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2024GOAL – Reading Through The Bible Chronologically, day 257

Sep13

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

A tiny wait while he held his breath.

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

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

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

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

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

 

 

 

2024GOAL – Reading Through The Bible Chronologically, day 256

Sep12

    Day 256—We are in the NINETH month of Bible reading, with more of Israel’s history and future visions in DANIEL’S prophecy.

    Day 256 – Daniel 1 – 3 (Daniel & friends in Babylon, prosperity & persecution)

Daniel and his three friends (from noble Jewish families) were taken captive in Nebuchadnezzar’s first of three mass deportations. The boys were probably around 15 years old. Daniel lived there through the entire 70 years of captivity and possibly longer. He rose high in the government of several powerful kings but never turned from the LORD his God. 

Daniel 1.  The Babylonian king instructed Ashpenaz, his chief eunuch in charge of the eunuchs, to prepare some of the wise, good-looking, skilled, well-learned, and courtly young men of the royal and noble Jews to learn the Babylonian ways and language.  Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were some of the chosen. They all received Babylonian names and began a rich diet of the king’s food and wine.

Oops! Not kosher!!

These faithful Jewish youth did not want to defile themselves according to Jewish dietary laws and asked Ashpenaz if they could just have veggies and water. Despite his fear that the boys would look skinny before the king and he would lose his head, Ashpenaz gave them 10 days as a test.  After eating vegan for the test, the four boys looked better and were more alert than all the others, so the chief eunuch allowed them to continue to eat kosher.  GOD gave them learning, skill, and wisdom, and to Daniel, He gave understanding in all visions and dreams.  In fact, when Ashpenaz brought them before Nebuchadnezzar at the end of three years, the king found them 10X better than all the magicians and enchanters in his kingdom.  

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Daniel 2.  Now, Daniel’s dream skills were to be tested. Nebuchadnezzar had a night of nightmares and the following day, commanded all the Chaldean magicians, enchanters, and sorcerers to come and tell him the meaning of his dream. They arrived and asked the king what he dreamed so they could “concoct” a favorable interpretation.  But no!  The king required them to TELL HIM THE DREAM TOO, which they could not.  “You shall be torn limb from limb and your houses destroyed!!!” shouted the king. After denying “anyone’s” ability to do what the king wanted, he sentenced them all to death.

Fortunately for them, when Arioch, the captain of the king’s guard came to arrest Daniel, he calmly asked what the big rigamarole was. He then made an appointment to see the king and tell him ALL HE WISHED TO KNOW.

Then he asked his three friends to “seek mercy from the God of heaven concerning this mystery, so they might not be destroyed with the rest of the wise men.”  That night, God revealed the mystery to Daniel.  “Oh, blessed be the name of God forever and ever, to whom belong wisdom and might…”  “To You, O God of my fathers, I give thanks and praise, for YOU have given me wisdom and might and have now made known to me what we asked of you.”  

Then, Arioch brought Daniel to the king.

“Can you make the dream and its interpretation known to me?” demanded the King.

“Not me, but the God of Heaven can do it,” answered Daniel.

So, Daniel tells Nebuchadnezzar his dream of a giant statue made of gold, silver, bronze, iron, and iron mixed with clay. He shows the king how this image represents the world’s kingdoms, beginning with Babylon as the head of gold.  He also tells the king that a stone will strike the image’s feet, destroy it, and then grow into a mountain that fills the whole earth. This represents how the great God of Heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed.

Wow, and double wow! 

The king is flabbergasted, falls on his face, and pays homage to Daniel. “Truly your God is God of Gods and Lord of kings, and a revealer of mysteries.”  The king gives Daniel all kinds of promotions to top Prefect in Babylon. (At Daniel’s request, the king appoints his three friends to govern the provinces.) 

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Daniel 3.  The king becomes enamored with the statue he dreamed about and that the golden head represents “him.”  He commands an entire image of gold be made – that no doubt looks remarkably like him.  Then he commands ALL people everywhere to bow to this image when he begins to play his favorite tunes on Spotify. They do.  EXCEPT Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. (And Daniel, but he’s not in the picture here.)  

Okay, remember those wizards and wise men who were demoted when Daniel revealed the king’s dream?  They are royally aggrieved with the Hebrew youngsters taking over their key spots. So they spy on the three governors and tattle to the king about their now bowing to the statue. 

Nebuchadnezzar is now also “royally” aggrieved and sends for the three.  He thinks that maybe his instructions aren’t clear, so he tells them again. 

“Worship my golden image when the music plays, or you’ll be thrown into the furnace.”  How clear can he get? 

But the three refuse. “Not on your life, er, on our lives, will we bow to another besides our great God of Heaven?  Even if you roast us. Hey, our God may save us!!  But even if not, we won’t bow to a golden image.  WE KNOW why our people are here in Babylon instead of in Judah. Worshiping stupid idols!

Music. Upright boys. King’s fury. Three hurled in. The guards fried on the spot. Four in the furnace. No ropes. Walking around praising God. HUH???  Yep, the king thinks he’s seeing things again. He commands they be drawn out of the furnace. They aren’t scorched or even singed. They don’t smell of smoke. 

Of course, now, Nebuchadnezzar turns his back on the image and worships “the Most High God,” the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego…. because of their witness.  They willingly yielded their bodies to be burned rather than worship any God except their own God, the LORD. 

Nebuchadnezzar made a decree that it was illegal to speak anything against their God, punishable by being torn limb from limb and their houses destroyed. “For there is no other God who is able to rescue in this way.”

(And the three were promoted even higher in the province of Babylon.)

 

 

2024GOAL – Reading Through The Bible Chronologically, days 224 and 225

Aug12

    Day 224 & 225—We are in the eighth month of Bible reading, with more of the book of Jeremiah

NOTE: Sundays and Mondays are posted together.

    Day 224 – Jeremiah 18 – 22 (potter & clay, broken flask, Jeremiah persecuted, Nebuchadnezzar, Sons of David & Josiah, )

Jeremiah 18 continues with the inevitable destruction of Judah/Jerusalem, this time with the illustration of the potter and the clam (Isaiah used this three times.). Shaping, re-shaping, and destroying pots is what the potter and what God does… as it seems good to them. 

When the people plot against Jeremiah for his counsel, the prophet prays to God.

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Jeremiah 19. Jeremiah again goes to the potter to buy a flask. He’s to take the elders of the people and the priests and go to the Valley of Hinnom. He is to proclaim God’s disaster on Jerusalem and its people because of “the blood of the innocents”, the sons burned as offerings to Baal. He is to tell them of the bodies of their own sons and daughters in that “Valley of Slaughter” and then break the flask in the sight of the men.  “So I will break this people and this city, so that it can never be mended.”

(NOTE: The place, Topheth (drums) mentioned here, is another name for the valley of Hinnom or the Valley of Slaughter, where, when the children were burned as sacrifices to Baal, drums were beaten loudly to drown out their screams.)

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Jeremiah 20. After hearing these things, Pashhur, the priest and chief officer in the house of the LORD, persecuted Jeremiah by putting him in stocks. When he was released, Jeremiah proclaimed a curse on Pashhur and his house. They would be taken to Babylon and die there.

Jeremiah laments his calling, saying he is persecuted whenever he speaks the Word of the LORD.  But if he tries to keep in the words, “there is in my heart as it were a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I am weary of holding it in, and I cannot.”

“O LORD of hosts, who tests the righteous, who sees the heart and the mind, let me see your vengeance upon them, for to you have I committed my cause.”

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Jeremiah 21.  Judah’s last king, Zedekiah, sends Pashhur and Zephaniah to Jeremiah to inquire about Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon. “Will God do his wonderful deeds and make this king withdraw from us?”

But the LORD tells Jeremiah a different message. On the contrary, God will not help them fight the Chaldeans but will take their own weapons and fight against Judah Himself, “with outstretched hand and strong arm, in anger and in fury and in great wrath. And I will strike down the inhabitants of this city, both man and beast. They shall die of great pestilence. Afterward, I will give Zedekiah, king of Judah, and all his servants and the people in this city who survive… into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar.”

But the merciful God warns the people, “I set before you the way of life and the way of death. He who stays in this city shall die by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence. But he who goes out and surrenders to the Chaldeans… shall live. For I have set my face against this city for harm and not for good.  It shall be given into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall burn it with fire.”

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In Jeremiah 22, God warns both the king of Judah, and the sons of Josiah (the last four evil kings), “Woe to him who builds his house by unrighteousness.”   And to “Coniah” (Jehoiachin), “I give you into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar. I will hurl you and the mother who bore you into another country where you were not born, and there you shall die.  Write this man down as childless, a man who shall not succeed in his days for NONE of his offspring shall succeed in sitting on the throne of David and ruling again in Judah.”

(NOTE: Jehoiachin wasn’t actually childless. This points to the fact that none of his descendants… down to Joseph, the husband of Mary, would ever sit on the throne in Israel.  So then, how can Jesus then be the Messiah?  It was because Joseph was NOT involved in the bloodline of Jesus (as His step-father).  Jesus’s blood right to the throne of David came through Mary from David’s son Nathan (not Solomon), bypassing the curse. See Luke 3:313-32 and Jeremiah 36:30.)

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    Day 225 – Jeremiah 23 – 25 (Promise of the righteous Branch, evil/false leaders of His people, good & bad figs illustration, 70 years of captivity)

Jeremiah 23. God curses the evil leaders (shepherds) who have led his people astray and tells of a time when a Good Shepherd, a Righteous Branch of David’s line will reign as king and deal wisely, 

Jeremiah is heart-sick for all the false prophets and ungodly priests in the land, who, like Sodom and Gomorrah turn the people to evil.  God says to pay no attention to them when they prophesy peace and prosperity, for God WILL bring disaster on them and all who listen to them.  God is EVERYWHERE. He fills the heaven and earth. The false prophets cannot hide from Him.

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Jeremiah 24. After Nebuchadnezzar had taken from Jerusalem, King “Coniah” (Jehoiachin, grandson of Josiah), his officials, craftsmen, and metal workers, to Babylon, the LORD showed Jeremiah a vision of two baskets of figs. One basket held delicious, good figs, while the other one had very bad, disgusting figs.

God pointed to the good figs as “the exiles from Judah, whom I have sent away from this place to the land of the Chaldeans. I will set my eyes on them for good, and I will bring them back to this land. I will build them up and not tear them down; I will plant them, and not uproot them. I will give them a heart to know that I am the LORD, and they shall be my people and I will be their God, for they shall RETURN TO ME WITH THEIR WHOLE HEART.”

As for the stinky, bad figs, God said, “…and so I will treat Zedekiah, (the last) king of Judah, his officials, the remnant of Jerusalem who remain in this land (those last 11 years), and those who dwell in the land of Egypt. I will make them a horror to all the kingdoms of the earth, to be a reproach, a byword, a taunt, and a curse in all the places where I shall drive them.  And I will send sword, famine, and pestilence upon them until they shall be utterly destroyed from the land that I gave to them and their fathers.”

(NOTE: These verses quote Deuteronomy 28:25, 37, and are also fulfilled in the history of the long dispersion until Messiah returns.)

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Jeremiah 25 again speaks harsh words by God to the people who “persistently did not listen to Him, or obey his words, but provoked Him to anger.  

God will “devote the cities of Judah and their inhabitants to destruction.” (Think Jericho.)  “This whole land shall become a ruin and a waste, and these peoples shall serve the king of Babylon SEVENTY YEARS. After the seventy years are completed, I will punish the king of Babylon and that nation for their iniquity. 

Then the LORD sends (literally?) the prophet Jeremiah with “the cup of God’s wrath to all the nations.  First to Jerusalem and the cities of Judah, Egypt, Uz, all the cities of Philistia, Edom, Moab, Ammon, Tyre, Sidon, the coastland across the sea; Dedan, Tema, Buz (and all who cut the corners of their hair), Arabia, the mixed tribes of the desert, Zimri, Elam, Media, the north far and near, all the kingdoms of the world that are on the face of the earth. And after them, Babylon shall drink it.” 

“Behold, I begin to work disaster at the city that is called by my name… I am summoning a sword against all the inhabitants of the earth.”  Prophesy against them, Jeremiah, “The LORD will roar from on high…. against His fold and against all the inhabitants of the earth.”  ” for the LORD has an indictment against the nations,”   “He is entering into judgment with all flesh, and the wicked will be put to the sword.”

(NOTE: Although against the nations at Jeremiah’s time, this has “end-time” implications and must ultimately be fulfilled in the time of tribulation. (Revelation 6 – 19)

 

2024GOAL – Reading Through The Bible Chronologically, day 200

Jul18

    Day 200—We are in the seventh month of Bible reading. Praise God!

    Day 200 –2 Kings 18, 2 Chronicles 29 – 31, Psalm 48. (Godly Hezekiah restores worship and Passover in Judah, then Sennacherib attacks)

The chapters in 2 Chronicles tell of the new King Hezekiah in Judah and how he “did right in the eyes of the LORD, according to all that David his father had done.” 

Hezekiah removed the high places of idol worship and broke the pillars and Asherah. He even destroyed the bronze serpent Moses had made in the wilderness because the people had started to worship it. 

Hezekiah “trusted in the LORD, the God of Israel, so that there were none like him among all the kings of Judah after him or before him. He held fast to the LORD. He did not depart from following Him but kept the commandments that the LORD commanded Moses. And THE LORD WAS WITH HIM. WHEREVER HE WENT OUT, HE PROSPERED.”

Right away, King Hezekiah gets the temple, the priests, and the Levites cleansed & concentrated so true worship of the LORD could be restored. The holy men responded and began the cleansing. They brought out the “filth from the Holy Place” and all uncleanness and dumped it in the Kidron valley.  For eight more days they consecrated the house of the LORD, putting back all the utensils used in the temple.

Then, with as many of the consecrated priests, they began the sin offerings to make atonement for all Israel. The Levites stood with instruments and encouraged the people to sing and worship the LORD. They sang the words of David and Asaph. They sang the songs with gladness, bowed down, and worshiped.

Psalm 48  

‘Great is the LORD and greatly to be praised,

in the city of our God!

His holy mountain,

beautiful in elevation,

is the joy of all the earth,

Mount Zion in the north,

the city of the great King.

We have thought on your steadfast love, O God,

in the midst of your temple.

As your name, O God,

so your praise reaches to the ends of the earth.

Your right hand is filled with righteousness.

Let Mount Zion be glad!”

Then King Hezekiah invited any who were left in the northern kingdom of Israel to come and join Judah in the Passover celebration, so long neglected. He got jeers and mocking, but some from Asher, Manasseh, and Zebulun humbled themselves and came to Jerusalem.

Hezekiah knew there wouldn’t be time for them to consecrate themselves and encouraged them with, “The LORD your God is gracious and merciful and will not turn away His face from you if you return to Him.”   When they arrived, he prayed for them, saying, “May the good LORD pardon everyone who sets his heart to seek God, the LORD, the God of his fathers, even though not according to the sanctuary’s rules of cleanness.”  And the LORD HEARD Hezekiah. 

And there was such a joyous celebration of Passover! They stayed for the seven days of Unleavened Bread and extended it another seven days. The Levites and priests praised the LORD day by day, singing with all their might to the LORD.  So they ate the food of the festival, sacrificing peace offerings and giving thanks to the LORD, the God of their fathers.

“There was great joy in Jerusalem, for since the time of Solomon the son of David King of Israel there had been nothing like this in Jerusalem.”  And the prayers of blessing by the priests and Levites arose and came to His holy habitation in heaven.

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Then, as it always happens, after “mountain top experiences” come the “dark valleys.”

“After these things and these acts of faithfulness, Sennacherib, King of Assyria, came and invaded Judah and encamped against them.”

And the Rabshakeh (commander and spokesman for Sennacherib) taunted the king and people of Jerusalem. “On what do you rest this trust of yours?   In whom do you now trust?  Egypt? They are nothing. If you say to me, ‘We trust in the LORD our God,’ is it not he whose high places and altars Hezekiah has removed???  

And to the people on the wall, he called, “DO NOT let Hezekiah deceive you, for he will not be able to deliver you out of my hand.  DO NOT let Hezekiah make you trust in the LORD by saying, the LORD will surely deliver us.  DO NOT listen to Hezekiah when he misleads you.  Has any of the gods of the nations EVER delivered his land out of the land of the king of Assyria???  Who among all the gods of the lands have delivered their lands out of my hand, that THE LORD SHOULD DELIVER JERUSALEM OUT OF MY HAND??”

However, the people were silent and answered him not a word, for the king’s command was, “Do not answer him.”  But the king’s chief of staff came to Hezekiah with their clothes torn and told him the words of the Rabshakeh. 

And we’ll see what the godly Hezekiah does in the next chapter (2 Kings 19) in nine days. Meanwhile, Isaiah.  

 

2024GOAL – Reading Through The Bible Chronologically, day 165

Jun13

   Day 165—We are in the 6th month of Bible reading and continue with the history of Israel.

 Day 165 – 2 Chronicles 6 – 7, Psalm 136. (More detail on Solomon’s prayer/dedication of the temple and a song.)

After the Shekinah Glory of the LORD filled the temple, Solomon blessed the people and the LORD. (a little more detail than in yesterday’s reading.)

2 Chronicles 6:2 – “Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, who with his hand has fulfilled what He promised with His mouth.”

6:13-14 – “Then he knelt on his knees in the presence of all the assembly of Israel and spread out his hands toward heaven, and said, “O LORD, God of Israel, there is no God like YOU in heaven or on earth, keeping covenant and showing steadfast love to your servants who walk before you with all their heart.”

Next Solomon lists many instances when Israel would need the judgment and forgiveness of their God.

Verse 21 – “And LISTEN to the pleas of your servant and of your people Israel when they pray toward this place. And LISTEN from heaven, your dwelling place, and when you hear, FORGIVE.”

Verse 22 – “If a man sins against his neighbor….. then hear from heaven and act and judge….”

Verse 24 – “If your people Israel are defeated before the enemy because they have sinned against You, and they turn again and acknowledge your name and pray and plead with you in this house…..the hear from heaven and forgive the sin of your people…”

Verse 26 – “When heaven is shut up and there is no rain because they have sinned against you…. if they pray toward this place and acknowledge your name and turn from their sin… then hear in heaven and forgive the sin of your servants…”

Verse 28 – “If there is famine (pestilence, blight, mildew, locust, caterpillar, plague, sickness) in the land….. whatever plea is made by any man or by all your people Israel, each knowing his own affliction and his own sorrow and stretching out his hands toward this house….. then hear from heaven your dwelling place, and forgive….”

Verse 34 – “If your people go out to battle against their enemies… and they pray to you toward this city that you have chosen and the house that I have built for Your name…. then hear from heaven their prayer and plea, and maintain their cause.

Verse 36 – ‘If they sin against you – FOR THERE IS NO ONE WHO DOES NOT SIN – and You are angry with them and give them to an enemy so that they are carried away captive to a land far or near….. Yet if they turn their heart, repent, plead with you, and pray toward their land, the city, and this house… then hear from heaven…. maintain their cause and forgive your people. 

2 Chronicles 7:1 – “As soon as Solomon finished his prayer, fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices.

“When the people of Israel saw the fire come down and the glory of the LORD on the temple, they bowed down with their faces to the ground on the pavement and worshiped and gave thanks to the LORD, saying, “For He is good, for His steadfast love (mercy) endures forever.“

Psalm 136 echoes this refrain 26 times after stating the truth about God and all his wonderful acts toward his people through the generations. 

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2 Chronicles 7:11-22  gives God’s response to Solomon’s prayer, with some if/then statements of His own, including a very familiar one about Israel in verse 14. 

"If my people who are called by my name 
humble themselves, 
and pray and seek my face 
and turn from their wicked ways,
then I will hear from heaven 
and will forgive their sin
and heal their land."

Then God reminds Solomon about the opposite. 

Verse 19-20. “But if you turn aside and forsake my statutes and my commandments that I have set before you, and go and serve other gods and worship them…. then I will pluck you up from my land that I have given you, and this house that I have consecrated for my name, I will cast out of my sight, and I will make it a proverb and a byword among all peoples.”

2024GOAL – Reading Through The Bible Chronologically, day 164

Jun12

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

May27

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

113. “Blessed be the name of the LORD from this time forth and forevermore! From the rising of the sun to its setting, the name of the LORD is to be praised.”

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

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

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

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

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

116. “I love the LORD because He has heard my voice and my pleas for mercy, because He inclined His ear to me, therefore I will call on Him as long as I live. The snares of death encompassed me; the pangs of Sheol laid hold on me; I suffered distress and anguish. Then I called on the name of the LORD; ‘O LORD, I pray, deliver my soul!’ Gracious is the LORD, and righteous; our God is merciful.”

“For You have delivered my soul from death, my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling;…”    “What shall I render to the LORD for all his benefits to me?”

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

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

118. “Out of my distress, I called on the LORD; the LORD answered me and set me free. The LORD is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me?  The LORD is on my side as my helper; I shall look in triumph on those who hate me.”    “The LORD is my strength and my song; He has become my salvation..”

“I shall not die, but I shall live and recount the deeds of the LORD. The LORD has disciplined me severely, but He has not given me over to death.”   “I thank You that You have answered me and have become my salvation.”

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

2024GOAL – Reading Through The Bible Chronologically, days 146

May25

   Day 146—We are in our FIFTH month of Bible reading and begin our 12th book – 1 Kings.  Are you loving God more each day? What are you learning about Him?  Share in the comments section.

   Day 146 –  Psalms 131, 138, 139, 143, 144, 145. (Parts of some of these psalms of David are very familiar.)

131. “O, LORD, my heart is not lifted up; my eyes are not raised too high; I do not occupy myself with things too great and too marvelous for me. But I have calmed and quieted my soul, like a weaned child with its mother..”    “O Israel, hope in the LORD from this time forth and forevermore.”

138, “For though the LORD is high, He regards the lowly, but the haughty He knows from afar. Though I walk in the midst of trouble, You preserve my life; You stretch out Your hand against the wrath of my enemies, and your right hand delivers me. The LORD will fulfill His purpose for me…“

139.  (This whole psalm is precious and beautiful!  “O LORD, You have searched me and known me!  You know when I sit down and when I rise up; You discern my thoughts from afar. You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways.  Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O LORD, You know it altogether. You hem me in, behind and before, and lay Your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high; I cannot attain it.”

“Where shall I go from Your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from Your presence? If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there! If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there Your hand shall lead me, and Your right hand shall hold me. If I say, ‘Surely the darkness shall cover me, and the light about me be night,’ even darkness is not dark to You; the night is bright as the day, for darkness is as light with you.”

“For you formed my inward parts; You knitted me together in my mother’s womb. I praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are Your works; my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from You, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in Your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.”

“How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them! If I would count them, they are more than the sand. I awake, and I am still with You.

“Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.”

143. “I remember the days of old; I meditate on all that You have done; I ponder the work of Your hands. I stretch out my hands to You; my soul thirsts for You like a parched land.” “Teach me to do your will, for You are my God! Let your good Spirit lead me on level ground!“

144. “Blessed be the LORD, my rock….He is my steadfast love and my fortress, my stronghold and my deliverer, my shield and He in whom I take refuge;” “Blessed are the people to whom such blessings fall! Blessed are the people whose God is the LORD!”

145. “I will extol You, my God and King, and bless Your name forever and ever. Every day I will bless you and praise your name forever and ever. Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised, and His greatness is unsearchable.”

“The LORD is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. The LORD is good to all, and His mercy is over all that He has made.” “The LORD is faithful in all His words and kind in all His works! The LORD upholds all who are the falling and raises up all who are bowed down.”

“The LORD is righteous in all His ways and kind in all His works. The LORD is near to all who call on Him, to all who call on Him in truth. He fulfills the desire of those who fear him, and He also hears their cry and saves them. The LORD preserves all who love Him…..” “Let all flesh bless His holy name forever and ever.”

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

May17

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

#2024GOAL – Reading Through The Bible Chronologically, day 128

May7

    Day 128—We are in our FIFTH month of Bible reading.   Are you loving God more each day? Are you reciting, praying, and singing the Psalms we’ve been reading?  Share in the comments section.

    Day 128 – Psalms 25, 29, 33. 36. 39. – (Psalms of praise, worship, and commitment  by David and others.)

In Psalm 25, David pleads for a go,dly life: “To you, O LORD, I lift up my soul. O my God, in you I trust…”   “Make me to know your ways, O LORD. Teach me your paths. Lead me in your truth and teach me…”   “Remember your mercy, O LORD, and your steadfast love.”

In Psalm 29, David seeds to glorify and magnify God. “Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name; worship the LORD in the splendor of holiness.”  Then David writes a series of metaphors from creation that show God’s power with gentleness.

In Psalm 33, the psalmist encourages God’s people to shout for joy, give thanks to the LORD, make melody to him on instruments, and sing new songs to him.  He describes the power in God’s Word and what happens whenever He speaks.

“Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD, the people He has chosen as his heritage!  The LORD looks down from heaven; He sees all the children of man; from where He sits enthroned, He looks out on all the inhabitants of the earth, He who fashions the hearts of them all and observes all their deeds.”     “Behold, the eye of the LORD is on those who fear Him, on those who hope in his steadfast love, that He may deliver their soul from death…”

Psalm 36 begins by describing the heart of the wicked but soon turns to the love and mercy of God. “How precious is your steadfast love, O God!”    “Oh, continue your steadfast love to those who know You, and your righteousness to the upright of heart!”

David is introspective in Psalm 39.  First, he pledges, “I will guard my ways, that I may not sin with my tongue; I will guard my mouth with a muzzle so long as the wicked are in my presence.”   Next, he shows his vulnerability.  “O LORD, make me know my end and what is the measure of my days; let me know how fleeting I am!”

“Surely all mankind stands as a mere breath!

Surely a man goes about as a shadow!

Surely, for nothing, they are in turmoil; man heaps up wealth and does not know who will gather!”

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(If you feel like reading more along this vein, turn to Psalm 90:4-16, James 4:13-15, and Luke 12:16-21.)

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And David finishes with, “And now, O LORD, for what do I wait? My hope is in you.”