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2024GOAL – Reading Through The Bible Chronologically, days 286 and 287

Oct14

    Day 286 and 287—We are in the TENTH month of Bible reading and studying the New Testament Gospels.

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

    Day 286 – Luke 11 (Prayer, short teachings, woes)

Luke gives a shorter version of the “Lord’s Prayer.” He had been praying, and His disciples asked Him to teach them to pray.

Worship God! Align yourself with His kingdom. Ask for your needs. Confess and ask for forgiveness as you practice forgiveness to others. Ask for His protection from temptation.

Jesus illustrates persistence in prayer with a story. A friend asked a neighbor for food for a surprise visitor in the middle of the night. The neighbor was in bed, but because the friend kept asking and didn’t go away, the neighbor got up and got it for him.  “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find, knock, and it will be opened to you. If you give your kids good gifts, how much more will YOUR heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask.”

Again, they accuse Him of delivering a man from demons by the power of the devil. He reminds them of the uselessness of that.  He briefly illustrates this with a story of a strong man guarding his house, but a stronger man overcomes him.  He warns them that when a false exorcist drives out unclean spirits, more will return to the person. It takes the Holy Spirit’s power to truly free the person.

“Blessed is the womb that bore you and the breasts which nursed you!” cries a woman. “No, rather, blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it,” Jesus replies.

Jesus reminds them of Jonah and Nineveh again, condemning them for always seeing a sign. They had been given enough information to believe and repent, but they would not. Nineveh will judge and condemn them, for THEY repented with much less truth preached to them.

Then Jesus lashes out at the religious leaders with a series of “woes” or curses.  He says they are fools to keep themselves outwardly clean when their hearts are full of greed and wickedness.

WOE to Pharisees tithing herbs but neglecting justice and love for God.

WOE because they LOVE the best positions and the admiration of others.  They are like graves that people walk over and don’t realize.

WOE to the Lawyers (Scribes) for loading the people with burdens they don’t carry. They build memorial tombs for the prophets and in doing so, agree with their ancestors in KILLING these men.  The blood of all the prophets (from righteous Abel to Zechariah), shed until this day, is charged against this generation.

WOE to the Lawyers (Scribes) who have taken away the key to knowledge, hindering others from entering, and not entering themselves.

“And as He went away, the Scribes and Pharisees began to press Him hard and provoke Him to speak about many things, lying in wait for Him, to catch Him in something He might say.”

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    Day 287. – Matthew 13, Luke 8 (parables, their purposes & explanations, healings)

In these chapters, Jesus tells several parables and says “why” He is not talking plainly to the people now. He explains two parables to His disciples so they can get an idea of how they work so they will understand the rest.

Luke tells us that there were also women who followed Jesus besides the twelve disciples. These are mentioned: Mary Magdalene, from whom Jesus had cast out seven demons; Joanna, the wife of Herod’s household manager (I wonder how she heard Jesus and first believed in Him.); Susanna, and many others. These women provided for Jesus and the disciples (who had left their jobs to follow Him) out of their own means.  

Great crowds were gathering around Jesus, and he taught them.  At first, He sat down by the sea to teach them, but they pressed closer, so He had to get into a boat and push out a little way into the water, the whole crowd standing on the beach to hear Him.

He told them many parables, such as the one about a farmer sowing seeds. The seeds fell in four places; along the path where the birds came and ate them, on rocky ground where they had no root and quickly withered, among thorns which grew up and choked them out, and finally on good soil where they grew and produced lots of grain.

Later, the disciples asked Jesus why He was now teaching the people in parables, whereas before (as in the Sermon on the Mount), He had taught them plainly. Jesus responded with a hard-to-understand answer. 

“To you, it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them, it has not been given. For, to one who has, more will be given, and he will have an abundance, but from the one who has not, even what little he has will be taken away. THIS is why I speak to them in parables. It’s because seeing they do not SEE, and hearing they do not HEAR, nor do they understand.”  

Jesus said this fulfilled the Isaiah 6:9-10 prophecy where Isaiah volunteered to go and tell the Message God had for His people but was reminded that they would not listen.  “Blessed are YOUR eyes,” Jesus said to the disciples, “for they see, and YOUR ears, for they hear,” Then he told them the meaning of the Four Soils parable.

The SEED is the word of the kingdom sown among the people. The birds represent the devil who comes and immediately takes away the message.  The people (seed) on rocky ground develop no roots in the Gospel. When tribulation or persecution comes, they fall away.  Seeds that fall among thorns are people who gladly hear the message, but the cares of the world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the pleasures of the world choke that joy and the message, and they prove unfruitful.  BUT THE SEED THAT LANDS ON GOOD SOIL is the one who hears the word, understands it, and is fruitful. 

Jesus then tells the parable of the Weeds sowed among Good Seed by an enemy of the Kingdom.  The master says to let the weeds grow because, if they are pulled up too soon, it will damage the good plants.  So, at harvest, both are gathered.  The good seed goes into the barn. The weeds are burned. 

Again, the disciples ask Jesus to explain this parable.  “The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man. The field is the world; the good seed is the children of the Kingdom; and the weeds are the children of the evil one.  The enemy is the devil.  Both are left to grow until harvest when the angels reap. They will pull out all causes of sin and law-breaking and throw them into the fire.  Then the righteous will shine like the sun.”

Jesus tells parables about finding precious things like treasure and a giant pearl. The one who finds them gives up all they have to possess them.  

The Parable of the Net tells the story of a fishing net that represents the Kingdom. It is thrown into the sea and gathers all kinds of fish. On shore, the fishermen sort the fish, throwing away the rotten fish and keeping the good.  “So it will be at the close of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous and throw them into the fiery furnace.”

Jesus asked His disciples if they understood all those things. They said, “Yes.” Jesus then tells them His new teaching was to be understood in light of the old truths, and vice versa.

He also tells them, “No one, after lighting a lamp, covers it with a jar or puts it under a bed, but puts it on a stand, so that those who enter may see the light.  For nothing is hidden that will not be made manifest, no is anything secret that will not be known and come to light.  Take care then HOW you hear.”

2024GOAL – Reading Through The Bible Chronologically, day 285

Oct12

    Day 285—We are in the TENTH month of Bible reading and studying the New Testament Gospels.

    Day 285 – Matthew 11 (Jesus’ message to the Baptist, unrepentant cities, Jesus’ yoke)

John the Baptist has been put in prison by Herod for his constant rebuke of him for stealing his brother’s wife. (Herod enjoys the occasional talk with the Baptist, but John will soon be beheaded at the instigation of Herod’s wife.)

Meanwhile, he wonders if Jesus is the Messiah he had announced to the world. Where was the overthrow of the Roman government and the restoration of Israel? John sends his disciples with the question. And Jesus answers him with both words and actions.

John’s disciples witness a flurry of healings of all kinds by Jesus.  Then Jesus says, “The blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them.”  Jesus knows John will recognize the passage about the coming Messiah from Isaiah 35:5-6.

After John’s disciples leave, Jesus tells the crowds, “Among those born of women, no one has arisen greater than John the Baptist. (John had seen with his own eyes what the OT prophets prophesied about and longed to see.) Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. (Any believer after the cross has seen the fulfillment of the atoning work of Christ.)

Jesus then proclaims WOES on the cities He mainly ministered in and to because they did not repent. It would be better for Sodom and Tyre (completely destroyed) on the Day of Judgment than for Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum. 

Jesus then thanks His Father for the “little ones” who have believed, knowing that God had given them the understanding and revelation through His gracious will.  “No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal Him.”

Then Jesus offers the gracious invitation to those around Him. “Come unto me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

 

 

 

 

   

2024GOAL – Reading Through The Bible Chronologically, day 284

Oct11

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

2024GOAL – Reading Through The Bible Chronologically, day 282

Oct9

    Day 282—We are in the TENTH month of Bible reading and studying the New Testament Gospels.

    Day 282 – Matthew 12, Mark 3, Luke 6 (Man with a withered hand, blasphemy, crowds, mom & brothers)

Several of the incidents and teachings of Jesus are in all three of these passages today. 

Matthew, Mark, and Lukeall tell about a man with a withered hand whom Jesus encounters in the synagogue. The conversation begins with the Jewish leaders’ strict rules (not the law) about how to keep the Sabbath.  They say healing someone is breaking the law. Jesus says mercy rules and that it IS lawful to do good on the seventh day. (Their priests do good and work every sabbath when they offer sacrifices.)

“Stretch out your hand,” He tells the man, and his hand is restored. Fury burns in the Pharisees’ hearts, and they discuss what they can do to Jesus.  Jesus is grieved by their hardness of heart. Because of this, He withdraws from there. Crowds follow Him, and he ministers to them ALL. 

Matthew quotes Isaiah 42:1-4 about Jesus’s ministry.  “Behold, my servant whom I have chosen, my beloved with whom my soul is well pleased. I will put my Spirit upon Him, and He will proclaim justice to the Gentiles. He will not quarrel or cry aloud, nor will anyone hear his voice in the streets; a bruised reed He will not break, and a smoldering wick He will not quench until He brings justice to victory; and in His name, the Gentiles will hope.”

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Matthew and Mark tell us about the next incident and teachings.  Jesus heals a man who is blind and mute because of a demon. The healing amazes the crowd. “Can this be the Messiah?”   But the Pharisees say that Jesus is possessed by a demon and only heals by the power of Beelzebub (the devil).  Jesus must have chuckled at that. “If Satan casts out Satan, then he is divided against himself.” Then He corrects them.  “But it is by the Spirit of God that I cast out demons, and the kingdom of God has come upon you.”

Then Jesus levels a grave accusation at them. “Every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven people, EXCEPT the blasphemy against the Spirit. It will NOT be forgiven. Whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven…. in this age or the age to come.“

Do you want to know the truth about someone? Look at their fruit. “You brood of vipers! How can you speak good when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the HEART, the mouth speaks.”   “I tell you, on the day of judgment, people will give account for EVERY careless word they speak, for by your words, you will be justified, and by your words, you will be condemned.”

“We wish to see a sign from you,” said the Pharisees. (In other words, PROVE IT!)

Jesus answers them with Old Testament scripture. “You evil and adulterous generation.  The only sign you’ll be given is that of the prophet Jonah. As he was three days and nights in the belly of a fish, the Son of Man will be three days and nights in the heart of the earth.” (Speaking of his death, burial, and resurrection).   “The men of Nineveh will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for THEY repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold….. someone greater than Jonah is here.”

Meanwhile, Jesus’ mother and siblings are concerned about Him. They hear about his ministry to the crowds and confrontations with the Jewish leaders. He is so involved that he doesn’t have time to eat. (Of course, a Mom would worry about this.) “He is out of his mind,” they say.

They stand at the edge of the crowd and call to him.  Some notice and tell Jesus, “Your mom and your brothers are seeking you.”

But Jesus gestures to those around Him, “Here are my mother and my brothers! For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven, he is my brother, and sister, and mother.”  Jesus was not “trashing” his family but emphasizing the importance and eternality of a spiritual relationship with Him.

(NOTE:  Matthew 13:55 and Mark 6:3 mention the names of Jesus’ four earthly half-brothers and the fact that He also has sisters.)

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Luke 6 also begins Jesus’ “Sermon on the Mount.”  But we’ll read that tomorrow with Matthew 5 – 7.

2024GOAL – Reading Through The Bible Chronologically, day 281

Oct8

    Day 281—We are in the TENTH month of Bible reading and studying the New Testament Gospels.

    Day 281 – John 5 (healing the lame man, authority, what bears witness)

Jesus is again in Jerusalem at Feast time. By the pool of Bethesda, many invalids languish, waiting for the water to move (currents or some believed an angel). The first in the pool when this happened got healed.  

One man had been waiting there 38 years because he had no one to help him, and with paralyzed legs, he couldn’t get to the water before others.  WHAT A TERRIBLY SAD PLACE THIS MUST BE – FULL OF DASHED HOPES. But Jesus came by, saw him, and knew all about him.

“Do you want to be healed? He asked.  What a question. Of course, he wanted to be healed, didn’t he? But…maybe not. Maybe there was just enough alms to keep him going. With working legs, he would need to go to work, hold a job, and be responsible. No more free money and pity.

“I have no one to put me in the pool when the waters stir.”  (Is that the same as “Yes, I want to be healed”? Or was it a whine that nothing was HIS fault.)

(Remember, Jesus KNEW all about him.)  “Get up. Pick up your bed.  Walk,” Jesus commanded. And he did.

And the religious leaders were mad! It was the Sabbath. Carrying a mat was “work,” so the man broke the 5th commandment. Passing the buck, the previously lame man said, “The man who healed me told me to.” They asked him who that man was, but the fellow did not know Jesus, and the Lord had withdrawn into the crowd before he could ask. 

Later, in the temple, Jesus found the man. “See. You are WELL. Sin no more, that nothing worse may happen to you.” (Unlike the man who had been blind through no fault of his own or his parents, it seems that maybe sin was involved in this man’s affliction.)  Immediately, the man went to the Jewish leaders and told them Jesus had healed him.  (Tattle-tale?)

Jesus refuted their restrictive man-made Sabbath/work traditions as NOT what God had instituted.  God had given His people REST, while the ultra-strict Pharisees had chained them to tiny rules that even THEY couldn’t keep. “Hey, My Father is working until now…and so am I,” said Jesus in their face. 

This was why the Jews were seeking all the more to kill Him, because not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God His own Father, making Himself equal with God. 

Jesus told them His words weren’t the only evidence that the Father and He were one. He asked them to remember 1) the witness of John the Baptist, whom they questioned thoroughly.  He asked him to look at 2) the “works” or miracles He was doing.  They also validated that He was one with the Father.  3) God Himself had validated Jesus at his baptism. And finally, 4) the scriptures they said THEY knew so well testified about Him. Jesus had MORE than the two or three witnesses that the Law required to establish a truth. 

“And yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life.”  

(NOTE:  What a sad statement. Their hardened hearts refused to be humbled, to acknowledge that Jesus was their anointed Messiah, and to believe in Him for their salvation.

 

2024GOAL – Reading Through The Bible Chronologically, days 279 and 280

Oct7

    Day 279 and 280—We are in the TENTH month of Bible reading and studying the New Testament Gospels.

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

    Day 279 – John 2 – 4 (a wedding, Nicodemus, Samaritan woman)

John doesn’t always put his gospel of Jesus in chronological order. Jesus had done many miracle healings until this point. John, instead, says the water-to-wine miracle was the FIRST of eight significant spiritual “signs” that pointed to Jesus as God.

John 2 begins with a wedding in Cana, and John 4 ends with His healing an official’s dying son in Cana.

John 2 starts with a new Jewish couple getting married, and John 4 is about a Samaritan woman who has been married five times.

In between, in John 3, Jesus talks to a Jewish teacher privately at night about being born again as the only way to receive eternal life. During the day, John the Baptist preaches a magnificent sermon to crowds, saying whoever believes in Jesus, God’s Son, has eternal life. (See John 3:27-36, wonderful!)

John 2.  Jesus and his disciples go to the wedding, probably a family member, since Mary seems to be a hostess. They run out of wine (thirsty guests or poor planning), and Mary tells this to her Son. His answer is confusing.  “What does this have to do with Me?  My hour has not come.“

The “hour” Jesus mentions refers to the very reason and focus of why He had come – His death and resurrection.  Prophets like Jeremiah 31:12, Hosea 14:7, and Amos 9:13-14 spoke of a time in the Messianic kingdom when wine would flow freely.  Jesus knew that the cross must first come before the blessings of the millennial age. Perhaps he was reminding his mother of this (?)

Next is Passover, and Jesus is in Jerusalem.  He is angered at how the temple is desecrated by animals, buying & selling, loud noise, and greed.  He makes a whip and drives the sellers and animals out, overturning their tables of carefully stacked coins.  “Do not make my Father’s house a house of trade.” 

(This reminded me of Nehemiah who discovered merchants buying/selling in the city on the Sabbath. He also drove them all out and locked the gates!)   Of course, the religious leaders, who saw their money-making schemes go down the drain, accosted Jesus angrily.

John 3. Later that night, when Jesus was alone, Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews, came to Jesus secretly. Perhaps he was going to ask Jesus about what happened at the Temple earlier, for he said,

“Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher, come from God, for no one can do these signs you do unless God is with Him…”

“Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.“ Jesus interrupts.

(I can imagine Nico’s face. “Huh?”)  He responds to Jesus, perhaps annoyed, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter back into his mother’s womb and be born?”

Jesus responds. “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.” 

“But…but, how can these things be?” Nico answers.

“Are you a teacher of Israel, and yet you do not understand these things?”  Jesus explains more, then speaks that beloved verse, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.”

Jesus explains that everyone who does NOT believe in Him is already condemned. The judgment is that Light came into the world, but people loved darkness more because their deeds were evil. They hate the Light because they know their wicked deeds will be exposed.

We don’t see or hear what Nico did with that. I know he will have lots to ponder in his heart.  I know also that by the time Jesus died, Nicodemus was a believer.

John 4. On the way back from Jerusalem to Galilee, Jesus and His men paused at Jacob’s well (Genesis 33:19 and 48:22) in Samaria, where a hard-looking woman was drawing water in the heat of the day (not morning when most women came). Jesus sent his disciples into town to buy food, leaving Himself ALONE with a woman and a Samaritan.

“Give Me a drink,” Jesus asked politely but pointedly.

“How is it that YOU, a Jew, ask for a drink from ME, a woman of Samaria? I thought you had no dealings with us.”

“If you knew who I was, you would have asked ME to give YOU a drink, and I would have given you Living Water.”

“You don’t have a bucket to draw water,” she said maybe disgusted.  “Where are you going to get that ‘Living Water?’ Are you greater than our father, Jacob?”

I’m sure Jesus looked her right in the eyes, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks of the Water that I will give him will NEVER thirst again.  Instead, it will become like a spring of water welling up to ETERNAL LIFE.”

“SIR, give me this water…… so I don’t have to come to this well again.”

Jesus tells her to go and bring her husband, knowing that she has had FIVE husbands and that the man she lives with now is NOT her husband. (Perhaps she was barren, and no man wanted to keep her if she couldn’t bear him offspring.)  She exclaims that He must be a prophet and starts to get sidetracked. Jesus brings her back with how true worshippers will worship the true God “in spirit and truth.

Then — amazingly so — Jesus tells this unloved woman that HE is the Messiah, the Christ.”

Just then, the disciples return with food, and she runs off. But now she has a message and will soon bring the whole town back to see and hear “the Man who knew everything about me.”

Jesus tells the disciples that THIS is the food He desires, and to look at the fields of souls. So many are ripe for harvest. The people all come and listen to them. He stays two days, then they make their way back to Cana.

There, an official comes to Jesus, begging Him to heal his deathly ill son.  Jesus tells him to go home because his son will live.  The man believes, and eventually, his whole household believes because of the miracle.   John says this is the second “sign” that Jesus did in Galilee.

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    Day 280. – Matthew 8, Mark 2 (healing ministry, confrontations with leaders)

Jesus heals many diseases and conditions.

8:1-4.  “Lord, if you will, you can make me clean,” said a leprous man kneeling before Jesus.

“I will. Be clean.”  And immediately, his leprosy was cleansed.

8:5-13.  “Lord, my servant is lying paralyzed at home,” said a Centurion in Capernaum.

“I will come and heal him,  said the generous Jesus.

“Only say the word, and he will be healed, for I am a man in authority over others too.”

“I have not found such faith with any in Israel! Go. Let it be done for you as you believed,” said Jesus.

8:14-17. Peter’s mother-in-law was sick with a fever, but when Jesus touched her hand, the fever left, and she got up and began serving him.  Later MANY sick were brought to him – some oppressed by demons. He healed all the sick and cast out the demons.  To account for this, Matthew pointed to Isaiah 53:4-5 “He took our illnesses and bore our diseases.”

8:20-34.  Across the Sea of Galilee, in Gentile territory where villagers raised a great herd of swine, Jesus and his men met more demon-oppressed men living among the tombs. Immediately, the evil spirits recognized Jesus. “Have you come to torment us before the time, O Son of God?  If you cast us out, we beg You, cast us into the herd of pigs.” 

Jesus sent the unclean spirits into the unclean swine, and they promptly ran down the hill, off the cliff, and perished in the sea…thousands of them.  The villagers were scared to death and angry at Jesus. “Please leave,” they begged Him.  (Mark’s account of this incident mentions only one of the possessed men and how his life had changed. He wanted to become a disciple, but Jesus told him to go into town and witness to others what had happened to him. 

Mark 2 retells the story of the paralytic man who was let down through a roof to see Jesus because of the crowds and how the Lord healed him because of his FRIEND’s faith. Jesus also forgave him his sins, which infuriated the Pharisees who were watching.

Those Pharisees also admonished Jesus because He and his disciples were plucking heads of grain and eating them as they walked along a field. (Perfectly legal according to Mosaic law – Deut. 23:24-25.) The religious leaders’ “beef” was because it was the Sabbath, and their actions constituted “work” according to their “traditions.” (Seriously?)

Jesus reminded them of a time when David, the future king of Israel, had requested and received the Showbread loaves from the Tabernacle’s Holy Place for himself and his men to eat. The High Priest gave it to them. (1 Samuel 22:19-20)

“The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. So the Son of Man is lord even of the Sabbath.”

 

 

 

2024GOAL – Reading Through The Bible Chronologically, day 275

Oct2

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Whoa. (More for Mary to think about.)

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

 

 

2024GOAL – Reading Through The Bible Chronologically, day 274

Oct1

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“What then?  Are you Elijah?

“I am not.

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

“No.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

2024GOAL – Reading Through The Bible Chronologically, day 271

Sep27

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

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

 

2024GOAL – Reading Through The Bible Chronologically, days 266 & 267

Sep23

    Days 266 & 267—We are in the NINETH month of Bible reading, with more of Israel’s history in ESTHER.

NOTE: Sunday and Monday studies are posted on Monday. These two days’ posts will be longer than usual. 

    Day 266 – Esther 1 – 5 (A fascinating story of God’s providence for His chosen people, the Jews. A plot is hatched to destroy them.) 

Esther 1. Background. King Ahasuerus (or Xerxes, in Greek) is king of Persia, and his winter capital is Susa. He reigns from India to Ethiopia!! He was so rich that he gave a feast for all his servants and officials, governors and nobles, and the army of Persia and Media FOR 180 DAYS!! (6 months)

He added a special feast at the end for ALL the citizens of Susa. And any man could drink as much or as little as they liked.  On the seventh day, probably drunk, he called for his Queen Vashti, wearing her royal crown (nothing else??), to show her beauty to the people and princes. 

She refused.

What an uproar this caused. The king has been affronted.  All the men in the kingdom are now afraid THEIR wives will refuse to obey them.  Stamp out this trend RIGHT NOW!  The king listens. He fires Vashti and sends out notices of his decision (so all those wives and women will take note and give honor to their husbands.)  But then, the King got lonely for her.

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Esther 2.  But never fear. The king’s young men come up with a new plan.  Call for all the beautiful young virgins from all 127 of your providences to “audition” for Vashti’s place. This pleased the king, and he did so.

Now….. There was a Jew in Susa, a Benjaminite, descended from King Saul’s line, named Mordecai. He had been brought as a captive to Babylon in Nebuchadnezzar’s second wave of captives, along with King Jeconiah (Jehoiachin).  His uncle was taken, too. When his uncle and aunt died, Mordecai raised their young daughter Hadassah/Esther as his own.  And this beautiful young (12-14 year old) girl was taken in the “beauty contest” of Ahasuerus.

The head eunuch, Hegai, liked Esther and quickly gave her all the cosmetics, treatments, foods, etc., that she would need to “win.”   And sure enough, when it was her time to “go into the king,” he delighted in her and chose Esther as his new queen. Big celebration.

Now….. It just so happened that one day, Mordecai was sitting by the king’s gate when he overheard two guards trash-talking the king and planning to assassinate him.  He told that to Queen Esther who told the king about it in the name of Mordecai.  The guards were investigated and hanged, and the incident was recorded in the book of the chronicles of the king. 

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Esther 3. Now….. There was another man in Susa, whom the king promoted above all the other officials.  All the king’s servants bowed down and paid homage to him…. except Mordecai. This infuriated Haman.

(A little history here:  Haman was an Agagite, a descendent of King Agag, the Amalekite, whom King Saul (Mordecai’s ancestor) was supposed to have killed. Ages before, God had decreed that all the Amalekites should be annihilated for their harsh treatment of their distant kinsmen (the Jews) as they wandered in the wilderness.  Amalek was the grandson of Esau, the twin brother to Jacob/Israel.  They had attacked the unprepared Israelites from behind.) 

Because of this history, Haman had a deep hatred of the Jews, personified in Mordecai. (Esther had not made her heritage known as Mordecai had instructed.)

Passing by Mordecai’s indifference every day infuriated Haman so much that he asked King Ahasuerus (in a roundabout manner) to write an edict that all the Jews in his kingdom be killed on a specific day. They were, after all, troublemakers who disobeyed the king’s laws.  “Okay, sure, do as you wish, Haman.”  Pandemonium broke out in the capital and spread throughout the kingdom.  (Haman was like modern-day Hitler & Hamas)

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Esther 4.  When Mordecai heard about the edict, he tore his clothes and put on sackcloth and ashes as a sign of deep mourning, as did the whole city and land. Weeping and lamenting could be heard everywhere.  Esther heard about it and sent a message to her “cousin/uncle” to learn the reason. Then, using Hathach, one of the king’s eunuchs assigned to her, she and Mordecai had this conversation.

“Esther, Haman is planning to destroy all the Jews. Here is the letter he sent out.  Go to the king and plead on behalf of your people.”

“Mordecai, everyone knows that any man or woman who goes to the king without being summoned and he doesn’t hold out his golden scepter to… will be killed!  The king has not called for me in 30 days!!”

“Esther, do not think you will escape in the king’s palace. For if you keep silent at this time, deliverance WILL COME for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish.  And… who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this.”

“Okay, Mordecai.  Go gather all the Jews to be found in Susa and hold a fast on my behalf for three days. My maids and I will do the same. Then I will go to the king, though it is against the law, and if I perish, I perish.”

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Esther 5. On the third day, Esther puts on her royal robes and stands at the King’s throne room entrance. He is in there.  He sees his queen…. and smiles.  He holds out the golden scepter that is in his hand. 

“Ah, Queen Esther, What is your request? To half of my kingdom, I will give you.”  WOW!!!

Esther sweetly requests his (and Haman’s) presence at a banquet she is preparing.  He accepts, and the top two men in Persia come to dine in her palace.  Again, the king asks what her request is – to half his kingdom.  

Esther demurs again, saying she will tell him at another banquet for them the following night. Well-fed and maybe a little tipsy, they leave.

Haman is on top of the world, having feasted and been invited to feast again with the King and Queen.  That is, until he sees Mordecai at the gate, neither bowing nor trembling before him.  At home, he rants and raves and tells his wife and relatives about his hatred.  They say, “Build a gallows, tell the king to hang the man, then go joyfully to your banquet.”

The idea pleased Haman and he had the gallows made. He’ll see the king in the morning.

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    Day 267 – Esther 6 – 10 (The conclusion of the story, a new holiday, Mordecai’s rise to power)

Esther 6. Maybe Esther’s banquet was a bit too rich for the King. Or perhaps he just over-indulged. Regardless, he couldn’t sleep and called for some bedtime reading. They “just happen” to bring him the Book of Memorable Deeds, the chronicles, and read about how Mordecai saved his life in the incident of the two guards planning his assassination. 

“Has this man ever been rewarded for this?” he asks.

“No, nothing has been done for him,” they answer.

“Who is in the court right now?” he asks.

And, it just so happens that Haman is coming to the king right then to ask that Mordecai be hanged.”  OOPS!

“Hey, Haman, what should be done to the man whom the king delights to honor?” says Ahasuerus. 

“It’s me! It’s ME!!” Haman thinks to himself. “Well… let your royal robes be brought, the horse the king rides, and a crown the king has worn. Dress him in these and let one of the court’s most noble officials lead him around the city, proclaiming that THIS is the one the king wants to honor.”

“Great idea, Haman.” says the king. “Hurry, take the robes and the horse as you have said, and do so to Mordecai, the Jew, who sits at my gate. Leave nothing out that you have mentioned.”

Could Haman even move??  

Yes, and he obeyed the king, mortified!  And afterward, he went home with his head covered, mourning.  This time, his wife and relatives said,  “Well, if Mordecai, before whom you have begun to fall, is of the Jewish people, you will not overcome him but will surely fall before him.” 

And while they were speaking, the king’s eunuch arrived to take him to Esther’s banquet.

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Esther 7.  So the two men feast and drink wine at Esther’s table, and the king again asks her what she would like – even to half of his kingdom.  Then, she discloses the plot against HERSELF and HER PEOPLE to be destroyed, killed, and annihilated (words of Haman’s edict).  

“Who? WHO would dare to do this??” the king screams.

“A foe and enemy! This wicked Haman!!” she cries. 

The king is so upset that he gets up and goes out to the terrace. 

Haman, however, stays to plead his case.  He means to fall at her feet to beg but is drunk and lands on top of her instead.  Just then, the king returns and sees what he thinks is Haman assaulting his Queen in his presence, in his own house! 

A eunuch in attendance says calmly,  “Haman has also prepared gallows to hang Mordecai, whom the king has honored for saving his life.  It’s standing at his house, 75 feet tall……”  Just saying.

“HANG HIM ON THAT!” the king commands.

They do. Haman is “hoisted upon his own petard,” and the king’s wrath subsides.

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Esther 8.  Mordecai is honored and elevated to Haman’s place. But the queen’s work is not done.  The edict to kill all the Jews on Adar 13. (end of February) still stands. Esther again attempts an audience with the king, and he agrees. At her request, he okays a second letter to be sent to all his provinces from India to Ethiopia, telling the Jews that they can fight back and plunder all the goods of their enemies on Adar 13. It is signed, sealed, and delivered to the 50 million people under his rule.

Then, the Jews had “light and gladness and joy and honor,” a feast, and a holiday.

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Esther 9. So, on that fateful day, the Jews in his kingdom gathered and gained mastery over those who hated them. They killed any who sought to harm them. Everyone was afraid of them!  The governors and royal agents even HELPED them for fear of Mordecai. In the melee in Susa, all 10 of Haman’s sons were killed.  The king even granted another day (Adar 14) to “clean up the enemies” of the Jews in Susa.

But the Jews did not plunder their enemies.

Curious.  Why didn’t they?  The king gave them permission.

(Go back to Deut. 25:17-19 — “Remember what Amalek did to you on the way as you came out of Egypt, how he attacked you on the way when you were faint and weary and cut off those who were lagging and did not fear God.  Therefore, when the LORD your God has given you rest from all your enemies around you in the land…you shall blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven; you shall not forget.) 

(Later, King Saul was instructed to kill ALL the Amalekites and take no plunder. But he disobeyed God and kept the prize sheep and King Agag alive. Samuel had to kill the king for him. See 1 Samuel 15:3, 9.  Because of this, Haman, the Agagite, hated the Jews. And because of God’s instructions to the disobedient Saul, the people did as he was supposed to do and TOOK NO PLUNDER.)

Afterward, Mordecai recorded the numbers and sent letters to the Jews in all the provinces.  From then on, they were to keep the 14th day of Adar every year as a day of rest and remembrance of when they got relief from their enemies, turning it from a day of sorrow to a day of gladness and holiday.  There should be feasting and sending gifts to one another and the poor.

The day would be called Purim (lots or dice) because Haman had cast lots for the day of the holocaust. Queen Esther’s command confirmed these practices of Purim, and it was recorded in writing. 

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Esther 10. The last chapter confirms King Ahasuerus elevating Mordecai to second-in-command in the land.  It also states that Mordecai was popular among the Jews for “he sought the welfare of all his people and spoke peace to all his people.”   

A good old man, that Mordecai. And “Bravo!” Queen Esther.