Free Daily Bible Study Podcast: Recent Episodes
Jacob D. Gerber
M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for 2 Kings 14: The failures of the righteous, the successes of the wicked, and the grace we need to persevere.
The post November 1st: Bible Meditation for 2 Kings 14 appeared first on Free Daily Bible Study.
M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for 2 Kings 13: The death of Elisha, the faithlessness of Joash, and the resurrection hope of the Lord Jesus Christ.
The post October 31st: Bible Meditation for 2 Kings 13 appeared first on Free Daily Bible Study.
M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for 2 Kings 11–12: The usurped reign of Athaliah, the protection of Joash, and Yahweh’s protection of David’s line.
The post October 30th: Bible Meditation for 2 Kings 11–12 appeared first on Free Daily Bible Study.
M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for 2 Kings 10: Jehu as the anti-Ahab and the echo of Gideon and Abimilech, and the types and shadows toward Jesus.
The post October 29th: Bible Meditation for 2 Kings 10 appeared first on Free Daily Bible Study.
M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for 2 Kings 9: How the biblical authors use the repetition of stories to convey rich, complex, layered meaning.
The post October 28th: Bible Meditation for 2 Kings 9 appeared first on Free Daily Bible Study.
M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for 2 Kings 8: The repeated stories of famine, sojourning, wealth, and a son in Abraham, Naomi, Elisha, and Jesus.
The post October 27th: Bible Meditation for 2 Kings 8 appeared first on Free Daily Bible Study.
M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for 2 Kings 7: The battle prowess of Yahweh, the joy of the lepers who feast, and the hard-heartedness of unbelief.
The post October 26th: Bible Meditation for 2 Kings 7 appeared first on Free Daily Bible Study.
M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for 2 Kings 6: The protection of Elisha, the chariots of fire, and how believers can face ours fears in life.
The post October 25th: Bible Meditation for 2 Kings 6 appeared first on Free Daily Bible Study.
M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for 2 Kings 5: The pride of Naaman, his humbling through a slave girl and a filthy river, and the gospel of Jesus.
The post October 24th: Bible Meditation for 2 Kings 5 appeared first on Free Daily Bible Study.
M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for 2 Kings 4: Elijah’s mirrored ministry in Elisha, Jesus’ prophetic ministry, and the final subject of prophecy.
The post October 23rd: Bible Meditation for 2 Kings 4 appeared first on Free Daily Bible Study.
M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for 2 Kings 3: Israel’s and Judah’s war with Moab, water in a streambed, and Yahweh’s protection against his wrath.
The post October 22nd: Bible Meditation for 2 Kings 3 appeared first on Free Daily Bible Study.
M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for 2 Kings 2: The apprenticeship of Elisha, the double-portion spirit, and the training of future ministry leaders.
The post October 21st: Bible Meditation for 2 Kings 2 appeared first on Free Daily Bible Study.
M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for 2 Kings 1: Ahaziah’s apostasy, Elijah’s ministry, fire from heaven, and the fire baptism of the Holy Spirit.
The post October 20th: Bible Meditation for 2 Kings 1 appeared first on Free Daily Bible Study.
M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for 1 Kings 22: The lying spirit from God, the rejection of the truth, and the true light that came into the world.
The post October 19th: Bible Meditation for 1 Kings 22 appeared first on Free Daily Bible Study.
M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for 1 Kings 21: Ahab’s coveting of a vineyard, Jezebel’s wickedness, and the Christ-like faithfulness of Naboth.
The post October 18th: Bible Meditation for 1 Kings 21 appeared first on Free Daily Bible Study.
M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for 1 Kings 20: Yahweh’s revelation to Ahab, the hard-heartedness of the king, and the need to repent from our sin.
The post October 17th: Bible Meditation for 1 Kings 20 appeared first on Free Daily Bible Study.
M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for 1 Kings 19: The compassion of Yahweh, the still small voice of God, and the companion Yahweh gives to Elijah.
The post October 16th: Bible Meditation for 1 Kings 19 appeared first on Free Daily Bible Study.
M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for 1 Kings 18: The prophets protected by Obadiah, the troubling of Israel, and the showdown of the gods on Carmel.
The post October 15th: Bible Meditation for 1 Kings 18 appeared first on Free Daily Bible Study.
M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for 1 Kings 17: The greatness of Elijah, the prophet’s humble ministry, and the great and humble ministry of Jesus.
The post October 14th: Bible Meditation for 1 Kings 17 appeared first on Free Daily Bible Study.
M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for 1 Kings 16: Cutting off the house of Jeroboam, the reigns of Omri and Ahab, and the wages of sin unto death.
The post October 13th: Bible Meditation for 1 Kings 16 appeared first on Free Daily Bible Study.
M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for 1 Kings 15: The wicked King Abijam, the godly King Asa, and the need for David’s greater Son, Jesus Christ.
The post October 12th: Bible Meditation for 1 Kings 15 appeared first on Free Daily Bible Study.
M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for 1 Kings 14: The sin of Jeroboam, the foolishness of Rehoboam, and the need to reform the hearts of God’s people.
The post October 11th: Bible Meditation for 1 Kings 14 appeared first on Free Daily Bible Study.
M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for 1 Kings 13: The unfaithfulness of the prophet, the sin of acting against faith, and violating our consciences.
The post October 10th: Bible Meditation for 1 Kings 13 appeared first on Free Daily Bible Study.
M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for 1 Kings 12: The sovereignty of God, the responsibility of humans, and the union of both at the cross of Jesus.
The post October 9th: Bible Meditation for 1 Kings 12 appeared first on Free Daily Bible Study.
M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for 1 Kings 11: The apostasy of Solomon, the corruption from bad company, and the end of Israel’s first golden age.
The post October 8th: Bible Meditation for 1 Kings 11 appeared first on Free Daily Bible Study.
M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for 1 Kings 10: The glory of Solomon’s kingdom, the queen of Sheba, and the more glorious kingdom of Christ.
The post October 7th: Bible Meditation for 1 Kings 10 appeared first on Free Daily Bible Study.
M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for 1 Kings 9: Yahweh’s covenant regarding the temple, the warnings concerning disobedience, and the ruins of Jesus.
The post October 6th: Bible Meditation for 1 Kings 9 appeared first on Free Daily Bible Study.
M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for 1 Kings 8: Solomon’s prayer of dedication in the temple, how God hears us from heaven, and gospel prayers.
The post October 5th: Bible Meditation for 1 Kings 8 appeared first on Free Daily Bible Study.
M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for 1 Kings 7: The Garden of Eden, the new garden in the temple, and the new creation for those who are in Christ.
The post October 4th: Bible Meditation for 1 Kings 7 appeared first on Free Daily Bible Study.
M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for 1 Kings 6: The tabernacle, the construction of the temple, and the permanent dwelling place of God in Jesus.
The post October 3rd: Bible Meditation for 1 Kings 6 appeared first on Free Daily Bible Study.
M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for 1 Kings 4–5: The glory of Solomon’s kingdom, the promise to David’s offspring, and the better kingdom of Christ.
The post October 2nd: Bible Meditation for 1 Kings 4–5 appeared first on Free Daily Bible Study.
M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for 1 Kings 3: Solomon’s humility, his desire for wisdom, and and the need to live out our lives skillfully.
The post October 1st: Bible Meditation for 1 Kings 3 appeared first on Free Daily Bible Study.
M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for 1 Kings 2: David’s godly charge to Solomon versus David’s weak request that Solomon would finish his dirty work.
The post September 30th: Bible Meditation for 1 Kings 2 appeared first on Free Daily Bible Study.
M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for 1 Kings 1: The passivity of David, the strong leadership of Solomon, and the ultimate Messiah yet to come.
The post September 29th: Bible Meditation for 1 Kings 1 appeared first on Free Daily Bible Study.
M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for 2 Samuel 24: David’s census, Satan’s strategies later in life, and the costliness of David’s sacrifice.
The post September 28th: Bible Meditation for 2 Samuel 24 appeared first on Free Daily Bible Study.
M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for 2 Samuel 23: David’s oracle, the responsibility of kings to rule justly, and the great purpose of David’s reign.
The post September 27th: Bible Meditation for 2 Samuel 23 appeared first on Free Daily Bible Study.
M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for 2 Samuel 22: The faith of David, the transition of the kingdom, and Yahweh’s strength as the basis for hope.
The post September 26th: Bible Meditation for 2 Samuel 22 appeared first on Free Daily Bible Study.
M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for 2 Samuel 21: The bloodguilt of Saul against the Gibeonites, the land’s curse, and healing through atonement.
The post September 25th: Bible Meditation for 2 Samuel 21 appeared first on Free Daily Bible Study.
M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for 2 Samuel 20: Another rebellion against David, Joab’s murder of Amasa, and the sacrificial love of Jesus.
The post September 24th: Bible Meditation for 2 Samuel 20 appeared first on Free Daily Bible Study.
M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for 2 Samuel 19: The aftermath for David after Absalom’s rebellion, and the virtue of Mephibosheth’s weakness.
The post September 23rd: Bible Meditation for 2 Samuel 19 appeared first on Free Daily Bible Study.
M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for 2 Samuel 18: How Absalom’s good looks literally became his undoing and the contrast of David’s heart after God.
The post September 22nd: Bible Meditation for 2 Samuel 18 appeared first on Free Daily Bible Study.
M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for 2 Samuel 17: How Hushai helps defeat the course of Ahithophel and the importance of prayerful trust in Yahweh.
The post September 21st: Bible Meditation for 2 Samuel 17 appeared first on Free Daily Bible Study.
M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for 2 Samuel 16: The suffering of David at the hands of Ziba, Shimei, and Absalom—and the suffering of Jesus.
The post September 20th: Bible Meditation for 2 Samuel 16 appeared first on Free Daily Bible Study.
M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for 2 Samuel 15: How all the unresolved problems of David’s reign combine to allow Absalom to steal the kingdom.
The post September 19th: Bible Meditation for 2 Samuel 15 appeared first on Free Daily Bible Study.
M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for 2 Samuel 14: How Joab manipulates David, how David ignores Absalom’s red flags, and the hard work of discipline.
The post September 18th: Bible Meditation for 2 Samuel 14 appeared first on Free Daily Bible Study.
M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for 2 Samuel 13: Amnon’s bad company, the lie of sexual temptation, and the beginning of the story of Absalom.
The post September 17th: Bible Meditation for 2 Samuel 13 appeared first on Free Daily Bible Study.
M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for 2 Samuel 12: Nathan’s brave confrontation of David, David’s unqualified repentance, and gospel confidence.
The post September 16th: Bible Meditation for 2 Samuel 12 appeared first on Free Daily Bible Study.
M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for 2 Samuel 11: David’s disastrous sin with Bathsheba, the progress of sin, and how to guard against temptation.
The post September 15th: Bible Meditation for 2 Samuel 11 appeared first on Free Daily Bible Study.
M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for 2 Samuel 10: The violence of David, the kingdom and purpose of God, and the coming of Jesus, the warrior-king.
The post September 14th: Bible Meditation for 2 Samuel 10 appeared first on Free Daily Bible Study.
M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for 2 Samuel 8–9: Jonathan’s covenant with David, Mephibosheth, and Jesus’ covenantal kindness toward us.
The post September 13th: Bible Meditation for 2 Samuel 8–9 appeared first on Free Daily Bible Study.
M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for 2 Samuel 7: The house David wanted to build of Yahweh, and the house that Yahweh did build for David—and for us.
The post September 12th: Bible Meditation for 2 Samuel 7 appeared first on Free Daily Bible Study.
M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for 2 Samuel 6: The worship of Yahweh, his deadly holiness, and the reason we should abandon our glory for Yahweh’s.
The post September 11th: Bible Meditation for 2 Samuel 6 appeared first on Free Daily Bible Study.
M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for 2 Samuel 4–5: The fate of the Jebusites, the City of David, and the king-priest who reigns in Jerusalem.
The post September 10th: Bible Meditation for 2 Samuel 4–5 appeared first on Free Daily Bible Study.
M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for 2 Samuel 3: The violence of Joab, the passivity of David, and the weaknesses of the king after God’s own heart.
The post September 9th: Bible Meditation for 2 Samuel 3 appeared first on Free Daily Bible Study.
M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for 2 Samuel 2: How the disputed reign of David foreshadows the disputed reign of David’s greater son, Jesus.
The post September 8th: Bible Meditation for 2 Samuel 2 appeared first on Free Daily Bible Study.
M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for 2 Samuel 1: The lament of Saul and Jonathan, the execution of the Amalekite, and David’s first acts as king.
The post September 7th: Bible Meditation for 2 Samuel 1 appeared first on Free Daily Bible Study.
M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for 1 Samuel 31: Saul’s death, the valor of the men of Jabesh-gilead, and the warning to persevere in our faith.
The post September 6th: Bible Meditation for 1 Samuel 31 appeared first on Free Daily Bible Study.
M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for 1 Samuel 29–30: David’s final trial, the suffering of God’s leaders, and the glory that comes through the cross.
The post September 5th: Bible Meditation for 1 Samuel 29–30 appeared first on Free Daily Bible Study.
M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for 1 Samuel 28: The medium of Endor, the word of God, and the final doom of Saul that Samuel prophesies.
The post September 4th: Bible Meditation for 1 Samuel 28 appeared first on Free Daily Bible Study.
M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for 1 Samuel 27: David’s extended stay with the Philistines, faithfulness in difficulties, and redeeming the time.
The post September 3rd: Bible Meditation for 1 Samuel 27 appeared first on Free Daily Bible Study.
M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for 1 Samuel 26: Saul’s worldly sorrow because trust did not accompany his knowledge and his intellectual assent.
The post September 2nd: Bible Meditation for 1 Samuel 26 appeared first on Free Daily Bible Study.
M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for 1 Samuel 25: The death of Israel’s last judge, the foolishness of Nabal, and the Christlike heroine of Abigail.
The post September 1st: Bible Meditation for 1 Samuel 25 appeared first on Free Daily Bible Study.
M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for 1 Samuel 24: Fighting temptation, people made God’s image, and seeking the repentance of enemies through love.
The post August 31st: Bible Meditation for 1 Samuel 24 appeared first on Free Daily Bible Study.
M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for 1 Samuel 23: David’s saving the people at Keilah, Saul’s grip on power, Jonathan’s humility, and true kingship.
The post August 30th: Bible Meditation for 1 Samuel 23 appeared first on Free Daily Bible Study.
M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for 1 Samuel 21–22: David’s ethical dilemmas, truth-telling, protecting human life, and self-sacrificial compassion.
The post August 29th: Bible Meditation for 1 Samuel 21–22 appeared first on Free Daily Bible Study.
M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for 1 Samuel 20: The shadow of Jesus in Jonathan, the prince of Israel who sacrifices himself humbly for David.
The post August 28th: Bible Meditation for 1 Samuel 20 appeared first on Free Daily Bible Study.
M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for 1 Samuel 19: The increasing fame of David, the increasing torment of Saul, and the life we have in Christ alone.
The post August 27th: Bible Meditation for 1 Samuel 19 appeared first on Free Daily Bible Study.
M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for 1 Samuel 18: The friendship of David and Jonathan, the scheming of Saul, and entrusting ourselves to God.
The post August 26th: Bible Meditation for 1 Samuel 18 appeared first on Free Daily Bible Study.
M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for 1 Samuel 17: David and Goliath, outward appearances, spiritual realities, and the champion who battled for us.
The post August 25th: Bible Meditation for 1 Samuel 17 appeared first on Free Daily Bible Study.
M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for 1 Samuel 16: David’s heart, the Spirit given to Israel’s kings, and the permanent indwelling of the Holy Spirit.
The post August 24th: Bible Meditation for 1 Samuel 16 appeared first on Free Daily Bible Study.
M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for 1 Samuel 15: The biblical theology of Yahweh’s regret—from Genesis 6 to Yahweh’s selection of Saul as king.
The post August 23rd: Bible Meditation for 1 Samuel 15 appeared first on Free Daily Bible Study.
M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for 1 Samuel 14: Israel’s war against the Philistines, Saul’s foolish vow, and transformation growth in the gospel.
The post August 22nd: Bible Meditation for 1 Samuel 14 appeared first on Free Daily Bible Study.
M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for 1 Samuel 13: Saul’s sin in offering the sacrifice, the priesthood of Samuel, and the priesthood of Jesus.
The post August 21st: Bible Meditation for 1 Samuel 13 appeared first on Free Daily Bible Study.
M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for 1 Samuel 12: The farewell speech of Samuel, Paul’s speech to the Ephesian elders, and faithful ministry.
The post August 20th: Bible Meditation for 1 Samuel 12 appeared first on Free Daily Bible Study.
M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for 1 Samuel 11: The city of Gibeah, Jabesh-gilead’s siege, and how Saul called Israel to the city’s defense.
The post August 19th: Bible Meditation for 1 Samuel 11 appeared first on Free Daily Bible Study.
M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for 1 Samuel 10: The anointing ministry of the Holy Spirit to Saul as king and the ultimate Anointed One, Jesus.
The post August 18th: Bible Meditation for 1 Samuel 10 appeared first on Free Daily Bible Study.
M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for 1 Samuel 9: How Saul saved Israel from the Philistines and restrained them from their sin when he first reigned.
The post August 17th: Bible Meditation for 1 Samuel 9 appeared first on Free Daily Bible Study.
M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for 1 Samuel 7–8: How Yahweh gave Israel a king by whom he would reign over his people—in the short and long terms.
The post August 16th: Bible Meditation for 1 Samuel 7–8 appeared first on Free Daily Bible Study.
M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for 1 Samuel 5–6: The day Dagon bowed down to Yahweh but the cows brought the ark of the covenant back to Israel.
The post August 15th: Bible Meditation for 1 Samuel 5–6 appeared first on Free Daily Bible Study.
M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for 1 Samuel 4: Three forms of judgment against Israel, and the question of whether we actually want God or not.
The post August 14th: Bible Meditation for 1 Samuel 4 appeared first on Free Daily Bible Study.
M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for 1 Samuel 3: God’s precious word, the warnings God gives to his people, and the need for repentance and faith.
The post August 13th: Bible Meditation for 1 Samuel 3 appeared first on Free Daily Bible Study.
M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for 1 Samuel 2: The wickedness of Hophni and Phinehas, the negligence of Eli, and the priestly standing of Samuel.
The post August 12th: Bible Meditation for 1 Samuel 2 appeared first on Free Daily Bible Study.
M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for 1 Samuel 1: The faith of Hannah, anguished prayer, and entrusting ourselves to Yahweh in the midst of deep pain.
The post August 11th: Bible Meditation for 1 Samuel 1 appeared first on Free Daily Bible Study.
M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for Ruth 3–4: Levirate marriage, kinsman-redeemers, and the real story of Ruth—the transition to King David.
The post August 10th: Bible Meditation for Ruth 3–4 appeared first on Free Daily Bible Study.
M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for Ruth 2: What Boaz teaches us about Jesus in the way he redeemer her by making himself poor for Ruth’s good.
The post August 9th: Bible Meditation for Ruth 2 appeared first on Free Daily Bible Study.
M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for Ruth 1: The plan that God puts in motion to save his people—not through judges, but through a Moabite woman.
The post August 8th: Bible Meditation for Ruth 1 appeared first on Free Daily Bible Study.
M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for Judges 21: How Israel pursues their own destruction through additional sin against Jabesh-gilead and Shiloh.
The post August 7th: Bible Meditation for Judges 21 appeared first on Free Daily Bible Study.
M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for Judges 20: How false worship contributed directly to the crime in Gibeah, and our need to worship God rightly.
The post August 6th: Bible Meditation for Judges 20 appeared first on Free Daily Bible Study.
M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for Judges 19: The Levite’s concubine, her murder, and her dismemberment to alert the other tribes of Gibeah’s sin.
The post August 5th: Bible Meditation for Judges 19 appeared first on Free Daily Bible Study.
M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for Judges 18: The Danites, the furthered career of the Levite, and the way that sin always begets more sin.
The post August 4th: Bible Meditation for Judges 18 appeared first on Free Daily Bible Study.
M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for Judges 17: Micah, the Levite, everyone doing what is right in their own eyes, and our sins of vague religion.
The post August 3rd: Bible Meditation for Judges 17 appeared first on Free Daily Bible Study.
M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for Judges 16: How Samson was sold for pieces of silver and gave up his life to save his people to foreshadow Jesus.
The post August 2nd: Bible Meditation for Judges 16 appeared first on Free Daily Bible Study.
M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for Judges 15: What is right in Samson’s eyes and how God uses even those who rebel against him—through deep pain.
The post August 1st: Bible Meditation for Judges 15 appeared first on Free Daily Bible Study.
M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for Judges 14: The riddle of Samson’s disastrous bride, his defeat of the lion, and his making himself unclean.
The post July 31st: Bible Meditation for Judges 14 appeared first on Free Daily Bible Study.
M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for Judges 13: A barren woman giving birth to a man set apart as a Nazirite—and how Samson foreshadows Christ.
The post July 30th: Bible Meditation for Judges 13 appeared first on Free Daily Bible Study.
M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for Judges 12: Ephraim’s fight with Jephthah, Jephthah’s slaughter of Ephraim, and the need for unity in Christ.
The post July 29th: Bible Meditation for Judges 12 appeared first on Free Daily Bible Study.
M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for Judges 11: The shadow of Christ in the life of Jephthah—especially in his foolish vow to sacrifice his daughter.
The post July 28th: Bible Meditation for Judges 11 appeared first on Free Daily Bible Study.
M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for Judges 10: Yahweh’s test to bring Israel to repentance and the need to seek Yahweh while he may be found.
The post July 27th: Bible Meditation for Judges 10 appeared first on Free Daily Bible Study.
M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for Judges 9: Abimelech’s treachery, Shechem’s wickedness, and God’s timing to give us good desires in his own time.
The post July 26th: Bible Meditation for Judges 9 appeared first on Free Daily Bible Study.
M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for Judges 8: The downfall of Gideon and the warning that beginning well does not prove we will finish well.
The post July 25th: Bible Meditation for Judges 8 appeared first on Free Daily Bible Study.
M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for Judges 7: Gideon’s army of 300 soldiers, the dream of the Midianites, and the victory of God in Israel’s battle.
The post July 24th: Bible Meditation for Judges 7 appeared first on Free Daily Bible Study.
M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for Judges 6: Gideon’s fear and the signs God gives us to overcome our fear through the power of the gospel.
The post July 23rd: Bible Meditation for Judges 6 appeared first on Free Daily Bible Study.
M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for Judges 5: The song celebrating the execution of Sisera and what that song teaches us about the coming of Christ.
The post July 22nd: Bible Meditation for Judges 5 appeared first on Free Daily Bible Study.
M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for Judges 4: The apostasy of Israel, the remnant among God’s people, and how God uses even one faithful servant.
The post July 21st: Bible Meditation for Judges 4 appeared first on Free Daily Bible Study.
M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for Judges 3: The pedagogy of the law, teaching us that we are incapable of obeying Yahweh apart from Jesus Christ.
The post July 20th: Bible Meditation for Judges 3 appeared first on Free Daily Bible Study.
M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for Judges 2: Israel’s spiral into idolatry, oppression, and salvation through judges—and ultimately through Jesus.
The post July 19th: Bible Meditation for Judges 2 appeared first on Free Daily Bible Study.
M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for Judges 1: The transition in Israel after Joshua’s death, and Israel’s need for a shepherd to lead them.
The post July 18th: Bible Meditation for Judges 1 appeared first on Free Daily Bible Study.
M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for Joshua 24: The death of Joshua, Israel’s covenant renewal, and the new covenant ministry of the Holy Spirit.
The post July 17th: Bible Meditation for Joshua 24 appeared first on Free Daily Bible Study.
M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for Joshua 23: The leadership of Joshua, and how Jesus must increase while we decrease as we lead others in Christ.
The post July 16th: Bible Meditation for Joshua 23 appeared first on Free Daily Bible Study.
M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for Joshua 22: The altar of witness for the Reubenites and the Gadites, and the peace and purity of the church.
The post July 15th: Bible Meditation for Joshua 22 appeared first on Free Daily Bible Study.
M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for Joshua 20–21: The dwelling places of the Levites, the diverse gifts in God’s people, and our spiritual leaders.
The post July 14th: Bible Meditation for Joshua 20–21 appeared first on Free Daily Bible Study.
M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for Joshua 18–19: The sluggishness of the seven tribes to claim their inheritance and our need to survey Christ.
The post July 13th: Bible Meditation for Joshua 18–19 appeared first on Free Daily Bible Study.
M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for Joshua 16–17: The failure of Ephraim and Manasseh to complete the conquest, and the need for patient endurance.
The post July 12th: Bible Meditation for Joshua 16–17 appeared first on Free Daily Bible Study.
M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for Joshua 14–15: The inheritance, history, and legacy of the tribe of Judah—especially the Lion of Judah.
The post July 11th: Bible Meditation for Joshua 14–15 appeared first on Free Daily Bible Study.
M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for Joshua 12–13: What it means for Israel to take all of Canaan, but that there remained much more land to possess.
The post July 10th: Bible Meditation for Joshua 12–13 appeared first on Free Daily Bible Study.
M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for Joshua 11: How Yahweh hardens the hearts of Canaanites and commands Israel to devote Canaanites to destruction.
The post July 9th: Bible Meditation for Joshua 11 appeared first on Free Daily Bible Study.
M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for Joshua 10: How Yahweh expedited Israel’s conquering of southern Canaan through Adoni-zedek’s attack on Gibeon.
The post July 8th: Bible Meditation for Joshua 10 appeared first on Free Daily Bible Study.
M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for Joshua 9: The deception of the Gibeonites, our need for prayer, consequences of sin, and God’s redemption.
The post July 7th: Bible Meditation for Joshua 9 appeared first on Free Daily Bible Study.
M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for Joshua 8: Israel’s second battle against Ai and the renewal of the covenant on Mount Gerizim and Mount Ebal.
The post July 6th: Bible Meditation for Joshua 8 appeared first on Free Daily Bible Study.
M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for Joshua 7: Achan’s sin, how Yahweh devoted Israel to destruction, and the mediator who removes our wrath.
The post July 5th: Bible Meditation for Joshua 7 appeared first on Free Daily Bible Study.
M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for Joshua 6: The commander of the armies of Yahweh, Israel’s battle plan, and Yahweh’s fighting for his people.
The post July 4th: Bible Meditation for Joshua 6 appeared first on Free Daily Bible Study.
M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for Joshua 5: Circumcision, rolling back Israel’s reproach, and the final preparations to claim their inheritance.
The post July 3rd: Bible Meditation for Joshua 5 appeared first on Free Daily Bible Study.
M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for Joshua 4: The twelve memorial stones beyond the Jordan and the signs God uses to remind us of the gospel.
The post July 2nd: Bible Meditation for Joshua 4 appeared first on Free Daily Bible Study.
M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for Joshua 3: The entrance of Israel into the Promised Land and the value of following the ark of the covenant.
The post July 1st: Bible Meditation for Joshua 3 appeared first on Free Daily Bible Study.
M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for Joshua 2: The saving faith of Rahab, the scarlet thread, the Hall of Faith, and the scarlet blood of the cross.
The post June 30th: Bible Meditation for Joshua 2 appeared first on Free Daily Bible Study.
M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for Joshua 1: The transition of leadership from Moses to Joshua and his charge to be strong and courageous.
The post June 29th: Bible Meditation for Joshua 1 appeared first on Free Daily Bible Study.
M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for Deuteronomy 33–34: The death of Moses and the duties of the priests as mediators for Israel in Moses’s absence.
The post June 28th: Bible Meditation for Deuteronomy 33–34 appeared first on Free Daily Bible Study.
M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for Deuteronomy 32: The song of Moses, the story of Yahweh’s grace toward Israel, and worshiping through song.
The post June 27th: Bible Meditation for Deuteronomy 32 appeared first on Free Daily Bible Study.
M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for Deuteronomy 31: That God buries his workmen but carries on his work—even for the death of Moses.
The post June 26th: Bible Meditation for Deuteronomy 31 appeared first on Free Daily Bible Study.
M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for Deuteronomy 30: Circumcision of the heart and the work of the Holy Spirit to transform our hearts.
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M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for Deuteronomy 29: Yahweh’s history of grace toward his people and the warning to watch out for bitterness.
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M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for Deuteronomy 28: Yahweh’s covenant blessings, his covenant curses, and his covenant-keeping faithfulness.
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M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for Deuteronomy 27: Writing the law on large stones as a permanent memorial and a new mediator for Israel.
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M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for Deuteronomy 26: Offering the firstfruits to Yahweh, bringing the third-year tithe, and the law of generosity.
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M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for Deuteronomy 25: Sex, marriage, child-bearing, and the generational promises that Yahweh made with Abraham.
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M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for Deuteronomy 24: What the law teaches about predatory loans, paying the wages of day-laborers, and gleaning.
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M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for Deuteronomy 23: How Yahweh walked in the midst of his people in the tabernacle—and why that requires cleanness.
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M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for Deuteronomy 22: “General equity” in interpreting the law and extrapolating principles of justice for today.
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M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for Deuteronomy 21: The curse of hanging on a tree and how Jesus came a curse for us by hanging on the cross.
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M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for Deuteronomy 20: The background of Jesus’ Parable of the Great Banquet and our inheritance in Christ.
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M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for Deuteronomy 19: Cities of refuge, property boundary landmarks, and witnesses—that is, justice in Israel.
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M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for Deuteronomy 18: The prophet like Moses who would arise out of the midst of Israel with genuine authority.
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M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for Deuteronomy 17: The laws concerning kingship in Israel and the future trajectory of Israel’s anointed king.
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M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for Deuteronomy 16: The three major feasts of Israel: Passover, the Feast of Weeks, and the Feast of Booths.
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M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for Deuteronomy 15: The Year of Release, the forgiveness of debts, freeing slaves, and the generosity of God.
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M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for Deuteronomy 13–14: Tithes, offerings, generosity, feasting with Yahweh, and the reason God commands us to give.
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M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for Deuteronomy 12: The end of Israel’s informal worship, doing what is right in your own eyes, and idolatry.
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M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for Deuteronomy 11: Frontlets and the physical reminders God gives us to draw us back into the story of Jesus.
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M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for Deuteronomy 10: Heart circumcision, outward signs, inward realities, and the Holy Spirit’s work in regeneration.
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M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for Deuteronomy 9: Our unrighteousness, God’s mercy, and how our boasting is completely excluded before God.
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M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for Deuteronomy 8: The folly of crediting our own strength, power, might, and resources for what God gives to us.
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M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for Deuteronomy 7: The circular logic of why God chose Israel and the reason why God lavished his love on you.
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M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for Deuteronomy 6: The story of God’s redemption, the meaning of his laws, and teaching the gospel to our children.
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M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for Deuteronomy 5: The fear of the Lord, our guilt before Yahweh, and the glorious gospel of Christ as our mediator.
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M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for Deuteronomy 4: The scandal of particularity, Yahweh’s choice of Israel, and his election of you and me.
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M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for Deuteronomy 3: Learning from Moses’s desperate prayer to enter the Promised Land for our own desperate prayers.
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M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for Deuteronomy 2: The story of Yahweh’s dealings with Israel, and how Yahweh’s grace always precedes his law.
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M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for Deuteronomy 1: Deuteronomy, the words of Yahweh, the glory of Moses’s ministry, and the growing shadow of Jesus.
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M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for Numbers 36: The marriages of Zelophehad’s daughters and the crucial place of inheritance in biblical theology.
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M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for Numbers 35: Cities of refuge, the avenger of blood, and the death of our great high priest so we may go free.
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M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for Numbers 34: Warfare, inheritance, and the foregone conclusion of victory for those who are in Christ.
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M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for Numbers 33: The faithfulness of Yahweh, the warnings to Israel, and the good work that God will complete.
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M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for Numbers 32: The inheritance of Reuben and Gad, the firstfruits of the promised land, and the balm of Gilead.
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M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for Numbers 31: The warfare and vengeance of God in the promised land and the coming warrior, King Jesus.
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M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for Numbers 30: Faithfulness, keeping oaths, and the love of Christ to bear his bride’s faithlessness on the cross.
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M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for Numbers 29: The feasts of the old covenant, the holiness of time, and the Sabbath rest of God in Christ.
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M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for Numbers 28: The perpetual bloodshed of the old covenant priesthood and the once-for-all sacrifice of Jesus.
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M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for Numbers 27: The daughters of Zelophehad, kinsman redeemers, and making preparations for the next generation.
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M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for Numbers 26: The two censuses of Israel, the warfare of Israel to inherit Canaan, and the armor of God.
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M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for Numbers 25: The righteousness of Phineas, piercing the idolator, and the righteousness of Jesus, pierced for us.
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M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for Numbers 24: What the oracles of Balaam teach us about Israel, and about the star who would come out of Israel.
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M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for Numbers 23: The eternal trustworthiness of the God, who does not lie or change his mind, in his word.
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M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for Numbers 22: The faithfulness of Yahweh to protect Israel from Balaam, even after the faithlessness of Israel.
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M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for Numbers 21: Israel’s rebellion, the fiery serpents, and the bronze serpent lifted up in the wilderness.
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M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for Numbers 20: The disqualification of Moses from entering into the promised land and the righteousness of Jesus.
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M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for Numbers 19: The unholiness of death and the cleansing mixture of water with the ashes of a red heifer.
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M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for Numbers 17–18: Budding life from the dead staff of Aaron and the fruit that Jesus offers when we abide in him.
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M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for Numbers 16: Korah’s rebellion, the test of the incense censer, and God’s wrath against those who claim holiness.
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M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for Numbers 15: High-handed sins, the case of the Sabbathbreaker, and David’s prayer after his own high-handed sin.
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M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for Numbers 14: The cowardice of Israel’s spies, the rebellion of the people, and the mediation of Moses.
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M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for Numbers 12–13: The challenge Miriam and Aaron level against Moses’s prophetic exclusivity, and God’s response.
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M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for Numbers 11: The expansion of the Holy Spirit’s resting on the seventy elders of Israel, and not only Moses.
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M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for Numbers 10: The function and theology of the trumpet to break Israel’s camp and to summon them to war.
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M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for Numbers 9: The provision that Yahweh makes for those unclean during Passover to celebrate the feast anyway.
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M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for Numbers 8: The cleansing of the Levites through the washing of water and the sprinkling of sacrificial blood.
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M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for Numbers 7: The holy things that the people of Israel brought near to God as offerings for the tabernacle.
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M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for Numbers 6: The theological distinction between “clean” and “holy”—and how normal Israelites could be made holy.
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M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for Numbers 5: Moving the unclean outside the camp and tests for adultery—practical consequences of distance laws.
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M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for Numbers 4: Why God’s holy wrath consumes sinners who violate his presence, and how Christ has brought us near.
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M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for Numbers 3: How the clans of the Levites were brought near to Yahweh, and outsiders to the tabernacle.
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M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for Numbers 2: Space, distance, and physical proximity to Yahweh’s holiness—and the Levites’ guard duty.
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M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for Numbers 1: Rules, structure, boundaries, and the arrangement of Israel’s camp in the book of Numbers.
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M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for Leviticus 27: The necessity of keeping vows and the faithfulness of Yahweh, the great covenant-keeper.
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M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for Leviticus 26: Blessings, curses, and the tension between God’s righteousness and his love for his people.
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M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for Leviticus 25: The Year of Jubilee, poverty, debt, economic justice, and the Jubilee that Christ will usher in.
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M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for Leviticus 24: What old covenant civil laws—like laws against blasphemy—teach us about the kingdom of God today.
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M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for Leviticus 23: The old covenant feasts and how they foreshadowed the person and work of Jesus Christ.
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M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for Leviticus 22: Why the priests were held to higher standards of cleanness and purity than the rest of Israel.
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M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for Leviticus 21: Why priests were forbidden from marrying certain people and mourning the loss of their loved ones.
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M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for Leviticus 20: What Yahweh demands of the people whom he has chosen, set apart, and called to himself.
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M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for Leviticus 19: How the law helps us love our neighbor as ourselves. Also, why the law is about love, not rules.
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M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for Leviticus 18: Why God gives us our sexuality, what he wants from our sexuality, and how we pursue holiness.
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M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for Leviticus 17: The theology of blood that informs the whole Bible, and what additionally we learn from Jesus.
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M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for Leviticus 16: The robes, the sin offerings, the scapegoat, and the purification of the Day of Atonement.
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M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for Leviticus 15: Normal bodily functions, cleanness, purification, and the contagious holiness of Jesus.
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M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for Leviticus 14: Cleansing from leprosy, the horror of the curse of sin, and the weakness of the law.
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M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for Leviticus 13: Leprosy, the curse of sin, and why Jesus came to make lepers (and therefore sinners) clean.
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M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for Leviticus 11–12: How the issues of holiness and cleanness affect how Yahweh will dwell with his people.
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M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for Leviticus 10: The unauthorized fire offered by Nadab and Abihu, the furious holiness of Yahweh, and Jesus.
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M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for Leviticus 9: The ordination of Aaron as priest, and the priesthood of all believers under the new covenant.
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M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for Leviticus 8: The ordination of the Aaronic priests to represent Yahweh to Israel, and Israel to Yahweh.
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M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for Leviticus 7: The unique privileges of the Levites, including their provisions from the altar of Yahweh.
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M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for Leviticus 6: The guilt offering and Yahweh’s requirement that we make restitution when we defraud others.
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M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for Leviticus 5: What it meant for Israel to offer costly sacrifices, and what it means today for us.
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M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for Leviticus 4: The significance of the sin offering and what qualifies as “unintentional” and "high-handed" sins.
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M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for Leviticus 2–3: What are the differences between the burnt offering, the grain offering, and the peace offering?
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M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for Leviticus 1: How should Christians read Leviticus—as a boring book of rules, or as something much more?
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M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for Exodus 40: A new level of intimacy: when Yahweh’s glory fills the tabernacle so even Moses may not enter.
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M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for Exodus 39: The glory of old covenant, tabernacle ministry versus the glory of new covenant ministry in Christ.
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M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for Exodus 38: Atonement and cleansing through the bronze altar and the laver, then by Christ and the Holy Spirit.
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M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for Exodus 37: What the ark of the covenant, the table, and the lampstand teach us about the ministry of Jesus.
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M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for Exodus 36: The craftsmanship of Oholiab and Bezalel and the craftsmanship of Yahweh to build his eternal temple.
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M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for Exodus 35: If Yahweh’s holiness should remain separate from the people, then how do we enter into that holiness?
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M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for Exodus 34: What the glory of Yahweh looks like, what Yahweh proclaims about himself, and how those go together.
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M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for Exodus 33: The day God threatened death itself—that is, the judgment of separation from him—against Israel.
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M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for Exodus 32: The false god Israel worshiped as though it were Yahweh—and what we learn about our own idolatries.
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M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for Exodus 31: The theology of the Sabbath—why God values the Sabbath so much, and how to avoid Sabbath legalism.
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M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for Exodus 30: The tabernacle’s altar of incense and the theology of the priestly ministry of intercessory prayer.
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M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for Exodus 29: The theological significance of the three processes for consecrating the priests for ministry.
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M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for Exodus 28: The holy garments of the priests, and what they teach us about the priestly ministry of Jesus Christ.
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M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for Exodus 27: The courtyard where common Israelites approached Yahweh, and the dividing wall of hostility.
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M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for Exodus 26: Yahweh’s holiness and the boundaries Yahweh establishes to protect his holiness in the tabernacle.
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M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for Exodus 25: The Garden of Eden, the tabernacle, and God’s saving purposes to dwell in the midst of his people.
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M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for Exodus 24: The pattern for New Testament worship given in a bloody covenant renewal ceremony on Mount Sinai.
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M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for Exodus 23: How does the conditional nature of the law fit with the unconditional promises God made to Abraham?
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M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for Exodus 22: How Christians can profit from even the laws that forbid eating flesh torn by beasts in the field?
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M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for Exodus 21: The surprising truth about the “eye for an eye” laws—and why they don’t leave the whole world blind.
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M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for Exodus 20: How should Christians think about the Ten Commandments today? What use should we make of them?
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M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for Exodus 19: What is the law, and how does it relate to grace? What do we learn as Israel comes to Mount Sinai?
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M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for Exodus 18: What does the book of Exodus teach us about spiritual leadership in the local church today?
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M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for Exodus 17: Does Yahweh care? Will he continue to be faithful? How should we respond to setbacks and trials?
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M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for Exodus 16: What kind of bread did Moses give Israel, and how does it compare to what Jesus offers in John 6?
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M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for Exodus 15: What the song of Moses might suggest for the reforming the music that the church sings in worship.
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M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for Exodus 14: The appropriate way for us to cooperate in Yahweh’s mighty victories: we have only to be silent.
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M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for Exodus 13: How Yahweh approaches and dwells in the presence of his people through pillars of cloud and fire.
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M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for Exodus 12:22–51: The mercy of Yahweh toward believing Egyptians—even in the wake of killing every firstborn son.
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M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for Exodus 11: The final showdown between Yahweh and Pharaoh, and the institution of the Passover.
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M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for Exodus 10: How Pharaoh handles the devastation that Yahweh sends—and how we ought to respond to suffering.
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M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for Exodus 9: The purposes behind God’s judgment: to give him glory and to bring salvation to the ends of the earth.
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M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for Exodus 8: How Yahweh overthrew Egypt’s false religion—and how Jesus will overthrow false religion at his return.
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M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for Exodus 7: What “Yahweh hardened Pharaoh’s heart” means—and why we should respond with repentance and faith.
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M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for Exodus 6: Why the name of Yahweh signifies powerful redemption and salvation for the people of God.
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M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for Exodus 5: The oppression of Pharaoh, the anger of Moses, and the gracious response of Israel’s loving God.
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M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for Exodus 4: The fear of Moses, the fear of God, and God’s promises to be with his people until the end of the age.
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M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for Exodus 3: The approaching holiness of God in the burning bush—and the approaching holiness of God at the cross.
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M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for Exodus 2: The providential preservation of Moses through an ark, and how God remembered his covenant.
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M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for Exodus 1: The transition from Joseph to a pharaoh who did not know Joseph—and who persecuted the Israel.
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M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for Genesis 50: Joseph understands that, while his brothers meant evil, God sent him to Egypt for good.
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M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for Genesis 49: Jacob blesses his sons, and specifically prophesies that the scepter will never depart from Judah.
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M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for Genesis 48: Jacob adopts Ephraim and Manasseh but blesses Ephraim over Manasseh because God exalts the lowly.
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M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for Genesis 47: Joseph makes Pharaoh wealthy while Jacob hopes in the promise that he will be buried in Canaan.
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M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for Genesis 46: God sovereignly works all things together for good for the holy family—even by taking them to Egypt.
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M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for Genesis 45: How Joseph reveals himself to his brothers and forgives them for their betrayal of him.
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M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for Genesis 44: Judah’s maturation from selling Joseph and sleeping with Tamar to becoming a fitting type of Jesus.
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M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for Genesis 43: How Joseph graciously invites his brothers who had betrayed him to sit down with him for a feast.
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M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for Genesis 42: When the guilty sons of Israel stand before Joseph, the righteous, exalted son of Israel.
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M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for Genesis 41: The vindication of Joseph, God’s suffering servant, and his exaltation over all of Egypt.
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M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for Genesis 40: Joseph’s prison ministry to the baker and the cupbearer, and what this story teaches us about Jesus.
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M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for Genesis 39: What the story of Joseph’s unjust imprisonment teaches us about the ministry of Christ.
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M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan Meditation for Genesis 38: What it means to find out that Judah, the ancestor of Jesus, is a complete scoundrel.
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Bible Readings for February 4th Genesis 37 | Mark 7 | Job 3 | Romans 7
In Genesis 37, we meet Joseph, the final main figure of Genesis. Although Joseph will be misunderstood and hated and rejected by his brothers, he nevertheless plays a key role in bringing the chosen family to Egypt (which sets up the story of Moses and God’s redemption of Israel out of Egypt in Exodus), and it is through Joseph that God will preserve the entire world through one of the worst famines in all of history.
Our first impression of Joseph is somewhat startling, because Joseph sounds a bit like an entitled, bratty kid who tattles on his brothers (Gen. 37:2) and who foolishly makes bragging claims about his own superiority over his brothers. Compounded with the fact that Jacob clearly favored Joseph over all his brothers by giving him a beautiful coat (Gen. 37:4), we think to ourselves, “It’s no wonder that the rest of Israel’s sons hate Joseph!”
But in fact, that isn’t a very accurate evaluation of what we read in Genesis 37. Allen Ross carefully weighs this text, demonstrating how the “bad report” Joseph brings about his brothers is, in fact, a demonstration of Joseph’s faithfulness to his father, no matter what consequences it might bring for him. Furthermore, Joseph’s dreams weren’t opportunities for Joseph to boast to his brothers; rather, they were prophetic revelation from Almighty God himself, and Joseph would have been obligated to share the contents of those dreams.1 Jacob certainly should have considered the way that his favoritism would have negatively affected his other sons since he too was nearly the victim of his father Isaac’s favoritism toward Esau, but Joseph wasn’t to blame for that.
The picture we get from this opening story of Joseph, then, isn’t one of a foolish, arrogant child who gets what he deserves when he is sold into slavery. Rather, we see that Joseph is a faithful, innocent son and that Joseph’s brothers act wickedly in rejecting him and shedding his blood (figuratively speaking). Things will get worse for Joseph before they get better, but this initial presentation of Joseph is important for establishing his own character as well as the baseline for his brothers’ character.
This story is primarily important, however, because we see in Joseph a glimpse into who Jesus will ultimately be. Despite the fact that God had chosen to exalt Joseph above his brothers here in Genesis, his fellow Israelites nevertheless reject him and try to kill him. Ultimately, through Joseph’s faithfulness in spite of his persecution and mistreatment, God will save the whole world.
As we read over the next couple of weeks, pay attention to the way that, in Joseph, a picture of Jesus Christ will slowly unfold and develop. We are meant to see throughout the whole Old Testament a growing picture of what God’s Messiah will eventually look like in this world, and Joseph is a huge clue toward establishing that picture.
1 Allen P. Ross, Creation and Blessing: A Guide to the Study and Exposition of Genesis (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 1996), 597–601.
Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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Bible Readings for February 3rd Genesis 35–36 | Mark 6 | Job 2 | Romans 6
In everything we have read so far, Jacob has been in perpetual distress. From the beginning of his life, when he deceived his brother, Esau, and tricked his father, Isaac, Jacob has been on the run, the subject of mistreatment by his uncle, and living under the hanging cloud of uncertainty because of the Hivites. It seems like a long time ago that God had blessed Jacob in Genesis 32, changing his name to Israel. Indeed, we do not find Jacob being called Israel in Genesis 33 or 34.
But in Genesis 35, we see God renewing and re-establishing his covenant promises to Jacob. God comes to Jacob, commanding him to go to Bethel and to make an altar—just as Jacob had done while he was fleeing from Esau. Jacob tells his household to put away the foreign gods—perhaps the foreign gods that Rachel had stolen from Laban in Genesis 31—and to purify themselves.
And once again, God, out of his pure grace, protects and preserves Jacob along the way: “as they journeyed, a terror from God fell upon the cities that were around them, so that they did not pursue the sons of Jacob” (Gen. 35:5). This would have perhaps been an opportunity to destroy Jacob’s family for what Simeon and Levi had done to the Hivites in Genesis 34, but God keeps Jacob and his household from any harm.
Still, God renews his covenant with Jacob at Bethel. He re-renames Jacob, so that “no longer shall your name be called Jacob, but Israel shall be your name” (Gen. 35:10). God promises that Jacob would be the ancestor of a great nation, but also a company of nations (including many kings), in addition to reaffirming his promise to give the land of Canaan to Jacob’s offspring after him.
It is difficult to read the story of Jacob without confusion about God’s purposes toward him. Why Jacob? What makes him so special that God has chosen this lying, scheming scoundrel to be the namesake of Israel, God’s special people whom he chose out of all the peoples of the earth? In spite of Jacob’s repeated failures, why does God renew his covenant with Jacob rather than canceling it?
But in fact, God delights in demonstrating his grace toward great sinners. He loves to save people out of brokenness and chaos so that he gets all the glory, so there can be no mistake in thinking that God accomplished what he did through putting together a dream team of human beings. God didn’t pick the most exemplary people to bring the promised offspring into the world—God chose people like Jacob.
And God still chooses people like Jacob—God chooses you and me so that he will gain all the glory in Jesus Christ. Like Jacob, we cannot boast anything in the presence of our gracious, sovereign God.
Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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Bible Readings for February 2nd Genesis 34 | Mark 5 | Job 1 | Romans 5
The chosen family does not come away from Genesis 34 looking very good. In the wake of a horrific tragedy—the rape of Dinah by Shechem the Hivite—Jacob and his sons respond poorly, but in different ways.
Simeon and Levi are rightfully outraged at the defiling of their sister, but they wrongly take matters into their own hands. Worse than simply bringing direct vengeance against Shechem, they extend their vengeance to the entire group of Hivites under Shechem’s father, Hamor, who had done nothing wrong. And still worse—they execute their vengeance through deceitfully using circumcision as their weapon to incapacitate the men in the city, making a mockery of God’s covenant sign in the process. They take up the scheming of their father, Jacob, and put it to a brutal use.1
Jacob’s response is woefully passive. Rather than taking action by demanding that justice be served through lawfully punishing Shechem, Jacob simply speaks with Hamor, apparently willing to give his daughter away in marriage to her rapist—and even willing to give her to a pagan Canaanite living in the land. When he discovers the treachery of his sons Simeon and Levi at the end of Genesis 34, he is furious with them, but he has no answer for their question: “Should he treat our sister like a prostitute?” (Gen. 34:31).
Although Simeon and Levi were wrong to deceive the Hivites and to execute them in cold blood while they were still in great pain from their circumcision, their words stop Jacob. We are not directly told why he doesn’t do or say anything, but it seems he is primarily controlled by fear, based on what he says against Simeon and Levi in Genesis 34:30: “You have brought trouble on me by making me stink to the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites and the Perizzites. My numbers are few, and if they gather themselves against me and attack me, I shall be destroyed, both I and my household.” That is the calculated cowardice of a man who has strategically acted for his entire lifetime to preserve his own best interests—and not what is right.
Jacob, however, is correct—Simeon and Levi have brought jeopardy against Jacob’s entire family in the land. Later on in the Bible, when Joshua leads the people of Israel back into the promised land of Canaan, there are still Hivites living in the land (Josh. 3:10). The tables are turned, however, because all Israel needs to be circumcised at once, having been uncircumcised the whole time the nation had been wandering in the wilderness under Moses (Josh. 5:1–9). Would the Hivites discover them and exact their revenge?
No—even in that situation, God again protects his people. And he does it not because their record is spotless but purely out of his free grace.
In what ways have you deserved much worse than you received?
1 John Sailhamer, The Pentateuch as Narrative: A Biblical-Theological Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1992), 201.
Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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Bible Readings for February 1st Genesis 33 | Mark 4 | Esther 9–10 | Romans 4
We shouldn’t be surprised to see Jacob falter in his confident faith when he sees Esau coming from far off, even though Jacob had only just finished wrestling with God (Gen. 33:1). Of course, it didn’t help Jacob’s fear to see Esau coming with four hundred men, but even so, Jacob continues his pattern of favoritism by dividing up his entire household, putting the servants and their children up at the front to meet Esau first, then Leah with her children next, then Rachel and Joseph last (Gen. 33:2). To his credit, Jacob goes ahead of everyone to meet his brother and to grovel before him.
If we aren’t surprised to see Jacob faltering in his faith, we should be surprised at Esau’s reaction. Jacob does not find a brother who has been nursing a grudge for the past twenty years, ready to exact his revenge on the trickster Jacob. Instead, Jacob discovers that his brother has forgiven him for everything he has done. Esau extends to Jacob extraordinary grace and mercy, and we read that “Esau ran to meet him and embraced him and fell on his neck and kissed him, and they wept” (Gen. 33:4).
It’s a touching scene of reunion, but the thing that is really fascinating about this description of the reunion is that Jesus borrows heavily from the details in his parable of the prodigal son. After the prodigal son had asked for his inheritance early—essentially telling his father that he cared more about his father’s money than his father’s life—the son squandered all of his money. When extreme poverty drives him to return to his father begging for forgiveness, we read that the prodigal son’s father does the exact same thing as Esau had done when he reunited with Jacob.
Here’s how Jesus tells the story: “But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him” (Luke 15:20). Jesus models the loving father of the prodigal son in his parable after the real-life loving response of Esau toward his prodigal brother, Jacob.
Again in this story, we see grace toward Jacob. We don’t see a man behaving with courage and bravery; in fact, Esau is the one who comes off really well in this story, not Jacob. Jacob is the prodigal, while Esau is the hero of this story.
And if Jacob needed extensive grace, how much more do we? Has the depth of your sin broken you to seek out grace like Jacob the prodigal brother, or are you still at a point where you are scheming and deceiving those around you to get by as Jacob did earlier in his life?
Is the gospel your hope as God’s prodigal son, or are you still seeking your own way apart from him?
Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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Bible Readings for January 31st Genesis 32 | Mark 3 | Esther 8 | Romans 3
Up to this point, Jacob’s relationship with God has been fairly one-sided. God has made promises to Jacob, protected Jacob, and faithfully begun to lead Jacob back to the land of Canaan. Jacob, on the other hand, has tricked his brother, Esau, out of a birthright, schemed his father out of a blessing, and provoked rivalry between his two wives—and he never really seems terribly concerned with God except during the times when God appeared to him, once at Bethel (Gen. 28) and once when God told him to return from the house of Laban to the land of Canaan (Gen. 31).
Make no mistake—the story of Jacob is the story of God’s unmerited grace toward a great sinner. But when we read Jacob’s story, we shouldn’t come away from it despising Jacob. Rather, we should take from this story a fresh appreciation of God’s own grace toward sinners like us.
Still, part of God’s grace is that he refuses to leave us in the condition that he found us. Grace is not God’s way of sweeping our sin under the rug, but rather it is God’s way of transforming our lives. We may begin our lives like Jacob, but at some point we must begin to engage with God directly in order to become what God wants us to be: his Israel.
In Genesis 32, we see two major leaps forward in Jacob’s own faith toward God. First, Jacob’s prayer in Genesis 32:9–12 is a model for us to study. In his prayer, Jacob reminds God of the promises that God made to him. He is vulnerable and honest about his fears before God, and he prays, “But you said, ‘I will surely do you good, and make your offspring as the sand of the sea, which cannot be numbered for multitude’” (Gen. 32:12).
One of the most effective things we can do in prayer is to plead God’s own promises with him. God loves to hear his children praying his word back to him. This is a mature prayer, a sign that Jacob himself is growing beyond his reckless youth.
Second, in a stunning passage, we read that Jacob actually wrestles with God in Genesis 32:22–32. God appears to Jacob as a man and wrestles with him, providing a metaphor for Jacob’s life when God leaves Jacob with a limp after putting his hip out of joint (Gen. 32:25) and changing Jacob’s name to Israel, saying, “Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with God and with men, and have prevailed” (Gen. 32:28).
Jacob will continue to make many mistakes, but he has here turned a corner. Rather than scheming and lying to get what he wants, Jacob has become a man who strives with God face-to-face—and a man who has the scars to prove it.
Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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Bible Readings for January 30th Genesis 31 | Mark 2 | Esther 7 | Romans 2
Jacob’s time living with Laban has been a terrible experience. At every turn, Laban has lied to Jacob and cheated him out of what he promised to Jacob, first by giving Jacob Leah instead of Rachel as a wife and second by stealing Jacob’s wages of the striped, spotted, and mottled animals. Jacob had found a technique to breed more of those animals through peeling sticks in Genesis 30, and now, at the beginning of Genesis 31, we find that Laban’s sons have begun to turn against Jacob and his family because Jacob has become too rich.
It is no small relief, then, that Yahweh’s call for Jacob to leave Laban and return to Canaan finally comes in Genesis 31:3: “Return to the land of your fathers and to your kindred, and I will be with you.” After serving Laban for twenty years (Gen. 31:41), Jacob will at last return to the land that God had promised to Jacob’s grandfather Abraham, to his father, Isaac, to Jacob, and to Jacob’s offspring.
At the outset of Jacob’s return journey home, we gain two glimpses that help us to understand God’s perspective regarding the relationship between Jacob and Laban. First, when Jacob is explaining to his wives the reasons that they need to leave their father’s house to go with him back to the land of Canaan, Jacob tells them about the vision he had from God, which seems to be the fuller account of the vision where Yahweh told Jacob to return to the land of Canaan in Genesis 31:3.
In this vision, God tells Jacob that he himself has made all the goats to be striped, spotted, and mottled—that is, the kind of goats that Jacob could claim as his own, according to the agreement he struck with Laban in Genesis 30:31–34—and God explains that he did this because “I have seen all that Laban is doing to you” (Gen. 31:12). Through this turbulent time, God has been preserving and blessing and flourishing Jacob. God was not compelled to bring forth spotted or speckled sheep by Jacob’s breeding practices; rather, God graciously blessed Jacob to protect him from Laban’s dishonesty.
The second glimpse we get into God’s perspective comes when Laban pursues Jacob to find his stolen household gods and to bid farewell to his daughters and his grandchildren. God comes to Laban in a dream, saying, “Be careful not to say anything to Jacob, either good or bad” (Gen. 31:24).
In this warning, we are reminded that God swore a covenant with Jacob and that Isaac prophesied that God would bless those who blessed Jacob and curse those who cursed Jacob (Gen. 27:29). The dishonesty and treachery of a man like Laban is nothing in comparison with the power and wisdom of God to bring salvation to the world through the offspring of Jacob.
Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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Bible Readings for January 29th Genesis 30 | Mark 1 | Esther 6 | Romans 1
Genesis 30 contains two main stories. The first half of the chapter continues the tragic, unhappy narrative of sibling rivalry between Leah and Rachel that began in Genesis 29. In yesterday’s meditation, we noticed similarities between this story and the stories of Abraham, Sarah, and Hagar, and Isaac and Rebekah. In Genesis 30, we see yet another similarity to a previous story. Here, Rachel sends her servant Bilhah into her husband, Jacob, to conceive on her behalf (Gen. 30:3–8), just as Sarah had sent in Hagar to conceive a child with Abraham on her behalf. Later, Leah follows suit, sending in her servant Zilpah to Jacob (Gen. 30:9).
We also read that these women struggle over their husband when Leah “hires” Jacob sexually (at Rachel’s prompting) by selling her son’s mandrakes (Gen. 30:16). Ultimately, the author of Genesis insists that Rachel does not conceive because of mandrakes (an ancient fertility treatment) but because God “remembered Rachel, and God listened to her and opened her womb” (Gen. 30:22).
Sadly, despite the many children shared by Leah and Rachel, the tensions between them have escalated to outright competition. God has prospered Jacob, giving him the sons who would eventually form the heads of the tribes of Israel, but his family is a wreck, with his sister-wives and their female servants pitted against each other.
The second half of Genesis 30 tells the strange story of Jacob’s efforts to take wages from his uncle Laban before he leaves with his family to return to the land of Canaan. The two men make an arrangement that Jacob would that day pass through Laban’s flock, taking out all the speckled and spotted goats and lambs, along with the black lambs for wages, and that Laban would keep all the remaining livestock (Gen. 30:31–33).
But immediately, Laban conspires to cheat Jacob by removing all spotted, speckled, or black animals in his flock and sending them to become part of his sons’ flocks, who were a three-days’ journey away. Remember, the agreement was for Jacob to take his wages from Laban’s flock that same day (Gen. 30:32). When Laban removed the animals and sent them away, he effectively stole Jacob’s wages from him. Additionally, Laban was preventing any further breeding between the spotted, speckled, or black animals and the rest of the flock.
Once again, Jacob is cheated out of his wages, just as he was cheated out of Rachel after seven years of working for her. Also, don’t overlook the fact that Laban dishonestly gave Leah to Jacob instead of Rachel, forcing Jacob to take two wives instead of one and causing no small amount of trouble.
Oddly, Jacob finds an innovative way to breed spotted, speckled, and black animals by causing stronger animals to breed in front of peeled sticks. What should we make of this?
Let’s pick up that discussion tomorrow.
Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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Bible Readings for January 28th Genesis 29 | Matthew 28 | Esther 5 | Acts 28
As we discussed during the meditation for Genesis 24, it is a running theme in Scripture for God’s people to meet their future spouses at wells. Abraham’s servant met Isaac’s wife-to-be, Rebekah, at a well, and now Jacob meets his future wife Rachel at a well.
But after Jacob serves Rachel’s father, Laban, for seven years in order to marry Rachel, Laban gives Rachel’s older sister, Leah, to Jacob in marriage. Jacob, the younger brother who had shamelessly tricked his older brother and deceived his father to get what he wanted, is now furious that Laban would give him the older daughter before the younger. Laban sins against Jacob, but there is no doubt that God is providentially bringing Jacob’s own sins back around to him. As Allen Ross writes, “even though God’s people may experience God’s blessing on their endeavors, God will effectively discipline them by making them painfully aware of their unresolved sins.”1
Then, when Jacob finally receives Rachel as his bride, he finds out that she is barren—just like Jacob’s mother, Rebekah, had been (Gen. 25:21), and just like Jacob’s grandmother Sarah had been (Gen. 11:30). Once again, God calls a barren woman to play a role in bringing forth offspring to make Abraham’s family into a great nation.
And once again, there is strife in the family of the patriarch. Sarah and Hagar had despised each other (Gen. 16:4–6), and now Leah and Rachel are locked in a struggle for Jacob’s affections and for his offspring. We will see more of Rachel’s envy tomorrow (Gen. 30:1), but the focus for today falls on Leah’s envy of Jacob’s love for her sister.
The hope of Genesis 29 is that even though Jacob may not have loved Leah, Yahweh certainly did. Through Leah’s son Levi, Yahweh called forth the priests who would minister to him, and through Leah’s son Judah, Yahweh brought forward the direct ancestor of Jesus.
Yahweh never loses sight of his ultimate purpose—to bring his only Son into this world to destroy sin, death, and the devil forever—but he also never loses sight of the people he pulls into his story along the way. No one is treated as a prop or a puppet, but as a creature made in God’s own image, worthy of dignity and respect.
And even today, as God’s plan marches toward eternity, he still cares. He still shows tender compassion to those who are most worn down by the hurtfulness of this world. If you are tired and discouraged by this life’s harshness, remember Leah, who eventually came to terms with her lot in life, so that she stopped naming her sons in such a way as to plead for her husband’s love, but with her final son, she simply named him Judah, saying, “This time I will praise the LORD” (Gen. 29:35).
1 Allen P. Ross, Creation and Blessing: A Guide to the Study and Exposition of Genesis (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 1996), 503.
Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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Bible Readings for January 27th Genesis 28 | Matthew 27 | Esther 4 | Acts 27
At the outset of Genesis 28, Jacob has come to an impasse. If he does not flee, he will certainly be murdered by his brother, Esau, from whom he stole their father Isaac’s blessing in Genesis 27. But if he does flee, it is unclear how he will receive the blessing of Abraham. Throughout Genesis there is a concern that if the true offspring of Abraham leaves the land of Canaan, they might in some way invalidate the promise that God had made to give the land to Abraham’s offspring (Gen. 12:10; 24:2–4, 8; 26:2–5). After Abraham’s foolish trip to Egypt in Genesis 12, God’s covenant people had not left Canaan for any reason.
But Rebekah seems unconcerned with this, so she lies to Isaac at the end of Genesis 27, making up an excuse to cause Isaac to send Jacob away from Esau’s vengeance. Rebekah tells Isaac that she does not want Jacob marrying one of the Hittite women (Gen. 27:46), since Esau had married two Hittite women who had “made life bitter for Isaac and Rebekah” (Gen. 26:35). So, Isaac instructs Jacob to leave in order to find a wife among the daughters of Laban, Rebekah’s brother.
As Jacob leaves, Isaac reiterates to Jacob the covenant blessing of Abraham: “May [God Almighty] give the blessing of Abraham to you and to your offspring with you, that you may take possession of the land of your sojournings that God gave to Abraham!” (Gen. 28:4). But would God remain faithful to his promise if the offspring of Abraham and Isaac left the land of Canaan? If not, what would happen to God’s promise from Genesis 3:15 to crush the head of the serpent?
It is not an overstatement to say that the fate of the universe turns on the answer to these questions. If Jacob’s leaving Canaan invalidated God’s promise to Abraham and Isaac, then the ultimate promise to bless the whole world through the offspring of Abraham would never come to fulfillment. And Jacob’s recent behavior certainly wouldn’t merit him any special treatment from God.
But in fact, God does meet Jacob on his way out of Canaan to Haran, and when he meets him, he promises Jacob not only that would he bless him and his offspring (Gen. 28:13) and that his offspring would bless all the families of the earth (Gen. 28:14) but also that God himself would bring Jacob back to the land (Gen. 28:15).
Simply put, God’s plan to bless all the families of the earth is bigger than Jacob, Esau, Rebekah, and Isaac. God’s plan cannot be derailed by family squabbles, geography, or reckless sin.
God will accomplish all that he intends to through Jesus Christ, and he will either do it through us or in spite of us.
Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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Bible Readings for January 26th Genesis 27 | Matthew 26 | Esther 3 | Acts 26
The blessing that Isaac pronounces on Jacob—the blessing that he does not pronounce on Esau, despite his intentions to do so—was not a vague wish for his son’s well being. In fact, it was a prophesy that bore great weight and significance, so much so that Isaac had no blessing left to give to his son Esau, since Jacob had taken all of the best blessings. Jacob would receive abundance and wealth (Gen. 27:28) and the obedience of the nations (Gen. 27:29), while Esau would only receive infertile land and subservience to Jacob (Gen. 27:39–40).
The critical blessing falls in Genesis 27:29: “Cursed be everyone who curses you, and blessed be everyone who blesses you!” Yahweh had promised this exact thing to Abraham in Genesis 12:3: “I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” Yahweh had sworn that he would save or curse all peoples based upon their interaction with one man and his offspring. Next, Yahweh traced that promise through Isaac (rather than Ishmael—Gen. 21:12), and now Yahweh’s promise falls to Jacob (rather than Esau).
But how could God possibly bring anything good out of such a wretched, deceitful, petty family?
In fact, God had already decided that Esau (the older) would serve his younger brother, Jacob (Gen. 25:23). Even from the womb, and even before either boy had done anything good or bad, God’s purposes in election were set. Just as God had passed over Ishmael in favor of Isaac, so God would pass over Esau in favor of Jacob.
Why? How is there justice in this?
In fact, God’s election isn’t about justice, because God’s election is about grace. By grace, God had chosen one man out of all the world to bless, and by grace, God had promised that the blessing he placed on that one man would be the means through which the whole world would be blessed. By grace, God chose Isaac, and by grace, God chose Jacob.
And by grace, God eventually raised up the promised offspring, his own Son Jesus Christ, so that whoever blesses Jesus will be blessed and whoever curses Jesus will be cursed.
The doctrine of election, then, isn’t really given to us so that we spend our time speculating about who’s in and who’s out but rather so that we recognize that God’s purposes prevail even in the lives of messed up people like Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—as well as you and me. Those whom God foreknew, predestined, called, justified, and glorified will receive salvation—not because of their goodness, but because of God’s grace.
We should rejoice today because we aren’t called by being better than Esau; rather, we are called in spite of the fact that we are as bad as Jacob.
Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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Bible Readings for January 25th Genesis 26 | Matthew 25 | Esther 2 | Acts 25
Like father, like son. Or, to borrow a more Hebrew idiom, a father has eaten sour grapes, so his son’s teeth are set on edge (Jer. 31:29; Ezek. 18:2). What Abraham foolishly did twice in his lifetime—lying about the fact that his wife was, in fact, his wife to protect himself—we now find Isaac doing in Genesis 26:6–11.
Even more, we see the troubles between Isaac’s herdsmen quarreling with the herdsmen of Gerar that look almost identical to the disputes Abraham’s herdsmen had with Lot’s herdsmen back in Genesis 13—a dispute that ended with Lot heading to Sodom and Gomorrah, which ended with Abraham needing to rescue him from the king of Babylon and his allies (Gen. 14), and then with two angels of Yahweh rescuing Lot before pouring out wrath on the city.
But if we notice that Isaac seems to be repeating many of Abraham’s mistakes, we should also notice that Yahweh is repeating similar covenant promises to Isaac that he had made to Isaac’s father, Abraham. First in Genesis 26:1–5, Yahweh intervenes to prevent Isaac from going to Egypt in the middle of the famine, assuring that he would bless Isaac, give to Isaac and his offspring all the lands of Canaan, multiply Isaac’s offspring as many as the stars in the heavens, and bless all the nations of the earth through Isaac’s offspring. These promises are identical to what Yahweh swore to Abraham in Genesis 12:1–3 and Genesis 15:5.
Later, Yahweh appears again to Isaac, assuring him again after the quarrel with the herdsman of Gerar that “I am the God of Abraham your father. Fear not, for I am with you and will bless you and multiply your offspring for my servant Abraham’s sake” (Gen. 26:24). Why is Yahweh extending so much grace to a man who has already begun to fall into the sin patterns of his father?
The first reason is that Yahweh is keeping the promises he had made to Abraham. For as many mistakes as Abraham might have made, Yahweh had sworn a covenant with Abraham, promising to go so far as to be torn in two if Abraham or his offspring should break the terms of the covenant (Gen. 15:17). So, Yahweh is keeping his promises “for my servant Abraham’s sake,” but also because Yahweh has bound up his own glory in his covenant promises to Abraham.
And second, the offspring of Abraham through Isaac was the means through which Yahweh would save the world. As we have seen so many times already, Yahweh is raising up the offspring of the woman who would crush the head of the serpent.
Seen in that light, we should recognize that Yahweh’s graciousness toward Isaac here in Genesis 26 is also his graciousness toward you and me who are blessed in Abraham’s offspring, Jesus Christ.
Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
The post January 25th: Bible Meditation for Genesis 26 appeared first on Free Daily Bible Study.
Bible Readings for January 24th Genesis 25 | Matthew 24 | Esther 1 | Acts 24
Genesis 25 is a chapter of extreme transition in the unfolding story of God’s salvation in and through his people. In this chapter, we see God’s purposes in election across three generations.
First, we read in Genesis 25 about the death of Abraham at the age of 175. Abraham outlived his wife Sarah, even taking another wife named Keturah who bore him many children. Nevertheless, we read that “Abraham gave all he had to Isaac” (Gen. 25:5) because Abraham never forgot that God had named Isaac as the one through whom his covenantal promises would be fulfilled.
Second, we learn more about Isaac’s story, and specifically about his relationship with Rebekah. Just as Isaac’s mother, Sarah, had been barren, so also Rebekah is barren (Gen. 25:21), and Isaac had to pray that God would open Rebekah’s womb. We discussed the ongoing theme throughout the Scriptures of barren women in our meditation for Genesis 16—Rebekah was not the first infertile woman in the Bible, and she would not be the last. God delights in demonstrating his great love toward—and power through—helpless people.
Third, Genesis 25 stretches us into the third generation, telling the story of how Rebekah did eventually conceive. In fact, Rebekah conceived twins who struggled fiercely in her womb. But from the very beginning Yahweh had chosen that the “older [Esau] shall serve the younger [Jacob]” (Gen. 25:23).
Jacob and Esau share many similarities to the children of the previous generation, Ishmael and Isaac. Both sets of brothers find themselves in fierce opposition even from birth, and in both sets of brothers Yahweh singles out one son through whom his covenant promises will run. Earlier Yahweh had told Abraham that “through Isaac shall your offspring be named” (Gen. 21:12), and now Yahweh tells Rebekah that Esau shall serve Jacob (Gen. 25:23).
The Apostle Paul points to those two verses (Gen. 21:12, 25:23) in Romans 9:6–13 to explain God’s purposes in election. It wasn’t that Ishmael or Esau had done something wrong, or that Isaac and Jacob had done something right—in fact, Paul insists that God’s purposes of election were accomplished specifically before these children were born, and before any of them had done anything good or bad.
Instead, God’s purposes were to bring forth the offspring that he had promised who would crush the head of the serpent (Gen. 3:15), and so God chose specific people with whom he established his covenant, and through whom he would raise up that offspring. As Paul writes, “So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy” (Rom. 9:16).
Does your theology place a greater emphasis on what you do to receive God’s salvation or on what the God who has mercy has done before you were even born, before you had done anything good or bad?
Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
The post January 24th: Bible Meditation for Genesis 25 appeared first on Free Daily Bible Study.
Bible Readings for January 23rd Genesis 24 | Matthew 23 | Nehemiah 13 | Acts 23
Yesterday, in Genesis 23, we read about the death of Sarah, Abraham’s wife. Today, in Genesis 24, we see Abraham himself approaching death. He too will not live to see God’s promises fulfilled. So, Abraham makes plans to help his son Isaac continue to serve Yahweh faithfully after he dies.
First, Abraham refuses to allow his son Isaac to marry one of the daughters of the Canaanites (Gen. 24:3). Instead, he asks his servant to go back to his old country to find Isaac a wife from there. It isn’t that Abraham’s old country is filled with devout worshipers of Yahweh—we know from Joshua 24:2 that Abraham and his family were idol worshipers before Yahweh specifically called Abraham to follow him.
But at the same time, we also know that the Canaanites were particularly wicked. In Genesis 15, when Yahweh cut a covenant with Abraham, he explained the reason that Abraham and his offspring would not immediately inherit the land of Canaan: “the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete” (Gen. 15:16). The Amorites (Canaanites) were so wicked that Yahweh would eventually expel them from the land; however, Yahweh was also mercifully delaying their judgment until their iniquity was so heinous that justice demanded their annihilation. Abraham refuses to let his son marry such a woman.
Second, Abraham insists that his son not be allowed to return to Abraham’s old country (Gen. 24:6). Abraham had disobeyed God by leaving the Promised Land and going to Egypt in Genesis 12, and the consequences had been disastrous. As Isaac continues to wait for the fulfillment of Yahweh’s promises, Abraham insists that his son remain in the land of Canaan.
And so, Abraham’s servant meets Isaac’s wife, Rebekah, at a well. This is the first time in the Bible that one of God’s servants finds their wife at a well, but it is not the last. Later, Isaac’s son Jacob would meet his future wife Rachel at a well (Gen. 29:1–12), and Moses would meet his wife, Zipporah, at a well (Ex. 2:16–22).
It is of no small significance, then, that Jesus ultimately met and spoke with a Samaritan woman at a well in John 4, asking her about her husband. Jesus had come as the great bridegroom to take for himself a people as his bride, and he demonstrated his deep love by singling out a woman to meet at a well, just as Isaac, Jacob, and Moses had done before him. It wasn’t that Jesus was only seeking that one woman, but he sought out this one undeserving woman to show us that he is seeking other miserable sinners like you and me along with her.
So, Abraham preserves his son’s faithfulness to Yahweh in Canaan by bringing him a bride. In the same way, Jesus preserves our faithfulness by seeking us out to become his bride.
Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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Bible Readings for January 22nd Genesis 23 | Matthew 22 | Nehemiah 12 | Acts 22
Abraham and his wife, Sarah, lived their lives as pilgrims in the land God had promised to them. Theirs was a hard life, characterized by unfulfilled longings, constant danger, and disappointment. Still, they obeyed Yahweh, following him to the land of Canaan, out of their love for him and their faith in the covenant promises he made to them.
But in Genesis 23, Sarah dies, never fully receiving the promises that Yahweh had made to her and to her husband. She received her son Isaac, but she never saw her son become a great nation or come into possession of the land of Canaan.
This is a theme that occurs repeatedly through the Bible, as well as in our own experience. We live for a brief time, waiting for God to do all that he has promised, and yet generation after generation is laid to rest in the grave before seeing the culmination of what God has spoken. And yet, with every succeeding generation, God continues his mission to expand his kingdom in this world until the day when Jesus Christ returns to judge the living and the dead.1
So how should we conduct our lives in the meantime while we await the fulfillment of God’s promises? Abraham gives us a magnificent example of living by faith in this chapter, even in a passage that appears on the surface to be nothing more than a business negotiation.
First, Abraham insists that his wife be buried in the Promised Land. There is not even a thought of returning to the land of Sarah’s birth to bury her because Abraham believes God’s promise that Canaan is their home—even if they are still only sojourners and aliens there (Gen. 23:4).
Second, Abraham seeks to purchase a piece of land as his possession, refusing to receive any kind of special discount on the property for his wife’s burial place (Gen. 23:5–16). Abraham’s attitude here matches his response in Genesis 14:22–23, when he refused to keep for himself any of the spoils of war, lest the king of Sodom should say, “I have made Abram rich.” Abraham understood that God, not the Hittites, would give him the land. Even when it meant a financial burden to himself, he refused to purchase the land at less than full price lest the Hittites should say, “We have made Abraham rich.”2
To those who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, God has promised something even greater than the land of Canaan—in fact, God has promised us that we stand to inherit all things in Christ (Luke 12:32; Rom. 8:17). While you wait for the fulfillment of God’s promises, are you grasping for whatever possessions you can find, no matter how you acquire them? Or are you waiting for God to give you the kingdom as your inheritance, just as he has promised?
1 Allen P. Ross, Creation and Blessing: A Guide to the Study and Exposition of Genesis (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 1996), 407–13.
2 John H. Sailhamer, The Pentateuch as Narrative: A Biblical-Theological Commentary (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1992), 180.
Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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Bible Readings for January 21st Genesis 22 | Matthew 21 | Nehemiah 11 | Acts 21
In spite of all the long waiting and the extraordinary faith Abraham had to exercise while waiting for Isaac to come, God tests Abraham’s faith in an even greater way in Genesis 22 by asking Abraham to sacrifice Isaac on a mountain in Moriah. Shockingly, we read Abraham bound his son Isaac on top of the altar, but just as Abraham took his knife to slaughter his son, God stopped Abraham from harming Isaac. The test was over. Abraham was willing to do anything for God—not even sparing his own, beloved son.
Why would God ask Abraham to do this? To answer this question, listen to God’s promise to Abraham in Genesis 22:16–18: “By myself I have sworn, declares the LORD, because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, I will surely bless you….And your offspring shall possess the gate of his enemies, and in your offspring shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because you have obeyed my voice.” Everything about this story points us back to the promised offspring—the offspring of the woman who would crush the head of the serpent (Gen. 3:15), redeeming creation from the curse of sin and death.
Ultimately, we see in this passage a shadow of the what God would do for us in Jesus Christ. Unlike the way in which God spared Abraham’s son, God did not spare his own Son. Jesus Christ was offered up as a sacrifice, and God did not send an angel to stop the hands of the Roman soldiers who beat him, nailed his hands and his feet to the cross, and let him hang there until he died. Where God did not forsake Isaac, God did forsake his own Son at the cross, abandoning him to wrath and the powers of hell.
And although God gave a substitute sacrifice so that Isaac would not have to die, God provided no such substitute to save his own Son. In fact, Jesus was the substitute, dying on the cross in our place for our sins.
But where Isaac was restored to life by being spared from death, something greater happened with God’s Son. Jesus did go to the grave for three days, but on the third day, God raised up his Son Jesus from the dead, resurrecting him to life and giving him everlasting victory over sin and death. In other words, Jesus gained possession of the gate of his enemy Satan, just as had been foretold in Genesis 22:17.
And because of Jesus’ death and resurrection, all the nations of the earth are blessed (Gen. 22:18). You and I share in the blessings of Abraham because Jesus Christ, the ultimate Isaac and the true offspring of Abraham, died and rose again.
This is the good news of the gospel of Jesus, declared thousands of years in advance, through Isaac.
Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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Bible Readings for January 20th Genesis 21 | Matthew 20 | Nehemiah 10 | Acts 20
At last, God fulfills his promise to Abraham and to Sarah. Finally, here in Genesis 21, Yahweh visits Sarah, enabling her to conceive, just as he had promised. Despite their old age (Abraham was one hundred years old at this point), God gives Abraham and Sarah a son. As God had instructed them in Genesis 17:19, they name their son Isaac, which means “laughter.” This name serves in part as a reminder that Sarah herself laughed at the idea of bearing a son in her old age (Gen. 18:12), but it also speaks to their overflowing joy at receiving their promised son.
Importantly, we also read in Genesis 21:4 that Abraham circumcised his son on the eighth day, just as God had commanded him to do. The sign of God’s covenant was cut into the flesh of the promised offspring according to the word God had spoken in Genesis 17:19: “Sarah your wife shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac. I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his offspring after him.”
But surprisingly, even though Sarah now has her own son, she still feels great animosity toward Hagar—and it doesn’t help that Hagar seems to have been mocking Sarah in some way (Gen. 21:9). So, Sarah insists that Hagar and Ishmael be cast out of Abraham’s household, and God authorizes Abraham to do so, in spite of Abraham’s misgivings: “Whatever Sarah says to you, do as she tells you, for through Isaac shall your offspring be named” (Gen. 21:12).
The main question raised in Genesis 21 is this: If Abraham has two sons, which son is considered his “offspring”? This is not a question about biological paternity but about God’s promise. Again, the promise God makes to Abraham to give him an “offspring” is not merely to say that God would give Abraham a son but rather that God would give Abraham the promised offspring from Genesis 3:15—the offspring who would crush the head of the serpent and destroy the curse of sin and death in God’s creation.
So, God makes it very clear that while Ishmael is Abraham’s biological son, Ishmael is not the promised offspring. God promises to protect Ishmael, and God even makes special promises that he would make Ishmael into a great nation (Gen. 21:18), but Ishmael is not the promised offspring.
And in fact, not even Isaac is the promised offspring. Listen again to what God says in Genesis 21:12: “through Isaac shall your offspring be named.” Isaac is not the offspring, although the offspring would come through Isaac, and not through Ishmael.
Meditate on Galatians 3:16: “Now the promises were made to Abraham and to his offspring. It does not say, ‘And to offsprings,’; referring to many, but referring to one, ‘And to your offspring,’ who is Christ.”
Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
The post January 20th: Bible Meditation for Genesis 21 appeared first on Free Daily Bible Study.
Bible Readings for January 19th Genesis 20 | Matthew 19 | Nehemiah 9 | Acts 19
Genesis 20 is the second time we see Abraham lying about his wife to protect his own safety. A nearly identical story takes place in Genesis 12:10–20, when Abram lied to the pharaoh of Egypt, saying that his wife was merely his sister. In that story, God sent plagues against Egypt until Pharaoh let God’s people go by restoring Sarai to Abram. That was a foreshadowing of what God would eventually do to rescue Israel out of Egypt under Moses in the book of Exodus, but the story of Genesis 12 wasn’t Pharaoh’s fault—Abram had lied to Pharaoh out of fear that someone would kill him to take Sarai for himself.
Perhaps we can understand Abram’s fear in Genesis 12, since he had just left his home country to go to a strange land that Yahweh had called him to. And keep in mind that Yahweh was a new God for Abraham—we are told in Joshua 24:2 that Abraham had previously served other gods. In many ways, Genesis 12 represents a young believer making an immature mistake, failing to trust God through a famine (the reason he had left Canaan in the first place) and failing to trust God for his safety in Egypt.
But why on earth does Abraham repeat the same mistake at this point that he had all the way back in Genesis 12? In Genesis 20, we see Abraham lying to a different king, but with the same self-protecting lie, telling Abimelech that Sarah was merely his sister (Gen. 20:2). And once again, Abraham lied because he was worried that someone might kill him to steal Sarah away for himself.
First, we should be reminded from this story that our salvation is all of grace. We tend to forget that, especially when we are thinking about the lives of the great patriarchs like Abraham, whom we tend to idealize. Stories like this remind us that we deserve nothing from God—even if we have been serving him for decades, as Abraham had at this point. Everything we have, we receive freely, by God’s grace through Jesus Christ—just as Abraham did.
Second, we should see in this story a warning not to think too highly of ourselves. If our salvation is indeed all of grace, then we shouldn’t be deceived into thinking that we are above falling into sin—even major sins from earlier in our lives that we have “overcome.” If even Abraham was not above major failures of faith, then why should we think that we are?
Instead, we need to fight to keep the gospel in plain view. We are great sinners in need of a great Savior. That was true when we first believed on Christ, it is still true today, and it will remain true for as long as God gives us breath.
Today, repent and believe the gospel again.
Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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Bible Readings for January 18th Genesis 19 | Matthew 18 | Nehemiah 8 | Acts 18
Lot is a fascinating example of someone who does not love God’s righteousness but who also does not approve of the world’s wickedness. There is a strange irony in the fact that Lot has become captivated with Sodom—captivated enough that he selfishly chose the region when Abram gave him the choice of where to move his family, his servants, and his flocks (Gen. 13:8–13)—but that Lot is absolutely horrified by the sinfulness of the city. He begs the two angels to stay with him for the night, and when the men of Sodom come to rape the angels, Lot pleads with them not to harm his guests, even offering up his own daughters to ensure the safety of the angels.
But strangely, when it comes time to leave, Lot struggles to perceive the gravity of the situation. Genesis 19:16 vividly portrays his hesitation—immediately after the angels urged Lot and his family to flee Sodom before God’s judgment is poured out on the city, we read this: “But he lingered. So the men seized him and his wife and his two daughters by the hand, the LORD being merciful to him, and they brought him out and set him outside the city.” Lot cannot bring himself to leave, so the angels must forcibly (but mercifully) bring him out of the path of Yahweh’s wrath.
Lot sounds like a fool, doesn’t he? Even worse, Lot’s wife is so mournful for the fate of the city that she cannot help but look back (against the commandment of the angels), and so she turns into a pillar of salt. Why would Lot linger in the city? Why would Lot’s wife look back?
The answer is simple: they loved Sodom. As believers they were kept from fully participating in the wickedness of the city, but as time had passed, they had grown comfortable with its wickedness. After a while, they came to desire Sodom more than they desired God and God’s righteousness. Only through severe, forceful mercy could God bring them out of the judgment he had ordained for Sodom.
This story should cause us to evaluate how much we love the world. Have we grown comfortable with the wickedness of the world because we love its entertainment, wealth, power, and pleasure?
The only cure for loving the world is by learning to love God more than we love what the world has to offer. We cannot simply stop loving the world cold turkey, but we need to cultivate a love for God and his righteousness strong enough to eclipse our love for the world, just as the blazing daylight of the sun drowns out the pale light of the moon.
Today, what would it look like for you to cultivate love for God’s righteousness? What would it mean to satisfy your hunger through feasting on Jesus instead of with the rotten food that the world offers?
Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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Bible Readings for January 17th Genesis 18 | Matthew 17 | Nehemiah 7 | Acts 17
Genesis 18 contains a promise of extraordinary hope and of devastating judgment. This passage in some ways marks both the beginning of Abraham’s redemptive, covenant offspring as well as the end of the wickedness of Sodom and Gomorrah.
Here Yahweh appears to Abraham in the form of three men. There is some debate about whether these three men are Yahweh or whether they are angels accompanying Yahweh, which I do not have enough space in this meditation to explore. Suffice it to say, Yahweh and the three men are discussed interchangeably in this passage. Genesis 18 is not a proof of the Trinity in the Old Testament, but we should nevertheless see a strong hint here that Yahweh exists as three persons.
As they eat together, the men declare that Yahweh’s promise would at last be coming true: by that time next year, Sarah would have a son. We could look down at Sarah for her lack of faith, laughing at the promise of gaining a son, but it is unlikely we would have responded any better. We do not know when Abraham and Sarah moved to Canaan, but we know that at this point Ishmael is thirteen years old (Gen. 17:25), and Ishmael had been born only after Abraham and Sarah had been in Canaan long enough to be desperate enough to give Hagar to Abraham to produce a surrogate son for Sarah, so the promised birth has already been a long time coming.
Even Abraham had prayed that Ishmael might serve as the promised son (Gen. 17:18), but God had insisted the promised offspring would come through Sarah (Gen. 17:19). Both Abraham and Sarah have been stretched to the limit for probably at least two decades, and it is unsurprising that they would have trouble believing they were to receive everything they had hoped for over the coming year.
But while Yahweh brings his promised offspring into the picture, this is also the passage where Yahweh announces his judgment against Sodom and Gomorrah because of their great sin (Gen. 18:20). Interestingly, even though Abraham struggles to believe he and Sarah would conceive a son, he does not hesitate to believe this message of judgment, stepping immediately into the role of mediator to plead on behalf of Sodom—even negotiating to reduce the threshold for the city’s salvation to a mere ten righteous people (Gen. 18:23–33).
This is a beautiful picture of genuine faith. Abraham, with all of his own personal doubts and misgivings, nevertheless pleads with Yahweh, arguing, “Shall not the Judge of all the earth do what is just?” (Gen. 18:25). Faith isn’t the absence of doubt but the willingness to trust—and especially to pray—in the midst of doubt.
What doubt are you facing? Is your response to laugh at God’s promises, or does your doubt drive you closer to God in prayer, like Abraham?
Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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Bible Readings for January 16th Genesis 17 | Matthew 16 | Nehemiah 6 | Acts 16
In Genesis 15, Yahweh had cut a covenant with Abram by passing twice through the pieces of the animals who had been torn in two. In this, Yahweh was promising that his body would be broken like the animals if either he broke the terms of the covenant or if Abram (or Abram’s offspring) broke the terms of Yahweh’s covenant. In Genesis 17, God does not make a different covenant with Abram (whom God here renames as Abraham), but Yahweh adds circumcision as an assurance of what he had promised in Genesis 15.
So, God commands that Abraham and his offspring after him be circumcised as a sign of this covenant between God and them (Gen. 17:11). Every male who is at least eight days old shall be circumcised, whether that male is born to Abraham or bought from a foreigner to serve in Abraham’s household should be circumcised, so that every male in Abraham’s household would bear the mark of God’s covenant in their flesh (Gen. 17:12–13).
But why circumcision? This seems like one of the strangest possible covenant signs God could have chosen, and yet circumcision is a preoccupation of the whole Bible. There are many reasons why God chose this particular sign for his covenant, but we will talk about two here.
First, physical circumcision always pointed to the necessity of heart circumcision. God gave circumcision to be a picture of what he really wanted: that his people would cut away the sinfulness of their flesh by the power of the Holy Spirit (Deut. 10:16, 30:6; Rom. 3:29).
Second, circumcision pointed forward to Jesus in several ways. Remember that the promise of this covenant is that God would give Abraham offspring—and not just any offspring, but the offspring God had promised who would crush the head of the serpent (Gen. 3:15). So, the sign of circumcision was placed on the male reproductive organ as a reference to the reproductive promises of God’s covenant. Ultimately, Jesus would be born by cutting away the male’s involvement completely, so that he would be conceived by a virgin, without a human father.
But also, the bloody nature of circumcision pointed forward to the way in which Jesus (the promised offspring) would crush the head of the serpent Satan. Jesus came to destroy the works of the devil by shedding his own blood on the cross, and every bloody circumcision throughout the generations of Abraham anticipated what Jesus would do to purchase our salvation.
Circumcision was given to announce the gospel of Jesus in a symbol. We no longer need physical circumcision, but we still need what circumcision pointed toward: Jesus Christ and him crucified. We need our hearts to be circumcised, we need Yahweh to be God to us and to our children after us, and we need the covenant promises that were secured for us in Christ.
Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
The post January 16th: Bible Meditation for Genesis 17 appeared first on Free Daily Bible Study.
Bible Readings for January 15th Genesis 16 | Matthew 15 | Nehemiah 5 | Acts 15
Back in Genesis 12, we read that Abram had distrusted and disobeyed Yahweh by going to Egypt because of a famine in the land of Canaan. On top of the sin of leaving the place where Yahweh had told Abram to remain, Abram also lied to the pharaoh of Egypt, telling him that his wife was merely his sister out of fear for his life. Before the truth came out, Pharaoh dealt well with Abram for Sarai’s sake, giving Abram much wealth, including “female servants” (Gen. 12:16). The plot of Genesis 16 turns on Hagar, one of the female servants Abram received in Egypt.
The focus of Genesis 16, however, is not on Hagar but on Abram’s wife, Sarai. Sarai is the first among a long line of women in the Bible who face infertility, including Rachel, the wife of Jacob (Gen. 29:31); the unnamed mother of Samson (Judg. 13:2); and Hannah, the mother of Samuel (1 Sam. 1). Why do you think God uses infertile women in his story so frequently?
Part of the answer, I think, lies in the fact that infertility is an utterly helpless condition, especially in the days before any level of effective medical treatments were available. As such, infertility is a perfect illustration of the helplessness of the world in sin—we are totally dependent upon the promised offspring of the woman coming to crush the head of the serpent (Gen. 3:15), but we cannot cure fertility problems that prevent offspring from coming at all.
Also, we recognize in these stories God’s great love for these women who were the subject of ridicule and shame because of their condition. God continually draws barren women to the center of his story because he loves them and because he gains a special kind of glory by bringing life out of their barrenness. Accordingly, it is no accident that God’s own Son was born to a woman who was infertile by virtue of having never known a man sexually—Jesus was born of a virgin so that God would be glorified even in the conception and birth of Jesus.
But Sarai does not understand this—nor would we have, if we had been in her place. Out of desperation, she attempted something that made sense according to the customs of the day by giving her Egyptian female servant to Abram to be a surrogate mother. Of course, Hagar’s pregnancy only compounds Sarai’s shame and misery rather than offering any kind of comfort.
The story of Hagar, Ishmael, Sarai, and Abram is far from over, but today, meditate on this question: Are there places in your life where you are applying human solutions to overcome weaknesses that God may be giving you for his own glory? Is it possible that you may not be solving your problem but only creating additional problems by acting out of impatience and desperation?
Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
The post January 15th: Bible Meditation for Genesis 16 appeared first on Free Daily Bible Study.
Bible Readings for January 14th Genesis 15 | Matthew 14 | Nehemiah 4 | Acts 14
It is not surprising that we should find Abram so frustrated when Yahweh seems to have failed to keep his promise. Even a great man of faith like Abram struggles with the same kind of doubts that plague you and me. So, in Genesis 15:1, Yahweh comes to reassure Abram of his promises.
In response, we read that Abram “believed the LORD, and he counted it to him as righteousness” (Gen. 15:6). Abram is not saved by any great deed he performs but merely because he believes what Yahweh promises to him. And because Abram believes, Yahweh counts his faith to him as righteousness. Theologians call this imputation: God freely imputes (credits) righteousness to his people through faith.
It should comfort us, then, that the Scriptures record for us that a man with genuine faith like Abram nevertheless has real doubts. Right after we read that Abram believes Yahweh, we hear him asking for Yahweh to confirm his promises to him: “O Lord Yahweh, how am I to know that I shall possess [the land]?” (Gen. 15:8).
Graciously, Yahweh tells Abram to bring him several animals. Abram obeys, cutting their carcasses in half and laying their bodies next to each other. This strange scene would have been very familiar to someone living in the ancient world. When kings formed alliances with each other, they would cut animals in half, letting their blood pool in a small valley between the pieces. Then, each king would take a turn walking through the pooled blood, swearing that “If I should break the terms of our covenant, may I be broken like these animals.” This practice is described in more detail in Jeremiah 34:18–20.
So, Yahweh is doing this to swear a covenant with Abram in order to assure Abram of his promises. But oddly, we never read here that Abram passes through the pieces. Instead, we only read that a smoking fire pot and a flaming torch—both of which represent Yahweh himself—passed through the pieces (Gen. 15:17).
This means that Yahweh put both sides of the covenants upon himself, promising to be broken if he broke the terms of the covenant, and also to be broken if Abram (or Abram’s offspring) broke the terms of the covenant.
When you and I struggle to believe God, it may be helpful to remember that he already has kept his promises. At the cross, Yahweh himself in the person of Jesus Christ was broken to uphold his covenantal promises. Specifically, the body of Jesus Christ was broken so that God could impute Jesus’ righteousness to us who believe in him for salvation.
So when we doubt, let’s ask ourselves this: If Yahweh did not spare his own Son but freely gave him up for us all, what would he possibly withhold from us (Rom. 8:32)?
Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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Bible Readings for January 13th Genesis 14 | Matthew 13 | Nehemiah 3 | Acts 13
In our meditation on Genesis 11, we mentioned that Babylon (Babel) is the archenemy of the people of God throughout the Scriptures. In Genesis 14, we meet Babylon again through Amraphel, the king of Shinar—that is, the king of Babylon (Gen. 10:10). Amraphel leads a group of kings into war against the kings of Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, Zeboiim, and Bela, because those kings had failed to pay the tribute (taxes) they owed to one of Babylon’s allies, Chedorlaomer, the king of Elam.
The Babylonian king and his allies easily defeat the kings of Sodom, Gomorrah, and the other three cities, so they plunder the defeated cities to get their back taxes. Along the way, the Babylonian king and his allies capture Lot, Abram’s nephew, who was living in Sodom at the time (Gen. 14:12). As soon as Abram finds out, he gathers 318 of his household servants and marches through the night to defeat the Babylonians and their allies, rescuing Lot from his captivity to them.
The notable event from Genesis 14, however, is not Abram’s bravery or military cunning. Rather, the important passage in Genesis 14 happens when Abram is on his return home, when he meets Melchizedek, the king of Salem. Almost certainly, Salem is an early name for the city we know as Jeru-salem, the city of the people of God.
So Melchizedek, the king of Jerusalem, who is also a priest (Gen. 14:18), comes out to meet Abram, gives him bread and wine, and blesses him in the name of God Most High (Gen. 14:19–20). This event is pivotal in salvation history because God later promises in Psalm 110 that another king of Jerusalem would be appointed as a priest forever, after the order of Melchizedek (Ps. 110:4). This was strange, because all kings of Israel came from the tribe of Judah, in the line of David, and God had commanded that priests must be from the tribe of Levi, in the line of Aaron. So, how could a king of Jerusalem possibly serve as a priest?
Ultimately, the author of Hebrews would insist that this prophesy points to Jesus, the king of Jerusalem in the line of David, who qualifies as a priest not because he descends from Aaron but according to the order of Melchizedek (Heb. 7:1–28). Long before the old covenant priesthood was established, Aaron’s forefather Abram was blessed by a king-priest who foreshadowed the ultimate King-Priest, Jesus.
Jesus was never Plan B. Jesus was always God’s ultimate purpose for the salvation of the world, something we see by the introduction of Melchizedek all the way back here in Genesis 14. Here, at the first clash between Babylon and Jerusalem, we are seeing Jesus Christ announced, but in a veiled, shadowy way that we will only fully understand as we read the rest of the story.
Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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Bible Readings for January 12th Genesis 13 | Matthew 12 | Nehemiah 2 | Acts 12
Although God had extended shocking grace by calling Abram in Genesis 12:1–3, we read in Genesis 12:10–20 that Abram disbelieves God and leaves the land of Canaan (where God had commanded him to remain) to go to Egypt during a famine. This act of disbelief and disobedience snowballed, and Abram was eventually caught in a lie by the pharaoh of Egypt, who had innocently taken Abram’s wife, Sarai, into his own house because Abram had said that she was merely his sister.
Two important things happen in the last half of Genesis 12 that set up what happens in Genesis 13. First, God preserves Abram and his promise to Abram in spite of Abram’s disobedience. Just like what will happen later in the story of Moses in the book of Exodus, God sent plagues on the house of Pharaoh to force Pharaoh to let God’s people (specifically, Sarai) go free. And second, Pharaoh expelled God’s people out of Egypt with a great deal of wealth—again, just like what will happen in the book of Exodus (Gen. 12:16; Ex. 12:35–36).
So, Abram returned with all of his great wealth to a place where he had earlier built an altar to offer sacrifices and worship the LORD, between Bethel and Ai (Gen. 12:8, 13:3–4), where “Abram called upon the name of the LORD” in worship and prayer.
But because of the great wealth Abram brought out of Egypt, the land he lived in was not enough to support both him and his nephew Lot, and so the two families had to part ways. Abram allowed Lot to choose for himself a portion of the land to live in, and Abram would take whatever was left over. So, Lot chose for himself the Jordan Valley, the region of Sodom and Gomorrah, and Abram moved to Hebron.
The important part of this story is the fact that God reaffirms his promise to Abram to give all the land of Canaan to Abram’s offspring forever—and that Abram’s offspring would be as numerous as the dust of the earth (Gen. 13:14–17). Even in the wake of Abram’s disobedience by going to Egypt, God insists he will keep his promises so that his redemptive purposes would not fail. God reaffirms his promise that Abram would be the father of a new nation, out of which God would raise up the promised offspring who would redeem humanity from the curse of sin by crushing the head of the serpent.
And because God eventually raised up Jesus, this story in Genesis 13 proclaims to us that we can trust God even in the aftermath of our own failure. In Jesus, we have an assurance that God’s salvation comes not on the basis of our obedience but on the basis of Christ’s obedience by God’s mercy toward us.
Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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Bible Readings for January 11th Genesis 12 | Matthew 11 | Nehemiah 1 | Acts 11
If Genesis 11 is arguably the second lowest point in the Bible, then Genesis 12 is possibly the second most hopeful in the Bible—the only moment of greater triumph being the resurrection of Jesus. Since Genesis 3, everything in the unfolding story of the Scriptures has been downhill, from expulsion out of the Garden of Eden to fratricide to the Nephilim to the flood to the Tower of Babel.
But in Genesis 12, God makes a decisive, gracious move not to abandon humanity entirely but to move toward us through raising up one man through whom he will save the whole world.
As we meet Abram—whom God will later rename Abraham—it’s important to understand from the outset that Abram is not a righteous man when God calls him. We learn later in Joshua 24:2 that Abram was actually an idol worshiper with his family. Abram does become a righteous man, but in the exact same way that you or I become righteous—by the grace of God, through faith. We’ll see more about that in Genesis 15.
When God calls Abram out of Ur of the Chaldeans (that is, the Babylonians) and out of his father’s house, God calls Abram by making specific promises in Genesis 12:1–3. First, God promises he will make Abram into a great nation (Gen. 12:2), despite the fact that Abram’s wife Sarai was barren (Gen. 11:30).
Second, God promises he would make Abram’s name great (Gen. 12:2). We should read this promise against the contrast of the people of Babylon (among whom Abram was living), who had sought to make a name for themselves by building a tower into heaven to assert their independence from God (Gen. 11:4). God would give Abram a name by grace, not on the basis of anything that Abram would achieve or accomplish.
Finally, God promises not only that he would bless Abram (Gen. 12:2) but that Abram would be the dividing line of blessing and cursing in the world. So, anyone who blesses Abram, God promises to bless, and anyone who curses Abram, God insists he must curse.1 God binds himself to bless and curse the whole world on the basis of how they relate to Abram.
What this means is that Abram is not simply one of the first examples of someone who exercises faith in God. Instead, Abram is something altogether different; he is the head of a new humanity, through whom God will bless the world, cursing anyone who curses him.
But additionally, this means that God is clarifying his promise from Genesis 3:15, that the offspring of the woman would crush the head of the serpent. In Genesis 12, God is announcing the specific line through whom this offspring will come—it will come through Abram, whose family will bless all the families of the earth.
1 Allen P. Ross, Creation and Blessing: A Guide to the Study and Exposition of Genesis (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 1996), 42.
Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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Bible Readings for January 10th Genesis 11 | Matthew 10 | Ezra 10 | Acts 10
Arguably, Genesis 11 describes the second lowest point for humanity in the whole Bible—the only exception being the three days when Jesus lay dead in the tomb. We saw Adam and Eve expelled from intimate, direct fellowship with God in the Garden of Eden in Genesis 3. Then, Cain murdered his brother Abel in Genesis 4. After that, we saw the godly line of Seth (the sons of God) mingling with the wicked line of Cain in Genesis 6, leading to God’s withdrawing of his Holy Spirit from humanity, a situation so evil that God was compelled to destroy the world with a flood in Genesis 7–8.
But if you can believe it, the situation in Genesis 11 gets even worse.
Ominously, we read that all the people gathered in the land of Shinar (Gen. 11:1). If we know the rest of the Bible, this should raise our attention, because Shinar is the land where the city of Babylon exists (Dan. 1:2). In fact, we learn here in Genesis 11 where Babylon gets its name: the judgement of God in the form of a confused language that sounded like “Babel” (Gen. 11:9).1
This is our first encounter with Babylon, the great enemy of God’s people throughout the Scriptures.2 We do not read about the final destruction and fall of Babylon until Revelation 18, which marks the decisive victory of God immediately before the establishment of the new heavens and the new earth.
But already here in Genesis 11, we see the beginning of that rebellion in people who seek to build for themselves a tower that will reach into heaven to make a name for themselves. Make no mistake, they are asserting their equality with God by building a structure to reach up into heaven itself. Accordingly, God judges their arrogance by fragmenting their language and scattering them across the earth. This judgment is not reversed until the Day of Pentecost, when the apostles preach the gospel in the languages of all the diverse people groups who were in Jerusalem for the festival (Acts 2:5–12).
What makes this situation so grave is the fact that this is the last point where God deals generally with all peoples. By scattering them across the earth, God makes a general, common salvation nearly impossible.
Nearly impossible.
Hope comes at the very end of Genesis 11 where we read about the descendants of Terah, including a man named Abram. As we will see in the next chapter, God’s plan is to save the world not by dealing with the world generally but by raising up one man through whom God would bless all the families of the earth.
Through Abram, God promises to raise up the offspring who would eventually crush the head of the serpent (Gen. 3:15)—the offspring of the woman, but also the offspring of Abraham: Jesus Christ (Gal. 3:16).
1 The ESV Bible includes a footnote explaining that “Babel sounds like the Hebrew for confused.”
2 We do find a brief mention of the city, however, in Genesis 10:10.
Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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Bible Readings for January 9th Genesis 9–10 | Matthew 9 | Ezra 9 | Acts 9
After God destroys the world with a flood during the days of Noah, he promises he will never pour out the same kind of judgment on the earth until the very end of time: “While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, shall not cease” (Gen. 8:22).
In Genesis 8–9, God confirms this promise with the first explicit covenant we find in Scripture, often called the Noachian covenant. The first aspect of the Noachian covenant is that God commands humans to fill the earth. God repeats his earlier command he had given Adam and Eve in the Garden to be fruitful and to multiply and to fill the earth (Gen. 1:28, 9:1). Even though God acknowledges that “the intention of man’s heart is evil from his youth” (Gen. 8:21), he nevertheless continues his plan of filling the earth with his image bearers.
Second, we see a new relationship between humans and animals within creation. Adam and Eve had been given dominion over all the creatures of the earth, but God now tells Noah that all animals would fear and dread humans (Gen. 1:28, 9:2) and that animals were now given to humans as food (Gen. 9:3) as long as the blood of the animals was not eaten.
Third, God places a renewed emphasis on human life by requiring capital punishment for anyone who sheds the blood of man (Gen. 9:5–6). This argument for capital punishment is not for the sake of deterrent or for revenge but for the sake of upholding the sanctity of God’s image. God made humankind in his own image, and so anyone who murders another human being strikes against the image of God.
Fourth, God confirms his promise with a covenant sign: a rainbow. We come across many other covenant signs in the rest of the Scriptures (circumcision, the Sabbath, Passover, baptism, and the Lord’s Supper), and this first covenant sign is very helpful in understanding the role and purpose of covenant signs. God says, “When the bow is in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth” (Gen. 9:16). It isn’t that God might forget his covenant promise but that the covenant sign acts as an everlasting symbol testifying again and again to the unbreakable nature of God’s promise. Even today, you and I still live under the protection of the Noachian covenant.
What’s so interesting about the Noachian covenant, however, is that it offers no clear provision for redemption—only for the preservation of life on the earth until the end of time. This raises a major question that should drive us forward, deeper into the story: When and how will God redeem his people from the curse of sin and death?
Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
The post January 9th: Bible Meditation for Genesis 9–10 appeared first on Free Daily Bible Study.
Bible Readings for January 8th Genesis 8 | Matthew 8 | Ezra 8 | Acts 8
In Genesis 6, God tells Noah to build a giant boat—an ark—that would carry him, his family, and every species of animal in creation. As a result of human wickedness, God promised to destroy the whole world with a flood.
The flood was more than mass destruction—it was the undoing of creation itself. Every good creature God had made, he would destroy: “I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, man and animals and creeping things and birds of the heavens, for I am sorry that I have made them” (Gen. 6:7).
Water was a symbol of chaos and rebellion against God. Before God brought order to creation, nothing existed except the chaotic waters (Gen. 1:2), and the biblical writers frequently praise God for how he had set permanent boundaries to the waters, insisting that they not trespass onto the land (Gen. 1:9–10; Job 38:8–11; Ps. 104:6–9; Prov. 8:29; Jer. 5:22).
“But Noah found favor [lit., “grace”] in the eyes of the LORD” (Gen. 6:8). Even though God was destroying the entire world around Noah, God ordained a vehicle through which Noah and his family could be brought safely through the flood.
Even more, God preserved male and female representatives from every species of animal. As soon as the flood subsided so that there was again dry ground, God repeated the mandate that he had given to Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, telling people and animals alike to “be fruitful and multiply on the earth” (Gen. 8:17). Although God had nearly annihilated creation with a flood, he preserved a remnant through whom he would repopulate the whole world.
Of all the New Testament writers, the apostle Peter seems the most interested in the implications of this story of the flood. First, Peter states in 1 Peter 3:18–22 that our baptism corresponds to the ark as the means by which God graciously brings us through his judgment. Our baptism does not cleanse the dirt from our bodies, Peter writes, but the dirt from our souls, through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Second, Peter explains in 2 Peter 3:5–7 that the story of the flood contains a warning for future judgment. God promises in Genesis 9 that he will never again destroy the world with a flood, but the day is coming, Peter writes, when God will destroy the world with fire.
The story of Noah is a story of grace, but also of judgment. In other words, the story of Noah is a story about the gospel: all those who have been baptized into Christ will be preserved and protected from the coming judgment for those who reject Christ like those in Noah’s day rejected the ark.
Whoever has ears to hear, let him hear.
Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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Bible Readings for January 7th Genesis 7 | Matthew 7 | Ezra 7 | Acts 7
In the wake of the intermingling of the sons of God (the godly line of Seth) and the daughters of man (the wicked line of Cain) that we looked at yesterday in Genesis 6, God makes a promise: “My Spirit shall not abide in man forever, for he is flesh: his days shall be 120 years” (Gen. 6:3). What does this mean?
Some have taken this to mean that individuals would now have shorter lifespans, so that each person is limited to living only 120 years, but there are two problems with that interpretation. First, several biblical figures live longer than 120 years after this promise in Genesis 6, including Sarah (127 years; Gen. 23:1), Abraham (175 years; Gen. 25:7), Ishmael (137 years; Gen. 25:17), and Jacob (147 years; Gen. 47:28). Second, the immediate context of this promise brings us directly to the destruction of humankind through a flood.
So, God says that he will withdraw his Spirit from their midst (Gen. 6:3). Up until this point, God’s Spirit had apparently dealt generally with humankind to “abide” in them, or more literally, to “strive” or “plead a cause” with them. The language suggests that God’s Spirit had personally sought out repentance from these people. But when they persisted in their disobedience, God judged them by giving them what they wanted: he withdrew the Spirit’s presence from their lives.1
We tend to think of the flood as God’s great judgment against humanity—and the flood was indeed severe—but we should not overlook the severity of withdrawing the Holy Spirit. We were created to be dwelling places for the Holy Spirit, so losing the direct presence of the Holy Spirit was a new kind of death. Just as Adam and Eve experienced spiritual death (leading to their physical death) by being expelled from the direct presence of God in the Garden of Eden, so now in Genesis 6 humanity experiences deeper consequences of that spiritual death by losing the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit—and as a result, God brings the judgment to completion by also sending physical death through a flood.
The rest of the story of the Bible tells how God’s people come to regain the Holy Spirit. For awhile, God only gave his Spirit to specially anointed leaders, like prophets (1 Sam. 10:10), priests (2 Chron. 24:20), and kings (1 Sam. 16:13). These leaders mediated the presence of God’s Spirit to the people, who were not allowed to experience God’s Spirit directly.
But Jesus came to restore the Spirit to us. After his crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension, Jesus received from his Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, and then poured out the Holy Spirit on his people (Acts 2:33). Through Jesus, we receive back what was lost all the way back in Genesis 6: the gift of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38).
1 George Smeaton, The Doctrine of the Holy Spirit (Edinburgh: Banner of Truth Trust, 1974), 17–19.
Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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Bible Readings for January 6th Genesis 6 | Matthew 6 | Ezra 6 | Acts 6
The short, vague description of the Nephilim in Genesis 6:1–4 has spawned all kinds of strange interpretations over the years. Are the sons of God fallen angels who took for themselves human wives, creating demigod children? Is this just run-of-the-mill mythological literature, the Hebrew equivalent of the Greek Hercules (the offspring of Zeus and a human woman)?
I don’t think so. Instead, I’m convinced by those who hold a much simpler interpretation of this passage. To me, the best explanation of this text is to understand the phrases “sons of God” and “daughters of man” not as references to angels and humans but as references to the genealogies of Seth and Cain, respectively.
The “sons of God,” then, are the godly descendants of Seth, the son who replaced Abel as Adam and Eve’s offspring (Gen. 4:25). The lineage of Seth culminates in Noah, the one who would bring relief from the curse of the ground (Gen. 5:29). The “daughters of man” are the wicked descendants of Cain, a line that culminates in the shocking Lamech, who flippantly murders a man who had merely hit him (Gen. 4:23–24).
There are a few reasons why this interpretation makes the most sense. First, understanding the sons of God as human beings and not as some kind of supernatural creatures helps avoid the bizarre idea that angels or other supernatural creatures can somehow procreate with human beings. This is the only passage even remotely suggesting such a thing, so it probably isn’t wise to build an entire doctrine of angel reproductive capabilities from this one passage.
Second, the context of Genesis 4–5 almost demands this interpretation of the Nephilim. In Genesis 5:3, we read that Adam “fathered a son in his own likeness, after his image, and named him Seth.” The phrases “in his own likeness” and “after his image” echo God’s own creation of Adam (Gen. 5:1; cf. Gen. 1:26–27). It isn’t that God “fathered” Adam in the same way that Adam fathered Seth (and not in the way the Son of God was begotten), but Genesis 5 is written to describe the sons of God, beginning with Adam.
All of this comes down to the promise that God gave Adam and Eve in the Garden, that the offspring of the woman would crush the head of the serpent (Gen. 3:15). The wickedness is that God had raised up a godly line through Seth but that Seth’s offspring began to mingle with the offspring of Cain, which God had cursed. We aren’t very far along in salvation history, and already God’s people are jeopardizing the coming of the One who would crush the serpent’s head.
Think through the story of the Bible—how many ways can you recall where God overcame the failures of his people to bring salvation into the world through his Son Jesus?
Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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Bible Readings for January 5th Genesis 5 | Matthew 5 | Ezra 5 | Acts 5
It’s tempting to gloss over the many genealogies included in the Bible, but there are important reasons not to. God himself decided to place the text of genealogies within his written word, so we should recognize that the genealogies are canonical Scripture just as much as the more familiar verses like John 3:16. Genealogies may require more careful study, but they are worth the work.
The overarching idea in Genesis 4–5 is to contrast the wickedness of the descendants of Cain with the righteousness of the descendants of Seth. The text does not completely demonize the offspring of Cain but points out all of the significant cultural advancements they achieved, including city-building, livestock domestication, music, and blacksmithing (Gen. 4:17–22).
Still, the line of Cain culminates in a wicked man named Lamech, who boasts that he murdered a young man who had merely struck him (Gen. 4:23–24). Even more disturbing, Lamech essentially dares God to punish him by sneering at the fact his own crime was far worse than Cain’s—seventy-seven times worse.
On the other hand, we see in Genesis 5:1–5 that Seth is considered the true offspring of Adam, so God’s promises to save the world through the offspring of the woman (Gen. 3:15) are traced through Seth, not Cain. So, the line of Seth is filled with righteous people like Enoch, who “walked with God, and he was not, for God took him” (Gen. 5:24).
But the spotlight in this passage shines on Noah. Even Noah’s father, Lamech (not the same Lamech as earlier), saw that his son would play some role in God’s redemptive purposes: “Out of the ground that the LORD has cursed this one shall bring us relief from our work and from the painful toil of our hands” (Gen. 5:29; cf. Gen. 3:17–19). Just as Eve saw Seth as the promised offspring of woman who would save God’s people, so now Lamech sees Noah in that light—but like Seth, Noah would only be a partial fulfillment of that prophecy.
The reason, then, that the Bible includes so many genealogies is that God makes genealogical promises. It is the offspring of the woman who will crush the head of the serpent, and after Seth and Noah, we learn that it will be the offspring of Abram who will bless the whole world (Gen. 12:3). Then, it is the offspring of David who will forever sit on the throne over Israel (2 Sam. 7:11–16).
So, Jesus’ genealogical records in Matthew 1:1–17 and Luke 3:23–38 are central to the gospel. God is telling us that his promises about the offspring of the woman find their yes and amen in Jesus Christ, the son of David, son of Abram, son of Noah, son of Seth, son of Adam, and the Son of God.
Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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Bible Readings for January 4th Genesis 4 | Matthew 4 | Ezra 4 | Acts 4
Isn’t it shocking to find a story of murder only one chapter after Adam and Eve are expelled from the perfections of the Garden of Eden? This act of fratricide in Genesis 4 demonstrates that the curse of sin already has a vice-grip on humanity, and in today’s meditation, we’ll look at several implications of this new, grim reality in God’s creation.
First, we shouldn’t miss the fact that sacrifice has already become a necessary part of how human beings interact with God. Although Cain brings an unacceptable sacrifice before Yahweh, he nevertheless understands that he is supposed to bring the sacrifice.
What’s more, it even seems that Cain and Abel already know some of the rules and principles that would eventually regulate the kind and quality of sacrifice that God would later demand from Israel. Yahweh’s question for Cain, “If you do well, will you not be accepted?” (Gen. 4:7), only makes sense if Cain has some kind of an idea of what “doing well” would mean. Abel understands, since he brings the animal sacrifices from the firstborn of the flock as well as the fattest of his flock, and God is pleased with his offering (Gen. 4:4). Even at this early stage in human history, the sacrificial principle of offering another’s life (an animal) in exchange for your own life is in place.
Second, we see Yahweh’s grace even in the curse he places on Cain. Cain’s sin deserved swift, severe, and total judgment, and while Yahweh’s judgment was swift and severe, it was not total. Yahweh graciously placed a mark on Cain so that anyone who took vengeance on him by trying to kill him would face a more severe punishment (Gen. 4:15). This will be a constant theme throughout the Bible: how can a righteous God punish sin appropriately but stop short of condemning the whole world to hell? Ultimately, this question will only be resolved at the cross of Jesus.
Third, we should pay careful attention to the way that Eve describes Seth, the son who replaced Abel. She describes him as “offspring” (Gen. 4:25), because this is the word from the promise Yahweh made in Genesis 3:15 to the serpent: “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.” It sounds as though Eve expected this salvation—where God would crush the head of the serpent who had tempted Adam and Eve to sin—to come immediately. The loss of Abel was devastating, but she seems to expect Seth to take Abel’s place to fulfill God’s promise.
And Seth would fulfill God’s promise, but not directly, and not immediately. Instead, God’s promise would be fulfilled through the offspring of Seth’s offspring, several generations down the line.
We will continue looking at this theme of offspring tomorrow.
Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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Bible Readings for January 3rd Genesis 3 | Matthew 3 | Ezra 3 | Acts 3
Although it’s difficult to see in English translations, Genesis 3:8 is one of the most tragic verses in the whole Bible: “And they heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden.” The form of the word “walking” used in this passage is better translated as “walking back and forth,” a phrase describing the perfection of Yahweh’s presence with his people. This is what Adam and Eve lost: personal, intimate, and free fellowship with Yahweh himself.1
But this isn’t the last place we see Yahweh “walking back and forth” among his people. Later in the Bible, we will see how this word is used to describe Yahweh’s presence in the midst of Israel’s camp, and particularly within the tabernacle and the temple (Lev. 26:12; Deut. 23:14; 2 Sam. 7:6–7).
Why? Because the story of the Bible relates how Yahweh overcomes sin to dwell with his people again.
The tabernacle under Moses is a first step, with the more permanent temple built under Solomon as the next step. But ultimately, the sin of Israel drives Yahweh to depart from the temple (Ezek. 10, 11:14–25), and then to destroy the temple altogether (2 Kings 25:9). Even when Israel rebuilds the temple (Ezra 6:14), Yahweh’s presence never enters a temple building again.
So, it should come as a shock when we read in John 1:14 that “the Word became flesh and dwelt [lit., “tabernacled”] among us.” And when Jesus defied the Jews, saying, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up” (John 2:19), it should surprise us to find out he was speaking about the temple of his own body (John 2:21).
But in fact everything Jesus would be and do was prophesied right back here in Genesis 3:15, a verse theologians call “the first gospel.” Here, God promises that he will raise up from the woman offspring who will eventually bruise the head of the serpent, while the serpent will only be able to bruise his heel. And once Jesus Christ puts Satan away forever, God will once again dwell with his people.
Today, we are now awaiting the scene foretold in Revelation 21:3: “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God.” On that day, there will be “no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb” (Rev. 21:22).
So let’s keep reading—there is an incredible story to bring us from Genesis 3 to Revelation 21.
1 As with yesterday’s meditation, I am relying heavily for today’s meditation on G. K. Beale’s book The Temple and the Church’s Mission (Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2004).
Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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Bible Readings for January 2nd Genesis 2 | Matthew 2 | Ezra 2 | Acts 2
Where Genesis 1 gave a fly-by overview of creation, Genesis 2 slows the narrative down to tell us more details about the creation of Adam and Eve, as well as Yahweh’s purposes for humankind on earth. In Genesis 2, we see a different dimension to the story of God’s creation—we see that God intended creation to be the place where he dwelt with humankind on the earth.1
Specifically, God created the Garden of Eden to be his holy, perfect dwelling place on the earth so that he could dwell with his people on the earth. We might get the idea that all of the earth was beautiful and lush and perfect at creation, but that isn’t quite what we are seeing in Genesis 2. Rather, we see that Yahweh planted a special garden in Eden, where he placed the man Adam and the woman Eve to live (Gen. 2:8).
This garden is at the center of creation, so that rivers flowed out of Eden to water the whole earth (Gen. 2:10–14). In this garden, Yahweh planted all kinds of trees with food good for Adam and Eve to eat, as well as two unique trees: the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Gen. 2:9).
As for the man, we read that Yahweh put him in the Garden of Eden “to work it [‘abad] and keep it [shamar]” (Gen. 2:15). These words are fascinating because they are primarily used in the Bible to describe priestly work in Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. The priests were the ones who served (‘abad) in the tabernacle, keeping/guarding (shamar) the holy furniture in the tabernacle as well as Yahweh’s holy law.
Adam, then, was God’s first priest, serving in the Garden of Eden as his temple. Probably what it meant originally to work and keep the Garden of Eden was to cultivate and expand the boundaries of the garden bit by bit, so that as Adam and Eve fruitfully multiplied by bearing children to fill the whole earth (Gen. 1:28), the Garden of Eden would also expand to fill the whole earth.
In this way, the whole earth would be filled with the glory of God—not only with a temple stretching across all of creation, but also with God’s own image-bearers spreading out across the whole land that God had created.
But of course, while this may have been the original intention for creation, when sin entered the world in Genesis 3, everything changed. In tomorrow’s reading, we will see not only how Yahweh could no longer dwell with his people in the same way after they sinned but also what he vowed to do in order to re-establish what sin would destroy in Eden.
1 Almost all of the content from this meditation comes from G. K. Beale’s masterpiece The Temple and the Church’s Mission (Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2004), a book I highly recommend for further study on the Garden of Eden, the temple, and the theology of God’s dwelling place.
Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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Bible Readings for January 1st Genesis 1 | Matthew 1 | Ezra 1 | Acts 1
There is a beautiful simplicity to Genesis 1 that masks its rich theological depth. Nothing about the straightforward description of each day’s creation nor about the repetition of God’s decreeing creation into existence (“Let there be…”) or of declaring all his creation to be “good” would rank this chapter as one of most difficult passages to read in the Bible. Even so, this passage is foundational for understanding the rest of the Bible in at least four ways.
First, Genesis 1 teaches that creation is the handiwork of the sovereign God of heaven and earth. While many primitive myths describe creation as having come as a result of the gods’ fighting, dying, or procreating, or as being merely an extension of some god(s), Genesis 1 announces that creation is the distinct artistry of the sovereign Lord of the universe. That Creator/creation distinction is fundamental to all genuinely biblical theology.
Second, Genesis 1 demonstrates that creation is good—in fact, it is very good. Against ancient teachings that creation is somehow evil and that real goodness only exists in the spiritual world, Genesis 1 records a repetition of God’s divine approval on everything he created as good, and on the totality of his creation as “very good” (Gen. 1:31). Unless we first recognize the goodness of creation, we cannot truly understand the horrific destructiveness of sin, or the ultimate goal of salvation as the good re-creation of the heavens and the earth.
Third, in the context of the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Bible), God here establishes the basis for giving his law by creating all things by his word.1 The God of the Bible is a talking God, not one of the mute idols that other nations worshiped. His word has extraordinary creative power, and part of the significance of that power is a demand that God’s people listen to him and obey him when he speaks.
Fourth, Yahweh places humankind in a unique place of dominion over creation. God explicitly gives the man and the woman charge over all the animals in the sea, the heavens, and the earth, instructing them to fill the earth and subdue it, exercising benevolent reign over everything else that God created (Gen. 1:26, 28). While God did bless animals along with the man and the woman (Gen. 1:22, 28; see also Gen. 2:3), it is only the man and the woman who carry the distinction of being created in God’s own image, to reflect his own glory in an intimate, personal way (Gen. 1:27).
Genesis 1 gives us a fly-by account of the creation story that undergirds the whole story of the Bible. Tomorrow, as we study Genesis 2, we will see the creation story from a different angle, zooming in on the story of God’s specific purposes for the man and the woman.
1 Allen P. Ross, Creation and Blessing: A Guide to the Study and Exposition of Genesis (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 1996), 102.
Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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Bible Readings for December 31st 2 Chronicles 36 | Revelation 22 | Malachi 4 | John 21
The focal point of 2 Chronicles 36 is not in the stories of the wicked sons of Josiah, Jehoahaz and Jehoiakim, nor in the stories of the brothers Jehoiachin and Zedekiah, who presided over the destruction of Jerusalem and the exile of Judah. These wicked kings do what all the wicked kings who went before them have done—they forsake the law of Moses and David’s organization of the Levites in order to pollute the worship of Yahweh with idolatry and other perversities. And more, the focal point of 2 Chronicles 36 is not in the brief account of how the Chaldeans (i.e., the Babylonians) come against Jerusalem with sword and fire, mistreating the people of Judah and destroying the temple. Repeatedly, Yahweh sends messengers and prophets to warn his people, “But they kept mocking the messengers of God, despising his words and scoffing at his prophets, until the wrath of the LORD rose against his people, until there was no remedy” (2 Chron. 36:16). Instead, the focal point of 2 Chronicles 36 comes in the proclamation of Cyrus king of Persia in verses 22–23. There, we find Yahweh stirring up the Persian king’s spirit in order to send the people of Judah back into Jerusalem.
It is important to understand that 2 Chronicles was the final book of the Bible in the arrangement of books in the Hebrew Scriptures for the Jews who lived in the days leading up to, and including, the time of Jesus. In other words, this passage here was the final word of the Scriptures for God’s people during the intertestamental period, where they waited through four hundred years of silence to hear from God before Jesus came—a silence that the prophet Amos called a famine of hearing the words of Yahweh (Amos 8:11–12). And as they meditated on this final word of the book, they were left pondering all of God’s promises through the Scriptures thus far. Would God still be faithful to crush the head of the serpent (Gen. 3:15)? Would he still bless all the nations through the offspring of Abraham (Gen. 12:3)? Would a king in David’s line still reign forever on the throne of David (2 Sam. 7:12–13)?
This final word of the Old Testament Scriptures, then, doesn’t come as an ending but as a “To Be Continued…” More of the story is coming—and through this next installment, Yahweh would tie up all of these loose threads (and more) into the perfect package in the person of his only Son, in whom all the promises of God find their “Yes” and “Amen” (2 Cor. 1:20).
Lord willing, we will continue exploring the full account of the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ in the next volume of our study through the unfolding story of God’s word, but in the meantime:
To Be Continued…
Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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Bible Readings for December 30th 2 Chronicles 35 | Revelation 21 | Malachi 3 | John 20
The accounts of Josiah’s reforms of Judah’s worship that we began to read about in 2 Chronicles 34 continue in today’s reading from 2 Chronicles 35, where we read about the Passover feast that Josiah holds during the eighteenth year of his reign (2 Chron. 35:19). Sadly, this chapter also includes the tragic story of Josiah’s death, which gives us a more comprehensive picture of the overall strengths and weaknesses of Josiah’s reign.
Just as we saw in the account of this Passover feast in 2 Kings 23, Josiah’s Passover is an extraordinary Passover: “No Passover like it had been kept in Israel since the days of Samuel the prophet. None of the kings of Israel had kept such a Passover as was kept by Josiah, and the priests and the Levites, and all Judah and Israel who were present, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem” (2 Chron. 35:18). So, Josiah’s Passover is held on the fourteenth day of the first month (2 Chron. 35:1), in accordance with the law of Moses (Ex. 12:1–6; Lev. 23:5; Num. 28:16), and Josiah is careful to make sure that the Levites are properly prepared and consecrated (2 Chron. 35:4–6). Even more, Josiah also incorporates the Levitical singers and the gatekeepers that David had established in 1 Chronicles into this Passover feast (2 Chron. 35:15).
But sadly, this feast is the final high point for Judah. Despite Josiah’s faithfulness, he nevertheless commits a foolish, fatal mistake by insisting upon fighting with Neco, king of Egypt (2 Chron. 35:20–27). The account of Josiah’s death in 2 Kings 23:28–30 gave virtually no details about how Josiah died, but here we find out that King Neco tries to warn Josiah off, saying, “What have we to do with each other, king of Judah? I am not coming against you this day, but against the house with which I am at war. And God has commanded me to hurry. Cease opposing God, who is with me, lest he destroy you” (2 Chron. 35:21). Josiah, however, refuses to listen “to the words of Neco from the mouth of God” (2 Chron. 35:22). So, when Josiah comes out to fight, he dies, shot by an archer in a chariot just like King Ahab (1 Kgs. 22:29–40)—hardly a fitting end to such a great, godly king.
And with that, the final hope for a greater Son of David in the Old Testament is extinguished. After David, the Chronicler has raised our hopes for the Messiah again and again through stories of elaborate reforms of the true worship of Yahweh, but with the death of this final possibility, Judah will go away into exile. All of these narratives are written to provide hope but also to leave us tragically unsatisfied and longing for the future.
Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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Bible Readings for December 29th 2 Chronicles 34 | Revelation 20 | Malachi 2 | John 19
As we would expect, the account of Josiah, the final great king of Judah, opens first with a thoroughgoing reform of the worship in Judah. Although Josiah does not have the Book of the Law early on in his reign, he obeys Yahweh according to the knowledge that he has. Therefore, in the twelfth year of Josiah’s reign, he destroys the worship of the Baals and the Asherim—not only in Judah, but even in the cities of Manasseh, Ephraim, Simeon, and as far as Naphtali, even though the citizens of those cities are largely abandoned after the Assyrians have already carried those tribes of Israel off into exile (2 Chron. 34:3–7). More than that, Josiah also commissions workmen to rebuild and restore the temple of Yahweh after it had languished under the reign of his father, Amon, and his grandfather, Manasseh (2 Chron. 34:8–13)
But then, as Josiah learns more of God’s word, he obeys further. First, when Shaphan the secretary reads the Book of the Law in the presence of Josiah after the temple workmen rediscover it, the king tears his clothes in repentance on behalf of his people. Additionally, he asks his servants to inquire of God’s word to determine the extent of Yahweh’s wrath against them for their infidelity to “all that is written in this book” (2 Chron. 34:21), and when the prophetess Huldah responds to Josiah’s inquiry by declaring God’s intent to destroy Jerusalem (2 Chron. 34:22–28), Josiah responds with yet further obedience. He gathers all the people and reads to them the law to renew their covenant with Yahweh by vowing to keep all the words of the covenant in the book (2 Chron. 34:29–33). After this, for all of the days of Josiah’s life, Judah “did not turn away from following the LORD, the God of their fathers” (2 Chron. 34:33).
Sometimes, we imagine that the prophets of Yahweh were sent largely to give new, fresh words from Yahweh that would set aside stagnant, outdated words—and in our day, people sometimes suggest that God is doing something “new” to set aside what he previously told us in his word. This story from the life of Josiah, however, corrects that thinking: when Yahweh sends a prophet, he does so to call people back to his word. Even Jesus came not to abolish the law but to fulfill it entirely (Matt. 5:17–20).
How, then, do you listen to the word of the Lord? Do you look at it with an eye of suspicion, embarrassment, and a desire to move beyond what he has written down concerning righteousness and regarding God’s Son Jesus Christ? Or do you listen with the spirit of Josiah, with humility and a willingness to repent in order to follow God wherever he might lead you through his word?
Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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Bible Readings for December 28th 2 Chronicles 33 | Revelation 19 | Malachi 1 | John 18
The contrast between the godly King Hezekiah and the wicked King Manasseh is striking. Hezekiah had been a champion for the pure worship of Yahweh, but Manasseh does what is “evil in the sight of the LORD, according to the abominations of the nations whom the LORD drove out before the people of Israel” (2 Chron. 33:2). Manasseh therefore undoes all the faithful reforms of his father, Hezekiah, and leads Judah astray to do “more evil than the nations whom the LORD destroyed before the people of Israel” (2 Chron. 33:9).
And yet, where Manasseh had been a one-sided villain in the book of 2 Kings, the story we find in 2 Chronicles paints a more complicated picture, as was the case with Rehoboam (2 Chron. 10–12) and Abijah (2 Chron. 13). In 2 Kings, we read that Manasseh had been the one to set Yahweh on an unchangeable path toward destroying Jerusalem and sending the people of Judah off into exile (2 Kgs. 21:10–15). Here in 2 Chronicles, however, we find that Manasseh actually humbles himself after Yahweh sends the Assyrians to capture him and drag him in chains to Babylon (2 Chron. 33:11). When Manasseh repents, God hears Manasseh’s prayer and restores the king again to Jerusalem, so that “then Manasseh knew that the LORD was God” (2 Chron. 33:13).
This story clearly foreshadows the looming exile to Babylon that all Judah would experience only a few short decades after Manasseh’s mini-exile to Babylon. Still, we should not overlook that the Chronicler specifically tells us about how Manasseh returned from exile: through humbling himself, praying, seeking Yahweh’s face, and turning from his wicked ways (cf. 2 Chron. 7:14). At this point, there is no way to alter the course of Judah’s future. The Chronicler, however, is beginning to shape the story not of how Judah can avoid exile but how they will return from exile. Remember that the books of Chronicles are written from the perspective of the returned exiles from Babylon, so this account is designed to shape their understanding of how to move beyond the disaster that they had experienced.
And in the story of Manasseh, God holds out hope that even the most egregious of sinners are not too far separated from his grace and mercy. This was true for Manasseh, it was true for the exiles who returned from Babylon, and it remains true for you and me living today. The difference, though, is that we who live on this side of the Lord Jesus Christ understand the reason why God can be so forgiving toward us: because of his Son. Through the life, death, and resurrection of Christ, God extends grace to wretches like us who languish in exile from the disastrous curse of our sin.
Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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Bible Readings for December 27th 2 Chronicles 32 | Revelation 18 | Zechariah 14 | John 17
What the Chronicler emphasizes in 2 Chronicles about Hezekiah is strikingly different than what we read about this godly king in 2 Kings. In 2 Kings (as well as Isaiah 36–39), the focus is on the military and political aspects of Hezekiah’s reign—specifically, the stories of Sennacherib’s Assyrian invasion of Judah and Hezekiah’s failure with the Babylonian envoys. The shape of the narrative for Hezekiah’s life in 2 Chronicles, however, focuses more on the overarching theme in the books of Chronicles, which is this: As the nation’s worship goes, so also goes the nation. In other words, Hezekiah’s battles and political decisions—along with their respective victories or defeats—come as a direct result of the health of the nation’s worship, so that the Chronicler does not find these battles nearly as important in and of themselves.
It isn’t that the Chronicler sees Hezekiah’s political and military intrigue as unimportant—we do find a fair amount of detail about these stories here in 2 Chronicles 32. But, 2 Kings devotes three chapters to those stories, and Isaiah contains four, whereas we find all of those stories summarized in this single chapter of 2 Chronicles. Instead, the Chronicler spends most of his time exploring the worship and religious reforms of Hezekiah, so that the ratios are reversed—what 2 Chronicles explores over three chapters, 2 Kings summarizes in three verses (2 Kgs. 18:3–5). Remember that the Chronicler’s account of the warrior-king David—the king who could not build the temple because of his bloodshed (1 Chron. 28:3)—included only a smattering of stories of David’s battles but twelve chapters of David’s reforms in Israel’s worship (1 Chron. 13, 15–17, 21–26, 28–29).
The significance of this theology corrects a misunderstanding we fall into far too easily. We sometimes slide into implicitly believing our corporate worship on the Lord’s Day is the one of least important things we do in the week. We look at the many battlefronts of our lives—daily decisions in our families, our neighborhoods, and our work—and think that those are the chief battlegrounds for God’s kingdom. Instead, God directs us to pay attention to our worship. Are we loving him with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength? Are we exalting Jesus Christ together, pleading with our Father in heaven who has promised to hear our prayers and asking for the Holy Spirit to transform our own hearts, as well as the hearts of those around us? We were created chiefly for worship, so if we neglect that vital relationship to God, nothing else in our lives will fit together.
Hezekiah saw great success as a king because he put God first so that he could respond to everything else—good or bad—from the core of worship. What role does worship play in your life?
Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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Bible Readings for December 26th 2 Chronicles 31 | Revelation 17 | Zechariah 13 | John 16
As we studied the story of King David in 1 Chronicles, one of the main themes (a theme we did not find in the accounts of David in the books of Samuel) had to do with his reorganization of the Levites to serve as singers, musicians, gatekeepers, and treasury officers. In this way, David became a new lawgiver to foreshadow the coming of his own greater Son, the Messiah. For this reason, reading in 2 Chronicles 31 that Hezekiah also reorganizes the priests should surprise us. After a great revival that began with the defective (but wholeheartedly obedient) Passover, as we read yesterday, the people of Judah all head out to break down the pillars, to cut down the Asherim, and to break down the high places and altars throughout Judah, Benjamin, Ephraim, and Manasseh, “until they had destroyed them all” (2 Chron. 31:1). This is not the work of a few zealots, but we read that “all Israel” (2 Chron. 31:1) participates in this cleansing and reformation.
When the people finish cleansing the nation of idolatry, Hezekiah then commands the people who live in Jerusalem to bring in their tithes and contributions to the temple (2 Chron. 31:4), but then word of that command spreads abroad to all God’s people who live outside of Jerusalem as well (2 Chron. 31:5–6). Those people contribute tithes and offerings in abundance, so that the gifts pile up in heaps (2 Chron. 31:7–8). To handle this incredible generosity, Hezekiah commands the Levites to build chambers to store the gifts, and then he assigns Levites to receive, manage, and apportion those offerings to provide for the Levites (2 Chron. 31:11–19; cf. Num. 18). Their hearts are transformed by worship, so the people provide richly for the priests and the Levites who depend upon these contributions for their livelihood.
In part, this story of Hezekiah again gives us a glimpse into who David’s great Son would be—a man who would lead God’s people into wholehearted worship and godly generosity. And furthermore, the narrative of Hezekiah in this chapter is written to cast our eyes beyond him to deepen our anticipation for the coming of Jesus Christ. We should not, however, focus so much on the foreshadowing of this passage so as to miss the link between worship and generosity here. The reformation of worship does not leave these Israelites stern and legalistic, ready to spread a wet blanket on joy anywhere they might find it. Rather, the reformation of worship and joyful, liberal generosity arise from the same source: people who have been transformed by the grace of God. Indeed, the deeper we reflect on the grace of God as demonstrated in Jesus Christ, the deeper we should be transformed toward profound generosity, and pure worship is the fuel of that fire.
Does worship so transform your heart?
Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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Bible Readings for December 25th 2 Chronicles 30 | Revelation 16 | Zechariah 12 | John 15
In 2 Kings 23, King Josiah (the great-grandson of King Hezekiah) restores the Passover feast. Even though that restoration of Passover comes much later in time than the story we read here in 2 Chronicles 30, we nevertheless find this statement: “For no such Passover had been kept since the days of the judges who judged Israel, or during all the days of the kings of Israel or of the kings of Judah” (2 Kgs. 23:22).
Notice, however, that the author of 2 Kings doesn’t say that no Passover took place before Josiah but that no such Passover had taken place. The story we read here in 2 Chronicles 30, then, describes not a proper Passover such as the one that Josiah would celebrate many years later but actually a defective Passover. For starters, the Passover was to be observed during the first month (Ex. 12:1–6; Lev. 23:5; Num. 28:16), but yet we read several times in this chapter that Hezekiah’s Passover is held during the second month (2 Chron. 30:2, 13, 15). More than that, a great number of people during the assembly were not properly consecrated (2 Chron. 30:17–18). And yet, we nevertheless see that there was great joy in Jerusalem (2 Chron. 30:26) and that Yahweh himself blessed this celebration of the Passover (2 Chron. 30:20, 27). What can we learn from this?
It is important to recognize that this was a day of revival, where all the people were guided by Yahweh himself back from the idolatry of Ahaz into true worship: “The hand of God was also on Judah to give them one heart to do what the king and the princes commanded by the word of the LORD” (2 Chron. 30:12). Some details were dropped, but their love for Yahweh leads them to celebrate the Passover imperfectly rather than missing out on Yahweh’s feast completely for another year.
But as good this was, the failure to obey Yahweh in every respect means that this is not as good as it might have been. When King Josiah comes, he reforms the worship of Yahweh’s people further, correcting even the details. Where Hezekiah’s Passover was good, then, Josiah’s Passover was better, so that “no such Passover had been kept since the days of the judges.”
What this means is that we cannot rationalize a lack of joy in worship by appealing to the fact that we worship correctly, but we also cannot sacrifice the true means of worship that God himself instituted (reading and preaching the word, prayer, and the sacraments) in order to try to find joy in some other kind of worship. Jesus came to reform worship in his church so that we might forevermore worship Yahweh in both spirit and in truth—with joy and with precision. Which side do you tend to over-emphasize?
Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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Bible Readings for December 24th 2 Chronicles 29 | Revelation 15 | Zechariah 11 | John 14
Despite the fact that the story of Judah is tracking quickly toward their eventual exile in Babylon, we nevertheless have two more godly kings to study, starting with Hezekiah here in 2 Chronicles 29. Unsurprisingly, the first thing we read regarding Hezekiah to demonstrate his godliness is his reform of Judah’s worship, which is especially important after the wicked reign of Ahaz, whom we looked at yesterday.
But again, the Chronicler does not merely repeat what we read in 2 Kings 18:3–7. Instead, we gain new information, discovering here that Hezekiah appeals to all the Levites to reform Judah’s worship. So, Hezekiah begins by calling the Levites to consecrate themselves in order to begin the process of turning back to Yahweh through faithful temple worship (2 Chron. 29:3–11). We read of all the Levites who rise to the task, listed out by their clan: Kohathites, Merarites, and Gershonites (2 Chron. 29:12–13a). Then, we read another list by clan in 2 Chronicles 29:13b–14, where we find the descendants of the original singers whom David had appointed in the temple in 1 Chronicles 15: Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun. Immediately, the Levites and the priests work together to cleanse the temple of any unclean things that Ahaz had introduced there, and they replace all of the utensils that Ahaz had discarded (2 Chron. 29:15–19).
Once the temple is consecrated, Hezekiah restarts the full worship activities that should never have ceased. So, he commands the priests to slaughter their sacrifices (2 Chron. 29:20–24), and he repositions the Levites to sing praises with their cymbals, harps, and lyres (2 Chron. 29:25–30). Finally, once the people are consecrated, Hezekiah commands the offering of sacrifices and thank offerings—that is, the sacrifices that did not atone for or cleanse from sin but that celebrated Israel’s communion with Yahweh (cf. Lev. 3, 4, 7). At this point, the Levites continue to play a special role, since they are “more upright in heart than the priests in consecrating themselves” (2 Chron. 29:34).
While Hezekiah is clearly following exactly what David had commanded rather than innovating new forms of worship (2 Chron. 29:5, 25–27, 30), we nevertheless see the same dynamic that we have seen in David: Hezekiah the king is commanding the Levites and the priests to offer acceptable worship to Yahweh. And in this way, he is once again acting in the way that a king of Yahweh’s people—that is, a son of David—should act by purifying Judah’s worship. And by doing this, he foreshadows the role of the greater Son of David, Jesus Christ himself, who came as the king who would purify the worship of God’s people forever. We will continue reading about the reforms of Hezekiah tomorrow.
Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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Bible Readings for December 23rd 2 Chronicles 27–28 | Revelation 14 | Zechariah 10 | John 13
In today’s reading, we find one of the rare times a story about the northern nation of Israel is recorded in the Chronicles. In 2 Kings 16 we read the account of Judah’s King Ahaz, and there, we found many details about his interaction with Tiglath-pileser, king of Assyria. But here in 2 Chronicles 28, we read about the faithfulness of the northern Israelites—faithfulness that stands in stark contrast with the unfaithfulness of Judah’s King Ahaz, who was so wicked as to burn his own sons as offerings to the pagan gods (2 Chron. 28:3).
Because of Ahaz’s evil, Yahweh hands him over to be defeated by the kings of Syria and Israel (2 Chron. 28:5–6). Pekah, the king of Israel, inflicts great losses on Ahaz’s military, so that the southern nation of Judah loses 120,000 men of valor in a single day of battle—and all of this happens, the author of 2 Chronicles reminds us, “because they had forsaken the LORD, the God of their fathers” (2 Chron. 28:6).
But even more than the wickedness of killing their own brothers in battle, Israel’s victory also enables them to take two hundred thousand of the people of Judah into slavery (2 Chron. 28:8), despite the fact that the people of Israel were forbidden from enslaving their fellow Israelites (Lev. 25:35–55). In response, a faithful prophet rebukes the people of Israel: “Now hear me, and send back the captives from your relatives whom you have taken, for the fierce wrath of the LORD is upon you” (2 Chron. 28:10–11). Additionally, certain chiefs of the tribe of Ephraim refuse to allow the slaves to be brought into their cities, saying, “You shall not bring the captives in here, for you propose to bring upon us guilt against the LORD in addition to our present sins and guilt. For our guilt is already great, and there is fierce wrath against Israel” (2 Chron. 28:13).
On the one hand, we are meant to see here that the wheels are coming off the tribe of Judah, so that they will continue to be handed over to greater defeats the further they rebel against Yahweh. But we are also meant to see that there were indeed faithful members from the northern tribes of Israel. Seeing Yahweh preserve a remnant who fears him and obeys his commandments ought to give us hope as we witness the church fall into all kinds of unfaithfulness and immorality in our own day. God will continue to build his church, even when that church survives as only a remnant at times, until the last day when Jesus Christ will return to judge the living and the dead. Pray that God might give you the grace to persevere with the saints to the end, no matter how badly things might go around you.
Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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Bible Readings for December 22nd 2 Chronicles 26 | Revelation 13 | Zechariah 9 | John 12
Uzziah, the king we read about in 2 Chronicles 26, also goes by the variant name Azariah in the record of his reign in 2 Kings 15:1–7. His mention in 2 Kings 15 is fairly brief, mixed in between all the accounts of Israel’s kings, but there we find this statement without any explanation: “And the LORD touched the king, so that he was a leper to the day of his death, and he lived in a separate house” (2 Kgs. 15:5). Why would Yahweh, all of a sudden, strike a relatively godly king (2 Kgs. 15:3) with leprosy? While 2 Kings does not say, we find out the rest of the story in our reading today.
Even though during most of Uzziah’s life he has faithfully sought Yahweh, and Yahweh has therefore made him prosper (2 Chron. 26:5), the king becomes proud in his strength toward the end of his life (2 Chron. 26:16). Because of his pride, he wickedly enters the temple of Yahweh to burn incense, even though he is forbidden to do so as a king from the line of David, since he is not a priest from the line of Aaron. The priests faithfully stand up to Uzziah, and when Uzziah responds in anger, Yahweh strikes him with leprosy, and he lives out the rest of his days quarantined from the rest of the people—and particularly, quarantined from the temple—in his disease (2 Chron. 26:16–23). Uzziah, we should remember, was not the first king to usurp the role of the priests—King Saul also offered a sacrifice rather than waiting for Samuel to come to offer it in 1 Samuel 13. The consistent message through the Old Testament is that Israel’s kings may not approach God as priests.
But yet, when Jesus came into the world, he came to become our high priest forever, despite being a king from the line of David and not from the line of Aaron. For this reason, Hebrews 7 points us back to the example of the king-priest Melchizedek from Genesis 14, who was greater than Abraham (and therefore greater than Levi), as well as to the prophecy from Psalm 110:4 that some coming king would also be “priest forever, after the order of Melchizedek.” Jesus becomes a priest, but not by pridefully demanding the role as Uzziah does in 2 Chronicles 26. Rather, the Father appointed Jesus as a priest because of the weakness and uselessness of the former priesthood (Heb. 7:18) so that Jesus might save us to the uttermost and permit us to draw near to God through him (Heb. 7:25).
God’s presence is never to be taken lightly, but because of Jesus, let us draw near to God together through Christ, our great high priest, who always lives to make intercession for us.
Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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Bible Readings for December 21st 2 Chronicles 25 | Revelation 12 | Zechariah 8 | John 11
Amaziah, like Joash his father, is a godly king who does not end his life as faithfully as he begins it. So, the summary of Amaziah’s reign goes like this: “And he did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, yet not with a whole heart” (2 Chron. 25:2). Amaziah, then, righteously puts to death the servants who had assassinated his father, and he is also obedient not to put their children to death for what their fathers did, according to the law of Moses (2 Chron. 25:3–4). Nevertheless, Amaziah begins to seek the gods of Edom toward the end of his life, and when this happens, Yahweh ordains Amaziah’s demise (2 Chron. 25:20).
In today’s meditation, however, we will look at the story in the middle of this chapter where Amaziah both disobeys and obeys. In 2 Chronicles 25:5–13, we read that Amaziah hires one hundred thousand warriors from the northern tribes of Israel for one hundred talents of silver (2 Chron. 25:6). By doing this, Amaziah betrays the fact that he does not actually believe Yahweh will help him in battle, as a man of God (i.e., a prophet) comes to tell him: “Why should you suppose that God will cast you down before the enemy? For God has power to help or to cast down” (2 Chron. 25:8).
So far, this interaction is fairly typical—the leaders and kings of both Israel and Judah have often sought all kinds of interventions to help them in war only to be rebuked by a prophet. Amaziah’s response, however, is fascinating: “But what shall we do about the hundred talents that I have given to the army of Israel?” To this, the man of God replies, “The LORD is able to give you much more than this” (2 Chron. 25:9). This is called the sunk cost fallacy, where we believe that because we have already invested heavily into the wrong solution, we will do better to continue down that road rather than cutting our losses and switching to the right path.
Often, after we have invested heavily in our own plans and schemes for our futures, it is tempting to want to stick the course, no matter what. Even when the Holy Spirit begins to convict our hearts of the faithlessness of our plans, we feel a strong impulse to finish things out anyway after coming so far. Are you convicted of sin but worried about getting your investment back? Repent fully today, and listen to the promise from God’s word: he is able to give you much more than this, and in fact, he is able to do “far more abundantly than all that we ask or think” (Eph. 3:20).
The question is not whether God can restore our losses, but rather this: Will you trust him to do it?
Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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Bible Readings for December 20th 2 Chronicles 24 | Revelation 11 | Zechariah 7 | John 10
The reign of Joash is a tragedy that begins on the best note possible but that eventually takes a sinister turn away from faithful obedience to Yahweh and toward the false worship and idolatry that has plagued the people of Yahweh throughout their story. The unique factor in the story of Joash in 2 Chronicles 24, then, comes as we look at the lynchpin of Joash’s faithfulness: the priest Jehoiada.
Yesterday, we looked at some of Jehoiada’s reforms of the temple, but we find this summary of his influence on Joash at the beginning of our reading for today: “And Joash did what was right in the eyes of the LORD all the days of Jehoiada the priest” (2 Chron. 24:2). Under Jehoiada’s godly leadership, Joash collects taxes from the people to restore and repair the temple so that Jehoiada could again offer burnt offerings in the temple all the days of his life (2 Chron. 24:14). But, when Jehoiada dies at the age of 130, Joash begins to listen to a different set of counselors, with a different message than the godly priest had spoken to him. He abandons the true worship in the temple in order to serve the Asherim and the idols instead, and he ignores every prophet who attempts to call him to repentance (2 Chron. 24:17–19).
This passage echoes the tragic opening of the book of Judges, where we read that “the people served the LORD all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders who outlived Joshua, who had seen all the great work that the LORD had done for Israel” (Judg. 2:7), but that after Joshua and his elders died, “there arose another generation after them who did not know the LORD or the work that he had done for Israel” (Judg. 2:10). In our reading for today, we see the same phenomenon: when the godly leader dies (formerly Joshua, but now Jehoiada), we discover that the obedience and faithfulness of those around him has had more to do with his life and influence rather than any kind of heart transformation in them. Then, when we begin to reflect on the downward trajectory of the story of the book of Judges, we understand quickly where the narrative of Chronicles is headed now—toward Yahweh’s judgment and exile.
We live in a day when a tremendous amount of youth never return to the church after leaving their parents’ homes, but that is nothing new—we see the same, terrible pattern in the Bible itself. As we consider how to train up the next generation of believers, how might we both we lead them to walk in the truth and also, as they grow older, give them space to make their faith their own? Pray today for the lifelong faithfulness of the next generation of Christ’s disciples.
Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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Bible Readings for December 19th 2 Chronicles 22–23 | Revelation 10 | Zechariah 6 | John 9
The stories in 2 Chronicles 22–23 narrate the bloody history by which Judah emerges from chaos, wickedness, and violence in the aftermath of Jehoram’s reign. Ahaziah, the son of Jehoram, picks up in Judah where his father left off, walking “in the ways of the house of Ahab, for his mother was his counselor in doing wickedly” (2 Chron. 22:3). After Yahweh ordains to put Ahaziah to death, his mother—who is Athaliah, the daughter of Ahab and the granddaughter of Omri (2 Chron. 22:2)—sees her opportunity for power, so she murders all of her grandsons except for Joash, whom one of her granddaughters hides in the temple under the watchful care of Jehoiada the priest (2 Chron. 22:10–12). Jehoiada then protects him until the day that Joash, the true son of David, may be revealed, anointed, and crowned as king (2 Chron. 23:1–11).
Now, this is a story we studied back in 2 Kings 8–11, and many of the details of how Joash ascended to the throne—as well as the story of how Judah’s leaders put Athaliah to death over her protests of treason—show up almost identically in the narratives there. But, in the section where we read about Jehoiada’s reforms of Judah’s worship, we see a key difference in the telling of this story in 2 Chronicles—namely, the emphasis here is on the way that Jehoiada helps Joash restore David’s organization of the priests and Levites: “And Jehoiada posted watchmen for the house of the LORD under the direction of the Levitical priests and the Levites whom David had organized to be in charge of the house of the LORD, to offer burnt offerings to the LORD, as it is written in the Law of Moses, with rejoicing and with singing, according to the order of David” (2 Chron. 23:18).
Even here, where we read nearly identical stories, the Chronicler uniquely puts David back at the forefront, placing David’s orders on equal footing with the law of Moses. Just as we saw so many times in 1 Chronicles, the point of this is not to exalt David but to anticipate the coming of David’s greater Son—an anticipation that becomes all the more desperate as we see how poorly the immediate sons of David have reigned as kings so far in 2 Chronicles.
All this reminds us that, one day, the Lord Jesus Christ will be revealed in glory, returning to depose the treacherous rulers of this world who have oppressed God’s people. On that day, no amount of protesting will protect those who have despised the reign of David’s greater Son. Today, is your hope bound up in patiently waiting for the revelation of David’s true, greater Son, or are you seeking personal gain for yourself no matter whom you trample in the process?
Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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Bible Readings for December 18th 2 Chronicles 21 | Revelation 9 | Zechariah 5 | John 8
Jehoshaphat, as we discovered over the last three days, reigned with a mixture of good and evil. Tragically, Jehoshaphat’s son Jehoram follows only in the evil footsteps of his father, even going so far as to ally himself with King Ahab by marrying one of the daughter’s of Israel’s wicked king. Jehoram, then, “walked in the way of the kings of Israel, as the house of Ahab had done, for the daughter of Ahab was his wife. And he did what was evil in the sight of the LORD” (2 Chron. 21:6).
And indeed, Jehoram commits all manner of wickedness. He murders all of his brothers to eliminate any possible threats to his throne (2 Chron. 21:4), although Yahweh only permitted him to reign for eight brief years because of his wickedness anyway (2 Chron. 21:5). Furthermore, he sets up more high places in the hill country of Judah for idolatrous worship (2 Chron. 21:11–12). Even the prophet Elijah, who rebukes Jehoram and prophesies a plague on his people, children, wives, and possessions, cannot get Jehoram to repent (2 Chron. 21:12–15). For all this wickedness, Yahweh prompts Edom and Libnah to revolt against Judah’s rule (2 Chron. 21:8–10), and he also raises up the Philistines and Arabians against Judah, who ransack Jerusalem (2 Chron. 21:16–17). Finally, Yahweh sends Jehoram a painful, incurable disease in his bowels, which kills him over the course of two long years, to the dismay of no one in Judah (2 Chron. 21:18–20).
Those who have children should see a warning in Jehoram’s upbringing. Jehoram’s marriage alliance with the house of Ahab seems to be a significant factor in his apostasy and wickedness, but he is simply following the example set by his father, Jehoshaphat, who twice created alliances with the kings of Israel. If you knew that your children would certainly inherit your worst sins, what might change in your life today?
But also, we see that Yahweh preserves the lineage of David through grace once again: “Yet the LORD was not willing to destroy the house of David, because of the covenant that he had made with David, and since he had promised to give a lamp to him and to his sons forever” (2 Chron. 21:7). Jehoram inherits his sin from his father, but he is also shown some measure of grace because of the obedience of another one of his ancestors, David.
When you die, will you leave a godly heritage, or will your sins and your wickedness be the heritage you leave behind, so that you depart “with no one’s regret” (2 Chron. 21:20)? Ask God that he might break generational sins in your family, while also extending his covenantal kindness to your children’s children, even to a thousand generations (Deut. 7:9).
Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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Bible Readings for December 17th 2 Chronicles 19–20 | Revelation 8 | Zechariah 4 | John 7
As we have discussed over the previous two meditations, the reign of Jehoshaphat was a mixed bag. Sometimes he obeyed Yahweh, and sometimes he did not. So, while he had appointed the priests and the Levites to teach the law in 2 Chronicles 17, he also foolishly entered into a military alliance with the wicked King Ahab of Israel, for which he is rebuked in 2 Chronicles 19:2. In today’s reading, we see more of the same lurching between good and evil through the rest of Jehoshaphat’s life.
First, in 2 Chronicles 19:4–11, Jehoshaphat appoints judges throughout all the fortified cities in Judah, as well as priests and Levites who would remain in Jerusalem to judge the more difficult, disputed cases. This is a wise legal structure that Moses himself had set up at the suggestion of his father-in-law, Jethro, back in Exodus 18, and by reestablishing it, Jehoshaphat is seeking to ensure justice in Judah during his reign.
Second, when the Moabites, Ammonites, and Meunites come out in battle against Judah, Jehoshaphat lays out his case before Yahweh in prayer, asking Yahweh to protect his people (2 Chron. 20:5–12). Jehoshaphat prays a model prayer, citing Yahweh’s promises to hear his people when they pray to him before the temple, where Yahweh had put his name (2 Chron. 20:8–9; cf. 2 Chron. 7:11–22). What is extraordinary about this story, though, is that when Yahweh sends a prophetic word to Jehoshaphat through the prophet Jahaziel (one of the Levite sons of Asaph) to assure Jehoshaphat that Yahweh would give Judah victory in battle, Jehoshaphat marches out the next day in battle by placing his musicians and singers in front of the army. As they march, they sing, “Give thanks to the LORD, for his steadfast love endures forever” (2 Chron. 20:21). When the people begin to sing, the armies fight against each other, leaving nothing but dead bodies and rich spoils of war for the people of Judah to enjoy (2 Chron. 20:24–30).
But third, we also read that Jehoshaphat, at the end of his life, enters into another wayward arrangement with King Ahaziah of Israel to build ships to go to Tarshish. Yahweh is not pleased with this second alliance with a wicked king, so he destroys the ships that the two kings made before they could disembark (2 Chron. 20:35–37).
In the life of Jehoshaphat, then, we see an obedience that can look very much like ours. Sometimes we follow Jesus into dark, difficult situations with joy and singing, while other times the same, besetting sins draw us back down again. Rather than giving up the fight, pray instead that God might grant you the grace of perseverance to finish the race well, following after Jesus faithfully all the days of your life.
Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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Bible Readings for December 16th 2 Chronicles 18 | Revelation 7 | Zechariah 3 | John 6
When we read the story of the alliance between King Jehoshaphat of Judah and King Ahab of Israel back in 1 Kings 22, we didn’t learn much about Jehoshaphat. There, King Ahab was the main character, with Jehoshaphat entering the scene to play a supporting role in the narrative of how Yahweh was bringing judgment and disaster on Ahab for Ahab’s wicked idolatry and rebellion. It seemed as though Jehoshaphat was coming alongside Ahab to be a godly influence, trying to keep Ahab from ignoring the word of Yahweh altogether by demanding that they not go out to war together against the Syrians until they inquire for the word of Yahweh (1 Kgs. 22:5) and hear from a true prophet of Yahweh (1 Kgs. 22:7).
But as we read the narrative of this encounter in 2 Chronicles 18, this alliance becomes confusing. Why on earth would Jehoshaphat ally himself with a wicked king of Israel? Remember, King Ahab continued Israel’s rebellion against the house of David, even though the “LORD God of Israel gave the kingship over Israel forever to David and his sons by a covenant of salt” (2 Chron. 13:5). Not only that, Ahab was also a king who did more to provoke Yahweh through his wickedness than all the kings of Israel who had come before him (1 Kgs. 16:33). Even though Jehoshaphat escapes this joint military venture alive, upon his return (as we will see in the reading for tomorrow), Yahweh sends Jehu the son of Hanani the seer to confront Jehoshaphat, saying, “Should you help the wicked and love those who hate the LORD? Because of this, wrath has gone out against you from the LORD” (2 Chron. 19:2).
It is a serious thing to enter too deeply into relationships with those who do not love the Lord. Paul warns us specifically about this in 2 Corinthians 6:14, saying, “Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness?” It is not legalism to dissuade Christians from engaging in romantic relationships or extremely close relationships of other kinds with unbelievers, since to yoke yourself to those who have not taken upon themselves the yoke of Jesus (Matt. 11:30) has the capacity to destroy your entire life by poisoning your walk with the Lord.
This is not to say that we should not pursue any relationships with unbelievers, for there is no other way for people to hear the good news of Jesus. But, take stock of your relationships today—are there places where you are being influenced away from Christ through people in your life, rather than influencing them toward Jesus? Brothers and sisters, we have nothing if we do not have Christ, so let us take care not to let anyone or anything cause us to stray from our first love.
Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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Bible Readings for December 15th 2 Chronicles 17 | Revelation 6 | Zechariah 2 | John 5
Chronologically, when we read about the reign of King Jehoshaphat in 2 Chronicles 17, we have reached the point in history where the book of 1 Kings began to spend a significant amount of time discussing the prophetic ministries of the prophets Elijah and Elisha, two of the greatest prophets in the history of Israel. So, we met Elijah in 1 Kings 16 and read of his ministry—and especially of his confrontations with the wicked King Ahab—for several chapters before meeting Jehoshaphat at all. Then, we only read two brief passages about Jehoshaphat: one in 1 Kings 22 and another in 2 Kings 3.
The Chronicler, however, takes the exact opposite approach, skipping Elijah and Elisha altogether and devoting four lengthy chapters to Jehoshaphat. Part of the reason for this is that the books of Chronicles are written to the people of the tribe of Judah who returned from exile in Babylon,1 and part of the reason has to do with the fact that Jehoshaphat is a son of David who, like the other godly kings of Judah, anticipates the greater Son of David, Jesus Christ. Jehoshaphat is not perfect, as we will discuss in tomorrow’s meditation, but in the account we find today in 2 Chronicles 17, Jehoshaphat reforms the worship in Judah like other godly kings who come before him and after him (2 Chron. 17:3–6).
But Jehoshaphat does something additional that we do not find with any other king: he appoints Levites, priests, and even his own court officials to teach the law (2 Chron. 17:7–9).2 Other than this point, the only explicit examples in Scripture of teaching the law come after the people of Judah return from their captivity. In the book of Ezra, for example, Ezra the priest sets about the work of studying and teaching the law (Ezra 7). Then, in the book of Nehemiah, we find a beautiful scene where Ezra reads from the law and the Levites go out among the people to help them understand the sense of the law (Neh. 8:7–8), prompting Yahweh’s people to fresh reverence, great repentance, and a renewed covenant (Neh. 8:9–10:39).
God’s people need to be taught God’s word. God teaches us in his word who he is, what he loves, and what he hates. It is impossible to know and love God apart from his word, since he reveals himself in his word. This principle does not become less important under the new covenant but instead takes on new significance, since we come to understand that God reveals the glory of his Son Jesus Christ in his word. God’s people need to hear God’s word not only week after week but even day by day, so that we might better know God, love him, trust him, and serve him.
Do you avail yourself of opportunities to learn God’s word?
1 See the December 10 meditation for 2 Chronicles 10.
2 There is a brief reference to teaching priests during the reign of Josiah (2 Chron. 35:3), but it is unclear whether Josiah was the one to assign them that role or not.
Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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Bible Readings for December 14th 2 Chronicles 16 | Revelation 5 | Zechariah 1 | John 4
Yesterday, in 2 Chronicles 14–15, we looked at the positive aspects of King Asa’s reign over the nation of Judah, which were given in far greater detail than what we had seen in the account of Asa in 1 Kings 15. But where we have typically seen the books of Chronicles presenting idealized descriptions of kings as compared to what we read in the books of Samuel and Kings, in 2 Chronicles 16 we actually find a much more detailed picture of the rebellion of King Asa in his old age than what we read in 1 Kings 15.
In fact, the narrative in 1 Kings 15 did not explicitly tell us anything negative about the reign of King Asa. We did find the story of how Asa sought a covenant with Benhadad, king of Syria, to stand with Judah in opposing Baasha, king of Israel (1 Kgs. 15:16–21), but the narrative in 1 Kings didn’t tell us how we should judge that action. To find a definitive pronouncement that this was sinful, we actually need to turn to 2 Chronicles 16, where Hanani the seer confronts Asa, saying, “Because you relied on the king of Syria, and did not rely on the LORD your God, the army of the king of Syria has escaped you” (2 Chron. 16:7).
Shockingly, however, Asa does not respond to this prophetic word with repentance, as we might expect. Where David (1 Chron. 21:8–30) and Rehoboam (2 Chron. 12:6–8) both humble themselves in repentance before Yahweh, Asa instead becomes angry with Hanani and throws him into prison—and then, as Asa hardens his heart further, we read that he begins to inflict “cruelties upon some of the people at the same time” (2 Chron. 16:10). Eventually, at the end of Asa’s life, when he is diseased in his feet, the king continues to harden his heart against Yahweh: “Yet even in his disease he did not seek the LORD, but sought help from physicians” (2 Chron. 16:12). The point of this verse isn’t to suggest that going to doctors or physicians is somehow a mark of deficient faith; rather, the point is that Asa goes to physicians during his last days specifically to avoid humbling himself, repenting, and seeking Yahweh.
While God assures us that there is no sin so great that it can separate us from the love and redemptive power of Christ Jesus (Rom. 8:31–39), we also find warnings throughout the Scriptures that when we harden our hearts against repentance, there comes a point when we no longer want to repent. Let me plead with you—do not neglect the grace of repentance, lest your heart harden at the end of your life to become like Asa’s, cut off from the grace of Jesus by your own rebellion.
Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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Bible Readings for December 13th 2 Chronicles 14–15 | Revelation 4 | Haggai 2 | John 3
Like Abijah, the godly King Asa received a fairly short treatment in 1 Kings 15:9–24. In the book of 2 Chronicles, however, the story of King Asa is significantly expanded, with three times as many verses that stretch across three whole chapters. In today’s reading, we read about the good parts of Asa’s reign, and in tomorrow’s reading from 2 Chronicles 16, we will look at the way in which Asa fell toward the end of his life.
The account of Asa in 1 Kings emphasizes the many reforms that Asa made to put away the false worship from within the borders of Judah, but we read many more details of these reforms in 2 Chronicles 14–15. So, we read in 1 Kings that Asa put away male cult prostitutes, removed idols, and even deposed his own mother from her role as queen mother because she had made an abominable image for Asherah—an image that Asa cut down and burned (1 Kings 15:12–13). But the accounts in 2 Chronicles also provide a prophetic message that Asa received that we do not find in 1 Kings 15. Here, we read that the Spirit of God comes upon the prophet Azariah, who then encourages Asa to press on in the reforms he is making, since “For a long time Israel was without the true God, and without a teaching priest and without law” (2 Chron. 15:3).
So, Azariah charges Asa to push forward in restoring true worship to the people of Judah: “But you, take courage! Do not let your hands be weak, for your work shall be rewarded” (2 Chron. 15:7). After hearing this, Asa takes courage to put away idols and to repair the altar in the temple (2 Chron. 15:8) and leads his people into a covenant and an oath to seek Yahweh with all their hearts and souls (2 Chron. 15:12–14). The people rejoice over the godly leadership of Asa, “for they had sworn with all their heart and had sought him [Yahweh] with their whole desire, and he was found by them, and the LORD gave them rest all around” (2 Chron. 15:15).
Asa’s story vividly illustrates the power of godly leadership. Sometimes, sinful, rebellious people reject godly leaders who seek to lead them deeper into the gospel of Jesus, but other times, people are hungry for a leader to rise up who will courageously stand for Christ. When that happens, great revival can sweep quickly through God’s people as they together seek to know, love, and obey Jesus Christ, so pray for your leaders. And, if you are in a position of leadership, pray that God might give you courage to lead well and to turn the hearts of the people to follow you in seeking Jesus Christ with all their hearts and with their whole desires.
Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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Bible Readings for December 12th 2 Chronicles 13 | Revelation 3 | Haggai 1 | John 2
King Abijah received a very short treatment in 1 Kings 15. There, where his name is spelled Abijam, we read three simple details. First, he walked in the sins of Rehoboam, his father (1 Kgs. 15:3). Second, Yahweh preserved Abijah’s offspring for the sake of David (1 Kgs. 15:4–5). Third, there was war between Abijah and Jeroboam (1 Kgs. 15:6–7). All of these details are repeated in 2 Chronicles 13, but the stories sound very different.
In fact, it is difficult to tell that Abijah is actually a wicked king. The narrative of 2 Chronicles 13 seems to present Abijah as a godly king who leads all of Judah to rely on “the LORD, the God of their fathers” (2 Chron. 13:18). The only clues of Abijah’s apostasy that we have, then, come in the next chapter, where we will read that King Asa, Abijah’s son, must take away foreign altars, high places, pillars, and Asherim (2 Chron. 14:3, 5)—that is, the instruments of idolatrous worship that remained from the reign of Abijah.
Instead, we read primarily in 2 Chronicles 13 about Abijah’s leadership of Judah against the rebellion Jeroboam has led against the house of David. So, Abijah stands against Jeroboam, saying, “Ought you not to know that the LORD God of Israel gave the kingship over Israel forever to David and his sons by a covenant of salt?” (2 Chron. 13:5). He goes on to point out that Jeroboam has expelled all the Levites and priests who lived among the northern ten tribes from their offices, ordaining instead his own priests (2 Chron. 13:8–9), as we explored in yesterday’s meditation. So, Abijah says this: “But as for us, the LORD is our God, and we have not forsaken him” (2 Chron. 13:10). Then, as the battle rages on, Jeroboam leads his armies to surround Judah. When the people of Judah realize this, they cry to Yahweh and blast their trumpets, and at that point, Yahweh defeats Jeroboam and all Israel before Abijah and Judah (2 Chron. 13:15), so that Jeroboam never fully recovers for all the remaining days of his life (2 Chron. 13:20).
Obviously, these are different descriptions of King Abijah, but they are not contradictory. What we are reading is a high point in Abijah’s life—true stories that depict an idealized version of Abijah, like the idealized versions of David and Solomon we saw earlier—through which the narrator is showing us a glimpse of what zeal for the kingdom of God looks like. This isn’t so that we can sanitize Abijah but rather so that we can continue looking beyond Abijah—just as we have been looking beyond David and Solomon—in order to anticipate the coming of the one who holds the kingship of David forever, Jesus Christ the Lord.
Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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Bible Readings for December 11th 2 Chronicles 11–12 | Revelation 2 | Zephaniah 3 | John 1
As we began to discuss yesterday, the accounts we will find in 2 Chronicles from this point forward will focus exclusively on the perspective of the southern nation of Judah, ignoring the northern nation of Israel almost entirely. But, while we lose information about Israel, we also will find more robust accounts of Judah’s stories. So, in today’s reading, we learn much more of the story surrounding Rehoboam’s reign than we did in 1 Kings.
To begin, we discover in 2 Chronicles 11:13–17 that the priests and the Levites abandoned their dwelling places among the northern tribes of Israel and presented themselves for duty to Rehoboam, “because Jeroboam and his sons cast them out from serving as priests of the LORD, and he appointed his own priests for the high places and for the goat idols and for the calves that he had made” (2 Chron. 11:14–15). While we knew that Jeroboam had ordained his own priests (1 Kgs. 12:31–32, 13:33), we do not discover until now that Jeroboam had expelled the true Levitical priests from their service.
Additionally, we find in 2 Chronicles a more nuanced perspective of the reign of Rehoboam. In 1 Kings, Rehoboam was characterized simply as a wicked king who did what was evil in the sight of Yahweh (1 Kgs. 14:21–24). While the Chronicler does not downplay Rehoboam’s wickedness (2 Chron. 12:1–5, 14), the material in 2 Chronicles also includes many of the positive aspects of Rehoboam’s reign. For example, Rehoboam builds cities for defense in Judah (2 Chron. 11:5–12), and he deals well with his own family (2 Chron. 11:18–23). Furthermore, when Yahweh raises up Shishak, king of Egypt, against Rehoboam, we discover that Rehoboam and the princes of Israel humble themselves in repentance before Yahweh, so that Yahweh relents from destroying Rehoboam altogether (2 Chron. 12:6–8). The Chronicler even specifically includes the statement that conditions during this time are “good” in Judah (2 Chron. 12:12).
Now, it isn’t that this story will end differently, as though the Chronicler is telling an alternate reality story that concludes with Judah defeating the Babylonians. No, Judah will still end up in exile at the end of Chronicles, just as we read in 2 Kings. The difference, though, is that the Chronicler gives us glimpses into what might have been if Judah had faithfully obeyed Yahweh. The goal is not to play an extended game of “what if” but rather to imagine how Yahweh might ultimately reform his people through the coming Messiah.
Even as the nation of Judah sinks deeper into their sin and idolatry, then, the Chronicler holds out hope that one day, the Messiah would finally arrive. The goal of David’s greater Son does not disappear but rather becomes more urgent.
Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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Bible Readings for December 10th 2 Chronicles 10 | Revelation 1 | Zephaniah 2 | Luke 24
The narrative in 2 Chronicles 10 tells how the ten tribes of Israel rebel from the house of David. The version we find in 2 Chronicles for the most part retells the same story of Rehoboam’s foolishness in ignoring the counsel of the elders who advised him to treat Israel well and instead taking the advice of the young men who had grown up with him to treat Israel harshly. There is one major change, however, which illustrates the main difference we will see from this point forward in 2 Chronicles: a significant lack of material about the northern ten tribes of Israel.
So, here in 2 Chronicles 10, we read virtually nothing about Jeroboam, son of Nebat, who received a prophetic word that he would gain ten of the tribes of Israel for the faithlessness of Solomon (1 Kgs. 11:26–42) but who also acted faithlessly himself by setting up golden calves for the northern ten tribes to worship (1 Kgs. 12:25–33). He played a significant part in the narratives of 1 Kings, but we read very little of him here in 2 Chronicles. One reason for this, as we discussed in yesterday’s meditation, is that the Chronicler is presenting an idealized version of Solomon’s story in order to point forward to the greater Son of David yet to come. This, however, is only part of the story.
From here on out, we will read almost nothing of Israel’s story—that is, of the stories of the northern ten tribes. So, we will read very little about Israel’s kings, except where they pop up in the storylines of Judah’s kings (e.g., 2 Chron. 18:28–34), and we will not even read much of anything here about Israel’s great prophets, Elijah and Elisha, with one brief exception (2 Chron. 21:12). The reason for this is that the story of the Chronicles is Judah’s story, told by the exiles who returned from Judah’s captivity in Babylon. The ten tribes of Israel, from the perspective of the Chronicler, have been cut off from Yahweh’s story. Because the ten tribes rebelled against the house of David, they also rebelled against their Messiah, about whom the books of Chronicles are written.
The void of Israel’s stories in the book of 2 Chronicles ought to stand as a warning to us, then: Do not cut yourself off from Christ. Jesus himself warns us that “Whoever believes in [the Son of God] is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God” (John 3:18). The house of David is your only hope, because it is through that house that God raised up his own Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.
Do not rebel against Jesus to your condemnation; rather, believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved.
Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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Bible Readings for December 9th 2 Chronicles 9 | Jude 1 | Zephaniah 1 | Luke 23
The material we find in 2 Chronicles 9 is, in almost every respect, identical to the material we read in 1 Kings 10. So, the account we read of the visit of the queen of Sheba is virtually verbatim what we read, and the catalog of Solomon’s great wealth and wisdom in the second half of 2 Chronicles 9 also mirrors the catalog from 1 Kings nearly completely. There is, however, one additional line included in the narrative from 2 Chronicles 9, and we will explore the significance of that line in the meditation for today.
The additional line in 2 Chronicles 9 comes in verse 26, in the middle of all the various descriptions of Solomon’s vast riches and superior wisdom. There, we read this: “And he [Solomon] ruled over all the kings from the Euphrates to the land of the Philistines and to the border of Egypt.” Now, the account from 1 Kings 10 did include the statement that nothing like Solomon’s throne was ever made in any other kingdom (1 Kgs. 10:20; 2 Chron. 9:19) and that Solomon “excelled all the kings of the earth in riches and in wisdom” (1 Kgs. 10:23; 2 Chron. 9:22), so both narratives do include identical information comparing Solomon’s glory with the glory of the kings around him. This statement that Solomon actually ruled over all the other kings from the other nations, though, has no precedent in the material from 1 Kings.
Why include this detail here if it didn’t need to be included in 1 Kings 10? It seems that we are gaining another glimpse forward of the nature of the reign and rule of the coming Messiah. By including the information that Solomon reigned over the surrounding kings in his region for this brief time, we start to understand that the new Messiah will not merely be a wealthy and a wise king, as though he were simply a better king than anything Israel had ever seen. Instead, we learn from this that David’s greater Son must eventually be the greatest of all kings—an eternal, everlasting King of kings who rules supremely over all powers, authorities, principalities, and rulers, not only on earth, but even in heaven as well.
And for this reason, Jesus was sure to inform his disciples before ascending into heaven that “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me” (Matt. 28:17). Jesus is the King of kings and the Lord of lords, and his reign currently involves putting every last enemy under his feet until he can put away death, our last enemy, forever and ever (1 Cor. 15:24–28). Therefore, “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you” (Zech. 9:9). Where Solomon was great, Jesus is greater.
Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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Bible Readings for December 8th 2 Chronicles 8 | 3 John 1 | Habakkuk 3 | Luke 22
In our meditations on 1 Chronicles, we looked at the ways in which the Chronicler depicts David without many of his flaws recorded in 1 and 2 Samuel. In the same way, we also find that the Chronicler depicts Solomon here in 2 Chronicles without his flaws, so that the description of Solomon’s golden age—while it remains below the reign of David—stands without the blemishes we find in 1 Kings.
First, we find in 2 Chronicles 8:11 an explanation for why Solomon moves Pharaoh’s daughter to the house that he built for her. In 1 Kings 9:24, we read this: “But Pharaoh’s daughter went up from the city of David to her own house that Solomon had built for her.” Now, however, we find that this is actually a deliberate distinction drawn by Solomon himself: “Solomon brought Pharaoh’s daughter up from the city of David to the house that he had built for her, for he said, ‘My wife shall not live in the house of David king of Israel, for the places to which the ark of the LORD has come are holy’” (2 Chron. 8:11). Here in 2 Chronicles, it is clear that Solomon deliberately separates his Egyptian wife from the holy places where the ark of Yahweh has been.
Second, in 2 Chronicles 8:12–15, we find a lengthy description that Solomon carries out the duties of the burnt offerings as Moses had commanded, according to each day’s requirement, and he also appoints the divisions of priests and Levites for their service as David had commanded. Solomon keeps every bit of the law handed down to him by Moses and by his own father, David.
Part of what these two narratives imply is that Solomon—despite the greatness of his wealth, fame, and glory—is nevertheless subservient to his father’s rule. Where David became a new Moses, reorganizing the worship duties of the Levites, Solomon merely carries out the commandments handed down to him by David and by Moses.
But also, we see an idealized version of Solomon, just as we had seen an idealized version of David. We read nothing in 2 Chronicles of Solomon’s eventual apostasy that we saw in 1 Kings 11, and as with David, the reason for this is not to whitewash Solomon’s legacy. Rather, it is to cast our vision forward, anticipating the day when a greater golden age would come, marked with prosperity and wealth and wisdom—and not marred by sin—exceeding even the age of Solomon himself. The books of Chronicles are teaching us to long for David’s greater Son, and we learn here that Solomon is not that Son. The ultimate Messiah who will not only put away sin and death forever but who will also establish a kingdom of peace and prosperity for all eternity is still to come.
Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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Bible Readings for December 7th 2 Chronicles 7 | 2 John 1 | Habakkuk 2 | Luke 21
Once again, it is instructive to compare the account of Yahweh’s appearance to Solomon as recorded in 1 Kings 9 with the account we find in our reading from today in 2 Chronicles 7. In 1 Kings 9, Yahweh swore that he had consecrated the temple by putting his name there, and that he would establish Solomon’s throne forever if Solomon unfailingly kept Yahweh’s statutes and his rules (1 Kgs. 9:5). On the other hand, if Solomon or any one of Solomon’s offspring did turn from following him, then Yahweh would not only cut off Israel from the land but he would also destroy the temple (1 Kgs. 9:6–9).
The Chronicler includes both of those sections in 2 Chronicles 7, but he also includes this section that was omitted from 1 Kings 9: “When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command the locust to devour the land, or send pestilence among my people, if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land. Now my eyes will be open and attentive to the prayer that is made in this place” (2 Chron. 7:13–15). In context, this additional statement is an acknowledgment of the eventual reality that Israel will, in fact, fail. In 1 Kings, there was a tension in the narrative, where the reader would be wondering, Can they really do this? Can they remain faithful to Yahweh perpetually?
The books of Chronicles, however, acknowledge from the beginning that Yahweh’s people would fail and that they would all be carried away into exile because of their breach of faith (1 Chron. 9:1). So, the books of Chronicles have pointed forward to the greater Son of David to come, the Messiah who would save Yahweh’s people. Here, however, we also learn a new facet of Yahweh’s plan: although it is the coming of the Messiah who will fully accomplish salvation for Yahweh’s people, the role of the people in embracing that salvation will be to humble themselves, pray, and turn from their wicked ways—that is, to repent.
And indeed, this is the message of the gospel: now that Jesus has accomplished our salvation, he now commands us to humble ourselves, pray for his forgiveness, and repent from our wicked ways as we bow before his kingship. And if we do, then he promises not only to forgive us but to heal our land—that is, to grant to us an inheritance in the new creation that he is ushering in, so that we will dwell with him forever in a new heaven and a new earth. Therefore, repent and believe upon the Lord Jesus Christ, that you may be saved.
Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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Bible Readings for December 6th 2 Chronicles 6 | 1 John 5 | Habakkuk 1 | Luke 20
In 2 Chronicles 6, the narrator preserves for us the prayer of Solomon, and it is recorded nearly identically to the dedication prayer that we read in 1 Kings 8. Up to the end, we find significant overlap for Solomon’s three main prayers: thanking Yahweh for keeping covenant with Israel (1 Kgs. 8:22–26; 2 Chron. 6:12–17), asking whether God can indeed dwell with man on earth (1 Kgs. 8:27–30; 2 Chron. 6:18–21), and petitioning that Yahweh would hear the future prayers of his people to forgive them of their sin (1 Kgs. 8:31–50; 2 Chron. 6:22–39). After this point, however, the two accounts of this prayer diverge.
In 1 Kings 8:50–53, Solomon emphasizes that Yahweh had chosen Israel, both separating Israel from all the nations to be his heritage (1 Kgs. 8:53), as well as bringing them out of Egypt (1 Kgs. 8:51, 53). Then, in 1 Kings 8:54–61, Solomon offers to Israel a benediction, blessing Yahweh for bringing rest to his people Israel by upholding every one of the good promises he made to his people through Moses (1 Kgs. 8:56) but also blessing Israel and pleading with them to keep their hearts wholly true to Yahweh by walking in his statutes and commandments forever (1 Kgs. 8:61).
In 2 Chronicles 6, however, the emphasis is different. Here, Solomon prays, “O LORD God, do not turn away the face of your anointed one! Remember your steadfast love for David your servant” (2 Chron. 6:42). There is an implicit acknowledgment here that the people of Israel will not be able to keep the covenant with Yahweh, as hoped for in 1 Kings 8:61. Instead, the focus shifts forward to the need for Yahweh’s Messiah, the offspring of David, to keep the covenant. On that day, the great sins of Yahweh’s people would be forgiven, once and for all, since his Messiah would faithfully offer his own body up as both sacrifice and temple for the salvation of his people.
In this way, Jesus himself becomes the fulfillment of Solomon’s prayers at the consecration of the temple in a way that the temple itself never accomplished. In Jesus, Yahweh keeps his covenant. In Jesus, Yahweh dwells with humankind on earth. Through Jesus, Yahweh hears the prayers of his people to forgive them of their sins. And it will be our Messiah Jesus who will bring us out of our bondage and into our eternal rest now that he himself has walked in all the statutes and commandments of Yahweh, dying for our sins.
“Now, O my God, let your eyes be open and your ears attentive to the prayer of this place” (2 Chron. 6:40)—that is, to the prayers offered through our Mediator, the Lord Jesus Christ, who is himself God’s temple.
Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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Bible Readings for December 5th 2 Chronicles 5 | 1 John 4 | Nahum 3 | Luke 19
Bringing the ark into the temple is the final step before consecrating the temple for the worship of Yahweh, and the account we read here in 2 Chronicles 5 is largely the same as what we read in the corresponding account in 1 Kings 8. The major difference, though, is that what we find here includes the roles of the Levitical musicians who ministered through song during this time: “all the Levitical singers, Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun, their sons and kinsmen, arrayed in fine linen, with cymbals, harps, and lyres, stood east of the altar with 120 priests who were trumpeters; and it was the duty of the trumpeters and singers to make themselves heard in unison in praise and thanksgiving to the LORD” (2 Chron. 5:12–13). In 1 Kings 8:10, we only read of where the priests were when the cloud of Yahweh came, but here we read that this was also during the singing of the Levites who served alongside the priests. What does this section add to the theology of the construction of the temple?
As we discussed in a previous meditation, the inclusion of the rest of the Levites provides a trajectory of greater inclusion of Yahweh’s people in worship.1 And yet, the reign of David isn’t the first place we find worshipers playing instruments and singing praises to Yahweh—a wide variety of people had been doing so before David was ever crowned king. Previously, we had seen women playing instruments, dancing, and singing praise to Yahweh in Exodus 15:20–21 and then again to celebrate Israel’s military victories in Judges 11:34 and 1 Samuel 18:6–7. Additionally, we had seen specific groups of prophets who played instruments and prophesied in 1 Samuel 10:5–6. Furthermore, we should remember that David himself was summoned to play his lyre daily to soothe Saul from being tormented by an evil spirit (1 Sam. 16:23, 18:10). It seems more accurate, then, to speak of the inclusion of these Levites to sing at the bringing of the ark into the new temple not as a brand new innovation to the worship of Israel but as an official reintroduction and reorganization of the musical worship in which Yahweh’s people had participated from the beginning.
But additionally, these passages look forward to the worship that God would command to us in the new covenant. All of us are commanded to sing praises to Yahweh, singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs (Eph. 5:20; Col. 3:16). In Christian worship, music must not be for the sake of performance, as though we were passively listening to a concert, since the new covenant now provides that we all—not just the priests and not just the Levites—may participate fully in worship by singing praises to God through Jesus Christ.
1 See the November 28 meditation for 1 Chronicles 24–25.
Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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Bible Readings for December 4th 2 Chronicles 3–4 | 1 John 3 | Nahum 2 | Luke 18
In a previous meditation, we looked at the only story in 1 Chronicles that recorded David’s sin: the story of the census that he took.1 As we discussed, one of the reasons that story was included is to provide the backstory of how David purchased the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite, since that site became the location where the temple would eventually stand: “Then David said, ‘Here shall be the house of the LORD God and here the altar of burnt offering for Israel’” (1 Chron. 22:1).
In our reading for today, then, we find this detail reiterated in 2 Chronicles 3:1: “Then Solomon began to build the house of the LORD in Jerusalem on Mount Moriah, where the LORD had appeared to David his father, at the place that David had appointed, on the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite.” This verse, however, adds another unexpected wrinkle by giving us more information about the temple’s location. Here, we learn that the temple is built on Mount Moriah. This information is extremely significant, since Mount Moriah was the place where God tested Abraham, saying, “Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you” (Gen. 22:2). We learn here something shocking: the temple is built on the very spot where Abraham had nearly offered his son Isaac up as a sacrifice so many years before.
But more than just an interesting correlation of locations, there is also an interesting correlation of stories between the sacrifice of Isaac and the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite. In both cases, Yahweh provided a substitute to spare his people—in the case of Abraham, Yahweh provided a ram whose horns were caught in the thicket that Abraham offered as a substitute for Isaac (Gen. 22:13). In the case of David, Yahweh allowed a sacrifice on Ornan’s threshing floor to turn away his wrath from the people of Israel (1 Chron. 21:26–27).
Together, both of these stories announce that the temple would be the place where Yahweh’s people would shed the blood of animal sacrifices as a substitute for themselves. When the people sinned, the sacrificial animals would die in their place to avert Yahweh’s wrath. And ultimately, these stories point forward to the way that David’s greater Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, would endure the suffering of the cross, not because of his own sin, but as the substitutionary sacrifice Yahweh provided to avert his wrath from us.
The LORD will provide—and he has provided—nothing less than his own Son as your substitute. Jesus died in your place, for your sins, so that you might be reconciled to God.
1 See the November 25 meditation for 1 Chronicles 21.
Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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Bible Readings for December 3rd 2 Chronicles 2 | 1 John 2 | Nahum 1 | Luke 17
Although the narratives of Solomon in the books of Chronicles undercut any idea that Solomon represents the pinnacle of Yahweh’s kingdom on earth, we still read that Solomon does important work in building the temple. Solomon’s reign was certainly important, but everything about him anticipates the coming of Someone greater—and the story from 2 Chronicles 2 points forward to that person in a significant way.
In 2 Chronicles 2:7, Solomon asks King Hiram to send him “a man skilled to work in gold, silver, bronze, and iron, and in purple, crimson, and blue fabrics, trained also in engraving, to be with the skilled workers who are with me in Judah and Jerusalem, whom David my father provided” (cf. 1 Kgs. 7:13–14). The skilled craftsman whom Hiram sends is named Huram-abi (2 Chron. 2:13). Huram-abi here becomes the equivalent of Bezalel and Oholiab, the two skilled craftsmen filled with the Spirit of Yahweh and with the skill and knowledge to do all the construction of the tabernacle during the days of Moses (Ex. 35:30–39:43).
But we should not overlook a crucial detail about Huram-abi: he is a man born to an Israelite mother and a father from Tyre—that is, a Gentile father (2 Chron. 2:14). Think about that for a moment—a half-Gentile is the chief craftsman who builds Solomon’s temple! This information is incredibly important in the overarching storyline of the Bible, since the fact that the chief craftsman of Solomon’s temple was a descendant of both an Israelite and a Gentile foreshadows the way in which Jews and Gentiles would one day together build the temple of Jesus Christ.
In Ephesians 2, Paul explains that Jesus Christ tore down the dividing wall of hostility (a barrier to keep Gentiles farther away from the temple than Jews were allowed to be) between1 Jews and Gentiles, reconciling us together to create one new man in place of the two (Eph. 2:11–16). And through this reconciliation, Paul continues, Jesus Christ has begun to use Jews and Gentiles together as the materials out of which he is building a temple in which the Holy Spirit dwells (Eph. 2:17–22). Just as Solomon’s temple was built through the offspring of a marital union of a Jew and a Gentile, so also the temple of Jesus is being built with Jews and Gentiles who have been reconciled through the cross. For Christians, therefore, racial reconciliation is not a second-tier goal. Jesus Christ died in order to put away racial hostility among his people, making peace by the blood of the cross so that representatives from every tribe, language, people, and nation might be unified in the church.
In what ways are you pursuing reconciliation and unity with fellow blood-bought children of God who are different from you?
1 Frank Thielman, Ephesians, BECNT (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2010), 161–86. For more information, see also the meditation for March 16.
Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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Bible Readings for December 2nd 2 Chronicles 1 | 1 John 1 | Micah 7 | Luke 16
As we studied 1 Chronicles, we noticed all the ways that the Chronicler put David front and center in the story of Israel. We might think, then, that we will find a similar expansion of Solomon’s role, since he is the immediate son of David; however, in 2 Chronicles, we find that the Chronicler actually avoids giving us as many details about the life of Solomon as we read in the accounts from 1 Kings.
Here in 2 Chronicles 1, for example, Solomon’s stories are significantly truncated. In 1 Kings 1–2, we read about how Solomon established his kingdom against Adonijah by executing vengeance upon the enemies of his father, David, but we read nothing of that here in 2 Chronicles 1. Then, while we do have the story from 1 Kings 3 about how Solomon asked Yahweh for wisdom when Yahweh offered him anything that his heart desired, we do not find the story of how Solomon wisely identifies the rightful mother of the baby of two prostitutes that we read in 1 Kings 3:16–28. Furthermore, in 1 Kings 4:1–19, we read a list of all of Solomon’s officials—a list similar in kind to the lists of David’s officials that we saw back in 1 Chronicles 11, 12, 15, 16, 18, and 23–27. But, where the Chronicler extensively details all the various officials in the various departments of David’s administration, we find no such list of Solomon’s officials anywhere in 2 Chronicles. Finally, we do read a description of Solomon’s wealth in 2 Chronicles 1:14–17, but it is not nearly as long as the one given in 1 Kings 4:20–34.
Why would the Chronicler go to such lengths to document detailed descriptions of David’s kingdom but comparatively pass over large swaths of details regarding Solomon’s kingdom? In fact, the writing of these narratives prevents us from thinking that Solomon is the greater Son of David whom we have been anticipating—the ultimate Davidic king. The shrinking footprint of Solomon in the books of Chronicles keeps us longing for Someone greater than Solomon (Matt. 12:42).
There is a warning here not to allow anyone or anything in our lives to displace the Lord Jesus in our hearts. It is all too easy for us to look to good things—families, relationships, careers, hobbies, or even political candidates—as the solution to our problems, so that we tie up our hearts in them and expect to find some kind of salvation there. But if even King Solomon himself was not the great Son of David who would reign forever on the throne of Israel, why should we believe that our own stand-ins for Jesus will suffice? In the words of the Apostle John, “Little children, keep yourselves from idols” (1 John 5:21).
Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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Bible Readings for December 1st 1 Chronicles 29 | 2 Peter 3 | Micah 6 | Luke 15
We looked yesterday at ways these final chapters in 1 Chronicles portray David as a new Moses, and here in 1 Chronicles 29:6–9, we find yet one more story along those lines in the freewill offering of the Israelites to contribute materials for the building of the temple. The word for “freewill offering” in 1 Chronicles 29:6 first appears in the Bible in Exodus—once in Exodus 25:2 to invite a freewill offering for the construction of the tabernacle and then in Exodus 35:21 and 29 to describe the freewill offering that the people do contribute for the building of the tabernacle. Just as Moses had collected the freewill offering to build the first dwelling place of Yahweh in the tabernacle, so now David also collects a freewill offering for the temple.
But nevertheless, 1 Chronicles ends on a somewhat puzzling note: why doesn’t David usher in the ultimate, final, consummated kingdom of God here? As we have noted a couple of times, the story we have in 1 Chronicles omits David’s sin with Bathsheba, as well as his failure to deal with the rebellion of Joab and Absalom (among others) in his midst, so why then does David pass away from the scene here? The first book of Chronicles leaves this question entirely unanswered.
In fact, the Chronicler writes this description of David deliberately in order to establish a pattern that David’s greater Son would follow. In the same way that David did not consummate God’s kingdom on earth here at the end of 1 Chronicles, so also Jesus ascended to his Father in heaven after his resurrection without bringing his people straight into their eternal rest with him. As we read the final story of David in 1 Chronicles 29, we are meant to feel the same way as did the apostles of Jesus before his ascension, when they asked, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” (Acts 1:6). Is it now, Lord Jesus? Are you coming to put away permanently the curse of sin and death and to bring your people into their eternal home so that we can be with you forever now?
The joyous—yet incomplete—story of David’s departure is written to stoke the flames of our desire for Jesus. Do you long for your Savior to return? Do you pray, “Come, Lord Jesus!” (Rev. 22:20)? Are you purifying yourself as he is pure while you await his appearance (1 John 3:3)? Are you gathering oil and trimming your wicks (Matt. 25:1–13) and wisely investing the talents he has entrusted to you (Matt. 25:14–30)? The day is coming when he will return, and on that day, let none of us fail to have made ourselves ready to embrace our bridegroom. Today, trust in him as you await his appearing.
Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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Bible Readings for November 30th 1 Chronicles 28 | 2 Peter 2 | Micah 5 | Luke 14
As we come to the end of David’s life in 1 Chronicles, there is one question we have not yet addressed: Was David right to take such an active role in reshaping the worship in Israel in the way that he did? We need to avoid bringing in the baggage of our own culture’s assumptions, since we often glorify the ability to bring new ideas as the quintessential leadership quality. In the Bible, however, it is the innovations in worship—for example, high places, new altars, and new places for worship away from Jerusalem—that receive the strongest condemnation of all the sins the later kings of Israel and Judah commit. Should we worry that David might be disobeying Yahweh here? As we discussed in our meditation for 2 Kings 9, one of the ways the biblical authors make their points is through the repetition of stories, and here in 1 Chronicles 28, we see two clear repetitions that portray David as a new Moses rather than a usurping innovator who rejects Moses.
First, we read in 1 Chronicles 28:19 that David’s plans for the temple have come directly from Yahweh: “All this he made clear to me in writing from the hand of the LORD, all the work to be done according to the plan.” David has received direct revelation to plan how to build everything in the temple, from its various houses, treasuries, rooms, and vestibules to all the division of work within the temple, as well as all the furniture it would house (1 Chron. 28:11–18). This passage covers virtually the same elements as the plans for building the tabernacle that Moses received from Yahweh in Exodus 25–31.
Second, David charges Solomon with nearly a direct quotation from the words Moses spoke when commissioning Joshua as Israel’s next leader in Deuteronomy 31:7–8: “Be strong and courageous, for you shall go with this people into the land that the LORD has sworn to their fathers to give them, and you shall put them in possession of it. It is the LORD who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.” Here in 1 Chronicles 28:20, David now says this: “Be strong and courageous and do it. Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed, for the LORD God, even my God, is with you. He will not leave you or forsake you, until all the work for the service of the house of the LORD is finished.”
David is not rejecting Moses—rather, he is a new Moses. Even here, however, the focus is not so much on David himself as it is on the ultimate Son of David whom Yahweh would raise up for the salvation of his people. We will continue looking at the conclusion of David’s life tomorrow.
Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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Bible Readings for November 29th 1 Chronicles 26–27 | 2 Peter 1 | Micah 4 | Luke 13
David assigns a group of the non-priestly Levites who were not called to the ministry of music to serve instead as gatekeepers in 1 Chronicles 26 (cf. 1 Chron. 9:17–32). While some of these gatekeepers were Merarites (1 Chron. 26:19), the primary group are called the Korahites (1 Chron. 26:1)—that is, the sons of Korah, who was the Kohathite who led the rebellion against Moses in Numbers 16. Though their ancestor Korah had sinned grievously against Yahweh, they are nevertheless called near to a particular place of privilege to serve as gatekeepers of the house of God. The influence of the Korahites, however, extends far beyond the gatekeeping duties that they executed thousands of years ago. They left behind Psalms 42, 44–49, 84, 85, 87, and 88—psalms that the church treasures to this day.
Knowing that the sons of Korah were devoted to standing guard at the temple helps us to understand better why one of these gatekeepers would write Psalm 84, where we read, “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….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” (Ps. 84:1–2, 10). They are the doorkeepers for the house of their God, and they rejoice in the privilege of dwelling in the shadow of the house of God.
But even the fact that the Korahites were gatekeepers seems to influence their choice of themes in the psalms they write, so that they frequently describe Yahweh as their refuge, stronghold, and protection. For example, take Psalm 46: “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble….the God of Jacob is our fortress” (Ps. 46:1, 7, 11). Or, Psalm 48: “Within her [Mount Zion’s] citadels God has made himself known as a fortress” (Ps. 48:3). Just as the gates where the Korahites served protected the temple, so also Yahweh himself acts as a refuge and a fortress for his people.
It is a tender thing, then, for Jesus to describe himself as the true shepherd of the sheep to whom the gatekeeper opens (John 10:3), as well as the very door through whom we may enter into God’s presence and find salvation (John 10:7–18). It is the presence of Jesus that is better than a thousand days elsewhere, and it is Jesus himself who serves as our refuge and strength, and who stands as our fortress. For all those who are weary and oppressed, let us flee to Jesus, a very present help to us in times of trouble, both now and forevermore.
Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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Bible Readings for November 28th 1 Chronicles 24–25 | 1 Peter 5 | Micah 3 | Luke 12
In 1 Chronicles 25, David directs and organizes a division of the non-priestly Levites to serve as musicians in the house of God. As we discussed in the meditation from 1 Chronicles 16, David appoints three leaders of the musicians, one from each clan of the tribe of Levi: Asaph the Gershonite, Jeduthun (who also goes by the name Ethan) the Merarite, and Heman the Kohathite. These leaders, however, are not merely skilled musicians, but they prophesy with lyres, harps, and cymbals (1 Chron. 25:1). Each leader is explicitly called a prophet in some way: Asaph prophesies under the direction of the king (1 Chron. 25:2); Jeduthun prophesies “with the lyre in thanksgiving and praise to the LORD” (1 Chron. 25:3); and Heman is “the king’s seer” (1 Chron. 25:5). In other words, music wasn’t as much about sound as it was about declaring the prophetic word of Yahweh. Furthermore, David establishes formal musical training, with teachers and pupils actively working together to develop the next generation of musical (and prophetic) leadership among the Levites (1 Chron. 25:7–8).
This prophetic ministry of music continues into the new covenant, with Paul commanding the church to “let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God” (Col. 3:16). Notice the context of the church’s singing: we are to sing so that the word of Christ may dwell in us richly—that is, the prophetic word of Christ written down in the Scriptures. Additionally, we sing so that we may teach and admonish one another in all wisdom—that is, so that we may train the next generations to be conformed to the image of Christ, who is the wisdom of God (1 Cor. 1:24).
But where music was the exclusive ministry of the Levites under David, this is the ministry of all God’s people under David’s greater Son. As we talked about at length during our study of the book of Numbers, the non-priestly Levites were given lesser privileges than the Levitical priests but greater privileges than the rest of Israel. The reason for this was both to protect and preserve the holiness of God but also to foreshadow the day when Jesus Christ would cleanse and sanctify all his people as the new dwelling place for the Holy Spirit. Here too, the ministry of the Levites foreshadows the way God would lead all of us into musical ministry in our worship.
Singing to the Lord is a great privilege that we must not take lightly, and Christ himself came as the ultimate Son of David in order to qualify all of us to sing in his presence. Brothers and sisters, let us therefore sing for joy to the Lord.
Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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Bible Readings for November 27th 1 Chronicles 23 | 1 Peter 4 | Micah 2 | Luke 11
In 1 Chronicles 23, David actively reshapes the worship of Israel by redefining the roles of the Levites in temple service. The rationale for all of what David does is found in 1 Chronicles 23:25–26: “For David said, ‘The LORD, the God of Israel, has given rest to his people, and he dwells in Jerusalem forever. And so the Levites no longer need to carry the tabernacle or any of the things for its service.’” Remember that the chief role of the various clans of the non-priestly Levites was their work in moving the tabernacle and all its holy things from site to site, as Yahweh led his people in a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night (Num. 3–4). But with the permanent establishment of the temple in Jerusalem, those duties are no longer required. David, then, assigns new responsibilities to the non-priestly Levites: from this point forward, the Levites will assist the priests with cleansing the temple and preparing to make the offerings, and the Levites will offer praise and thanks to Yahweh whenever the priests make sacrifices (1 Chron. 23:28–32).
We should see here a shift toward greater involvement of all God’s people in worship. Previously, the priests were really the only people involved in worship at all, but now, the rest of the Levites not only assist the priests but they are also assigned the duty of praising and thanking Yahweh during the sacrifices. And, while the remaining Israelites are still relatively passive in worship at this point, this shift anticipates a day when all God’s people would be actively involved in worship. Since Jesus has offered himself as the final sacrifice and as our great high priest, we no longer need other priests who mediate between us and God. Instead, our pastors and elders are called to lead us in worship—not to perform worship in front of us as we passively watch, but to lead us into active engagement in worship. So, just as the Levites were involved alongside the priests, we also ought to be engaged when we come before the Lord in worship.
Ask yourself these questions: Are you prayerfully listening to the reading of the word and actively listening to the sermon while your pastor preaches, or do you permit your mind to wander? Are you singing out loud, or do you simply listen to others sing? Do you offer your own heart up during the congregational prayers, or are you simply letting the words wash past you? We have a great privilege—and therefore, a great responsibility—to involve ourselves in the worship of Yahweh. Why, then, do we treat worship as though we were spectators, consumers, or critics? For the glory of Jesus Christ and the sake of your soul, worship the Lord this week in spirit and in truth.
Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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Bible Readings for November 26th 1 Chronicles 22 | 1 Peter 3 | Micah 1 | Luke 10
A new section begins with our reading today from 1 Chronicles 22, where we will start reading even more explicitly about the reforms David makes to Israel’s worship. Over the next few chapters, David will organize the Levites, the priests, the musicians, and the gatekeepers in the temple, but he begins by charging his son Solomon and the other leaders of Israel to set their minds to the task of building a temple in which Yahweh will dwell in their midst. From this chapter, we learn two important principles surrounding the theology of the temple that we have not previously seen.
First, we find out why David has been so involved in preparing for the building of the temple up to this point: he is worried about the youth and inexperience of his son Solomon, since the house in which Yahweh will dwell must be “exceedingly magnificent, of fame and glory throughout all lands” (1 Chron. 22:5). This is important, since it shifts the credit for the temple away from Solomon and places it on David. Of course, the important point isn’t to glorify David but rather that this directs Israel’s hope beyond the first son of David to the ultimate Son of David who would eventually become the dwelling place of God among his people.
Second, we learn the reason why Yahweh did not allow David to build the temple: he had shed too much blood (1 Chron. 22:8). Instead, Yahweh wanted to give the building of his temple to a man who had rest from his surrounding enemies (1 Chron. 22:9). More than that, David urges Israel’s other leaders to dedicate themselves to the task of building the temple because of the fact that Yahweh had given his people peace on every side from their enemies through the blood David had shed (1 Chron. 22:18). Just as Yahweh had dwelt generally with his people in the Promised Land when he gave them rest on every side from their enemies during their conquest of Canaan (Josh. 21:44, 23:1), so now the temple in Jerusalem becomes the specific place where he will dwell with them through the peace David has wrought.
And yet, we know already that this temple will be destroyed by the Babylonians. The theology of the Chronicles, then, isn’t pointing forward to a new temple that would be just like the old one. Rather, the Chronicles teach us that there would be a better temple than what Solomon built for us, built by Jesus Christ, who did not shed the blood of others but who gained rest from his enemies by rising from the dead after his own blood was shed. This new temple, then, would not be built with gold, silver, and bronze but with something far more precious: with the people whom Jesus Christ purchased with his own blood (1 Cor. 3:10–17).
Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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Bible Readings for November 25th 1 Chronicles 21 | 1 Peter 2 | Jonah 4 | Luke 9
In today’s reading from 1 Chronicles 21, we find the major exception to the way that the Chronicles avoid mentioning David’s sin. And yet, even here we find two key differences from what we read in 2 Samuel 24 in the way this story is told. Most significantly, we read in the very first verse of this story that it was Satan who “stood against Israel and incited David to number Israel” (1 Chron. 21:1). In 2 Samuel 24:1, however, we read this: “Again the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel, and he incited David against them, saying ‘Go, number Israel and Judah.’” So, which is it? Did Satan incite David, or did Yahweh? Is this an error or a contradiction in the Bible, or is something else going on here?
In fact, everything we have studied so far helps us to see exactly what is happening here. In the narratives of Samuel and Kings, we saw Yahweh building his case against his people before sending them off into exile as judgment for their sin, so it is no surprise to see that Yahweh is angry with David and with Israel in 2 Samuel 24. God himself does not tempt anyone to sin (Jas. 1:13), but we must not forget that the greatest possible punishment for sin is to be handed over into deeper sin. We may reconcile these two seemingly contradictory versions of the same story, then, by recognizing that Yahweh is handing his people over to judgment when he permits Satan to tempt David.
But the other detail that the Chronicler adds in this account of the story comes in the additional information we gain about the threshing floor that David buys from Ornan the Jebusite in 1 Chronicles 22:1: “Then David said, ‘Here shall be the house of the LORD God and here the altar of burnt offering for Israel.’” In other words, this story isn’t included to demonstrate David’s guilt so much as to provide the backstory for the eventual location of the temple. Even when we read of David’s sin in the Chronicles, the Chronicler ties those actions to the larger story of Israel’s worship.
This has much to teach us about what it means to live by grace in the new covenant. Under the new covenant, we learn that because Jesus took upon the wrath of Yahweh for us at the cross, then we are no longer on trial. To be sure, there are still consequences for our sins as our heavenly Father disciplines his children, but even the consequences for our sins are opportunities to return to the once-for-all, perfect sacrifice of Jesus Christ, where we may find complete pardon, forgiveness, and reconciliation with God. When you sin, flee to David’s greater Son Jesus, that you might be washed clean and reconciled with your Father in heaven.
Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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Bible Readings for November 24th 1 Chronicles 19–20 | 1 Peter 1 | Jonah 3 | Luke 8
As we have seen in our reading from 1 Chronicles, sometimes the significant factor of a story is not so much in the included details as in the excluded ones. In 1 Chronicles 17, we saw how the Chronicler left out the statement about disciplining the son of David with rods for his iniquity. In our reading for today from 1 Chronicles 19–20, several critical details are again excluded deliberately.
The stories in 1 Chronicles 19 of how the Ammonites shame the servants of David and how the Israelites respond by defeating the Ammonites in battle are also found in 2 Samuel 10, and the details are largely similar. But the first story we find in 1 Chronicles 20 about capturing Rabbah doesn’t take place until the end of 2 Samuel 12, and the story of fighting with the Philistines doesn’t happen until 2 Samuel 21. So, what stories from 2 Samuel 11–12 and 13–20 does the Chronicler skip? In fact, those are the chapters where we read about David’s sin with Bathsheba, as well as the rebellion of David’s son Absalom. The account in the Chronicles skips David’s great sin and the consequences of that sin entirely.
Furthermore, the account of the battle with the Philistines in 1 Chronicles 20 leaves out the critical detail from 2 Samuel 21 that, during the battle, the aging King David grows weary, so that Ishbi-benob tries to kill him until Abishai the son of Zeruiah comes to David’s rescue. After that battle, David’s men swore to him, “You shall no longer go out with us to battle, lest you quench the lamp of Israel” (2 Sam. 21:17). Where 2 Samuel had vividly illustrated the limitations of David, the retelling in the Chronicles removes any suggestion that the lamp of Israel might ever be quenched.
But why? It isn’t as though the Chronicler is trying to sanitize David’s story to present a historically revised version of the authentic, sinful, and weak David. Instead, the retelling here is not written to look backward at David but to look forward to the story of the coming Messiah. The Chronicler tells a different story than the author of the books of Samuel and Kings, even though he uses the same histories to tell his story.
All of this, then, is written to announce the glory of Jesus Christ, who would not fall into sin and whose lamp would never be quenched—not even by death itself. The reign of Jesus is like the reign of David, but it extends so much further than David’s so as to bring the glory of David to nothing in light of the spotless, eternal glory of the kingdom of Jesus Christ. Brothers and sisters, gaze upon the story of King David from the Chronicles so that you may there behold your true King, the Lord Jesus Christ.
Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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Bible Readings for November 23rd 1 Chronicles 18 | James 5 | Jonah 2 | Luke 7
In many ways, Yahweh’s covenant with David that we read about yesterday in 1 Chronicles 17 is the heart of the theology of the books of Chronicles, but not only because Yahweh swears in this covenant to establish David’s kingdom forever. Additionally, it is David’s desire to build Yahweh a house of cedar—that is, a temple (1 Chron. 17:1–2)—that leads Yahweh to swear a covenantal oath to him in the first place. David’s preparations for the building of the temple will consume much of the remainder of this book.
Even though David does not himself build the temple, the Chronicler gives us extensive information about the temple’s construction that we have not previously read. After only a few stories of David’s great military victories, nearly half of the narrative of David’s life in 1 Chronicles focuses on David’s preparation for the temple’s construction and his reordering of Israel’s worship in 1 Chronicles 22–29. Specifically, we learn in the Chronicles that although Solomon will be the one to build the temple, it is David who makes virtually all the preparations.
And even in our reading from today in 1 Chronicles 18, the stories of David’s warfare aren’t provided for their own sake—instead, these stories serve as records of how David acquires the raw materials for building the temple through his victories in battle. So, David procures from the cities of Tibhath and Cun bronze with which Solomon would eventually make “the bronze sea and the pillars and the vessels of bronze” (1 Chron. 18:8). Then, David dedicates to Yahweh (i.e., to the eventual construction of the temple of Yahweh) articles of gold, silver, and bronze that he gains from Hadadezer, king of Zobah-Hamath, as well as from Edom, Moab, the Ammonites, the Philistines, and Amalek (1 Chron. 18:10–11).
In the New Testament, Paul explains that the church is the temple of the great Son of David, Jesus Christ, where each believer is fitted together into a great structure, joined together with Christ Jesus as the cornerstone, so that the Spirit of God dwells within us corporately (Eph. 2:19–22). But, Paul also describes us as the captives whom Jesus Christ is bringing back from war in his triumphal procession, spreading the fragrance and knowledge of him wherever he leads us (2 Cor. 2:14–16). In other words, we are the precious materials that Jesus Christ has looted from the nations in his great victory over sin, death, and the devil, and he is using us to build up his temple so that he may dwell within us by his Spirit.
“Thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in the triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere” (2 Cor. 2:14)!
Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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Bible Readings for November 22nd 1 Chronicles 17 | James 4 | Jonah 1 | Luke 6
As we have seen already in our study of the Chronicles, this retelling of Israel’s history centers on the person of David. The heavy emphasis on David does not suggest that David himself is the high point in the history of Israel, so that everything following David’s life is downhill; rather, the emphasis on David points forward to the new David, the offspring of David—one of his own sons—whose kingdom would be established forever, as Yahweh promises here in 1 Chronicles 17:11–14.
Now, if you compare 1 Chronicles 17 side by side with 2 Samuel 7, you will see small variations in the wordings, but for the most part, this is an identical retelling of the story—except for one crucial detail. In 2 Samuel 7:14–15, the description of Yahweh’s covenant with David included a promise that Yahweh would chasten David’s son but that he would never withdraw his covenant love and faithfulness from David’s son completely: “When he commits iniquity, I will discipline him with the rod of men, with the stripes of the sons of men, but my steadfast love will not depart from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away from before you.” In 1 Chronicles 17, however, only part of this statement is included: “I will not take my steadfast love from him, as I took it from him who was before you” (1 Chron. 17:13). Why?
The omission of this statement about Yahweh’s discipline lines up with what we have already seen of the Chronicler’s account of David—his interest is not compiling all the evidence necessary to build a case against David and his house, as in the books of Samuel and Kings. Rather, the emphasis here is on the future Davidic king who would not need to be disciplined for his iniquity. The Chronicler, therefore, isn’t revising history in order to whitewash David—rather, he is presenting David in such a way as to anticipate the great, final David, the Lord Jesus Christ, who would know no sin (2 Cor. 5:21) and who would therefore need no discipline.
Nevertheless, both tellings of the story are essential. Where the narrative of Yahweh’s covenant with David in 2 Samuel 7 foreshadowed the work that Jesus Christ came to do at the cross, where he was disciplined, beaten with rods, and hanged on a tree to die, bearing the curse for our iniquity, the theology of the Chronicles anticipates the eternal kingdom that Jesus would establish by the work of his life, death, and resurrection. Therefore, let us trust in the finished work of Jesus at the cross as we live daily in dependence on the kingdom that dwells in our midst now, even as we await the eternal kingdom that Jesus will usher in at his second coming.
Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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Bible Readings for November 21st 1 Chronicles 16 | James 3 | Obadiah 1 | Luke 5
As the festivities in worship grow during the settling of the ark of the covenant in the city of Jerusalem, we learn more about Heman, Asaph, and Ethan, three men whose names we find prominently featured in another book of the Bible: the Psalms. So, who are these men, what are their roles in the worship of God’s people, and what does that teach us for our own worship today?
Heman, Asaph, and Ethan are Levites, so to understand their context, it is important to refresh our understanding of the three clans of Levi, formed from the descendants of Levi’s three sons: Gershon (sometimes spelled Gershom), Kohath, and Merari (Ex. 6:16; 1 Chron. 6:1, 16). Each of these clans had different roles in the transportation of the tabernacle: the Gershonites carried the fabrics (tent screens and coverings), the Kohathites carried the holy furniture, and the Merarites carried the frames, bars, pillars, bases, pegs, and cords (Num. 3–4).
These three men, then, are representatives for each clan. Heman is a Kohathite, a descendant of the rebellious Korah who opposed Moses in Numbers 16 (1 Chron. 6:33–38). Then, Asaph is a Gershonite (1 Chron. 6:39–43), and Ethan is a Merarite (1 Chron. 6:44–47). In 1 Chronicles 6, the chapter containing the genealogies of the Levites, Heman seems to be the leader, with Asaph at his right hand (1 Chron. 6:39) and Ethan on his left hand (1 Chron. 6:44). Then, in 1 Chronicles 15:16–17, David commands the Levites to appoint for themselves musicians, and these three men become the leading musicians for their respective clans. Finally, David appoints Asaph and the Gershonites to minister before the ark (1 Chron. 16:4, 37) and sends Heman and Ethan to sing at the high place in Gibeon (1 Chron. 16:39, 41–42).1 These men were great worship leaders who all contributed songs that are still preserved for us in the Book of Psalms. Heman, the son of Korah, wrote Psalms 42, 44–49, 84, 85, 87, 88; Asaph wrote Psalms 50, 73–83; and Ethan—who also seems to go by the name of Jeduthun (1 Chron. 16:37–42, 25:1, 3, 6)—wrote Psalms 39, 62, 77, 89.2
Still today, we need worship leaders who will lead us in praising Jesus Christ. Worship leaders, however, are not merely musicians. These worship leaders wrote profoundly deep songs that ought to guide our own hymn-writing and serve as the criteria for selecting the songs we sing on a weekly basis. And more than that, our own worship ought to be steeped in the inspired lyrics of the Psalms. Let us therefore read psalms, preach psalms, and sing psalms as we exalt the Lord Jesus Christ, who declares himself the fulfillment of the Law, the Prophets, and the Psalms (Luke 24:44).
1 Although high places eventually became a place of idolatry and wickedness throughout the reigns of the later kings, Yahweh had neither forbidden high places nor appointed Jerusalem as the only place for his people to worship him during the days of David, or even during the early days of Solomon (1 Kgs. 3:3–4).
2 Probably. The different names makes this difficult to track, but 1 Kings 4:31 may identify Ethan as “Ethan the Ezrahite,” the name used in Psalm 89. All the other psalms in this list were written under the name Jeduthun.
Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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Bible Readings for November 20th 1 Chronicles 15 | James 2 | Amos 9 | Luke 4
As we start getting deeper into 1 Chronicles, we begin to see the ways that the Chronicler writes about the events from the books of Samuel and Kings from a different perspective and with a different goal. In 1 Chronicles 15, we see our first major retelling of a story—the entrance of the ark of the covenant into Jerusalem—which provides two new pieces of information that change the tenor of the story from what we read in 2 Samuel 6.
First, the version of this story we read in 2 Samuel 6 exclusively emphasized the way that Yahweh had struck down Uzzah for reaching out to steady the ark, since the Israelites had brought the ark in on a cart pulled by oxen (2 Sam. 6:1–15). Now, we do find that same story recorded for us in 1 Chronicles 13:5–14; however, here in 1 Chronicles 15, after a brief acknowledgement of what happened with Uzzah (1 Chron. 15:13), we find entirely new material about the second (and successful) transportation of the ark into Jerusalem, when the Levites carry it according to Yahweh’s commandment from Numbers 4:1–15. Here, David insists that “no one but the Levites may carry the ark of God, for the LORD had chosen them to carry the ark of the LORD and to minister to him forever” (1 Chron. 15:2). These passages in 1 Chronicles 13 and 15 do point out David’s error in initially carrying the ark on a cart, but we also see his willingness to repent and lead the people of Israel according to the Mosaic law.
Second, David also commands that the Levites should sing and play loudly on musical instruments (1 Chron. 15:16–24, 28). David’s organization of the Levites (especially to play and sing music) is one of the significant emphases of this book (see 1 Chron. 23–26), despite the fact that we read nothing about David’s role in this in 1 and 2 Samuel. Furthermore, we read nothing whatsoever in the Mosaic law commanding that the Levites should play music, suggesting that this arrangement is something David himself instituted, acting as a new lawgiver, as discussed in yesterday’s meditation.
This story, then, reflects a critical principle for understanding Christian worship in the light of Jesus. We do believe that Jesus has fulfilled and therefore abolished certain aspects of worship (e.g., the sacrificial system) and also that Jesus has commanded the continuance of other aspects of worship (e.g., singing, but also prayer and the reading and preaching of God’s word). Jesus’ reformation of worship, then, is not about getting rid of the “bad” and replacing it with “good,” but rather about fulfilling what merely pointed forward to him and then continuing all that still serves a purpose. As we gather weekly, we worship our great Messiah with the elements he himself has established for us.
Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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Bible Readings for November 19th 1 Chronicles 13–14 | James 1 | Amos 8 | Luke 3
Thus far, the author of 1 Chronicles has not only reviewed the entire history of the people of Israel, but he has also reshaped it around the person of David—not to exalt David himself, but to point forward to the coming of a new David. We looked yesterday at the way this new David would be a new kind of military leader, and today we will begin to look at the way this new David will reform Israel’s worship.
At the beginning of 1 Chronicles 13, David consults with all his leaders, saying to the assembly, “If it seems good to you and from the LORD our God, let us send abroad to our brothers who remain in all the lands of Israel, as well as to the priests and Levites in the cities that have pasturelands, that they may be gathered to us. Then let us bring again the ark of our God to us, for we did not seek it in the days of Saul” (1 Chron. 13:2–3). Essentially, David is here establishing a special feast for all the people of Israel. The law of Moses commanded that the men of Israel should appear before Yahweh three times a year for specific feasts (Ex. 34:23; Deut. 16:16), but David now adds a new feast and calls all Israel together. David here acts as a new lawgiver.
But while acting as a new lawgiver is remarkable in itself, the following verse is even more surprising: “All the assembly agreed to do so, for the thing was right in the eyes of all the people” (1 Chron. 13:4). Recall the theme verse from Judges: “In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes” (Judg. 21:25). The judges had utterly failed to reform Yahweh’s people from their idolatry, but here, under the leadership of David, it is the true worship of Yahweh that is right in the eyes of the people.
Now, Chronicles has already acknowledged that the reforms of the first David will not last and that Judah will eventually go into exile in Babylon (1 Chron. 9:1). Therefore, this depiction of David once again points forward to what only the new David will be able to do—he alone will act as the new lawgiver to fulfill in himself the old system of worship and to install, in its place, pure worship in spirit and in truth (John 4:23). And still today, as we gather together week after week in worship, we look forward to the day when we will be gathered together to the great Son of David once and for all. Then, our eyes will be made forever right in our resurrected bodies so that we will seek nothing but God himself for all eternity. O Lord, haste the day!
Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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Bible Readings for November 18th 1 Chronicles 11–12 | Hebrews 13 | Amos 7 | Luke 2
In today’s reading from 1 Chronicles 11 and 12, we arrive at the story of David himself. Everything up to this point has revisited the story leading up to David or has looked beyond him, but here we come at last to the main attraction: the great King David. In many ways, it seems at first that we are simply reading more lists of names just like the genealogies of the first nine chapters of 1 Chronicles, but this list of names documents David’s warriors rather than his descendants. So, we read about David’s mighty men in 1 Chronicles 11:10–47, as well as the divisions of troops in 1 Chronicles 12. Still, these chapters represent more than simple rosters of military personnel—the description of David’s army transcends the description of merely human militaries in two ways.
First, the chief warrior of David’s thirty mighty men, Amasai, speaks with a prophetic oracle about David in a way that goes beyond merely human leadership: “Then the Spirit clothed Amasai, chief of the thirty, and he said, ‘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’” (1 Chron. 12:18). David is more than an ancient near-eastern warrior king—he is the covenantal, anointed shepherd of Yahweh’s people, Israel (1 Chron. 11:1–3). Where Yahweh has been the king of Israel thus far (aside from the reign of Saul, briefly mentioned in 1 Chronicles 10), we see him now knitting his people to a human king. And in doing so, Yahweh paves the way to unite his people eternally with another human king who arises from the line of David—Yahweh’s own Son, Jesus Christ.
Second, the Chronicler describes the vast numbers of people who join up with David in terms that go beyond merely human warriors: “For from day to day men came to David to help him, until there was a great army, like an army of God” (1 Chron. 12:22). Again, we are seeing something here that expands beyond a simple band of warriors in the desert. Remember, we have already met the commander of the army of God in Joshua 5:13–15, and that commander was himself Yahweh, as evidenced by the fact that Joshua fell down at his feet to worship him (Josh. 5:14). Now, however, it is David who is described as the commander of the army of God.
Here too, these comparisons are not meant to exalt David beyond an appropriate level. Instead, they are meant to point forward to a new David, the Son of David, who genuinely is knit to his people covenantally and who does command all the armies of Yahweh. This new David will certainly be more than a military leader, but not less.
Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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Bible Readings for November 17th 1 Chronicles 9–10 | Hebrews 12 | Amos 6 | Luke 1:39–80
While the bulk of 1 Chronicles will follow the story of David, the first ten chapters look back to the days far before David as well as look forward to the days long after his death. In 1 Chronicles 9 and 10, then, we read the genealogy of the exiles of Judah who return from Babylon after the Davidic dynasty comes to an end, as well as the story of Saul, who immediately precedes David on Israel’s throne. Today, we will look at two main points the writer is highlighting in these stories.
First, the author of the Chronicles wants to draw our attention to the lack of faith that existed from beginning to end during the reign of the kings of Israel and Judah. So, in 1 Chronicles 9:1, we read this: “And Judah was taken into exile in Babylon because of their breach of faith.” And then, at the end of the brief account of Saul’s life in 1 Chronicles 10:13, we read very similar words: “So Saul died for his breach of faith.” In other words, the same problems that disqualified Saul were also the problems that eventually disqualified the people of Judah from remaining in the Promised Land.
Second, by ending this section of genealogies with a look beyond David after the exile and a look before David in the life of Saul, the Chronicler presents David as the hinge on which the entire story of the Old Testament swings. In 1 Chronicles, David is presented as the epitome of faithful kings. He will expand the kingdom of God in the Promised Land through warfare, establish the tabernacle and the ark of the covenant in Jerusalem for a permanent dwelling place, and reorder the worship of Yahweh’s people by assigning new roles to the Levites and by preparing for the construction of the temple under Solomon. Furthermore, while we will read in 1 Chronicles 21 about his sin in requiring a census, we will not read of his other failures that we read about in 1 and 2 Samuel—neither his failure to discipline those around him nor his sin with Bathsheba.
The point of all this, however, is not actually to point to David himself but rather to point beyond David to the Son of David who would come. That David would not only lead his people beyond their longstanding breaches of faith, but that David would be the fulfillment of every promise, shadow, and covenant. That David would expand the kingdom of God through his sinless life, death, and resurrection; he would establish a new temple where God would dwell with his people by the Holy Spirit; and he would reorder true worship in spirit and in truth. That David—the Lord Jesus Christ—is himself the point of all the laws, stories, and genealogies, not only of the Old Testament, but of the entire Bible.
Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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Bible Readings for November 16th 1 Chronicles 7–8 | Hebrews 11 | Amos 5 | Luke 1:1–38
As 1 Chronicles lays out the genealogies of each tribe of Israel one by one, we see Judah and Simeon (the southernmost tribes) in 1 Chronicles 4; Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh (the easternmost tribes) in 1 Chronicles 5; Levi in 1 Chronicles 6; and then Issachar, Benjamin, Naphtali, Manasseh, Ephraim, and Asher in 1 Chronicles 7. Curiously, the genealogies of the tribes of Zebulun and Dan are not included. What are we to make of this exclusion?
On the one hand, we don’t have much information to go on. Zebulun and Dan are both members of the northern kingdom of Israel that is eventually conquered by the Assyrians, but so are the tribes of Simeon, Reuben, Gad, Manasseh, Issachar, Naphtali, Ephraim, and Asher, and each of those tribes does receive a genealogy in these early chapters of Chronicles. Any hypothesis about what might be happening here should be held lightly because of our lack of information.
On the other hand, the exclusion of Dan in particular may have some precedent, since Dan is associated with an unusually large degree of idolatry in the stories we have read so far. For example, it is the tribe of Dan who hires the Levite named Jonathan away from Micah in Judges 18—one of the stories leading up to the wicked crime of the Benjaminite city of Gibeah in Judges 19. Furthermore, when the Danites eventually settle into the city of Laish and rename that city Dan, we read that they set up carved images for themselves to worship (Judg. 18:29–31). Then, when Jeroboam leads the ten northern tribes of Israel in rebellion against Rehoboam and the two southern tribes of Judah, the city of Dan becomes one of the places where Jeroboam sets up golden calves for the Israelites to worship (1 Kgs. 12:29–30). Additionally, the prophet Amos singles out the tribe of Dan to associate with “the Guilt of Samaria”—that is, with idolatry (Amos 8:14). Even more curiously, when the book of Revelation prophesies the sealing of groups of twelve thousand from each of the twelve tribes of Israel in Revelation 7, that list of tribes includes Zebulun but does not include Dan (Rev. 7:5–8).
What this suggests—and again, we must make our conclusions tentatively—is that Dan specifically is excluded from the list of tribes because of the tribe’s deep idolatry. Because the restoration of true worship is one of the main focuses of the Chronicles, excluding Dan may serve as a unique punishment for the most idolatrous tribe. On the whole, these written genealogies confront us with the necessity of repentance—even as we prepare to see how the new David will establish perfect worship among God’s people forever. Let us therefore seek Jesus, the Son of David, so that we may rejoice that our names are written in heaven (Luke 10:20).
Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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Bible Readings for November 15th 1 Chronicles 5–6 | Hebrews 10 | Amos 4 | Psalms 148, 149 & 150
A central focal point of the books of Chronicles is the reestablishment of true worship in Israel. So, where most of the tribes of Israel get only a handful of verses to recount their genealogies, the tribe of Levi receives an entire chapter to recount its lineages in 1 Chronicles 6. But again, the way the Chronicler retells the story of Levi both emphasizes what we have already read and reshapes that story in significant, surprising ways.
Many elements in 1 Chronicles 6, then, are simply mentioned in passing to remind us of some aspect of the Levites that Moses established back in the first five books of the Bible. Still, we are reminded here of the three major clans in the tribe of Levi: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari (1 Chron. 6:1, 16, 61–81). Furthermore, we read a brief summary about the sacrificial system in 1 Chronicles 6:49: “But Aaron and his sons made offerings on the altar of burnt offering and on the altar of incense for all the work of the Most Holy Place, and to make atonement for Israel, according to all that Moses the servant of God had commanded.” Then, over the next four verses in 1 Chronicles 6:50–53, we read about the sons of Aaron who carried on the work of offering sacrifices from generation to generation.
And yet, the Levites who served as musicians in the house of Yahweh garner far more attention in this chapter, taking up eighteen verses in 1 Chronicles 6:31–48—and all this despite the fact that we have read nothing up to this point about musicians among the Levites. Why, then, the sudden emphasis here? The answer is simple: David. Although we read nothing about it in 1 and 2 Samuel, we read extensively in 1 Chronicles about the ways that David restructures the roles of the Levites: “These are the men whom David put in charge of the service of song in the house of the LORD after the ark rested there” (1 Chron. 6:31). We read very little about the way Moses shaped the duties of the Levites in worship here in Chronicles, but we will read more and more about the way David reshapes it.
The point, though, is not to surface interesting historical tidbits that were not included in 1 and 2 Samuel. Rather, the point is to present a picture of David that will foreshadow what the greater Son of David will eventually become. That new, ultimate David will transform the worship of Yahweh’s people as he establishes his kingdom forever on this earth—even more dramatically than Moses had done. We will read much more about the worship reforms of David, but this element regarding the Levites uses a re-telling of the first David’s history to set up a much more sweeping picture of the new David to come.
Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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Bible Readings for November 14th 1 Chronicles 3–4 | Hebrews 9 | Amos 3 | Psalms 146–147
Because 1 Chronicles represents a re-telling of the story of the people of God up to this point, David plays a critical, central role right from the very beginning. After one chapter to sum up the genealogy from Adam to Abraham, and then from Abraham to Jacob, the author of 1 Chronicles shifts immediately to the genealogy leading up to David in 1 Chronicles 2. In today’s reading from 1 Chronicles 3, then, the narrator lists out the descendants from David. Then, in 1 Chronicles 4, the tribe of Judah becomes the first tribe whose genealogy is recorded in this book.
Now, there isn’t much narrative drama or tension in the genealogies here if we read them on their own, isolated from the rest of the story of the Bible. On the other hand, when we compare the re-telling of Israel’s history here with the histories we have already read, we start to find some interesting tidbits. For example, consider how much of the story of the Bible up to this point centered upon Moses, and yet, we do not encounter the name of Moses at all in the books of Chronicles until 1 Chronicles 6, when his name shows up twice in the genealogies, mentioned almost in passing. After that, his name shows up only a sprinkling of times, and typically in reference to the law—for example, “as Moses commanded according to the word of the LORD” (1 Chron. 15:15).
But whereas the story of Moses dominated the books of Exodus through Deuteronomy, David is the one who takes center stage early and often in the books of Chronicles. In fact, the only place in the books of Chronicles where the name of Moses does play a significant role is in 1 Chronicles 23, where we read about how David reshapes the worship established through the word of Moses. Even where Moses is significant, he is overshadowed by David.
What we are starting to see right from the outset of the Chronicles, then, is that the way forward for Israel’s future has less to do with strict law-keeping and more to do with a new Davidic figure who would appear. Of course, Yahweh had promised David explicitly that he would establish David’s throne forever (2 Sam. 7:16), and Chronicles is written to reflect that reality. Israel was never able to redeem herself through observance of the law, so that the nation will need a Savior who can secure redemption for her, on her behalf—a king in the line of David. Even in the genealogies, this promise begins to unfold, and as we will see as we continue to read through the Chronicles, David’s story will take an even greater role to point forward to the Root of David and the Lion of the Tribe of Judah, Jesus Christ himself (Rev. 5:5).
Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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Bible Readings for November 13th 1 Chronicles 1–2 | Hebrews 8 | Amos 2 | Psalm 145
The books of Chronicles are very similar to the books of Samuel and Kings, so that we will read many of the same stories we just finished reading over again during the next few weeks. And yet, the books of Chronicles are doing something very different than what we saw in the previous four books of the Bible. We are not merely reading a second-hand retelling of the same stories. Rather, we are looking at the same stories from a fresh vantage point: where everything that we have read so far looks backward to trace the downfall of Israel and Judah into exile, Chronicles now retells the story by looking forward to the renewal that Yahweh would bring his people through the coming Messiah.
What this means practically is that, where the books of Samuel and Kings meticulously documented the sins of Israel and Judah, the books of Chronicles focus largely on the positive elements of Yahweh’s people and of the mercy Yahweh shows to his people again and again. It isn’t that the books of Chronicles are trying to sweep Israel’s sins under the rug but rather that the two tellings of these stories serve different purposes. The books of Samuel and Kings serve to provide undeniable prosecutorial evidence that Yahweh was justified in sending his people into exile, but Chronicles charts a path forward for the people of God beyond the exile.
This helps to explain why 1 Chronicles begins with the genealogies of the very first humans to walk the earth. Through lineages, the author of the Chronicles retraces the ancient stories of Adam and Seth, Noah and Shem, Abraham, Isaac, Ishmael, and Jacob/Israel leading up to David. These genealogies preserve for us many of the names of Yahweh’s people that we do not find elsewhere, but they also take us back (in brief) through the rich history of how Yahweh has led his people all the way from the beginning. Furthermore, these genealogies tell us the stories in the simplest possible format: in a list of names that drive us back to the stories as written elsewhere. The goal here is not so much to provide us with new facts but to reframe the whole story of Yahweh and his people, starting at the beginning.
Ultimately, the stories we read in the books of Chronicles will provide substantial direction in understanding who Jesus would be. Primarily, Samuel and Kings gave us a picture of what Jesus needed to save his people from, but Chronicles will show us what Jesus needs to save his people for. That is, in the stories to come, we will see a fresh vision for the role of the king and for the worship of Yahweh’s people, and through both of those, we will gain some glimpse of how King Jesus will reconcile us to glorify, worship, and enjoy God forever.
Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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Bible Readings for November 12th 2 Kings 25 | Hebrews 7 | Amos 1 | Psalm 144
In 2 Kings 24, we read about the beginning of the captivity of Judah to the Babylonians. Ominously, that chapter ended with this sentence: “And Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon” (2 Kgs. 24:20)—that is, he refused to pay tribute to Babylon any longer. In today’s reading from 2 Kings 25, we read about the remaining devastation Yahweh faithfully brings to his people, along with the glimmer of gospel hope that this passage provides.
Nebuchadnezzar brings swift and sudden destruction in response to Zedekiah’s rebellion. The Babylonians besiege Jerusalem, slaughter the sons of Zedekiah, break down the walls of Jerusalem, loot the temple of any remaining precious metals, and then burn it to the ground (2 Kgs. 25:1–17). Nevertheless, the story doesn’t end with the total annihilation of Yahweh’s people. Rather, the book of 2 Kings ends with a short report about Jehoiachin—the wicked king whom Nebuchadnezzar carried off to Babylon during the second deportation of Judah (2 Kgs. 24:8–17). Despite his unbelief and hardness of heart, we cannot forget that Jehoiachin is a rightful king of Judah in the line of David himself. So, when we read that Jehoiachin is released from prison and that he receives food from Nebuchadnezzar’s table at the end of 2 Kings 25, we learn something critical: Yahweh has not abandoned his covenant promises to David. Yahweh had promised that David would never lack a man from his own body to sit on the throne of Israel, and here Yahweh preserves the life of this heir of David even in exile.
The real value of this preservation of the line of David becomes apparent with some of the first words of the New Testament. There, we discover that Jechoniah (another name for Jehoiachin) is the ancestor of Jesus himself (Matt. 1:11–12). Yesterday, we looked at how Yahweh’s faithfulness meant that he would send his people off into exile if they disobeyed, just as he had promised. But, we also see that Yahweh is faithfully keeping his promises to show covenantal mercy to his people by preserving the lineage of David through this exile. And through this line, Yahweh would eventually raise up his own Son to deliver his people from their deepest bondage—not to the Babylonians, the Medes and Persians, or even the Romans, but to the tyranny of sin, death, and the devil.
Despite the winding, wayward nature of the sinful Israelites, Yahweh lays a path story by story, generation after generation, toward the coming of his Son. No suffering, defeat, or discouragement can throw Yahweh off of his eternal plans and decrees—not the Babylonian exile, not the crucifixion, and not even the challenges we encounter today.
The question, then, is this: if God’s plans and purposes stand forever, do you trust him with the uncertainty of your own life?
Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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Bible Readings for November 11th 2 Kings 24 | Hebrews 6 | Joel 3 | Psalm 143
Once Josiah dies, Yahweh lifts his temporary restraint and sends his people off into exile because of their sins (2 Kgs. 24:3–4). During the reign of Josiah’s son Jehoiakim, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon makes Judah his servant—that is, he forces them to pay him tribute in exchange for peace (2 Kgs. 24:1). But also, Yahweh sends bands of Chaldeans (i.e., Babylonians), Syrians, Moabites, and Ammonites against Judah to begin to destroy the nation, bit by bit (2 Kgs. 24:2). Furthermore, we read that this is also the time of the first deportation, when Nebuchadnezzar carries off the best and the brightest from Judah, including Daniel and his three companions (Dan. 1:1–7). This, however, is only the beginning.
During the reign of Jehoiakim’s son Jehoiachin, Nebuchadnezzar leads Babylon against Judah once again. This time, he ransacks the temple, stealing all its treasures and vessels—the vessels that Solomon himself had made (2 Kgs. 24:13). This also marks the second deportation of Judah, when Nebuchadnezzar carries away the remaining officials, mighty men, craftsmen, and smiths in Judah—including King Jehoiachin himself—leaving only the poorest of Yahweh’s people to remain in the Promised Land (2 Kgs. 24:14). In Jehoiachin’s place, Nebuchadnezzar sets up Jehoiachin’s uncle Zedekiah as king in Judah (2 Kgs. 24:17).
Previously, in 2 Kings 17, we saw Yahweh send the northern nation of Israel off into captivity, but here Yahweh begins the process of sending the remainder of his people off into exile as punishment for their sins and rebellion. We should not think, however, that Yahweh is being petty or trying to get even with Judah—rather, Yahweh is executing the terms of the covenant he made with them. He had promised Israel blessings for obedience and curses for disobedience (Deut. 28), and that is exactly what Yahweh gives to his people here in 2 Kings 24.
In fact, what we see here is an example of Yahweh’s faithfulness. Yahweh made promises that he would act in a certain way, and he keeps his word completely. We who live in the new covenant, however, have different promises—namely, that Yahweh will be faithful to lavish his steadfast love upon us perpetually, not because of what we have done, but because of what Jesus has done for us. Although 2 Kings 24 is a warning against persisting in our sin, this passage also underscores that Yahweh keeps his promises and that we can therefore have confidence that he will keep the good promises that he has made to us.
Is your faith a vague feeling that things will turn out okay in the end, or is your confidence rooted in unshakable faith that God will keep his promises to you in Christ Jesus? Brothers and sisters, let us believe the promises, because God is faithful to keep them.
Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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Bible Readings for November 10th 2 Kings 23 | Hebrews 5 | Joel 2 | Psalm 142
In 2 Kings 23, we read a detailed account of the main reforms Josiah implemented in Judah. This chapter documents the sheer greatness of Josiah as king that we began to talk about in yesterday’s meditation, but it also shows the limitations of one of Judah’s greatest kings.
Josiah’s reforms on the worship of Judah include stopping some things and re-establishing others. So, Josiah stops the extensive false worship that his father, Manasseh, had established in Judah. He destroys vessels used to worship false gods (2 Kgs. 23:4) and then he deposes priests (2 Kgs. 23:5), tears down the houses of cult prostitutes (2 Kgs. 23:7), and defiles altars, high places, and pillars used for worship (2 Kgs. 23:8–15). Finally, to fulfill an earlier prophecy, he sacrifices the priests of the high places and burns their bones on their own altars (2 Kgs. 23:20; see 1 Kgs. 13:2).
Josiah also re-establishes the observance of the Passover feast, which had not been kept properly since the days of the judges or during the days of the kings (2 Kgs. 23:22–23; cf. 2 Chron. 30). Josiah’s reinstatement of Passover signifies an important return to the true worship Yahweh had commanded.
And yet, for all of the good things Josiah does in Judah, he is unable to stem the tide of Yahweh’s wrath against Judah. Yahweh promises his wrath will not come during Josiah’s lifetime (2 Kgs. 22:20), but Yahweh also resolves yet again that “I will remove Judah also out of my sight, as I have removed Israel, and I will cast off this city that I have chosen, Jerusalem, and the house of which I said, My name shall be there” (2 Kgs. 23:27). Then, after Josiah’s tragic death in battle with King Neco of Egypt (2 Kgs. 23:29–30), Josiah’s two sons Jehoahaz and Jehoiakim both commit evil in the sight of Yahweh (2 Kgs. 23:32, 37), turning the nation back toward the idolatry that Josiah had worked so hard to eradicate from Judah.
Through the story of the Bible so far, we have seen the utter failure of every measure introduced thus far to reform Yahweh’s people. Neither the giving of the law (Ex. 32), nor the reception of the Promised Land (Josh. 24:19), nor the judges (Judg. 21:25), nor even a godly king like Josiah is capable of transforming Yahweh’s people or of turning away Yahweh’s wrath.
And yet, despite the utter failure of Judah to circumcise their hearts, we see the groundwork laid for the entrance of God’s own Son who would turn away Yahweh’s wrath by bearing it himself, and who would transform the hearts of Yahweh’s people by pouring out his Spirit. This is the point in Judah’s story where the darkness will become greatest, signaling the nearness of the dawn.
Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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Bible Readings for November 9th 2 Kings 22 | Hebrews 4 | Joel 1 | Psalms 140–141
Josiah is the final great king of Judah. Despite being the grandson of Manasseh, who was Judah’s most wicked king, Josiah’s heart is inclined to Yahweh all the days of his life. Josiah even goes so far as to remove the high places in Judah (2 Kgs. 23:5, 8, 13, 15, 19, 20), something that not even the godliest kings of Judah did (1 Kgs. 15:14, 22:43; 2 Kgs. 12:3, 14:4, 15:4, 15:35).1 Josiah is given one of the strongest commendations received by a king throughout all the books of 1 and 2 Kings: “And he did what was right in the eyes of the LORD and walked in all the way of David his father, and he did not turn aside to the right or to the left” (2 Kgs. 22:2).
Josiah’s most significant reforms come as a result of directing the priests to use money given to the temple to make repairs, and it is in the midst of this work that Hilkiah, the high priest, finds the Book of the Law (2 Kgs. 22:3–8). Hilkiah gives the book to Shaphan, the secretary of the king, who reads the book aloud in the presence of King Josiah (2 Kgs. 22:10). When Josiah hears the words of the Book of the Law, he tears his clothes as the word of Yahweh reveals to him the full seriousness of the sins of Judah. Josiah commands his officials, “Go, inquire of the LORD for me, and for the people, and for all Judah, concerning the words of this book that has been found. For great is the wrath of the LORD that is kindled against us, because our fathers have not obeyed the words of this book, to do according to all that is written concerning us” (2 Kgs. 22:13).
Josiah’s repentance models for us the goal of true ministry. While many desire for religious experiences to be primarily positive and encouraging, Josiah sees the magnitude of his people’s unrighteousness condemned by the Book of the Law, and he mourns the great wrath that has been kindled because of their sins. It is only in his humble repentance—not through shallow positivity regarding his condition—that Josiah finds Yahweh’s favor (2 Kgs. 22:18–20).
What is your response to the word of Yahweh? Does it cause you to mourn your sin and to flee to Christ in faith, trusting in his salvation alone for your sin? Where our sin—and therefore, Yahweh’s wrath—is great, our Savior Jesus is greater, so that all those who look to him in faith will be saved to the uttermost. Follow in the footsteps of Josiah by throwing yourself completely on the mercy of Jesus.
1 The only exception was Hezekiah, who had also removed the high places (2 Kgs. 18:4).
Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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Bible Readings for November 8th 2 Kings 21 | Hebrews 3 | Hosea 14 | Psalm 139
The reign of Manasseh is the anvil that breaks the camel’s back. While Judah has enjoyed several good kings along the way—including Manasseh’s own father, Hezekiah, who sought Yahweh’s deliverance from the threat of the Assyrians—the southern kingdom has also experienced their share of wicked kings. It is not, however, as though Manasseh is another moderately evil king in Judah—rather, Manasseh exceeds even the worst of Judah’s worst kings, going so far as to burn his own son as an offering, seeking omens and fortune-telling from mediums and wizards, setting up carved images in the temple, and shedding innocent blood (2 Kgs. 21:6–7, 16). Because of all this, Yahweh evaluates Manasseh as having “done things more evil than all that the Amorites did, who were before him” (2 Kgs. 21:11).
But where Yahweh in the past has extended mercy on top of mercy, extending the longevity of Judah for the sake of David or for the handful of Judah’s kings who walk in the righteousness of David, Yahweh now pronounces that his mercy has come to an end. As he looks upon all the evil that Manasseh has done, Yahweh solemnly declares, “Behold, I am bringing upon Jerusalem and Judah such disaster that the ears of everyone who hears of it will tingle” (2 Kgs. 21:12). Because Yahweh’s people have consistently forsaken him since the day he led them out of Egypt, Yahweh will now bring his judgment against them (2 Kgs. 21:13–15). Even Manasseh’s grandson Josiah—one of the most godly kings Judah ever had—will only delay Yahweh’s judgment rather than averting it altogether (2 Kgs. 22:20).
At every turn, Yahweh’s people have been consistently incapable of circumcising their own hearts to love Yahweh with all their heart, soul, mind, and strength. Therefore, Yahweh’s judgment must come to bring his people to nothing, where they will languish not only under the Babylonians but also under the Medes and Persians, the Greeks, and eventually the Romans. But it is there, in the midst of judgment, that Yahweh kicks off his greatest act of mercy, covenant love, and redemption, because only when things are at their absolute worst will Yahweh send his own Son to avert his wrath altogether. Jesus will do this, of course, not by reforming the people of God for a season but by bearing Yahweh’s curse, judgment, and wrath in himself so that we might go free.
At heart, you and I are no better than Manasseh. The difference between him and us lies not in some superiority in us but in the superiority of God’s mercy toward us in Jesus Christ. Repent from any sins that might lead you deeper in the path of Manasseh and turn with your whole heart in faith toward Jesus Christ, the Son of God who loved you through his own death.
Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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Bible Readings for November 7th 2 Kings 20 | Hebrews 2 | Hosea 13 | Psalms 137–138
In 2 Kings 20, we see Hezekiah displaying two contradictory attitudes toward prayer—on the one hand, he prays fervently for God to save him, but on the other hand, he doesn’t even try to pray for the salvation of his descendants after him.
First, God again here relents from the disaster he promises to Hezekiah, as we have seen at several points in the history of God’s people (e.g., Ex. 32:14, Num. 16:50). It does not appear that Hezekiah had sinned in some way so as to incur God’s judgment but rather that Yahweh had shown him his looming death in advance so that Hezekiah could set his house in order (2 Kgs. 20:1). This doesn’t mean that Yahweh always turns from bringing about certain outcomes—even Jesus prayed three times unsuccessfully that he not have to go to the cross (Matt. 26:44)—but when God prompts us to turn to him in prayer, he has a way of reassuring us that his grace is sufficient for us, and that his power is made perfect in our weakness, even when we continue to suffer (2 Cor. 12:9). In the matter of seeking mercy for himself, Hezekiah entrusts himself fully to Yahweh and finds salvation.
In the second story in 2 Kings 20, however, Hezekiah does not come away looking so good. After Hezekiah shows all the glory of Judah to the envoys from Babylon so that “There was nothing in his house or in all his realm that Hezekiah did not show them” (2 Kgs. 20:13), Yahweh sends Isaiah to Hezekiah to promise him that all those things will be carried off by the Babylonians. There is much to discuss about why Hezekiah would give the Babylonians unfettered access to all of Judah’s glory, but today, we will simply focus on his selfish response once Isaiah delivers Yahweh’s word. Rather than repenting and asking Yahweh to relent from the disaster he had promised, we read that “Then said Hezekiah to Isaiah, ‘The word of the LORD that you have spoken is good.’ For he thought, ‘Why not, if there will be peace and security in my days?’” (2 Kgs. 20:19). Where Hezekiah had sought Yahweh’s mercy in the matter of his own life, he now selfishly cares nothing for the welfare of the generations to come in Judah whom the Babylonians would carry into exile.
In prayer, God gives us the ability not only to advocate for our own safety and well being but also to intercede with God on the behalf of others so that we may bear their burdens. As Jesus went to the cross, he did pray for himself, but he also prayed for you who would believe in him based on the testimony of his apostles (John 17:20). How might Jesus reshape your prayers to be more like his and less like Hezekiah’s?
Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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Bible Readings for November 6th 2 Kings 19 | Hebrews 1 | Hosea 12 | Psalms 135–136
In 2 Kings 19, Hezekiah responds to the threats of the Assyrians at the doorstep of Jerusalem in two ways. First, he immediately seeks out guidance from the prophet Isaiah about whether Yahweh will come to Judah’s aid. Second, he spreads out the letter recorded from the words of Sennacherib before Yahweh, praying that Yahweh might save Jerusalem so “that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that you, O LORD, are God alone” (2 Kgs. 19:19). A part of us wishes we could have the same recourse that Hezekiah does, with the ability to ask a prophet when we need critical guidance from the Lord in our lives. This, however, overstates what old covenant believers received and overlooks what God has given his people today.
First, we should not think that such revelations were frequent in the days of the Old Testament, as though the people of God had full access to prophetic insights whenever they contemplated major life decisions. The vast majority of the time Israel, like us, had to pray, seek to obey Yahweh, and then to make choices based upon prudence and wisdom. Receiving such clear insight into God’s will in a specific situation was exceedingly rare.
Second, we should also remember that the Israelites did not have more of God’s word but less. Under the old covenant, God’s people did not have the full revelation of God’s word that we have on this side of the coming of Jesus Christ and the writing of the New Testament. Where Israel might have received specific guidance on a few critical points in history, they were not shown the big picture. In fact, Peter tells us that in Christ, we have been given access to revelation that even angels long to know (1 Pet. 1:12).
Third, we have assurances that Israel did not have. Yahweh’s relationship with Israel was built upon a covenant so that Yahweh would provide blessings if Israel obeyed, but Yahweh had also promised to curse Israel if they disobeyed (Deut. 28). From Hezekiah’s perspective, he really does not have any assurances that Yahweh will provide salvation in the midst of this situation, but he nevertheless throws himself upon Yahweh’s mercy in faith. We, on the other hand, have the promise that God is working all things together for our good (Rom. 8:28), since Jesus himself has taken our covenant curses upon himself in our place, clothing us in his own righteousness so that God promises to bless us—even if he brings significant suffering into our lives as a part of working all things together for our good.
How, then, do you respond to hardships, suffering, and persecution in your own life? Follow the example of Hezekiah to spread out the threats to your life before the Lord, trusting that God will glorify himself and seek your good for the sake of his Son, Jesus Christ.
Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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Bible Readings for November 5th 2 Kings 18 | Philemon 1 | Hosea 11 | Psalms 132, 133 & 134
The words of the Rabshakeh of Assyria (the great commander of Assyria’s army) in 2 Kings 18 offer a masterclass in Satan’s strategies to lead us to doubt Yahweh’s goodness toward us. To start, he twists Hezekiah’s obedience in removing the high places by suggesting that those might have been Yahweh’s high places, saying, “But if you say to me, ‘We trust in the LORD our God,’ is it not he whose high places and altars Hezekiah has removed?” (2 Kgs. 18:22). Then, he fabricates the idea that Yahweh himself had commanded Assyria to destroy Judah: “Moreover, is it without the LORD that I have come up against this place to destroy it? The LORD said to me, ‘Go up against this land, and destroy it’” (2 Kgs. 18:25). These are such compelling arguments to the people within the walls of Jerusalem in the moment that the leaders beg the Assyrians to speak in Aramaic rather than in the language of Judah to avoid frightening the common people in the city (2 Kgs. 18:26). The Rabshakeh refuses, however, continuing to stir up fear with his lies.
In the same way, Satan often twists our obedience by arguing that we have not actually pleased God, and Satan tells us that God remains angry with us. Then, when we attempt to fight back by reminding ourselves of God’s word so that we can drown out Satan’s word, our adversary simply takes a different tactic—and he has many—to lead us to question God’s character. How then do we fight against Satan in the middle of doubt?
The best instruction to help us fight Satan’s lies comes in the example of Jesus, who faced a direct confrontation with Satan in the wilderness in Matthew 4:1–11. There, Satan offered exactly what Jesus wanted—food in the midst of forty days of fasting, reassurance that he was indeed God’s Son, and all the kingdoms of the world—in exchange for Jesus’ obedience and worship. Each time, Jesus defeated the devil with Scripture, demonstrating not only what it looks like to know Scripture (since, indeed Satan also quoted Scripture in this encounter) but also what it means to know God through the Scriptures. Jesus wasn’t confused by Satan’s suggestions that God was withholding some good thing because Jesus knew his Father’s character through the Scriptures. Jesus didn’t quote Scripture as though he were saying magic words; rather, he was citing the evidence that God wasn’t who Satan said he was.
Tomorrow, we will see how Hezekiah himself responds by turning to God’s word, but today, ask yourself this question: How well do you know God through the Bible? Do Satan’s words hold influence over your mind and your emotions, or have you saturated yourself with God’s words so that your thorough understanding of God’s character gives you the ability to stand firm against Satan’s lies?
Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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Bible Readings for November 4th 2 Kings 17 | Titus 3 | Hosea 10 | Psalms 129, 130 & 131
The dark day finally arrives. In 2 Kings 17, we read of the doom of the northern ten tribes of Israel, whom Yahweh sends off into exile at the hands of the Assyrians. The relatively mild wickedness (2 Kgs. 17:2) of Israel’s final king, Hoshea, becomes the straw that breaks the camel’s back. In Hoshea’s ninth year, the Assyrians capture Israel’s capital, Samaria, and then carry the Israelites into exile (2 Kgs. 17:6).
The bulk of the text focuses not on the exile itself but on the reasons why Yahweh sends Israel into exile: “All this occurred because the people of Israel had sinned against the LORD their God, who had brought them up out of the land of Egypt from under the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and had feared other gods” (2 Kgs. 17:7). Israel had forsaken their covenant Lord, choosing instead to obey other gods, despite the fact that Yahweh had warned Israel and Judah “by every prophet and every seer, saying, ‘Turn from your evil ways and keep my commandments and my statutes, in accordance with all the Law that I commanded your fathers, and that I sent to you by my servants the prophets’” (2 Kgs. 17:13).
Assyria’s method for keeping their conquered enemies subjugated involved dividing them and mixing them with various other peoples whom they had conquered. So, not only did Assyria carry the Israelites off into other cities, but Assyria also imported people from Babylon, Cuthah, Avva, Hamath, and Sepharvaim to inhabit the Promised Land instead of the Israelites (2 Kgs. 17:24). Eventually, some Israelites will return to the Promised Land, intermarrying with these foreign people to create the people called the Samaritans—and this tragic history is what stands behind the racial animosity of Jews toward Samaritans during the days of Jesus.
While the downfall of Israel is important in its own right, it also serves for us as a foreshadowing of the final judgment day of all humanity. The Lord’s patience is great, but his judgment day does come. When Jesus came the first time, he came with patience, meekness, and humility, warning all people to repent from their sins and to believe upon him for salvation. But when he comes again, he will come riding on a cloud in glory (Matt. 24:30), possessing all authority in heaven and on earth (Matt. 28:18), and on that day, he will come to judge once and for all.
Beloved, do not live today so that you will shrink from him in shame at his coming (1 John 2:28). Instead, repent of your sins and believe upon Jesus so that on that day you may be transformed in an instant to be like him, since, with joy, you will see him as he is in his full glory (1 John 3:2).
Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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Bible Readings for November 3rd 2 Kings 16 | Titus 2 | Hosea 9 | Psalms 126, 127 & 128
Although Judah has experienced wicked kings before this point, King Ahaz leads the southern nation of Judah into unprecedented evil. Ahaz’s father, Jotham, was a godly king who did what was right in the eyes of Yahweh (apart from leaving the high places in Judah; 2 Kgs. 15:34–35), but Ahaz pushes the nation to a new level of wickedness.
First, King Ahaz goes beyond the wickedness of the previous kings of Israel and Judah to the point of sacrificing his own son “according to the despicable practices of the nations whom the LORD drove out before the people of Israel” (2 Kgs. 16:3). Now, while Abraham had also attempted to offer his son Isaac as a sacrifice (Gen. 22), it is important to recognize that the two acts were fundamentally different. Abraham nearly sacrificed Isaac out of obedience to Yahweh, stopping when an angel commanded him to stop. Ahaz, on the other hand, willfully sacrificed his son in direct disobedience to the law of Yahweh (Deut. 18:10), following instead the vile practices of the surrounding nations.
Second, Ahaz systematically corrupts, pollutes, and disassembles Yahweh’s temple. So, when the kings of Syria and of Israel join forces to come up against Jerusalem (2 Kgs. 16:5), Ahaz seeks out an alliance with Assyria, offering silver and gold stolen from the temple (2 Kgs. 16:8–9). Then, when Ahaz visits the Syrian capital of Damascus to meet Tiglath-pileser, the king of Assyria, Ahaz replaces the bronze altar Yahweh had given his people with an altar that the Syrians used in their worship (2 Kgs. 16:11–14). Finally, Ahaz continues his defiling of the temple by removing frames from the basin and by replacing the bronze oxen on which the sea sat with a stone pedestal, as well as changing the external entrance into the temple “because of the king of Assyria” (2 Kgs. 16:17–18)—that is, either as a part of paying off the king of Assyria to fight against the Syrians, or worse, to allow the king of Assyria to use the temple of Yahweh for his own purposes.
There is a fascinating inverse story to Ahaz’s, however, contained in the New Testament. There, Yahweh hands the temple of his own Son’s body over to be defiled and destroyed at the hands of wicked men, and he does so while offering up that Son as a once-for-all sacrifice for his people. The difference between Ahaz and Yahweh, then, comes in the way that Ahaz sought spiritual power by embracing the culture of death and idolatry of the surrounding nations, while Jesus Christ came to enter fully into death not because he loved it but because he hated it and came to destroy it forever. Therefore, choose the life that is in Christ, “that you and your offspring may live” (Deut. 30:19).
Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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Bible Readings for November 2nd 2 Kings 15 | Titus 1 | Hosea 8 | Psalms 123, 124 & 125
One of the fascinating aspects of the stories of the kings of Israel and Judah is the way that Yahweh continues to bless his people despite their sinfulness—even as their sinfulness brings about an increasing number of curses. The stories repeatedly emphasize Yahweh’s goodness toward his people, though they violate his covenant again and again. In contrast, the modern tendency is to feel entitled to the blessings God gives us, while simultaneously demanding that God justify why he would allow bad things to happen at all. So, C. S. Lewis wrote, “The ancient man approached God (or even the gods) as the accused person approaches his judge. For the modern man, the roles are quite reversed. He is the judge: God is in the dock. He is quite a kindly judge; if God should have a reasonable defense for being the god who permits war, poverty, and disease, he is ready to listen to it. The trial may even end in God’s acquittal. But the important thing is that man is on the bench and God is in the dock.”1 Two of the stories in 2 Kings 15 illustrate this tension well.
First, we read that Azariah, king of Judah, does what is “right in the eyes of the LORD, according to all that his father Amaziah had done” (2 Kgs. 15:3) but that the high places still have not been taken away (2 Kgs. 15:4). Nevertheless, we read that Yahweh touches Azariah with leprosy until the day of his death (2 Kgs. 15:5). So, is it fair for Yahweh to give leprosy to a reasonably godly king?
Second, we read about Menahem, king of Israel, who does evil in the sight of Yahweh (2 Kgs. 15:18). During Menahem’s reign, Pul, the king of Assyria, comes up against Israel, but Menahem is able to keep Pul from destroying Israel altogether by giving the Assyrian king a thousand talents of silver (2 Kgs. 15:20). So, is Yahweh still good if he allows Israel’s enemies to extort them this way?
In the case of Judah, Yahweh does give leprosy to Azariah, but shouldn’t we also notice that he keeps Assyria from coming against Judah at all? And in the case of Menahem, shouldn’t Israel give thanks for the fact that Assyria does not destroy Israel entirely and that Yahweh has given them yet another opportunity to repent?
Often, we have a tendency to notice the bad things Yahweh permits but to forget the kindnesses he shows to us. Is it possible, though, that even in the midst of terrible things, Yahweh might be preventing us from experiencing something worse? Or, might he be bringing us through something painful so that we gain an intimacy with him that we might not otherwise know? In the midst of your pain, how might you recognize God’s fatherly kindness to you in Christ Jesus?
1 C. S. Lewis, God in the Dock (Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1970), 244.
Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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