Journaling through the Bible Chronologically in 2025, Day 123

May3
Day 123.  Reading Psalm 106, 107.
 
 
 
Read Today’s Scriptures.
 
Psalm 106.

(This Psalm reviews God’s mercy on Israel despite their sinfulness. This history of Israel was most likely sung when David brought the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem. See 2 Samuel 6 and 1 Chron. 16.)

“Praise the LORD! Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good, for His steadfast love (mercy) endures forever!”

ONE

  • Both we and our fathers have sinned; we have committed iniquity; we have done wickedness.” 
  • “Yet He saved them for His name’s sake, that He might make known His mighty power.”  “He saved them from the land of the foe and redeemed them from the power of the enemy.” 
  • “Then they believed His words; they sang his praise.”

TWO

  • “But they soon forgot His works; they did not wait for His counsel, but had a wanton craving in the wilderness, and put God to the test.”  “They exchanged the GLORY OF GOD for the image of an ox that eats grass!”   “They forgot God their savior.
  • “He said He would destroy them — had not Moses stood in the breach before Him to turn Him away from His wrath.”

THREE

  • “They despised the pleasant land, had no faith in His promise. They murmured…. they did not obey…. Therefore He swore to them that He would make them fall in the wilderness.”
  • They yoked themselves to the Baal of Peor and ate sacrifices offered to the dead. They provoked the LORD to anger, and a plague broke out among them.
  • Then Phinehas stood up and intervened and the plague was stayed.  That was counted to him for righteousness.

FOUR

  • They angered Him at the waters of Meribah, and it WENT ILL WITH MOSES on their account, for they made His spirit bitter, and he spoke rashly with his lips.
  • They disobeyed and did not destroy the people as the LORD commanded. They mixed with the nations and learned to do as they did.  They served idols. They sacrificed their sons and daughters to demons.”  “Thus they became unclean by their acts and played the whore.
  • Then the anger of the LORD was kindled against His people and He abhorred His heritage. He gave them into the hands of the nations.  Their enemies oppressed them.
  • Nevertheless … He looked upon their distress, He heard their cry, He remembered His covenant, and relented according to the abundance of His steadfast love.

“BLESSED BE THE LORD, THE GOD OF ISRAEL, from everlasting to everlasting. “Amen. Praise the LORD.”

  • What mercy and forgiveness we see in our God. These verses remind me of 1 John 1:9. “If we confess our sin, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sin and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” How I thank and praise Him. 

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Psalm 107.

“Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good, for his steadfast love (mercy) endures forever.”  “Let the redeemed of the LORD say so, whom He has redeemed from trouble and gathered in from the lands, from the east, and from the west, from the north and from the west.

SOME wandered in desert wastes, finding no way to a city to dwell in; hungry and thirsty.

  • “But they cried to the LORD in their trouble and He delivered them from their distress.  He led them by a straight way till they reached a city to dwell in.
  • “He satisfies the longing soul, and the hungry soul He fills with good things.

SOME sat in darkness and in the shadow of death, prisoners in affliction and in irons. 

  • “Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and He delivered them from their distress.
  • He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death, and burst their bonds apart.

SOME were fools through their sinful ways, and because of their iniquities, suffered affliction. They loathed food and drew near to the gates of death.

  • “Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and He delivered them from their distress.
  • He sent out His word and healed them, and delivered them from their destruction.

SOME went down to the sea in ships, doing business on the great waters; they saw the deeds of the LORD, his wondrous works in the deep.

  • “He commanded and raised the stormy wind, which lifted up the waves of the sea.
  • They mounted up to heaven; then went down to the depts; their courage melted away in their evil plight; they reeled and staggered like drunken men and were at their wits’ end.
  • Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress.
  • He made the storm be still, and the waves of the sea were hushed. He brought them to their desired haven.

Whoever is wise, let him attend to these things; let them consider the steadfast love of the LORD.

 

This is a great thing to consider and think on today!

Journaling through the Bible Chronologically in 2025, Day 122

May2
Day 122.  Reading Psalm 133.
 
 
 
Read Today’s Scripture. 
 
Psalm 133.

Yes, here’s the whole psalm, written by David after he was crowned King of all Israel.

  • “Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity!
  • It is like the precious oil on the head, running down on the beard, on the beard of Aaron, running down on the collar of his robes!
  • It is like the dew of Hermon, which falls on the mountains of Zion!
  • For there the LORD has commanded the blessing, life forevermore.“
 

Journaling through the Bible Chronologically in 2025, Day 121

May1
Day 121.  Reading 2 Samuel 5 and 1 Chronicles 11-12.

Beginning a new MONTH.

Read Today’s Scriptures about Israel’s new King.

(Did you know that David is the only king mentioned in Hebrew 11’s list of mighty men?

  • (As we study both 2 Samuel and 1 Chronicles (and Kings), there will be overlaps.  Chronicles, written 500 years later, will contain things not included in the present-day text of 2 Samuel.)

2 Samuel 5.

Finally, all the northern tribes come together and take David as the King of all Israel.  They said, “When Saul was king over us, it was YOU who led out and brought in Israel. The LORD said to you, ‘You shall be Shepherd of my people Israel, and you shall be Prince over Israel.'”

So all the elders came to the king at Hebron and King David made a covenant with them before the LORD, and they anointed him king.  David was 30 years old. (15 years after old Samuel had anointed him.)

David had had his eye on Jerusalem for a long time, so now he fought against the Jebusites to take the city.  They laughed and said, “Oh, the blind and the lame could ward you off!”

HA!

They didn’t know that the LORD also had HIS eye on Jerusalem, that He had loved it from of old (Psalm 87:1-3).  It would be the place where He would set His NAME, and where He would dwell among His people.  It would be the place where the greater Son of David would walk and teach, and eventually be crucified outside its walls.  And then be resurrected.

Jerusalem, the City of God, the City of David. 

And so David sent his best soldiers up the water channel into the city and beat all those “blind and lame” Jebusites.

He lived in the stronghold (fortress) of the city and built it up all around.

“And David became greater and greater, for the LORD, the God of hosts, was with him.”  The king of Tyre, Hiram, sent cedar trees, carpenters, and masons to David so he could build his house in the “City of God.”

The philistines.

When the Philistines (who thought David was with THEM) heard that he’d become King of Israel, they spread out in the Valley of Rephaim, ready for war.

David inquired of the LORD. “Shall I fight? Will you give them into our hands?”  And the LORD said, “Yes” to both.”   And so it happened.

Then the Philistines come up again and spread themselves out for war in the same valley.

David inquired again of the LORD.  “Shall I fight? Will you give them into our hands?”  But this time the LORD said, “No. You shall go behind them. When I cause the leaves of the balsam trees to rustle, THEN, go from behind and strike them down.”  And so it happened.  The Philistines went running.

  • Here, I have to confess, that I WISH my prayers for direction would be answered as quickly and in such detail as David’s were in these verses.  But I know the Holy Spirit dwells in believers today, and that His voice is quiet. We have to ask in faith, and then listen, and search His word.

1 Chronicles 11.

(Chapter 10 ends with, “Therefore the LORD … turned the kingdom over to David the son of Jesse.”)

In this passage, the people of all Israel who want David to be their king, say, “Behold, we are your bone and flesh,” aligning themselves as one to him. David made the covenant, and they anointed him king over Israel …. “according to the word of the LORD by Samuel.”

And then the taking of the City of Jerusalem.  The man who was David’s commander went up first, becoming chief of his men … Joab.

David’s Mighty Men

These men gave the new king, strong support in his kingdom. There were 300, thirty of which were super-duper mighty men. Three were the Most Mighty, two of them killing 300 at one time, each!

Another, named Benaiah, went down and killed a lion in a pit … on a day when the snow had fallen(???), and also killed a 7.5-foot Egyptian giant, yanking his beam-like spear out of the giant’s hand and killing him with it. (David set this mighty man as head of his bodyguard detail.)

One day, when David was still hiding in the cave of Adullam, with the Philistines below, he mentioned how sweet he remembered the cool water from a well in his hometown of Bethlehem.  Unbeknownst to him, three of the chief men in his army went down, through the Philistines, to the well at Bethlehem, got a flask of the water, and brought it back to their Commander-in-chief.  (Oh, wow!)

David was so astounded and humbled, that he would not drink it and poured out the water before the LORD.  “Far be it for me before my God that I should do this. Shall I drink the lifeblood of these men?  For at the risk of their own lives, they brought it.”  

This is why his army loved him so much.

The list of mighty men goes on.  One name should stand out to us, sadly.  In verse 41, Uriah the Hittite, is listed. He was the righteous man whom David had killed after committing adultery with his wife who turned up pregnant.  Ah, David! How could you fall so low with one of these faithful men?

1 Chronicles 12.

This chapter describes more about David’s mighty men, telling how they came with him when he was still being pursued by Saul.  They were bowmen who could shoot arrows and sling stones – either with their right or left hands from the tribe of Benjamin.

Men from the tribe of Gad also joined with David when he was in the wilderness.  They were experienced warriors, experts with the shield and spear, “swift as gazelles on the mountains”.  They became officers in the army.

Then the Spirit “clothed Amasai,” chief of the thirty who said this blessing, “We are yours, O David, and with you, O son of Jesse! Peace, peace to you, and peace to your helpers! For your God helps you.”

Some from the tribe of Manasseh came and helped David against the Philistine raiders.  Also, some came to David from other tribes after Saul died, Simeonites, Ephraimites, those from Issachar, Zebulun, Naphtali, Dan, Asher, and from the east side, Reuben, and Manasseh: 120,000 men armed with weapons of war.

(Also, the relatives of the soldiers came from the tribes, bringing food on donkeys, camels, mules, and oxen, for a big celebration, “for there was joy in Israel.“)

  • I love this portion of scripture, when David is at his height, honoring and seeking God with all his might, loyal to a fault to his men, with a heart to please and serve the LORD.  I’ll “savor” these chapters because I know David falls, and, though forgiven by God, his life and his kingdom are ruined.
  • Maybe I dislike it so much because I see how we, ourselves, sin and ruin our lives, although our God loves and forgives us.
Read today’s scriptures.  How are you challenged by these passages today?

2 Samuel 5.

Journaling through the Bible Chronologically in 2025, Day 120

Apr30
Day 120.  Reading Psalms 102, 103, 104.
 

Read today’s scripture.

  • Don’t you LOVE these Psalms? 
  • What verses will YOU memorize and remember?
  • Or make into a song? 
  • Or pray back to the LORD?

Psalm 102.

(This psalm is “a prayer of one afflicted when he is faint. He pours out his complaint before the LORD”.)

It reminds me of the songwriter/singer that David chose, named Heman, with His dark Psalm 88. But this psalm has sections of praise and joy too. 

  • “Hear my prayer, O LORD; let my cry come to you!  Don’t hide Your face from me in the day of my distress!  Incline your ear to me; answer me speedily in the day when I call! 

(Wow, he seems desperate!)

  • (He is in really bad shape.) His days pass like smoke. His heart is struck down.  He forgets to eat. He feels lonely and persecuted. He “eats ashes like bread.”  (Contrition and repentance.) 
  • He says God’s indignation and anger have thrown him down, crushed him

Perhaps he’s feeling God’s discipline and is repenting. (Boy, do I ever know THAT feeling.)

  • THEN, he spends a bit of space praising the LORD, eternal, compassionate, strong, and glorious. And he speaks of God, reminding/preaching to himself, “The LORD … regards the prayer of the destitute and does not despise their prayer.  From heaven the LORD looked at the earth, to hear the groans of the prisoners, to set free those who were doomed to die….“
  • “O my God,” I say, “take me not away in the midst of my days –You whose years endure throughout all generations.”

Psalm 103.

Here David is praising the LORD in glorious and familiar words!

  • Bless the LORD, O my soul, and all that is within me bless his holy name!
  • Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not His benefits,
  • Who forgives all your iniquity,
  • Who heals all your diseases,
  • Who redeems your life from the pit,
  • Who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy,
  • Who satisfies you with good, so that your youth is renewed like the eagles!”

Wow! Praise God!  But there’s more! (He quotes Exodus 34:6-7)

  • The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
  • He will not always chide, nor will He keep his anger forever.
  • He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repays us according to our iniquities.
  • For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His steadfast love toward those who fear Him;
  • As far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us. 
  • As a father shows compassion to His children, so the LORD shows compassion to those who fear Him. For He knows our frame; He remembers that we are dust.

And his mighty conclusion. (This reminds me of the choirs in heaven praising God.)

  • Bless the LORD, O you his angels, his mighty ones who do His word, obeying the voice of His word!
  • Bless the LORD all His hosts, His ministers, who do His will!
  • Bless the LORD, all His works, in all places of His dominion.
  • Bless the LORD, O MY SOUL!

Psalm 104.

Another fantastic Psalm of praise.  Look for all the “creation” references too.

  • O LORD my God, You are very great!
  • YOU are clothed with splendor and majesty …covering yourself with light as a garment … stretching out the heavens like a tent.
  • He makes clouds His chariot; He rides on the wings of the wind; He makes His messengers winds, His ministers a flaming fire.
  • He set the earth on its foundations … He covered it with the deep as with a garment … the mountains rose, the valleys sank down … You set a boundary that they may not pass.
  • You make springs gush forth … they give drink to every beast of the field. Beside them the birds of the heavens dwell; they sing among the branches.
  • You cause the grass to grow for the livestock … and plants for man to cultivate … food … wine … oil … bread.
  • He made the moon to mark the seasons; the sun knows its time for setting.  YOU make darkness, and it is night when the wild beasts creep out.  When the sun rises, they lie down in their dens. Man goes out to his work, and to his labor until evening. 
  • O LORD, HOW MANIFOLD ARE YOUR WORKS!  IN WISDOM YOU HAVE MADE THEM ALL, THE EARTH IS FULL OF YOUR CREATURES!
  • Here is the sea, great in wide, which teems with creatures innumerable, living things both small and great.
  • There go ships … and Leviathan, which You formed to play in it.
  • These all look to You to give them their food in due season.
  • MAY THE GLORY OF THE LORD ENDURE FOREVER.

I will sing to the LORD, as long as I live; I will sing praise to my God while I have being. May my meditation be pleasing to Him, for I rejoice in the LORD.  Bless the LORD, O my soul!  Praise the LORD!

 

Journaling through the Bible Chronologically in 2025, Day 119

Apr29
Day 119.  Reading 1 Chronicles 7-10
 

Read today’s scripture.

Yes, genealogies again. Persevere!

1 Chronicles 7.

  • More genealogies, but remember their importance.  1 & 2 Chronicles was written around 500 BC, that’s about 500 years AFTER the time of David which we’ve been studying.  And the returning exiles to Israel, needed these lineages to track their own portions of land, the places and duties of the priests, and most importantly, to track the Davidic line towards the Messiah.  So bite the bullet and read with enthusiasm!! AND we will finish with them today!

Here we see the descendants of the tribes of Issachar, Benjamin, Naphtali, Manasseh, Ephraim, and Asher.  (WOW, Naphtali doesn’t get much!!)  Except for Benjamin, these were the “northern” tribes.

We see that Issachar was a fighting tribe with 87,000 “mighty warriors.”

Benjamin is also listed as a tribe of mighty warriors (over 57,000), which is pretty good because that tribe was nearly decimated at one time in Judges. 

All that’s said of Naphtali is that he was a son of Jacob’s concubine, Bilhah, and he had for sons. Hmmm.

The tribe of Manasseh mentioned here is the western half. Interesting in this genealogy is the mention of several sisters, a concubine, and wives. 

Ephraim is mentioned next. Two of his descendants, brothers, were killed by the men (giants?) of Gath and were mourned for many days.  There was also, a daughter, Sheerah, who was really something!  She built both Upper and Lower Beth-horon, and Uzzen-sheerah! WOW!  The famous leader, Joshua, was from this tribe, which was also known as the tribe of the sons of Joseph.

The last tribe in this chapter is Asher. They were “approved, mighty warriors, and chiefs of the princes.”  They had 26,000 men ready for war.

1 Chronicles 8.

This chapter tracks the genealogy of King Saul.  Let’s see what we can find interesting here. 

  • FIRST, this is the enlargement of the section on Benjamin in 7:6-12. 
  • SECOND, many names are included but the mention of Saul and Jonathan are only in verses 33-34.
  • THIRD, many of the Benjaminites lived in Jerusalem and were closely associated with Judah, and so went with them into Babylonian captivity.

1 Chronicles 9.

Verse 1 says that “all Israel” was recorded in the genealogies of returning exiles.  Although the northern 10 tribes were taken into captivity by the Assyrians and never returned to the Promised Land,  MANY people from those tribes had already migrated south into Judah when the nation split under King Rehoboam.

The returnees were in three genealogies – 1) the Israelites, 2) the priests, and 3) the Levites. Actually modern Jews are also divided into these three categories (Israel, Kohan (priests), and Levi) today.   Another category is listed in verse 2 as well – the temple servants. 

  • NOTE:  These “temple servants” could possibly be the descendants of the Gibeonites.  Remember them?  After defeating Jericho and eventually Ai under the leadership of Joshua, Israel was tricked by the Gibeonites.  A few of them came to Joshua acting as if they came from a city a long, long way away. In doing this, they hoped to escape annihilation, as God had instructed Israel to destroy all the peoples in the Promised Land. 
  • Joshua did NOT check with God on this and made a deal with them, later discovering WHO they were. But for an Israeli, an oath is an oath.  Joshua wouldn’t wipe them out but said the Gibeonites would always be woodcutters and water bearers “for the congregation and for the altar” as long as Israel was there.  Soooooo, it’s likely these “temple servants” were Gibeonites who had gone to Babylon, and then returned with Judah.

Also mentioned in this chapter are the Levite gatekeepers. They were guards on the four sides of the Tabernacle, and then the temple.  The four CHIEF gatekeepers were in charge of the chambers and treasures of the House of God. They lived around the House of God. They watched (protected) and also opened the gates each morning. 

Verse 22 says that David and Samuel established this office of trust.   Remember in Psalm 84:10, David said, “I’d rather be a doorkeeper (gatekeeper) in the House of my God than dwell in tents of wickedness.”

This chapter also mentions the “singers” David appointed. They were free from other services for they were on duty day and night. (Hey, sometimes even today, the best composing comes in the wee hours.)

And finally, at the end of this chapter, there is a more concise genealogy of Saul, which leads us to………….

1 Chronicles 10. 

A repeat and detailed account of the death of King Saul and his sons. This account said that the victorious Philistines took Saul’s head and placed it in the temple of their gods, perhaps even fastening it to their idol Dagon.  UGH!

Verse 13-14. “So Saul died for his breach of faith. He broke faith with the LORD in that he did not keep the command of the LORD, and also consulted a medium, seeking guidance.  He did not seek guidance from the LORD.  THEREFORE the LORD put him to death……and turned the kingdom over to David the son of Jesse.

 

  • LORD, thank you for this bit of history and truth. Help me remember it as I go about my duties.
 
 

Journaling through the Bible Chronologically in 2025, Days 117 & 118

Apr28
(I post Sunday’s and Monday’s studies together.)
 
Day 117.  Reading 1 Chronicles 6
Day 118. Reading Psalms 81, 88, 92 & 93
 

Read today’s scripture.

What do you learn about the tribe of Levi and singing in Chronicles?

What encourages you in these Psalms?

Day 117.

1 Chronicles 6.

Remember these genealogies of the tribes, were needed, after they all went into captivity, and then RETURNED. They people who hadn’t been in the Promised Land for 70 or more years had no idea where they were to live.  PLUS!!!  Those from the tribes of Levi were the priests who would serve Israel and eventually work again in the temple when it was re built.

Today’s reading is all on that priestly tribe of Levi, and his three sons, Kohath (Aaron the priest), Gershon, and Merari. 

There are many, many priests listed in the sub-tribe of Kohath, all descended from Aaron. These were the priests in charge of the Tabernacle/Temple and all the Holy things.  This chapter lists them down to Jehozadak, who went into exile when the LORD sent Judah and Jerusalem into exile by Nebuchadnezzar.

The sub-tribe of Gershon has a smaller list of names, and the sub-tribe of Merari has even fewer.

Then this chapter (verses 31-48), shows a new group of priests (from each of the sub-tribes) to fulfill another task in the Tabernacle/Temple.  Since David was a singer (psalms), he wanted music to be a part of the service in the house of the LORD, after the Ark was brought to Jerusalem, both in the Tabernacle and then in the Temple that Solomon built. 

Of the Kohathites, Heman, the singer, was chosen. 

Of the Gershonites, Asaph was also chosen. Many of the songs in Psalms were composed by Asaph.

Of the Merarites, Ethan was chosen.

The duties of the High Priests are listed here too. They were to make offerings on the altar of burnt offerings and on the altar of incense for all the work of the Most Holy Place and to make atonement for Israel. After Aaron, was Eleazar, then Phinehas, his son, and so on. 

Then the cities and pasturelands are recorded that belonged to each of the sub-tribes of Kohath, Gershon, and Merari.  All are listed, so their post-exile descendants would know where their inheritances lay. 

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Day 118.

Psalm 81.

(So here is an example of a psalm written by Asaph).

Wow, can you hear the joy and worship in this congregation?  Asaph calls the people of God to SING aloud, SHOUT for joy, RAISE a song, and SOUND the music of the tambourine, lyre, harp, and shofar (trumpet). 

Then his song tells of how God rescued them from slavery, answered their prayers (and grumbles), and tested them.

They his song says. “I am the LORD your God, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt. Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it.   WOW!  But, Israel didn’t do it.

Then you hear God’s plea, “Oh, that my people would listen to me, that Israel would walk in my ways! I would soon subdue their enemies and turn my hand against their foes.” 

And God’s promise if they did listen.  “He would feed you with the finest of the wheat, and with honey from the rock I would satisfy you.”

Psalm 88.

This psalm was written by Heman and is very dark. It was sung to the music of a reed, a mournful instrument.) Sometimes my prayers echo his depression and despair.

  • O LORD, God of my salvation; I cry out day and night before you.
  • Let my prayer come before you; incline your ear to my cry!
  • For my soul is full of troubles, and my life draws near to Sheol (the grave).
  • I am counted among those who go down to the pit;  I am a man who has NO STRENGTH, like one set loose among the dead, like the slain that lie in the grave….. like one whom You remember no more.

Then he continues with harsh anger toward the LORD. (Yep, I’ve prayed this way too!)

  • YOU have put me in the depths of the pit, in the regions of dark and deep.
  • YOUR wrath lies heavy upon me, and YOU overwhelm me with all your waves.
  • YOU have caused my companions to shun me; YOU have made me a horror to them.

Yikes!  Yes, you CAN pray to God like this when your heart is broken and in torment!

  • But I, O LORD, cry to you; in the morning my prayer comes before You.
  • O LORD, why do YOU cast my soul away?
  • Why do YOU hide Your face from me?
  • Afflicted and close to death from my youth up, I suffer YOUR terrors; I am helpless.
  • YOUR wrath has swept over me; YOUR dreadful assaults destroy me.
  • YOU have caused my beloved and my friend to shun me; 
  • My companions have become darkness…………………………………… 

Heman bemoans God’s failure to hear his prayer for GOOD HEALTH.  (Have You done this? I have.)  He assumes God is angry with him, but, LIKE JOB, he knows of no cause for that anger. But, his crying out to “the LORD, the God of his salvation,” proves that he has an underlying trust; it just seems invisible in this horrible, dark time. 

Psalm 92.

(Now, a glad, bright psalm for the Sabbath!  But don’t let it mock Heman’s desperate prayer, above.)

  • It is good to give thanks to the LORD, to sing praises to Your name, O Most High, to declare your steadfast love in the morning, and Your faithfulness by night, to the music of the lute and the harp, to the melody of the lyre.
  • For YOU, O LORD, have made me glad by your work; at the works of your hands I sing for joy

Hear the joy in serving the LORD even into old age!

  • The righteous flourish like the palm tree and grow like a cedar in Lebanon.
  • They are planted in the house of the LORD; they flourish in the courts of our God.
  • They still bear fruit in old age; they are ever full of sap and green, To declare that the LORD is upright.
  • He is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in Him!

Psalm 93.

Another glorious song of praise!

  • The LORD reigns; He is robed in majesty; the LORD is robed; He has put on strength as His belt.
  • Yes, the world is established, it shall never be moved.
  • Your throne is established from of old; YOU are from everlasting.
  • Your decrees are very trustworthy; holiness befits your house, O LORD, forevermore.

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No matter how our heart feels or the circumstances we are in, we can always go to our God and pour out our pain or praise.  He listens. He knows, like He did in Job’s suffering. Sometimes, He allows us to endure for a while, for our good and His glory.

 

Journaling through the Bible Chronologically in 2025, Day 116

Apr26
Day 116.  Reading Psalms 73, 77, 78.
 

Read today’s scripture.

How do these Psalms about trouble, heartache, and persecution speak to you?

Psalm 73.

Have you ever felt like this?

  • Truly God is good to Israel, to those who are pure in heart. But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled; my steps had nearly slipped. For I was envious of the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked. 

Then the Psalmist continues to describe the “arrogant and wicked” in verses 4-12. (See if you recognize them as you read those verses.)

  • All in vain have I kept my heart clean and washed my hands in innocence. For all day long I have been stricken and rebuked every morning.
  • But when I thought HOW to understand this, it seemed to me a wearisome task, UNTIL I WENT INTO THE SANCTUARY OF GOD; then I discerned their end.

And his glorious ending thoughts!

  • YOU hold my right hand. YOU guide me with your counsel, and afterward, YOU will receive me to glory.
  • Whom have I in heaven but YOU?  And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides YOU.
  • My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart, and my portion forever. 

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Psalm 77.

Have you done or felt these things when you are suffering in some way?

  • I cry aloud to God, and he will hear me.

This is the Psalmist’s hope, but he admits to the opposite. 

  • In the day of my trouble I seek the LORD.
  • In the night my hand is stretched out without wearing, and my soul refuses to be comforted. 
  • When I remember God, I moan: when I meditate, my spirit faints. 
  • You hold my eyelids open; I am so troubled that I cannot speak.
  • I said, “Let me remember my song in the night; let me meditate in my heart.” 
  • Then my spirit made a diligent search…..

Here, the Psalmist turns to his knowledge of His Lord and asks questions that have a resounding “NO!” answer.

  1. Will the Lord spurn forever and never again be favorable?
  2. Has His steadfast love forever ceased?
  3. Are His promises at an end for all time?
  4. Has God forgotten to be gracious?
  5. Has He in anger shut up his compassion?

And those “No” questions gave him hope and comfort.  Hear him “preach to himself!”  USE THESE TO PREACH TO YOURSELF TOO!!

  • I WILL REMEMBER the deeds of the LORD; yes, I will remember Your wonders of old.
  • I WILL ponder all your work, and meditate on your mighty deeds.
  • YOUR WAY, O God, is holy.
  • WHAT GOD is great like our God?
  • YOU are the God who works wonders; you have made known your might among the peoples. 
  • YOU with Your arm redeemed your people…

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Psalm 78.

(A good LONG psalm, looking forward to the next generation.)

  • Give ear, O my people, to my teaching; incline your ears to the words of my mouth!

The hope of this Psalm.

  • I will open my mouth in a parable; I will utter dark sayings from of old, things that we have heard and known, things that our fathers have told us.  We will not hide them from our children but tell the coming generation the glorious deeds of the LORD, and His might, and the wonders that he has done……..which He commanded our fathers to teach to their children, that the next generation might know them, the children yet unborn, who will rise and tell them to THEIR children, so that they should SET THEIR HOPE IN GOD, and not forget His works, but keep His commandments.

The Psalm goes on to tell how the Israelites of old, SINNED against God, REBELLED, TESTED, and SPOKE AGAINST God until He was full of wrath against them. 

  • And their main sin:  “They did not believe in God and did not trust his saving power.“

This is a huge “beware” to us today!!!

  • AND YET HE FED them grain from Heaven and water from the Rock (both pictures of Jesus Christ).  YET, HE, BEING COMPASSIONATE, ATONED for their iniquity and did not destroy them;
  • He restrained His anger often and did not stir up ALL his wrath.
  • He remembered that they were but flesh, a wind that passes…

The psalm goes on to tell how Israel tested God again and again, provoked Him, and did not remember His power, They turned away, acted treacherously, twisted like a bow strong, and rebelled against the Most High God…..  And He rejected Israel, the tent of Joseph, and the tribe of Ephraim.

So sad, but so like us sometimes.   But then…..

  • He chose the tribe of Judah, Mount Zion, which He loves. He built his sanctuary like the high heavens…
  • He chose David, His servant. He took him from the sheepfolds and brought him to shepherd Jacob, His people, and Israel, His inheritance. 
  • With an upright heart he (David) shepherded them and guided them with a skillful hand.

 

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In a few days, we will get back to the story of King David. 

 

 

Journaling through the Bible Chronologically in 2025, Day 115

Apr25
Day 115.  Reading 1 Chronicles 3-5.
 

Read today’s scripture.

More Genealogies. A look at the tribes and descendants of Israel.

1 Chronicles 3.

The Descendants of David.

David had six sons while he reigned for seven and a half years in Hebron. After he conquered Jerusalem and reigned there, he had thirteen more sons (including Solomon) and a daughter Tamar.

Later when Solomon inherited the throne he had a selfish and pompous son, Rehoboam, who was responsible for tearing the kingdom of Israel in two.  Then there are the list of descendants, all kings in Judah, allowing Judah to become corrupt, and finally be led into captivity in Babylon.

And, the royal line continues in captivity, returning with a descendant named Zerubbabel.  And the line continues.  We will be studying all the kings when we get to 1 and 2 Kings.  It’s mostly a sad tale.

1 Chronicles 4.

Now we get the descendants of the tribe of Judah, through whom the Messiah comes, including a man named Bethlehem! (verse 4) 

Another fellow stands out, named Jabez (Hebrew for pain), because his mother bore him in pain. He was “more honorable than his brothers.”  Jabez called upon the name of the God of Israel, saying, “Oh, that You would bless me and enlarge my border, and that Your hand might be with me, and that You would keep me from harm so that it might not bring me … pain.”  And God granted what he asked!!!  Huh!

There were craftsmen, linen workers, and potters named.

Next, the descendants of the tribe of Simeon are listed. They did not have many children and their clan did not multiply like the men of Judah.  They settled in a small rich valley that was good for flocks and had formerly belonged to Ham.  Five hundred of them went over to Mt. Seir and defeated the Amalekites who had escaped (from David’s raid?) and settled there. 

1 Chronicles 5.

Next, the descendants of the tribe of Reuben (Israel’s firstborn).  It mentions here why Reuben did not get the birthright as the firstborn.  Reuben “defiled his father’s bed” by sleeping with one of his concubines.  So Jacob passed the birthright to the firstborn of his other wife, Rachael, to Joseph (Ephraim & Manasseh).  One of the descendants, a chief of Reuben’s tribe was carried away into exile by the Assyrians.  Also one of the other descendant’s clan spread far east because they had so much cattle, almost to the Euphrates River!

Next, the descendants of the tribe of Gad. They lived in the cities of Bashan and Gilead, east of the Jordan River. They had all the pasture land to their limits.

Next, the descendants of the half-tribe of Manasseh. This tribe was very numerous, living the east side of the Jordan River, and from Bashan to Mount Hermon. They had many warriors and famous men. But they broke faith with the God of their fathers and went after the gods of the peoples of the land whom God had destroyed before them.  So God stirred up the spirit of Pul, king of Assyria, and he took them into exile. 

The Reubenites, Gadites, and the Eastern tribe of Manasseh had valiant men who carried shield, and sword, and drew the bow; experts in war, carrying off much livestock and many men as spoil.

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3 more Psalms tomorrow!

 

 

 

 

Journaling through the Bible Chronologically in 2025, Day 114

Apr24
Day 114.  Reading Psalms 43, 44, 45, 49, 84, 85, 87.
 

Read today’s scripture.

Did you find comfort or hope in these Psalms?

Psalm 43.

David preaches to himself in this psalm. It feels to him that God has rejected him and is ignoring him. It’s a good pattern for us when times are hard.

  • Vindicate me, O God, defend my cause
  • Why have You rejected me?
  • Send out Your light and Your truth; let them lead me; let them bring me to your holy hill and to your dwelling.
  • Then I will go to the altar of God, to God my exceeding joy; and I will praise you with the lyre, O God, MY God.
  • 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.

  • O God, we have heard with our ears, our fathers have told us, what deeds YOU performed in their days, in the days of old; YOU with Your own hand drove out the nations, but them You planted; YOU afflicted the peoples, but them you set free;  for not by their own sword did they win the land, and did their own arm save them, BUT YOUR RIGHT HAND AND YOUR ARM, AND THE LIGHT OF YOUR FACE, for you delighted in them.

Remember here Deuteronomy 8:17-18. “Beware lest you say in your heart, “MY power and the might of MY hand have gotten me this wealth. You shall remember the LORD your God, for it is HE who gives you power to get wealth.”

  • 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 w will give thanks to YOUR NAME forever.

Psalm 45.

A corporate song to be sung by the whole congregation.

  • My heart overflows with a pleasing theme; I address my verses to the King; my tongue is like the pen of a ready scribe.

The psalm praises the aspects of the earthly king of Israel in gorgeous phrases of glory.  Then in the middle a verse about the KING OF KINGS:

  • 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.

This psalm is quite whimsical, although it speaks about death as inevitable to all men. DO READ IT!  It begins……

  • HEAR this, all peoples!
  • GIVE EAR, all inhabitants of the world, both low and high, rich and poor together.
  • MY MOUTH SHALL SPEAK WISDOM; the meditation of my heart shall be understanding.
  • I will incline my ear to a proverb; I will solve my riddle to the music of the lyre. 

It ends….

  • Man in his pomp yet without understanding is like the beasts that perish.

Psalm 84.

This one is such a beauty. It praises God, and the psalmist longs to be with the LORD, in His temple.

  • How lovely is your dwelling place, O LORD of hosts!
  • My soul longs, yes, faints for the courts of the LORD; my heart and flesh sing for joy to the living God.
  • Even a sparrow finds a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young at Your altars, O LORD of hosts.
  • Blessed are those who dwell in Your house: ever singing Your praise.
  • 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.
  • For the LORD God is a sun and a shield; the LORD bestows favor and honor. 
  • NO GOOD THING does He withhold from those who walk uprightly.
  • O LORD of hosts, BLESSED is the one who trusts in You!

Psalm 85.

  • LORD, You were favorable to Your land; You restored the fortunes of Jacob.
  • You forgave the iniquity of Your people, You covered all their sin.
  • You withdrew all your wrath; You turned from Your hot anger.
  • Restore us again, O God of our salvation.
  • Will You be angry with us forever?
  • Will You prolong your anger to all generations?
  • Will You not revive us again, that Your people may rejoice in You?

Psalm 87.

This psalm shows God’s love for the holy Mount Zion on which His temple stands. Jerusalem of gold!  Later in our study, we will see how God actually put the “symbol” of His Name on Mt Zion and Jerusalem.  And one day, King Jesus will rule there.

  • 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. 

One day, in the Messianic Kingdom, Israel will sit gloriously in the city. And Egypt, Philistia, Tyre, and Cush, all gentile nations and ancient enemies will one day worship the LORD with Israel in the Holy Mount.

 

Journaling through the Bible Chronologically in 2025, Day 113

Apr23
Day 113.  Reading 1 Chronicles 1-2
 

Read today’s scripture.

Did you find something new or interesting in this genealogy?

1 Chronicles 1.

Don’t you LOVE genealogies?  Did you see YOUR name there? (I didn’t see mine.)  But God has a specific and good reason to show this list of forefathers.  They affirm the line of Christ from Adam through Abraham and David, and emphasizing the kingdom aspect of Christ. (See Matthew 1:1) These do not include every name, as the genealogies in Genesis do. (That’s not the author’s purpose.) 

Okay, did you muddle through? (The genealogies will continue into Chapter seven). I found some interesting facts as I read the first chapter.

  1. From Noah’s son, Japheth, came familiar names like Magog, and Ashkenaz.
  2. From Noah’s son, Ham, came Cush, Egypt, Put, and Canaan.  The first mighty hunting man, Nimrod, came from Noah’s grandson Cush.
  3. The Philistines came from Noah’s grandson, Egypt.
  4. From Noah’s grandson, Canaan, came Sidon (in Lebanon), and the Jebusites, Hivites, Amorites, and Girgashites, all peoples whom God told Israel to destroy when they came to the Promised Land.
  5. From Noah’s son Shem (the Messianic line) came Peleg (which means divided). In his days, the earth was divided (Tower of Babel).
  6. From Noah’s grandson, Aram, came Uz. (Job 1:1 mentions that area)
  7. Chapter one also lists all the peoples who came from Jacob/Israel’s brother Esau, from Abraham’s other son, Ishmael, and from the sons of Abraham’s second wife, Keturah.
  8. A grandson of Esau was Teman. (Job 4, 15, & 22 mention a Temanite friend)

1 Chronicles 2.

I found more interesting names and facts in chapter two.  

  1. David’s line continues through Israel’s son Judah.
  2. Achan, the troubler of Israel is mentioned.  Remember, he was the one who took spoil from Jericho, against God’s specific command.  His sin caused Israel’s defeat when they attacked Ai.
  3. We see mentioned Boaz (remember the book of Ruth), their son, Obed who was David’s grandpa.
  4. David had two sisters, Zeruiah and Abigail!  (Whoa, didn’t know that!)
  5. And…..  David’s sister Zeruiah had three sons – Abishai, Joab, and Asahel.  (Remember Joab, David’s army commander? He was David’s nephew!  And Asahel was David’s nephew too, whom Abner killed, and so inspired Joab to kill HIM?)
  6. In this line too was Bezalel (Exodus 31:2). Remember the craftsman, whom God chose to be the chief contractor in building the Tabernacle and all that went with it, at Sinai!) He was also in the line through which David would come.

Yes, the names were tedious to read and hard to pronounce, but they were PEOPLE, and some developed into PEOPLES and COUNTRIES.  Just STAY the course.  In a week we will have read through all seven chapters!  PERSEVERE!