Tag Archives: Israel

May 9 2014

Solomon Anointed King – 1 Chronicles 29

The chapter opens with David addressing the assembly of all of the officials of Israel that had gathered together in Jerusalem in chapter 28. He tells them that Solomon is young and inexperienced, and the task at hand (building the temple) is formidable. It is only in 1 Chronicles 29:1 and 29:19 that the word “palace” is used to describe the temple. According to Albert Barnes, “the original word here used is the Hebrew form of a Persian word, and generally designates the residence of the Persian monarch,” as in Esther 1:5. But David makes it clear in verse 1 that it is not a house for a man, but for the Lord.

It is then that David gives one of the last examples of his leadership as a godly king. He tells the assembly of the precious metals that have been provided and also of the large amount of treasure from his own personal wealth that he has donated to the cause of building the Lord’s house. He then asks those assembled who among them will give of their own possessions for the Lord. The result is a huge unifying onslaught of reverent generosity that gives the people great joy.

The Anointing of Solomon by Cornelis de Vos. A...

The Anointing of Solomon by Cornelis de Vos. According to 1 Kings 1:39, Solomon was anointed by Zadok. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

David then offers a prayer to God in verses 10-19. It is a humble prayer of thanksgiving and worship for the Almighty – to whom all of these things they have given actually belong. This was followed by thousands of burnt offerings and drink offerings, and all sacrifices were accompanied by a great feast and celebration.

Solomon was then anointed king in his second coronation, and Zadok was anointed as priest. Verses 26-30 mark the death of David, who the scripture says reigned 40 years over Israel – seven at Hebron and 33 at Jerusalem. Verse 28 says “he died at a good age, full of days, riches, and honor.”

(This year’s reading plan for Luke, Acts, and 1 and 2 Chronicles averages just 15 verses per day – 5 days per week!)
Schedule for this week
Read or listen to audio of today’s selection from Luke here
Read or listen to audio of today’s selection from 2 Chronicles here

/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.  

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Dec 18 2013

Psalm 71- When My Strength Is Spent

This is one traditional place of David's tomb. The other is on Mount Zion, in Jerusalem, on the first floor of the same building where one traditional site of the Upper Room is on the second floor. In Jacob's time, it was called Ephrath, which meant "fruitful." Jacob buried his favorite wife Rachel there after she gave birth to Benjamin. After the conquest of the Promised Land, it was called Bethlehem-judah (Ruth 1: 1). Famine drove Elimelech and Naomi from Bethlehem to Moab, where their sons married Ruth and Orpah. When all three husbands died, Ruth returned to Bethlehem with Naomi and gleaned in the fields of Boaz. She and Boaz married, and their great-grandson was David. In his childhood, David cared for the sheep of his father Jesse in the fields of Bethlehem, possibly the same fields where his great-grandmother Ruth gleaned. A thousand years later, Jesus was born in Bethlehem and angels announced His birth to shepherds caring for their sheep in the fields near there. These fields have become known as The Shepherds' Fields.

This is one traditional place of David’s tomb. The other is on Mount Zion, in Jerusalem, on the first floor of the same building where one traditional site of the Upper Room is on the second floor. In Jacob’s time, it was called Ephrath, which meant “fruitful.” Jacob buried his favorite wife Rachel there after she gave birth to Benjamin. After the conquest of the Promised Land, it was called Bethlehem-judah (Ruth 1: 1). Famine drove Elimelech and Naomi from Bethlehem to Moab, where their sons married Ruth and Orpah. When all three husbands died, Ruth returned to Bethlehem with Naomi and gleaned in the fields of Boaz. She and Boaz married, and their great-grandson was David. In his childhood, David cared for the sheep of his father Jesse in the fields of Bethlehem, possibly the same fields where his great-grandmother Ruth gleaned. A thousand years later, Jesus was born in Bethlehem and angels announced His birth to shepherds caring for their sheep in the fields near there. These fields have become known as The Shepherds’ Fields.

The Hebrew text for this psalm has no superscription or title. The Septuagint, the Vulgate, and others have it as “by David, a song sung by the sons of Jonadab, and the first that were taken captive.” Many commentators do take the position that it was probably written by David in his old age. The inclusion of the fact that it was sung by the sons of Jonadab and by the first of those taken captive is somewhat puzzling,  but must have had some historical significance at the time the superscription was added. The sons of Jonadab (the Rechabites) are the subject of Jeremiah 35 for their faithfulness to their father’s command.

It is a song of lament, easily fitting for anyone who is weak and in distress. it is easy to see why the captives would sing this psalm, as it both cries out for help in a dire situation and when one feels helpless:

“forsake me not when my strength is spent…
O God, be not far from me;
O my God, make haste to help me!…
I will hope continually
and will praise you yet more and more.
My mouth will tell of your righteous acts,
of your deeds of salvation all the day,
for their number is past my knowledge.”

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.  

Dec 16 2013

Psalm 147 – He Sends Out His Word

Carrying Branches To Make Booths (illustration...

Carrying Branches To Make Booths (illustration from the 1897 Bible Pictures and What They Teach Us by Charles Foster) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Of the five final “Hallelujah Psalms,” Psalm 147 is the longest, though only 20 verses itself.  The psalmist is unknown, as is the occasion that it was written. Some have supposed that it was during the Feast of Tabernacles – mainly due to verse 14’s reference possibly to harvest. The references to the building up of Jerusalem may mean that it was written after the captivity (along with verse 2’s “he gathers the outcasts of Israel.”

As a song of praise, it speaks in general terms of all the wonderful things God does in this world to care for man and even for the animals. But the bulk of the praise is for all that God has done for His chosen people. The psalm closes out in verses 18-20 with verses about the power of His word and how God has entrusted them with keeping it for all:

He sends out his word, and melts them;
he makes his wind blow and the waters flow.

He declares his word to Jacob,
his statutes and rules to Israel.

He has not dealt thus with any other nation;
they do not know his rules.
Praise the Lord!

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.  

Dec 9 2013

Psalm 67- Let All the Peoples Praise You!

harvestThis song is only 7 verses long, and it includes thanksgiving for what appears to have been a good harvest (verse 6).  But the psalm also does what many other passages in the Old Testament do, which is to affirm what the apostles found to be true in the Book of Acts, and what they (especially Paul) proclaim to be true – that God always intended for the Gentiles to be included in His plan for salvation. This evident first in verse 2: “that your way may be known on earth, your saving power among all nations,” and then again in verse 4:

Let the nations be glad and sing for joy,
for you judge the peoples with equity
and guide the nations upon earth. Selah

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.  

Dec 6 2013

Psalm 107:1-22 – Let Them Thank the Lord

English: The Captivity of Judah, as in 2 Chron...

English: The Captivity of Judah, as in 2 Chronicles 36:11-21, illustration from a Bible card published by the Providence Lithograph Company (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

This psalm is the first in the collection we have come to know as Book 5, the final book in Psalms, composed of 44 chapters. We will read only the first half of this psalm today – the first 22 verses. We do not know who the author is. The time is some time after Babylonian captivity. Some scholars think it was written for and sung at the dedication of the second temple.

It is readily apparent that the psalmist is referring to people who were exiled during the captivity. Verse 4 four begins with the first group that were banished from the land as part of the exile and wandered the desert. Verse 10 speaks more specifically of those who were imprisoned in exile, while verse 17 appears to refer to some who became very ill either during the march to Babylon or after they arrived. In each case, the psalmist speaks of their cry to the Lord and how He delivered them. A community lament, yes. But it seems to more generally address those of the redeemed who became the remnant.

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.  

Nov 29 2013

Psalm 78:50-72 – With His Skillful Hand

The final section of this historical psalm begins with the re-telling of the final plagues against Egypt (Exodus 12) and God’s deliverance of the Israelites to the Promised Land, where He “drove out the nations” and settled His people in (verse 55 ). The text then turns attention back to their idolatry – always the problem in Israel’s history. In verses 60-62, the phrases “He forsook his dwelling at Shiloh” and “delivered his power to captivity, his glory to the hand of the foe” refer to when the Philistines captured the Ark in 1 Samuel 4.

The lion is the symbol of the Tribe of Judah. ...

The lion is the symbol of the Tribe of Judah. It is often represented in Jewish art, such as this sculpture outside a synagogue (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The psalm continues, showing once again the Lord’s love for His people, as He delivers them from their enemies in spite of their unfaithfulness to Him. Verses 67-72 then conclude the psalm, noting that God’s ultimate remedy for His people was to choose a shepherd from the tribe of Judah (David, leading of course to Jesus Christ, also from Judah) to shepherd them.  Verse 72 concludes: “With upright heart he shepherded them and guided them with his skillful hand.”

The purpose of the psalm, stated in the first eight verses, was to commit to a song to be remembered the works of God, so that they would be passed on in the generations to come. The words “remember” and “not forget” ring throughout the psalm constantly in order to try to save the future generations from the foolish mistakes of their fathers.

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.  

Nov 27 2013

Psalm 106:24-48 – Glory In Your Praise

We pick up the second half of this historical psalm in verse 24, as the psalmist is recounting the history and the sins of the people of Israel. Verses 24-27 continue telling of the failings of the people in the desert as the Lord declares they will wander in the desert forty years, and fall there (Numbers 14:28-35).

Verses 28-31 continue with the great sin of the people in the Baal worship at Peor, and recount how Phinehas intervened and saved them from the plague that ensued (Numbers 25). This led to his family having the priesthood from generation to generation. Verse 32 continues with the story of the waters at Meribah and the sin of Moses there when he struck the rock (Numbers 20).

Jews Led Into Captivity

Jews Led Into Captivity

Verses 34-39 summarize how the people of Israel failed to drive all the Canaanites from their land, and ended up mixing with these nations. This led to their idol worship, just as had been predicted, even sinking to child sacrifice.  Verse 39 says that they “became unclean” and “played the whore in their deeds.”

Verses 40-46 then summarize the punishment of captivity that the judgment of the Lord brought to them. Verses 44-46 show God remembering his promise to Solomon when he heard their cry, and causing them to be pitied by their captors. The historical psalm has turned into a lament now, and the concluding verse indicates that their restoration is not yet realized – which is the plea of this psalm:

Save us, O Lord our God,
and gather us from among the nations,
that we may give thanks to your holy name
and glory in your praise.

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.  

Nov 25 2013

Psalm 142 – You Are My Refuge

Caves such as this are common throughout Israel.

Caves such as this are common throughout Israel.

This psalm’s superscription is one of several that refer to a psalm as a maskil of David. The word maskil comes from a term meaning “enlighten” or “enlightened one.” They are poems written as songs for the purpose of instruction – in the case of the psalms, that means instruction about the Lord and of serving Him.  It also says that it was written at or about the time that David was “in the cave.” Presumably, this would refer to an instance when he was being pursued by Saul.

This lament psalm is certainly instructive for us today for prayer, especially in times of great distress, grief and/or anxiety and fear. When the world has become too much for us, these seven verses are a powerful source for putting into words the supplications and feelings of distress that we so desperately need to bring to the Almighty in prayer. It is a personal favorite for me; and part of the Psalm is included below.

With my voice I cry out to the Lord;
with my voice I plead for mercy to the Lord.
I pour out my complaint before him;
I tell my trouble before him.
When my spirit faints within me,
you know my way!

I cry to you, O Lord;
I say, “You are my refuge,
my portion in the land of the living.”
Attend to my cry,
for I am brought very low!

Deliver me from my persecutors,
for they are too strong for me!
Bring me out of prison,
that I may give thanks to your name!
The righteous will surround me,
for you will deal bountifully with me

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.  

Nov 22 2013

Psalm 78:25-49 – The Bread of Angels

When the people begged for meat, God sent clouds of quail, but with it he sent a plague (Numbers 11:31-35).

When the people begged for meat, God sent clouds of quail, but with it he sent a plague (Numbers 11:31-35).

Today we take verses 25-49 of this historical psalm, which begins with a lovely poetic section on the way the Lord fed His people in the desert, despite their constant complaints. The first part of this is about the manna, which the scripture calls “the bread of angels.” Then it moves on to when the Lord caused the wind to rain down the quail for meat for them to eat (Numbers 11:31-32):

Man ate of the bread of the angels;
He sent them food in abundance.

He caused the east wind to blow in the heavens,
and by his power he led out the south wind;
He rained meat on them like dust,
winged birds like the sand of the seas;

Verses 31-40 re-tell the story of how even after this, the people grumbled against God. His angered kindled again, He sent a plague, and as it ravaged them they began to repent, and flattered Him with their mouths. But they lied with their tongues (verse 36). Still, He was compassionate to them, though they tested Him time and again in the desert (verses 40-41). But as verses 42-49 complete this section, they forgot all that He had done with His power in the signs with which He had dealt with the Egyptians before they were freed (Exodus 7-12).

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.  

Nov 20 2013

Psalm 106:1-23 – The Mighty Deeds of the Lord

Psalm 106 is the last psalm in Book 4 of the psalms, and is recited on the second day of passover in some traditions. It is one of about twenty psalms that are classified as “historical psalms.” It is also included often with the “Hallelujah Psalms,” as it begins and ends with “Praise the Lord!” We will look today at the first 23 verses.

Pharoah's army swallowed up.

Pharoah’s army swallowed up.

Verses 1-6 begin with words of praise for God, blessings for the righteous, a plea for God to look in favor upon the psalmist when the people of Israel return to his favor, and finally in verse 6, an admission of the sins of the people currently. This is followed by a recounting of the good things God has done for them and their fathers, and the repeated sins by Israel against God.

Verses 7-12 refer to the parting of the Red Sea and more of God’s miracles and saving grace, which were repaid by the rebellion of the people against Him (Exodus 14). Verses 13-14 recount how Israel put the Lord to the test in the desert (Numbers 14). The “wasting disease” referred to in verse 15 is from Numbers 11:33-35. In verses 16-18, the jealousy against Moses and Aaron and the resulting fire and the earth opening and swallowing them up come from Numbers 16:31-35.

Verses 19-23 conclude this section with the telling of the betrayal by the people in the Golden Calf incident of Exodus 32, and the fact that they were saved from God’s wrath over this only because of the intercession of Moses, for He surely was ready to destroy them and start all over with Moses.

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.