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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.”

#2024GOAL – Reading Through The Bible Chronologically, day 115

Apr24

    Day 115—We have been reading the Bible daily for a third of the year.   What have you learned about God? About yourself?

Day 115 – 1 Chronicles 3 – 5. (Genealogies in David’s line, Judah, Simeon, Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh.)

1 Chronicles 3 chronicles King David’s line until the Babylonian captivity. We see the sons and the daughter whose actions will cause David severe problems. Solomon, David’s tenth son, is mentioned as well.

1 Chronicles 4 chronicles the line of Judah, the Messianic line, and the diminishing tribe of Simeon, which is eventually swallowed up in Judah’s territory.

1 Chronicles 5 chronicles the line of Reuben, Israel’s firstborn who forfeited the birthright. The double-portion birthright then passed to the firstborn of Israel’s other wife, Rachael, Joseph. This chapter also gives the lineage of the Gadites and the 1/2 tribe of Manasseh which settled east of the Jordan River.

In both chapters 4 and 5, we see God answering prayer. In 4:9-10, Jabez “called upon the God of Israel, asking for more land, blessings, and safety for himself. And “God granted what he asked.”

In 5:18-20, the East Jordan tribes waged war against several pagan nations. Even though there were less than half the enemy’s number, when they “cried out to God in the battle, He granted their urgent plea, because they trusted Him.”

#2024GOAL – Reading Through The Bible Chronologically, day 114

Apr23

    Day 114—We have been reading the Bible daily for a third of the year.   What have you learned about God? About yourself?

Day 114 – Psalms 43, 44, 45, 49, 84, 85, 87. (Psalms of David, prayers for help and praises.)

Psalm 43 – “Why are you cast down, O  my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me?  Hope in God; for I shall again praise Him, my salvation and my God!”

Psalm 44 – “You are my King, O God; ordain salvation for Jacob! Through You we push down our foes; through Your name we tread down those who rise up against us. For not in my bow do I trust, nor can my sword save me. But You have saved us from our foes and have put to shame those who hate us! In God we have boasted continually, and we will give thanks to your name forever.”

Psalm 45 – “Your throne, O God, is forever and ever, the scepter of your kingdom is a scepter of uprightness, You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness.”

Psalm 49 – “Truly no man can ransom another, or give to God the price of his life, for the ransom of their life is costly and can never suffice, that he should live on forever and never see the pit.”    “But God will ransom my soul from the power of Sheol, for he will receive me.”

Psalm 84 – “My soul longs, yes, faints for the courts of the LORD; my heart and flesh sing for joy to the living God.”    “For a day in your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness.”    “O LORD of hosts, blessed is the one who trusts in you!”

Psalm 85 – “You forgave the iniquity of your people; you covered all their sin. You withdrew all your wrath; and turned from your hot anger. Restore us again, O God of our salvation, and put away your indignation toward us!”

Psalm 87 – “On the holy mount stands the city He founded; the LORD loves the gates of Zion more than all the dwelling places of Jacob. Glorious things of you are spoken, O city of God.  Among those who know me, I mention RAHAB and BABYLON; behold, PHILISTIA and TYRE, with CUSH — ‘This one was born there,” they say. And of Zion it shall be said, ‘This one and that one were born in her;’ for the Most High himself will establish her.  The LORD records as He registers the PEOPLES, ‘This one was born there.’

#2024GOAL – Reading Through The Bible Chronologically, day 112 & 113

Apr22

    Day 112 & 113—We have been reading the Bible daily for a third of the year and have begun reading the 12th book. What have you learned about God? About yourself?

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

Day 112 – Psalms 6, 8, 9, 10, 14, 16, 19, 21. (Psalms of David)

Psalm 6 – “O LORD, rebuke me not in your anger, nor discipline me in your wrath. Be gracious to me, O LORD, for I am languishing; heal me, O LORD, for my bones are troubled.”   “The LORD heard my plea; the LORD accepts my prayer.”

Psalm 8 – “O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens.”    “When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that You care for him?”

Psalm 9 – “I will give thanks to the LORD with my whole heart; I will recount all of your wonderful deeds. I will be glad and exult to you; I will sing praise to your name, O Most High.”    “The LORD is a stronghold for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble. And those who know your name put their trust in you, for you, O LORD, have not forsaken those who seek you.”

Psalm 10 – “Why O LORD, do you stand far away? Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?”    “Arise, O LORD; O God, lift up your hand; forget not the afflicted.”

Psalm 14 –  “Why O LORD, do you stand far away? Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?”    “In the pride of his face the wicked does not seek Him; all his thoughts are, ‘There is no God.'”    “Arise, O LORD; O God, lift up your hand; forget not the afflicted.”

Psalm 16 – “I say to the LORD, ‘You are my Lord; I have no good apart from you.'”    “I bless the LORD who gives me counsel; in the night also my heart instructs me.”    “I have set the LORD always before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken. Therefore my heart is glad, and my whole being rejoices; my flesh also dwells secure.”    “You make know to me the path of life; in your presence there is fulness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures for evermore.”

Psalm 19 – “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.”    “The law of the Lord is Perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple; the precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes, the fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever; the rules of the LORD are pure and righteous altogether.  MORE to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb.”     “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O LORD, my rock and my redeemer.”

Psalm 2 – “O LORD, in your strength the king rejoices, and in your salvation how greatly he exults!  You have given him his heart’s desire and have not withheld the request of his lips.”    “Be exalted, O LORD, in your strength! We will sing and praise your power.

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Day 113 – 1 Chronicles 1-2 (Genealogies in the kingly line & others)

1 Chronicles 1 tells the genealogy of the Jewish people (with sidelines included) from Adam to Abraham’s grandson, Jacob/Israel.

1 Chronicles 2 gives the genealogy of Israel’s twelve sons (tribes) to David who would become king, along with a lists of his relatives., who would become king, along with a list

#2024GOAL – Reading Through The Bible Chronologically, day 109

Apr18

    Day 109 —  We have been reading the Bible daily for almost a third of the year. What have you learned about God? About yourself?

   Day 109 – 1 Samuel 28 – 31, Psalm 18 (Ending 1 Samuel, King Saul, and David’s persecution. David’s song)

 1 Samuel 28 tells of the Philistines gathering to war against Israel and Saul in a panic. Since his failure to kill the Amalekite king and God “tearing” the kingdom from him (and no repentance) Saul has been like King Ludwig – mad.  Now, faced with a huge attack, he tries everything he can to learn what he should do.  But God is silent.

Compounding sin on sin, Saul meets with a Medium (witch) at Endor. (Israel was supposed to have killed all of them, but again, they didn’t complete that order.) He tells her to call up Samuel so he can get “some word from the LORD.”  She obeys, but instead of the regular evil spirit she is used to, Samuel actually does appear and she screams in terror.

Saul asks what he should do. Samuel basically tells the king that it is too late. He and all his sons are to die that very day, and Israel will go into the hands of the Philistines.  He is terrified and later goes away into the night.

1 Samuel 29 tells of King Achish preparing to battle Israel and enlisting his “favorite Israelite bodyguard,” David, to help him in battle. But his commanders refuse to take a “spy” with them, so David and his 600 men are set back to Ziklag.

1 Samuel 30 tells of David’s shock when he and his men arrive “home” to find that the Amalekites (whom Saul was supposed to have killed) had come, burned the city, looted, and taken all their wives and kids captive. His men are about to mutiny, but David “strengthens himself in the LORD his God.” He goes to the priest to inquire what he should do and is told to pursue and overtake the marauders.  Two hundred of his men are too exhausted to fight, so they stay “with the baggage.” 

David finds an Egyptian lying by the roadside who had served the Amalekites, but been left behind. He promises to lead David to him if he spares his life.  And so David and his 400 men defeat the Amalekites, take back their families, their own things, and lots of other loot.  There is a squabble about the “baggage men” also getting loot, but David quashes that and says everyone shares in the spoils of war. 

1 Samuel 31, the last chapter, tells about Saul going to battle, taking heavy losses from the Philistines, and how all three of his sons – including Jonathan – are killed. King Saul is cornered and an arrow badly wounds him.  He begs his armor bearer to finish him off, but the fellow refuses, so Saul kills himself. Then the armor bearer, no doubt fearing he will be blamed for killing the king, also kills himself. 

Later, the Philistines find their bodies and take them as trophies of the battle, putting Saul’s head in the temple of Dagon, their god, and hanging all the bodies on the wall. But some valiant Israelite men came at night, took down the bodies, burned them, and buried the bones.

What a sad ending to Israel’s first king, and the nation as a whole. 

Psalm 18 is a psalm of praise for God’s love, care, protection, and reward.

 

Verse 1-3: 
I love you, O LORD, my strength. 
The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer,
my God, my rock in whom I take refuge,
my shield, and the horn of my salvation,
my stronghold.
I call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised.
And I am saved from my enemies. 

Verse 6:
In my distress I called upon the LORD;
to my God I cried for help.
From His temple He heard my voice,
and my cry to Him reached his ears.

Verse 17: 
He rescued me from my strong enemy
and from those who hated me,
for they were too mighty for me.

Verse 28: 
For it is you who light my lamp;
the LORD my God lightens my darkness.

Verse 30: 
This God - His way is perfect:
The word of the LORD proves true;
He is a shield for all those who take refuge in Him.

Verse 46: 
The LORD lives, and blessed be my rock,
and exalted be the God of my salvation.

#2024GOAL – Reading Through The Bible Chronologically, day 61

Mar1

    Day 61—  Today we begin the THIRD month of Bible reading! We’ve been reading for over a 1/6 of a year! Praise God! I hope that it’s become a GOOD habit that we will continue.

   Day 61 – Numbers 16 – 17 (Rebellion among the elite & Aaron’s budding staff)

Yesterday, we left the camp of Israel defeated, despondent and angry. They’d been promised the Promise Land, but failed to enter. Now they face 40 LONG years of desert wandering. (The one year at Sinai was bad enough!) They’d even tried to elect a new leader and go back to Egypt.

Grumble, grumble.  In Chapter 15, the rebellion goes to a higher level, to the Levite priests, to the elitist of priests, the ones responsible for the holy objects in the Tabernacle, including the Ark of the Covenant. The Kohathites, led by Korah.

They assemble themselves against Moses and Aaron. “You’ve gone too far!” They claim.  All the congregation is holy, not just you!

In response does Moses argue? No!  He falls on his face (in horror?) He says that God will decide in the morning whom He chooses.  “You’ve gone too far, sons of Levi.”  It’s against God you grumble, not Aaron.

“Who made you a prince over us?” they yell back.

Next morning Korah and all his gang meet at the entrance to the Tabernacle.  God’s glory appeared  to them all, and God told Moses and Aaron to separate themselves and all the “innocent” congregation from the dwellings of Korah, Dathan & Abiram (leaders in the high-rebellion).

Moses then puts a test before them.  If nothing happens to these, then you will KNOW that I am not sent of God. But if the LORD opens the ground and swallows up them and all of theirs, then you will KNOW that they have despised the Lord.

Immediately the earth under them opened and swallowed the three men up, with their households and all the people and goods that belonged to them.  Then the earth closed over them completely.  And fire from God came down and consumed the 250 Kohathites with them who were falsely offering incense. Yikes!

AND STILL!!! the people grumbled against Moses & Aaron. God send a plague that quickly spread through the came.  Moses told Aaron to take fire and incense from the alter and go among the people.  He did, and as High Priest stood between the living and the already dead. And the plague from God that had killed 14,700 Israelites stopped.

Plagues!!  These were supposed to be on the Egyptians, not the Children of God. Oh, how far they had strayed.

In Chapter 17, God further affirms Moses and Aaron as His chosen leaders before the people.  A staff (a dry wooden pole) was gathered, one each from all the heads of tribes. These twelve, along with Aaron’s were placed in the Most Holy Place in the Tabernacle – next to the Ark of the Covenant, where the presence of Almighty God dwelled.  The next day, the one marked with Aaron’s name had brought forth buds, blossomed, and bore ripe almonds. Overnight. Fruit from a dead stick. Proof positive.

(His staff was then stored in the Ark along with the tablets of stone and the jar of manna…. as a remembrance.)

And the people wail that they are “undone” by what they had … done. “Are we all to perish?” they cry.