earth; break forth into singing, O mountains, O forest, and every tree in it.  FOR THE LORD HAS REDEEMED JACOB AND WILL BE GLORIFIED IN ISRAEL.”

And then the LORD speaks of the way future Persian king, Cyrus.  “He is my shepherd, and he shall fulfill all my purpose, saying. “Jerusalem shall be built, the Temple will have its foundation laid.”

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Isaiah 45.

The Lord continues about Cyrus, His anointed instrument.  God will use him to “subdue nations,” and “loose the belts of kings,” and “open doors and gates before him.”

God pledges to Cyrus, “I will go before you to level the exalted places, break in pieces the doors of bronze, cut through bars of iron, and give you the treasures of darkness and the hoards in secret places.”

WHY? 

For the sake of God’s servant Jacob, and Israel, His chosen.  AND… “That you may know that it is the LORD, the God of Israel, who called you by name.  And that the people will know that there is none beside me; I am the LORD, and there is no other.

“I have stirred him (Cyrus) up in righteousness, and I will make all his ways level; he shall build my city and set my exiles free.”   Here Isaiah is telling about a Persian King who will come to destroy Babylon and release the Jewish captives….. and the captivity hasn’t even happened yet!

Many sections in this chapter are glorious statements and praises to the LORD God. Read them and let your heart swell. 

Verse 22:  “Turn to me and be saved, all the ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other.”

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Isaiah 46.

The useless idols of Babylon are compared to the One True God.  “Bel (Baal) bows down, and Nebo (the Phoenician chief god) stoops and bows down. They cannot save themselves, and go into captivity. 

But God, who bore Israel before their birth, carried them from the womb, and will even to their old age and gray hairs, HE will carry and save them…. for He is God, there is no other like Him.  He will put salvation in Zion, for Israel His glory.

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Isaiah 47.

Isaiah foretells the humiliation of Babylon.  “Come down and sit in the dust, O virgin daughter of Babylon; sit on the ground without a throne. For you shall no more be called tender and delicate. Take the millstones and grind flour, put off your veil, strip off your robe, uncover your legs, pass through the rivers…. your disgrace shall be seen.  I will take vengeance, and I will spare no one. Our Redeemer — the LORD of hosts is his name — is the Holy One of ISRAEL.

“I was angry with my people; I profaned my heritage; I gave them into your hand (O daughter of the Chaldeans); you showed them no mercy; on the AGED you made your yoke EXCEEDINGLY HEAVY!!!

‘Now hear this …  “these two things shall come to you in a moment, in one day; the loss of children and widowhood shall come upon you in full measure in spite of your many sorceries…”  “…there is no one to save you.”

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Isaiah 48.

And now, a bit of harshness for Israel, for their good.  God speaks to the house of Israel, who swore by his name and confessed him, but didn’t do it in truth or righteousness. 

“Because I knew that you were obstinate, and your neck was an iron sinew, and your forehead brass… I declared things to you before they came to pass — so you wouldn’t say, “My idol told me. my carved and metal image commanded them.” 

And now “From this time forth I announce to you NEW things, hidden things that you have not known.”

God says he has refined them and tried them in the furnace of affliction – for His own name’s sake. 

  • “Oh that you had paid attention to my commandments! Then your peace would have been like a river, and your righteousness like the waves of the sea……………..”
  • Go out from Babylon, flee from Chaldea, declare this with a shout of joy, proclaim it, send it out to the end of the earth; say, “The LORD has redeemed his servant Jacob!”

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MONDAY,

Day 209 – 2 Kings 19.  

Back to some history. This section is a repeat of what we read in Isaiah 37. Sennacherib, the king of Assyria, and his commander, Rabshakeh, came to harass Jerusalem and King Hezekiah. They also mocked and reviled the Holy One of Israel.  Hezekiah brought the threats before the LORD and prayed for help.

The LORD promises to send Sennacherib home, where he will be killed. (It happens.)

The LORD promises He will “defend this city to save it, for my own sake and for the sake of my servant David.”  And that night, the angel of the LORD goes through the Assyrian camp and kills 185K soldiers.  In the morning, there were only dead bodies. 

This chapter also recounts Hezekiah’s terminal illness, his prayer, and God’s adding 15 years to his life. 

But before YOU decide to pray to live longer, like Hezekiah pleaded, remember what the king DID with those extra years.  He foolishly (pridefully?) showed some well-wishing Babylonian emissaries ALL the treasures in his house and his realm, including the silver, gold, (precious stones), (costly vessels), spices, precious oil, (stalls for all kinds of cattle and sheepfolds), the entire armory, and everything in his storehouses (grain and wine). 

(NOTE:  The Babylonians – always interested in the cosmos – had heard – perhaps even experienced – the sundial going back those degrees, and had come to investigate – and… bring Hezekiah presents.)

When Isaiah heard what Hezekiah had done, he rebuked him for his stupidity and prophesied that EVERYTHING he had shown TO the Babylonians would one day be carried away BY the Babylonians. They would also take some of Hezekiah’s descendants, who would be made into eunuchs in the foreign king’s palace. 

“Oh well,” Hezekiah said. “At least there will be peace and security in MY days.”  Wow. How selfish!

(This story about Sennacherib, Hezekiah’s letter before God, and God’s actions, as well as Hezekiah’s foolishness with the Babylonian visitors, AND some of his later great accomplishments, are also written in 2 Chronicles 32, with a few more details.)

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Psalm 46.

  • “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore, we will not fear…”
  • “The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. 
  • “He makes wars cease to the end of the earth; He breaks the bow and shatters the spear; He burns the chariots with fire.
  • “Be still and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!  The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.

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Psalm 80.

  • “Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel … You who are enthroned upon the cherubim, shine forth.” 
  • “… stir up Your might and come to save us!”
  •  “Restore us O LORD God of hosts! Let Your face shine, that we may be saved!”

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Psalm 135.

  • “Praise the LORD! Praise the name of the LORD, give praise, O servants of the LORD … Praise the LORD for the LORD is good; sing to His name, for it is pleasant!
  • “For I know that the LORD is great, and that our Lord is above all gods. Whatever the LORD pleases, he does..
  • “Your name, O LORD, endures forever, Your renown, O LORD throughout all ages.  For the LORD will vindicate His people and have compassion on His servants. 
  • “Blessed be the LORD from Zion, He who dwells in Jerusalem! Praise the LORD!”

 

Journaling through the Bible Chronologically in 2025, Day 207

Jul26

Day 207 – Reading – Isaiah 40 – 43.

Read today’s Scriptures.  

Isaiah 40.

We are now in the second division of Isaiah. The first part was about the threat from the Assyrians.  Now we begin to get a preview of the Babylonian captivity (as if they were already in it) (ch. 40-48), the Suffering Servant/Messiah (ch. 49-51), and Israel’s future glory (ch. 52-66).

In the first two verses, God tells His prophets what to say to His people, Judah in captivity.  Comfort them!  Speak tenderly to them.  Tell them the pardon for their sins has come.

Then a glorious foretaste of the coming Messiah. 

(Do you recognize the description of John the Baptist in the four Gospels?  “A voice crying in the wilderness…  Make straight the path.…”)

Imagine captive Judah hearing these glorious words!

  • “Behold your God!   Behold, the Lord GOD comes with might…  Behold, his reward is with Him…
  • Do you not know? do you not hear? Has it not been told to you from the beginning? Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth?  It is HE who sits above the circle of the earth, and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers…
  • All nations are as nothing before Him, they are accounted by Him as less than nothing and emptiness.
  • Have you not known?  Have you not heard?  The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. HE does not faint or grow weary; His understanding is unsearchable.  
  • He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might, He increases strength.  They who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.”

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Isaiah 41.

God is calling the nations to plead their case before Him.  Then God hints at His “stirring up one from the east” who will conquer Babylon, and allow some of the Jewish captives to return to Israel. And who accomplished this?  “I, the LORD, the first and the last; I AM.”

And more words of comfort for the captive Judah:

  • “But YOU, Israel, my servant, Jacob, whom I have chosen, the offspring of Abraham, my friend;   YOU whom I took from the ends of the earth and called from its farthest corners, saying to you, YOU are my servant, I have chosen YOU and not cast you off.
  • Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
  • I am the One who helps you, declares the LORD; your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel.
  • I will open rivers on the bare heights, and fountains in the midst of the valleys, I will make the wilderness a pool of water and the dry land springs of water… that they may see and know, may consider and understand together … that the hand of the LORD has done this, the Holy One of Israel has created it.”

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Isaiah 42.

This chapter reveals God’s “Chosen Servant,” the Messiah.

  • “Behold my servant, whom I uphold, My chosen, in whom My soul delights, I have put My Spirit upon Him; He will bring forth justice to the nations.
  • He will not cry aloud or lift up his voice, or make it heard in the street; a bruised reed He will not break, and a faintly burning wick He will not quench; He will faithfully bring forth justice. He will not faint or be discouraged till He has established justice in the earth. 

Did you recognize the description of our gentle Savior?  

  • I am the LORD; I have called You in righteousness; I will take you by the hand and keep you; I will give you as a covenant for the people; a light for the nations, to to open the eyes that are blind, to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon, from the prison those who sit in darkness.

Did you see where Matthew and Luke quoted Jesus’ ministry? 

Then, the LORD, through Isaiah, chides his people for being deaf and blind to the promises and provisions of God, so He poured on them “the heat of His anger” for a while.

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Isaiah 43.

This is a glorious chapter of God’s love and grace to Israel (and to us as well).

“But now, says the LORD, He who created you, O Jacob, He who formed you, O Israel:

  • Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine.
  • When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you;
  • When you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you. 
  • For I am the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior. 
  • Because you are precious in my eyes, and honored, and I love you..

And God’s wondrous proclamations:

  • Before Me no god was formed, nor shall there be any after me. I, I AM the LORD, and beside me there is no savior.
  • I AM He; there is none who can deliver from my hand; I work, and who can turn it back.
  • Thus says the LORD, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel.
  • Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?
  • I, I AM He who blots out your transgressions for my own sake, and I will not remember your sins.

Wow! Praise You, O great God in heaven!

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O LORD, I know you love me because of Jesus. I know you discipline me to bring me back to You. You are good and righteous, great and holy, my redeemer and savior. Praise Your Holy Name.

 

 

Journaling through the Bible Chronologically in 2025, Day 206

Jul25

Day 206 – Reading – Isaiah 37 – 39 and Psalm 76.

Read today’s Scriptures.  

Isaiah 37.

This chapter continues the story from yesterday.  Sennacherib, king of Assyria, has come up against Jerusalem. He’s sent his Commander/spokesman, Rabshakeh, to harass the people on the wall and King Hezekiah.  He called to them all sorts of things to intimidate them and cause them to give up.  Hezekiah’s spokesman told him to speak in Aramaic instead of Hebrew so the people wouldn’t understand, but the man refused and laughed.  They need to know! 

Then Rabshakeh continued to tell the people that NO PEOPLE OR GOD has prevailed against the Assyrians so far. And the God of Israel is no exception.

The people answer zero, as per Hezekiah’s instructions.  Eliakim, took the horrible news to Hezekiah.

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As soon as King Hezekiah heard the words, he tore his clothes (grief, repentance) and went to the Temple. He then sent Eliakim to Isaiah, telling him how the man mocked the living God and asking him to “PRAY for the remnant that is left.”

Isaiah encouraged him by saying Sennacherib would hear a rumor (from God) to return to his own land, and there he would be killed. But before that rumor hit his ears, the Assyrian King summarized the vile things that Rabshakeh said about the Living God and sent it in a letter to Hezekiah. “Do YOU think you shall be delivered???”

After Hezekiah got the letter and read it, he went back to the Temple and spread it out before the LORD. And he prayed. 

  • “O LORD of hosts, God of Israel, enthroned above the cherubim, you are the God, YOU ALONE, of all the kingdoms of the earth; You have made heaven and earth.  Incline your ear, O LORD, and hear; open You eyes, O LORD, and see; all the words of Sennacherib, which he has sent TO MOCK the Living God.
  • “Truly, O LORD, the kings of Assyria have laid waste all the nations and lands (around us) and their gods made by the work of men’s hands, wood and stone. And they were destroyed.
  • “So now, O LORD our God, save us from his hand, THAT ALL THE KINGDOMS OF THE EARTH MAY KNOW THAT YOU ALONE ARE THE LORD.”

Isaiah sent to Hezekiah, “because you have prayed to me concerning Sennacherib… this is the what the LORD has spoken concerning him…..

Isaiah then proclaims in poetic form the fallacies and the destruction of the king of Assyria. Verses 22-29. Then…   “Because you have raged against Me and your complacency has come to My ears, I will put my hook in your nose and my bit in your mouth, and I will turn you back on the way by which you came.”

“He shall NOT come into this city or (even) shoot an arrow there …. ” declares the LORD. “For I will defend this city to save it, for my own sake and for the sake of my servant David.”

And then!!!  WOW!!!  “The angel of the LORD went out and struck down a hundred and eighty-five thousand in the camp of the Assyrians.  And when the people (of Jerusalem) arose early in the morning, behold, these were all dead bodies.

Then Sennacherib, king of Assyria departed and returned home to Nineveh. (As the LORD said.)  And while he was worshiping his god, his two sons struck him down with the sword and escaped into the land of Ararat. And another of his sons reigned in his place.  (All according to the LORD’s words to Isaiah.)

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Isaiah 38.

Then comes Hezekiah’s “less great days.”

He became sick, and Isaiah told him to get his house in order because he was going to die.

Hezekiah prayed to the LORD, “Please, O LORD, remember how I have walked before you in faithfulness, and with a whole heart, and have done what is good in your sight.”  And he wept bitterly.

So Isaiah returned to Hezekiah with a new message from God. “I have heard your prayer; I have seen your tears. Behold, I will add fifteen years to your life.”  WHOA!

Then he gave Hezekiah a sign to “prove” the LORD would do it.  He made the shadow on the sundial move BACKWARDS (!!) ten degrees. 

(This was like turning back time several hours!  Something like in Joshua’s days when the LORD made time stand still so Joshua could win the battle. Joshua 10:12-13  Hey, God created the sun and time. He can do anything!)

The rest of the chapter is Hezekiah telling his story in poetic form – about being consigned to die, praying, and then the LORD answering. And then his thanking God.

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Isaiah 39.

Ah-oh……  Here comes Hezekiah’s big mistake. (From arrogance or foolishness. Had the extra years or age made him diminished?)

The son of the king of Babylon sent “get well cards and a present” to Hezekiah because he’d heard Judah’s king was seriously ill, but recovered.  Hezekiah welcomed the envoy, showed them his treasure house, the silver, gold, spices, precious oil, his whole armory, and all that was in his storehouses.”

SERIOUSLY, HEZEKIAH!!!!  Was that hospitality, or stupidity, or…. arrogance?

Isaiah came to Hezekiah in anger. “What did these men say?  Where are they from?”

Hezekiah answered, “Oh, they are from some far country … Babylon.”

Isaiah, “What have they seen in your house?“

Hezekiah, “Everything. There’s nothing I did not show them.”

Isaiah, angry, “Hear the word of the LORD of hosts: Behold the days are coming when ALL that is in your house … shall be carried to Babylon. NOTHING shall be left, says the LORD.  And furthermore, some of your own sons shall be taken away and made eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.”

Hezekiah:  “Oh, well, at least there will be peace and security in my days.”

REALLY, HEZEKIAH??  Maybe those last 15 years weren’t so good after all………

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Psalm 76.

Written by Asaph in David’s time, this psalm almost seems to point to the glorious salvation from the Assyrians in Hezekiah’s time.

In Judah, God is known: His name is great in Israel.
His abode has been established in (Jeru)Salem,
His dwelling place is in Zion.

There, He broke the flashing arrows,
the shield, the sword, and the weapons of war.
Glorious are You, more majestic
than the mountains of prey.

The stout-hearted were stripped of their spoil;
they sank into sleep; all the men of war
were unable to use their hands.
At Your rebuke, O God of Jacob,
both rider and horse lay stunned.

But You, You are to be feared!
Who can stand before You 
when once your anger is roused?

LORD, truly You are to be feared, worshipped, honored, and obeyed. Your power and majesty are to be praised. You see, You hear, You answer prayer. You do marvelous things for us, even when we are weak … or foolish.  Thank You for being in utmost control, O Sovereign LORD.