Tag Archives: Bible

Jul 13 2012

Amos 5 – Let Justice Roll Down

This prophecy from Amos is directed to the northern kingdom during the time of the reign of Jeraboam II.  Amos’s message from God is that doom is coming to Israel because of social injustice.  They are mistreating and persecuting the poor and at the same time, offering worship that is insincere at best.  The “lamentation” in verse 1 stresses that Amos – and God – grieve at what lays ahead for Israel.  Jesus offers a similar lament in Matthew 23:37-39.   But there is still time.  Verses 4-9 are a plea for them to seek the Lord, rather than the pagan forms of worship being done at Bethel, Gilgal, and Beersheba.

Assyria

Assyria (Photo credit: nafmo)

Their worship had deteriorated to the point that there was no visible line between worship to God and worship to idols.   Sikkuth and Kiyyun in verse 26 were Mesopotamian deities.  There were also golden calves, priests who were not Levites, and other violations of the Law.  God despises their sacrifices because of their sinful acts, the perversion of their worship, and their injustice to the needy and the righteous (verse 12).  The scriptures have shown over and over that God cares a great deal about social justice.  He made it clear though Moses, for example, in Exodus 22:21-26.  Their hearts were not right.

Verse 27’s “exile beyond Damascus” was a poignant prediction, as Assyria in the time of Amos was not yet a strong power.

Read or listen to audio of ESV version of this selection from this link.

/Bob’s boy
___________________
some images © V. Gilbert & Arlisle F. Beers

Please note: I did not design the reading plan that I am following in my blog.  All of my comments in this blog, however, are solely my responsibility.  When reading ANY commentary, you should ALWAYS refer first to the scripture, which is God’s unchanging and unfailing word. Reading schedules, as well as a link to the site where you can get the reading plan that I’m currently following for yourself can be found on the “Bible Reading Schedules” page of my website at http://graceofourlord.com.  For questions and help, please see the “FAQ” and “Summaries” pages there.

Jul 12 2012

Jeremiah 31 – The New Covenant

Jeremiah begins this famous chapter with words of encouragement, speaking of a time when the people are returned from captivity.  In verses 15-16, Rachel is weeping for her children; and God says that they will come back.  Rachel was Jacob’s second, and most loved, wife and Joseph’s mother (Genesis 30:22-24).  Ephraim and Manasseh were Joseph’s sons.  The message is summed up in verse 17 “There is hope for your future, declares the Lord.”

Verses 21-39 then describe the new covenant that God will make with His people, and the new relationship that they will have with Him (verses 33-34).   Rather than the forgiveness by the sacrifice of animals through a priest, everyone will be able to know the Lord and have true forgiveness – The Lord “will remember their sin no more.”  The Hebrew writer quotes these verses in Hebrews 8, as he speaks of Jesus being the High Priest of a new covenant.  They are repeated in Hebrews 10.   Also in Hebrews 10:12-14, we are told of the gift that Christ gave us by making a single offering, for all time, of Himself in order to cleanse our sins.

Read or listen to audio of ESV version of this selection from this link.

/Bob’s boy
___________________
some images © V. Gilbert & Arlisle F. Beers

Please note: I did not design the reading plan that I am following in my blog.  All of my comments in this blog, however, are solely my responsibility.  When reading ANY commentary, you should ALWAYS refer first to the scripture, which is God’s unchanging and unfailing word. Reading schedules, as well as a link to the site where you can get the reading plan that I’m currently following for yourself can be found on the “Bible Reading Schedules” page of my website at http://graceofourlord.com.  For questions and help, please see the “FAQ” and “Summaries” pages there.

Jul 11 2012

Joel 2 – The Day of the Lord

Joel 2 begins in verses 1-11 with reference to the locust plague that brought terrible destruction, and warns of even worse judgment.  Verse 12 is a call for repentance.  There is still time to avoid disaster.  As has always been the case, the Lord gives the people hope if they will only repent.  Verses 28-32 are quoted by Peter in his sermon at Pentecost in Acts 2:16-21.  The time of revelation and prophecy that Joel points to in verses 28-29 will be followed by a time of destruction (verses 30-31).

The prophet Joel

The prophet Joel (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

But verse 32 says that those who call upon the name of the Lord will be saved.  In Peter’s sermon, this is echoed as he continues, culminating in Acts 2:38, where he names the method for “calling on the name of the Lord” in both the first century and today – “repent and be baptized.”  Here in verse 32 of Joel the words are “the survivors shall be those whom the Lord calls.”  In Acts 2:39, he says that “the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.”

Read or listen to audio of ESV version of this selection from this link.

/Bob’s boy
___________________
some images © V. Gilbert & Arlisle F. Beers

Please note: I did not design the reading plan that I am following in my blog.  All of my comments in this blog, however, are solely my responsibility.  When reading ANY commentary, you should ALWAYS refer first to the scripture, which is God’s unchanging and unfailing word. Reading schedules, as well as a link to the site where you can get the reading plan that I’m currently following for yourself can be found on the “Bible Reading Schedules” page of my website at http://graceofourlord.com.  For questions and help, please see the “FAQ” and “Summaries” pages there.

Jul 10 2012

Isaiah 53 – The Suffering Servant

In chapters 46 -53, the prophet Isaiah introduces four “Servant” songs.  The fourth, the Suffering Servant begun in chapter 52:13-15, continues here in chapter 53.  It is considered one of the most important prophecies of Jesus in the Old Testament.   Twelve verses that foretell the most important event in mankind’s history!  The people are expecting that the Messiah as king will lead them to  military  and political greatness – possibly becoming a great world power.  Isaiah says that when he arrives, they won’t even get it.  The “Arm of the Lord” in verse one refers to God’s power in action.   This verse is referred to in John 12:37-38, and John goes on in 39-41 to quote Isaiah 6:10, elaborating on their blindness, and the hardness of their hearts.  Verses 2-3 show that he will be an outwardly unimpressive man from humble beginnings, rather than a majestically handsome ruler from the elite.  The  “dry ground” of verse two refers to the fallen kingdom of David.

The heart of the song is verses 4-6, as he bore the sins of the world though he was himself innocent – pierced for our transgressions (also see Matthew 8:17).  The event of the crucifixion of Jesus could not be better summed up by these verses.  Notice the words “pierced, crushed, chastisement, wounds.”   Isaiah stresses how much God punished the rejected servant for the sins of all.   Verses 7-8, led like a lamb led to slaughter or a sheep that before its shearers is silent – innocent, yet submissive.

The prophecy of verse 9 (“And they made his grave with the wicked and with a rich man in his death, although he had done no violence, and there was no deceit in his mouth”) is fulfilled in Matthew 27:57-60.  Verses 10-12 make it plain that it was the will of God to crush Him; and the result is not regret, but a sense of triumph and accomplishment.  The crux of verse 10 – “he shall see his offspring” (the new Israel); “he shall prolong his days” (the resurrection); “the will of the Lord shall prosper in his hand” (God’s plans are carried out).

Isaiah points ahead to the greatest act of love ever done for man!

Read or listen to audio of ESV version of this selection from this link.

/Bob’s boy
___________________
some images © V. Gilbert & Arlisle F. Beers

Please note: I did not design the reading plan that I am following in my blog.  All of my comments in this blog, however, are solely my responsibility.  When reading ANY commentary, you should ALWAYS refer first to the scripture, which is God’s unchanging and unfailing word. Reading schedules, as well as a link to the site where you can get the reading plan that I’m currently following for yourself can be found on the “Bible Reading Schedules” page of my website at http://graceofourlord.com.  For questions and help, please see the “FAQ” and “Summaries” pages there.

Jul 9 2012

Isaiah 11 – The Righteous Reign of the Branch

Isaiah 1:1 tells us that this prophet prophesied “in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah”.  His call to ministry came about 740 BC – “in the year that King Uzziah died” (Isaiah 6:1). He lived at least until 681 BC, as he writes of the death of Sennacherib in Isaiah 37:37-38.

English: Isaiah; illustration from a Bible car...

English: Isaiah; illustration from a Bible card published by the Providence Lithograph Company (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Isaiah 11 is a very short, but very important chapter in the message of God’s plan for salvation.  Isaiah opens the chapter right away in verse 1 with the promise of the coming of the Messiah.  The reference to  being from the “stump of Jesse” – a greater David is prophesied (Ezekiel 37:24-25), a better king to serve (Hosea 3:5).   Much imagery and evocative language follows, stressing that nothing will stand in the way of God’s plan (see verses 11-16).  Paul refers to these verses, speaking about Jesus in Romans 15:8-13 – saying that “The root of Jesse will come, even he who arises to rule the Gentiles; in him will the Gentiles hope.”

Read or listen to audio of ESV version of this selection from this link.

/Bob’s boy
___________________
some images © V. Gilbert & Arlisle F. Beers

Please note: I did not design the reading plan that I am following in my blog.  All of my comments in this blog, however, are solely my responsibility.  When reading ANY commentary, you should ALWAYS refer first to the scripture, which is God’s unchanging and unfailing word. Reading schedules, as well as a link to the site where you can get the reading plan that I’m currently following for yourself can be found on the “Bible Reading Schedules” page of my website at http://graceofourlord.com.  For questions and help, please see the “FAQ” and “Summaries” pages there.

Jul 8 2012

Accelerating Ahead \ Week 26 summary posted

English: A scroll of the Book of Isaiah

English: A scroll of the Book of Isaiah (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Our reading schedule will be moving forward sharply this month.  We will be in the New Testament by the end of this month!   This week, we will read some chapters from God’s spokesmen – the prophets – before moving on to the end of captivity for His people next week.  We will read some from Isaiah,  Joel, Jeremiah, and Amos.

Summing Up

Each weekend, I am now posting a small PDF of one week of chapter summaries (on the website’s “Summaries” page), current to the beginning of the previous week.  I have posted the summary for Week 26 (June Week 4) of the schedule I am following.  This short PDF document contains condensed comments about 2 Kings 18, 19, 20, 21, and 22, with hyperlinks to the ESV version of each chapter for listening or reading, and joins the summaries for other weeks already posted there.

/Bob’s boy
___________________
image © V. Gilbert & Arlisle F. Beers

Please note: I did not design the reading plan that I am following in my blog.  All of my comments in this blog, however, are solely my responsibility.  When reading ANY commentary, you should ALWAYS refer first to the scripture, which is God’s unchanging and unfailing word. Reading schedules, as well as a link to the site where you can get the reading plan that I’m currently following for yourself can be found on the “Bible Reading Schedules” page of my website at http://graceofourlord.com.  For questions and help, please see the “FAQ” and “Summaries” pages there.

Jul 6 2012

Daniel 2 – Nebuchadnezzar’s Dream

Nebuchadnezzar’s Dream is troubling him, and so he seeks the usual counsel of wise men to interpret it.  In the ancient cultures, a king’s dream was important to him for knowing what he might have to prepare for.  But the dream that God had given him had been made so important that he wanted to be certain that the one who interprets it does not do so falsely.  So his command to the wise men is that they will tell him his dream first – and then interpret it.  Of course none of them can do that; and the king orders all of the wise men destroyed – an order which would include Daniel and his companions (verses 12-13).

In a show of great faith, Daniel requested an appointment with the king to make the interpretation (verses 14-16).  He prays and has Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah (Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego) pray as well; and the Lord makes the dream and its meaning known to him.  He praises God for the knowledge in verses 20-23, and gives him the credit in verses 27-28 when he appears before the king.  Daniel recounts the dream first, and then interprets it to Nebuchadnezzar in verses 31-45.  The statue in the dream is a representation of the four great kingdoms that would dominate the history of the world.  The current Babylonian empire was the first.  The Medo-Persian empire ruled by Cyrus beginning in 539 b.c., and then Greece, under Alexander the Great, in about 331.  These latter two are explicitly named in his vision in Daniel 8:20-21.  The fourth is the Roman Empire.  After that, the God of heaven would establish an everlasting kingdom (verse 44), pointing to the Christ.  Compare verses 44-45 to Luke 20:17-18.

Nebuchadnezzar shows his gratitude in verses 46-49, and made Daniel chief prefect over all the wise men of Babylon.  At Daniel’s request, he appointed Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego over the affairs of the province.  These young men, by being in position to look out for the welfare of the society they lived in, would be promoting their own welfare as well – just as Jeremiah had advised in Jeremiah 29:5-7.

Read or listen to audio of ESV version of this selection from this link.

/Bob’s boy
___________________
some images © V. Gilbert & Arlisle F. Beers

Please note: I did not design the reading plan that I am following in my blog.  All of my comments in this blog, however, are solely my responsibility.  When reading ANY commentary, you should ALWAYS refer first to the scripture, which is God’s unchanging and unfailing word. Reading schedules, as well as a link to the site where you can get the reading plan that I’m currently following for yourself can be found on the “Bible Reading Schedules” page of my website at http://graceofourlord.com.  For questions and help, please see the “FAQ” and “Summaries” pages there.

Jul 5 2012

Daniel 1 – Daniel Taken to Babylon

The Book of Daniel begins in 605 BC, at the beginning of the Babylonian exile.  This was the first deportation, before Jerusalem was burned and the Temple destroyed.  Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah were four of the young men that were taken captive and brought to Babylon.  Nebuchadnezzar called the latter three Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.  These Chaldean names were representative of the Babylonian gods, “Marduk,” “Bel”, and “Nebo.”  The king had the young people educated for three years.  By doing so and giving them these names, as well as feeding them the luxurious foods of the king, he intended to strip them of their Hebrew identities, in order to complete their assimilation.  The food from the kings’s table would also serve to remind them of the source of their daily bread.

Passing lion, glazed terracotta, reign of Nebu...

Passing lion, glazed terracotta, reign of Nebuchadrezzar II (605 BC–562 BC), Babylon, Iraq. This panel decorated the Procession Way which ran from the Marduk temple to the Ishtar Gate and the Akitu Temple. Deposit of the Vorderasiatisches Museum in Berlin. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

But Daniel convinced the chief of the Eunuchs (in whose eyes God had given him favor – verse 9) to allow them to be fed only vegetables and water.  Verse 15 tells us that at the end of ten days on this diet, their appearance was better than the youths that ate the generous diet of the king – obviously more of God’s work.  Verse 17 states that God gave these four learning and skill in literature and wisdom.  Daniel was given understanding of dreams and vision.  When the time came for them to appear before the king, he was pleased to find their wisdom very great indeed ( verse 20).  Also, in verses 11 and 18, we see that Daniel referred to them by their real names.  The boys were refusing to be turned from serving the Lord, despite their circumstances.

Verse 21 says that Daniel was there until the first year of King Cyrus, when Cyrus conquered Babylon in 539 BC.  These four youths demonstrated that it is possible to remain faithful to the Lord while living among the pressures of pagan influences.

Read or listen to audio of ESV version of this selection from this link.

/Bob’s boy
___________________
some images © V. Gilbert & Arlisle F. Beers

Please note: I did not design the reading plan that I am following in my blog.  All of my comments in this blog, however, are solely my responsibility.  When reading ANY commentary, you should ALWAYS refer first to the scripture, which is God’s unchanging and unfailing word. Reading schedules, as well as a link to the site where you can get the reading plan that I’m currently following for yourself can be found on the “Bible Reading Schedules” page of my website at http://graceofourlord.com.  For questions and help, please see the “FAQ” and “Summaries” pages there.

Jul 4 2012

2 Kings 25 – Fall and Captivity of Judah

The events of this chapter are recounted in Jeremiah 52, as God’s judgment on Judah comes to pass.  Nebuchadnezzar and his army besieged Jerusalem for two years.  There was severe famine, and no food was left.  So Zedekiah and his men of war managed to escape through the exit in the wall that is probably referred to as the “Fountain gate” in Nehemiah 3:15.  But the Chaldeans overtook him in the plain s of Jericho.  They slaughtered his sons in front of him, put out his eyes, put him in chains, and took him to Babylon.

Two panels of Babylon gate relief by Nebuchadn...

Two panels of Babylon gate relief by Nebuchadnezzar II (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Then, a servant of the king of Babylon, Nebuzaradan (the captain of the bodyguard) came to Jerusalem.  He burned the house of the Lord, the Kings house, and all the great houses down (verse 9).  Verse 10: “And all the army of the Chaldeans, who were with the captain of the guard, broke down the walls around Jerusalem.” The rest of the people were carried into exile, leaving the poorest as vinedressers and plowmen.  They took the majestic pillars of bronze that Solomon had made; and many were slaughtered.  Nebuchadnezzar made Gedeliah his vassal governor over those left behind in Judah, but he was murdered.  A more complete account of Gedeliah and the circumstances connected with his murder can be found in Jeremiah 40-41.

We close out the Books of Kings with verses 27-30.  After 37 years, Nebuchadnezzar’s son (Evil-merodach) freed Jehoiachin.  He dined at the king’s table and was given a regular allowance.   Thereby, there was hope for the Davidic line and the promises of God to David in 2 Samuel 7:15-16.

Side note: Excavations of Babylon have yielded thousands of inscribed tablets with a wealth of information for scholars. Among many other things, they list the kings of other nations who were captured and living at the palace of the Babylonian king.  Four of those tablets list “Jehoiachin, king of Judah” and his family as receiving rations from the king.  An excellent article with photos, originally posted in the Summer 2007 issue of “Bible and Spade” can be found at this link.

Read or listen to audio of ESV version of this selection from this link.

/Bob’s boy
___________________
some images © V. Gilbert & Arlisle F. Beers

Please note: I did not design the reading plan that I am following in my blog.  All of my comments in this blog, however, are solely my responsibility.  When reading ANY commentary, you should ALWAYS refer first to the scripture, which is God’s unchanging and unfailing word. Reading schedules, as well as a link to the site where you can get the reading plan that I’m currently following for yourself can be found on the “Bible Reading Schedules” page of my website at http://graceofourlord.com.  For questions and help, please see the “FAQ” and “Summaries” pages there.

Jul 3 2012

2 Kings 24 – Jerusalem Captured

English: A hilltop view of the ancient city of...

English: A hilltop view of the ancient city of Babylon, where King Nebuchadnezzar II, whose life spanned 630-562 B.C., built his hanging gardens, one of the Seven Wonders of the World. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, had defeated and taken enough from Egypt, that its king “did not come again out of his land” any more.  So, in verse 1, we find that Jehoiakim has switched his allegiance from Egypt to Babylon – then he rebelled against that king.  So God sent bands against him from the Chaldeans, Moabites, Syrians and Ammonites to destroy Judah for the evils of Manasseh and the innocent blood he shed (verses 3-4).    Jehoiakim died and his son, Jehoiachin, became king in his place in 597 BC.  Nebuchadnezzar’s people besieged Jerusalem; and when Nebuchadnezzar himself came to the city, Jehoiachin surrendered to him and was taken captive.

They also carried off all the treasures from the house of the Lord and from the king’s house, just as Isaiah had told Hezekiah would happen in 2 Kings 20:16-18.  The king of Babylon took thousands captive back to Babylon; and made Mattaniah, Jehoiachin’s uncle, king, changing his name to Zedekiah.  He did evil in the sight of the Lord as well (verse 19), and then rebelled against Babylon, as the chapter closes.  But rebellion would be futile.

Read or listen to audio of ESV version of this selection from this link.

/Bob’s boy
___________________
some images © V. Gilbert & Arlisle F. Beers

Please note: I did not design the reading plan that I am following in my blog.  All of my comments in this blog, however, are solely my responsibility.  When reading ANY commentary, you should ALWAYS refer first to the scripture, which is God’s unchanging and unfailing word. Reading schedules, as well as a link to the site where you can get the reading plan that I’m currently following for yourself can be found on the “Bible Reading Schedules” page of my website at http://graceofourlord.com.  For questions and help, please see the “FAQ” and “Summaries” pages there.