Through the Scriptures: Year 2

Contents Overview of Readings ...... 3 Week 53 ...... 5 Week 54 ...... 7 Week 55 ...... 10 Week 56 ...... 12 Week 57 ...... 14 Week 58 ...... 17 Week 59 ...... 19 Week 60 ...... 21 Week 61 ...... 24 Week 62 ...... 26 Week 63 ...... 29 Week 64 ...... 31 Week 65 ...... 33 Week 66 ...... 36 Week 67 ...... 38 Week 68 ...... 41 Week 69 ...... 43 Week 70 ...... 45 Week 71 ...... 48 Week 72 ...... 50 Week 73 ...... 52 Week 74 ...... 55 Week 75 ...... 57 Week 76 ...... 60 Week 77 ...... 62 Week 78 ...... 65 Week 79 ...... 67 Week 80 ...... 70 Through the Scriptures: Year 2

Week 81 ...... 72 Week 82 ...... 75 Week 83 ...... 77 Week 84 ...... 80 Week 85 ...... 83

Through the Scriptures: Year 2

Overview of Readings Old Testament Genesis: Weeks 1-5 Exodus: Weeks 5-9 Leviticus: Weeks 9-11 Numbers: Weeks 11-13 Deuteronomy: Weeks 14-18 Joshua: Weeks 18-20 Judges: Weeks 20-22 Ruth: Week 22 1 Samuel: Weeks 22-26 2 Samuel: Weeks 27-29 1 Kings: Weeks 29-31 2 Kings: Weeks 31-33 1 Chronicles: Weeks 63-64 2 Chronicles: Weeks 64-66 Ezra: Week 67 Nehemiah: Week 68 Esther: Week 69 Job: Weeks 58-60 Psalms: Weeks 38, 40, 43, 54, 61-2, 67, 69-71, 76 Proverbs: Weeks 76, 80, 81, 83, 87, 89-91, 93, 96 Ecclesiastes: Week 61 Song of Songs: Week 62 Isaiah: Weeks 34-38 Jeremiah: Weeks 72-75 Lamentations: 76 Ezekiel: 77-80 Daniel: Week 41 Hosea: Week 39 Joel: Week 43 Amos: Week 70 Obadiah: Week 40 Jonah: Week 40 Micah: Week 71 Nahum: Week 40 Habakkuk: Week 71 Zephaniah: Week 71 Haggai: Week 81 Zechariah: Week 42 Malachi: Week 81 Through the Scriptures: Year 2

New Testament Matthew: Weeks 44-45 Mark: Weeks 82-83 Luke: Weeks 46-47 John: Weeks 84-85 Acts: Weeks 48-49 Romans: Week 50 1 Corinthians: Weeks 86-87 2 Corinthians: Weeks 88-89 Galatians: Week 51 Ephesians: Week 51 Philippians: Week 89 Colossians: Week 90 1 Thessalonians: Week 91 2 Thessalonians: Week 92 1 Timothy: Week 52 2 Timothy: Week 52 Titus: Week 92 Philemon: Week 92 Hebrews: Weeks 53-54 James: Week 93 1 Peter: Week 94 2 Peter: Week 94 1 John: Week 95 2 John: Week 95 3 John: Week 96 Jude: Week 96 Revelation: Weeks 55-57, 97-99 Through the Scriptures

Week 53

Week 53 Monday Hebrews 1-2 This book seems to be written for believers who are suffering in and for the faith. As you read you will catch glimpses of this in the repeated words of encouragement to remain confident in the hope that we have. The book reminds the believer to look to Jesus for that hope as he is the one who has made the perfect sacrifice for us and is the heavenly reality of the earthly shadows given in the Law. He is victorious and sits at the right hand of God; he will help us. This confidence should give the hearer cause to hold fast to the confidence which cannot be shaken.

As you read the first two chapters of Hebrews, keep in mind the role of an angel. An angel is by definition ‘a messenger’. The word in the Greek, in fact, can be translated as angel or messenger. How does this recognition help us understand the relationship between Hebrews 1:1-2 and the rest of the first two chapters? What encouragement does this give to the believer? Jesus, the Son of God, is the climax of the message of God. Jesus brings to fullness the message of the prophets and surpasses the Law, i.e., the Torah. This Jesus continues to be proclaimed by those who heard (2:3-4). Just as the message of the messengers proved reliable, so the message of salvation given through Jesus, the one greater than those messengers, is utterly reliable for us. As a result, the believer can hold firm to the message of faith and trust in it in spite of the adversity caused because of the faith.

What double benefit do Jesus’ humanity and his sacrifice have for us? Jesus’ humanity makes his sacrifice efficacious for us. He had to be one of us for his death to be of value to us. Jesus’ suffering also gives us encouragement because he was human. Seeing his suffering and temptation we know that he can relate to us in our suffering and temptation. Seeing his victory gives us confidence and help in the midst of our suffering and temptation.

Week 53 Tuesday Hebrews 3:1-4:13 Jesus is greater than Moses and Joshua. What does this assertion teach us concerning Jesus’ work? What warning does this section give us? What encouragement does that give us in our lives of discipleship? The connection that Hebrews makes is that since Jesus is greater than Moses (3:2ff.) and Joshua (4:8), we know and can expect that the rest provided by Jesus is greater than that by Moses and Joshua. Joshua’s rest was not complete; Jesus’ rest is. Yet just as not all entered the Promised Land, so also not all will enter Jesus’ rest. Jesus does gives us promised rest; we should strive to enter that rest and not fall like the people of Israel in the wilderness.

What challenges do you face along the way? What encouragement does the promised rest provide to you during your journey?

Through the Scriptures

Week 53 Wednesday Hebrews 4:14-5:10 Hebrews 4:14-16 brings us back to the point of 2:10-18 and encourages us on our wilderness journey by pointing us to the one who can and does sympathize with us. How does this encourage you in the midst of the challenges of living a life of faith?

What are we called to do in the face of life’s trials and temptations, cf. Hebrews 4:16? What does this admonition remind us? Christ, although he has suffered with us, is now seated on the throne. He has conquered and he rules on our behalf. He is gracious and merciful to us.

What further confidence do we have in Jesus our high priest? How do we know that he is the legitimate high priest for us? Jesus has been chosen by God and placed in this special position as the great high priest.

Week 53 Thursday Hebrews 5:11-7:28 How does the instruction to move on to solid food relate to the concern about people falling away from the faith? Why is falling away from the faith not a direction people should go? Why cannot people be Christians only when it is convenient for them? The message of salvation is good news that sustains and empowers people. Once people taste the heavenly gift, the goodness of the word of God, and the powers of the age to come, how can they intentionally deny the call of discipleship? Faith trusts the promises of God and lives by them in all aspects of life.

How does the certainty of God’s faithfulness to the promise encourage you, cf. Hebrews 6:18-20?

Of what does Hebrews 7 remind us? Why is the fact that Jesus is priest in the order of Melchizedek significant for our understanding of Jesus, the great high priest? Jesus was appointed by oath rather than the Law and thus is connected to a different and better covenant. Through this covenant hope we have reason to draw near to God; the commandment is set aside because of its insufficiency.

Week 53 Friday Hebrews 8:1-10:18 The notion of shadow/copy is one that provides great insight into the Old Testament. The things of the Old Testament were not some crude result of primitive thinking; they were the well thought out intentions of God to help point his people, and all people, to the real thing through Christ. What does the text teach us about Christ’s act because it was the real thing? How does that direct our thinking in the faith? Christ’s act as high priest was once for all; it was sufficient. This fullness does not lead us to disregard the copies as unimportant; rather it directs us to understand them with an informed perspective. Christ does not teach us to ignore the copies but recognize them as pointing to him and through them see God’s Through the Scriptures

intent throughout history. From this perspective we can look forward in the faith through the lens of Christ so that we can be discerning recognizing the importance and goal of all that we do.

Does the abolishment of the Law eliminate the call of the believer to live life according to God’s will? Why or why not? Christ fulfills the Law and his work points us to uphold the will of God in our lives. Christ brings us forgiveness of sins; he brings us into relationship with God. Jesus does not call us to continue to act as enemies of God. Thus we still seek to do God’s will.

Week 53 Saturday Hebrews 10:19-39 Given all that Jesus has accomplished for us as the great high priest what should we be faithful in doing, cf. Hebrews 10:19-25? What is it not acceptable for Christians to do? We should hold fast to this confession of hope and continue to encourage each other in the faith. We are called to continue to worship regularly and encouraging each other to love and good works. We are called to live in the life of forgiveness we have been given. It is not acceptable to think that it is okay to have the faith and stay away from organized religion. The faith calls believers together as church and it encourages us to encourage each other to stay together in the life of faith.

What gives us strength to hold to the practice of the faith? What gives us the strength to continue on in discipleship? The future hope keeps us going. Knowing that we have the certain future gives us endurance.

Week 54

Week 54 Monday Hebrews 11:1-12:3 What is the nature of faith? How do the examples provided in chapter 11 demonstrate this definition? “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” Hebrews 11:1 ESV The great cloud of witnesses demonstrate that certainty of faith as they looked forward to the promise, to the city that has been prepared for them.

How do we differ from the great cloud of witnesses presented in chapter 11? How are we the same? How does this encourage us to run with endurance? We differ from the great cloud of witnesses because we see the seal of that promise in Christ. His death, resurrection, and ascension bring to completion that promise and assure us all the more of the certainty of the promise. Nonetheless, we recognize that we are not yet in that holy city. We still look forward in faith. We still need the endurance that we get through the certainty of Christ to finish the race.

Week 54 Tuesday Hebrews 12:4-13:25 What is the encouragement for the Christian who suffers? The encouragement for the Christian who suffers seems to be twofold. First, suffering can be seen as an opportunity of discipline, a byproduct of being legitimate children of God. Second, we come to the holy mountain of our God; we are welcomed there by and because of the Son. As we are brought to this city, Through the Scriptures

we realize that this city and kingdom that we are receiving cannot be shaken. Regardless of how much shaking we face her on earth, at the consummation of all things the shaking will cease and we will rejoice.

What enables the Christian to follow the instructions of chapter 13? What is the power behind our actions? All of these proper acts are encouraged by the reminder of the God that we have who will not leave us nor forsake us, the God who brings us home to that heavenly city. He will not change, no matter how much our world does. He will not fail us; indeed he already has succeeded for us. He has gone outside the camp and suffered for us and now we are freed to suffer for others.

Week 54 Wednesday Psalms 48-53 In Psalm 48, we hear that God has made himself known as a fortress. His holy mountain is joy in all the earth. Where do we ultimately see this joy on Mt. Zion? In Christ’s death on Mt. Zion, we see joy and security brought to all the earth. This joy and security supersedes any other that may be experienced prior.

What lesson is provided in Psalm 49? Is this encouragement or warning for you? The psalm teaches us that regardless of how ‘successful’ one gets on this earth, ultimately that one will perish. He may find glory in the present, but the ‘success’ does not stand him in good stead in the long run. This teaching is encouraging to the one who is oppressed by the ‘successful’. It is a clear reminder for those who are ‘successful’ not to trust ultimately in this ‘success’.

What does God desire in sacrifice? Why? Cf. Psalm 50 and 51. God desires sacrifice of thanksgiving and repentance. He wants sincere sacrifices that reflect people’s trust in him and love for him. Sacrifice without intent is not beneficial to the God who has everything he needs at his disposal.

Psalms 51 and 53 have a few passages that support the teaching of original sin and bondage of the will, cf. Psalm 51.5; and 53.2-3. What does this teach us about ourselves? These passages remind us of how much in need we as fallen humanity are. It is a sobering reality that we have nothing in ourselves about which we can boast. We are entirely in need of God’s grace and mercy.

Week 54 Thursday Psalms 54-60 These psalms carry many cries for help and much trust that help will come. What statements of faith stand out to you among the verses? A few of these verses of trust are: Psalm 54:4; 55:16ff., 22; 56:4, 11; 57:1; 59:17; 60:11; etc.

How has God delivered you from the oppressor? Can you relate to the psalmist? What type of oppressors do you have in life? Where do you turn for help? Where is your help?

Through the Scriptures

Week 54 Friday Psalms 61-66 In Psalms 61 and 62 the psalmist makes a very clear statement about refuge, security, and strength. What is the refuge presented? What is not the refuge? How do these distinctions refocus our thinking in life? Do you at times look to other things or people as your refuge? Where is true security for you? God is clearly the place of refuge, cf. 61:3; 62:5-7. He is the one who provides protection and security. In contrast the things of this world, e.g., riches, social status, etc., are not things upon which we can rely. They disappear and are like a breath. This recognition is a helpful reminder for us as we face a world that speaks so differently. Regardless of those things and the people of this world, our trust should always remain in the one who will be our faithful refuge.

Psalm 63 is a beautiful reminder of the sustenance God is for the believer. The psalmist says that his ‘soul thirsts for’ God and his ‘soul will be satisfied as with fat and rich food’ ‘when I remember you upon my bed, and meditate on you in the watches of the night.’ ESV [63:1, 5, 6 respectively] Why does he find such sustenance in God? Can you speak with the psalmist? How can you find sustenance in God more and more in your life? The psalmist finds the sustenance because God continues to be his help. God shows him true life. His desire for him is true life and his teachings point to that. For this reason the psalmist and all believers find God as the source of life and sustenance. When we lose perspective on this, it is important to be shown again and again all that God does for us and the life he gives us. Study of the Word, receiving his gifts in worship regularly, and staying in the Christian fellowship and prayer are all good ways to be shown this sustaining and life giving power again and again.

Psalm 66 presents the after effects of God’s help for those who have been tested through a ‘crushing burden’. How does the psalmist respond to the help of the Lord? How does this instruct us for our response to God’s help? The psalmist responds by praising God through the recollection of all that he has done. He also responds with faithful offerings and by witnessing to others the work of God’s hand. These are good things for us as well; God has done so much for us that we too respond in such joy and thanks.

Week 54 Saturday Psalms 67-72 Psalm 67, 68, and 72 present great praises to God. Why do the people praise God? Cf. Numbers 6:22- 27; Psalm 28:5-6, 7f., 19-20f. Why do you praise God? What has he done for you? With whom do you share this? The people praise God because of who he is and what he has done for us; they praise him for his name. God helps the people in need; he provides for his people. God is the God of salvation, the deliverer. We find the same cause for joy in our lives. He continually helps us and saves us.

Psalms 69-71 present the psalmist’s request to God for help. Note why he asks God for help; he asks because of God’s steadfast love and his history of help. Do you cling to this in your need? Through the Scriptures

Week 55

Week 55 Monday Revelation 1 The first chapter highlights the reality that Revelation is both a vision and a letter. In addition the subsequent chapters make clear that the vision carries with it the flavor of the genre of apocalyptic literature. These realities instruct us as we read Revelation. They inform us that this book is written for people and their present circumstances and that the numbers and images in the book should be understood as often/generally symbolic in use.

Seven is a number of completion. As a result, the seven churches mentioned in verse 4 represent the entire church, cf. also the list of the seven churches in chapters 2-3. Likewise the seven spirits would be the fullness of the spirit, the Holy Spirit (here we see the Trinity: who is, was, and is to come=Father; seven spirits=Holy Spirit; Jesus=Son).

What is the promise of this chapter, cf. especially 1:5b-8? To whom is it for, cf. 1:9? The promise of this chapter, and the book of Revelation, is that Jesus the Christ will come again in glory and deliver all of us from the present tribulation. This promise is given to the entire church, the church that suffers as it waits for the return of Christ. This promise is given to the persecuted church as a reminder of the encouragement we have in Christ.

What does the vision of the Son of Man, i.e., Jesus, tell us about the content of Revelation, cf. 1:12-20? The content of the book will include things that have happened and things that are to take place, cf. 1:19.

Week 55 Tuesday Revelation 2-3 The seven churches provide a picture of the issues that face specific churches and/or groups of Christians throughout the Church extending from the time of John all of the way up to the return of Christ. What are the positive characteristics of the seven churches? What are the seven issues of concern raised with respect to the seven churches? What are the promises involved? Do you see this in today’s church? Consider both your local congregation and other congregations you have witnessed or been a part of. Who is the one who has conquered? How does this reality inform the solution to the problems the church faces today? 1. Positives: Ephesus—works/toil/patient endurance, not tolerated those who are evil, tested the teaching of the false teachers, and bearing up for my name’s sake not growing weary; Smyrna—rich in spite of the tribulation they face; Pergamum—holds to the faith in spite of persecution; Thyatira—love, patience, faith, service, endurance, and the latter works are greater than the first; Sardis—they have received life; Philadelphia—they have kept the word in patient endurance; Laodicea—not much; 2. Concerns: Ephesus—they have abandoned the love they had at the first (fervor of the faith not as strong; life of faith not coming up as much); Smyrna—not much (persecution is an increasing challenge); Pergamum—they have succumbed to local false teachings; Thyatira—they have succumbed to the false teachings encountered through outsiders; Sardis—they live off their reputation but are really dead; Philadelphia—not much (challenge—people persecuted to the point of having little power/energy); Laodicea—they are ambivalent; 3. Promises—Ephesus—eternal life; Smyrna—deliverance from eternal Through the Scriptures

death; Pergamum—participation in the feast to come, identity in being God’s people, and the declaration of innocence (white stone); Thyatira—participation in the reign of Christ, cf. Revelation 22:16 and Numbers 24:14-20; Sardis—clothed in righteousness and given certainty of salvation; Philadelphia— eternity in the presence of God; Laodicea—participation in the reign of Christ. In the end, Jesus, the one whose words are spoken, has conquered and gives us the victory. This confidence grounds us in the hope we have and strengthens us to the life to which the angel calls the church.

Week 55 Wednesday Revelation 4-5 In this text all of creation (four living creatures) worships God on the throne and the Lamb. The whole people of God worship (24 elders=12 tribes of Old Testament Church + 12 disciples, i.e., the whole New Testament Church) as well. What does their worship look like? How does our worship reflect the songs of worship presented here? Why does our worship reflect the heavenly worship?

How does the enthronement of the slain Lamb encourage the suffering Church to which Revelation is written? Why do we celebrate this Lamb in our Hymn of Praise so often? The victory of the Lamb in the midst of the reality of his suffering and death encourages the Church in the midst of her suffering. Following the Kyrie in which the Church recognizes that we still suffer in this world, the Hymn of Praise “This is the Feast” reminds of the victory and the certain promises of God.

Week 55 Thursday Revelation 6 The first four seals present conquest, bloodshed, famine, and death. The fifth seal reveals the reality of the continuing suffering of the saints and the waiting of those saints for the judgment. The sixth seal reveals the reality that the requested judgment is coming. When are the times in which these things happen? When are the things that are about to be? What does this teach the Church? The first five seals are a present reality for all of creation. These things have and will continue to happen until the Last Day. The sixth seal is the coming judgment. The reality is that these things are already happening and have been happening; we are and have been in the last days. This reminds the Church that we face many challenges in the present, yet the Last Day will come.

Week 55 Friday Revelation 7:1-8:1 The number 144,000 is 12 x 12 x 1000. Twelve is the number of the Church (Old Testament=tribes of Israel; New Testament=disciples). One thousand is the complete number of ten cubed, i.e., the most complete. 144,000 is the number of the entire Church, i.e., all of God’s people whether Old Testament or New Testament. The set up of the numbering is that of numbering for war. What significance does this numbering have? What does this teach us? This teaches us that the Church that is still going about daily life is the Church militant. We are the Church that sufferings in life and faces the challenges of the evil one.

What does the subsequent picture teach us? Through the Scriptures

While the Church goes forth in suffering lifting high the cross, i.e., our standard, the promised reality that follows is the complete and total restoration where every tear is wiped away as well as hungering and thirsting.

Week 55 Saturday Revelation 8:2-9:21 The plagues in Revelation 8-9 reflect the plagues God put upon the people of Egypt during the time of the Exodus: 1st trumpet—Exodus 9.22-25; 2nd and 3rd trumpets—Ex. 7.20-25; 4th trumpet—Ex. 10.21-23; 5th trumpet—Ex. 10.12-15. What would these plagues communicate to the people of God? The use of the plagues directs people to see both the judgment of God and the deliverance of God. Certainly the judgment is still at this point partial, nonetheless it is real. The neglect of God and the ways for which he made us will result in judgment and results in the reality of death and destruction.

Week 56

Week 56 Monday Revelation 10 Who is the angel? Cf. Ezekiel 1-3 (esp. 1:26-28); Daniel 10-12 (esp. 10). Who commissions John to share the message? The angel is Jesus or someone who bears the authority of Jesus. The imagery present here makes clear connections to the person of Jesus, e.g., the lion in v.3 (as Jesus is the lion of Judah), authority of all things (sea and land v.2), rainbow over his head (Ezekiel 1:28), legs like pillars of fire (Ezekiel 1:27), face like the sun (like lightning Daniel 10:6), etc. Given these connections, whether it is Jesus or his messenger who bears his authority, ultimately Jesus commissions John.

John is told to eat the scroll. He is told to digest the message and then share it. The message tastes sweet and bitter. This message John is to share. Note the distinct connections to Ezekiel 2:8-3:3, 14-15.

Consider times when you have shared God’s message to friends and loved ones. How did you feel when you had words of correction or warning for them? How did you feel when you brought words of grace and forgiveness?

Week 56 Tuesday Revelation 11 In Revelation forty-two months, three and a half times, and twelve hundred sixty days are all the same period of time. This time frame comes up in Daniel as well, cf. Daniel 7:25; 12:7. This period is the time of the Church’s witness. The Church will be preserved throughout this time, cf. 11:1-2. The two witnesses represent the Church’s witness. The witness is persecuted but it will not be destroyed until the witness is complete. At this time the dead will be left out and the world will rejoice. Yet after three and a half days the bodies will be raise and ascend into heaven in the cloud. What message does this event line send to the Church? What does it have for you as you are part of the Church’s witness? The world will persecute the Church’s witness, but God will see to his purpose of completing the witness. Ultimately, no matter how ‘successful’ the persecution is, the Church will be raised just as Christ was raised. This gives us confidence in the face of persecution. Through the Scriptures

Revelation 11:15-19 tells us that at the last trumpet God will reign visibly over all the earth and the Church of both the Old Testament and the New Testament (twenty-four elders) will celebrate. How does this further encourage the suffering Church?

Week 56 Wednesday Revelation 12 The woman is the Church. The dragon, Satan, tried to take the child of the woman, Jesus, but Jesus was victorious and now sits on his throne. The Church now is in the wilderness for twelve hundred sixty days. During this time, she will be persecuted by the dragon but the dragon will not overcome the Church. Since Satan cannot defeat the Church collectively, he goes after her offspring individually. How does this chapter give encouragement to you as a believer? How does it serve as a warning? To what do you cling? This chapter again reminds us of the victory won in Christ. This victory gives us confidence in the face of Satan’s attacks. In the midst of this confidence, we also recognize that we will face great persecution and temptation as Satan attempts to lead us astray that he might devour us. It reminds us to stand vigilant throughout our lives.

Week 56 Thursday Revelation 13 There are two beasts. The first beast reflects the beasts from Daniel 7:2-7. Like those beasts, this beast represents the rulers/ruling nations of the world. The second beast represents the false christs that are present in and will come into the world, cf. Matthew 24:24. The number 666 seems to be the number of the unholy trinity, a number of total incompletion; this is in contrast to the total completion of the number 777, the Holy Trinity.

What influence do the two beasts have in the world? What do they do to believers? How do the believers respond? The political beast has the power of the sword. He has the power to take to captivity or execute. The believer responds by going into captivity or being executed. The rule of this beast distracts the world and they will worship it. The religious beast facilitates the reign of the first beast. It is its tool and it claims people for the beast by marking them with the name of the beast. Believers in contrast are marked with the name of God and are preserved via his promises.

How do you see these things happening in your life as you live in the time of the Church, the forty- two months? What examples of economic influence do we see the beast carry today (cf. Revelation 13:17)? What examples do we see of political powers blaspheming the name of God (cf. 13:6)? How do these things cause challenges for your life?

Week 56 Friday Revelation 14 In contrast to the people claimed by the beast posing as a lamb, here stands the true Lamb and the people he has claimed. These 144,000 have God’s name put upon their foreheads and worship in Through the Scriptures triumph. As in Revelation 7, the 144,000 are the whole people of God, the complete (10 x 10 x 10 x…) people of God (12 x 12). These 144,000 are those who march under Christ’s banner of victory, the Lamb who had been slain. They suffer faithfully in the name of Christ.

What encouragement does this presentation of the Church bring to you? What realities does it convey to you?

What is the reality of the judgment presented here? Cf. 14:6-11, 14-20. How is this encouraging to the saints? How is this a warning of the dangers present for the saints? This reality of judgment gives encouragement to the saints as they suffer in the present. They are reminded that while they are humiliated and suffer in the present, the reality is that God is the one who is victorious. He will bring judgment as he has promised. The judgment will be complete and be over the entire earth (4 is the number of the world; thus 4 x 4 x 1,000 is that which covers the whole world). As it is encouraging to the suffering, it is also a warning to those who are considering giving in to the beast. While the dragon cannot take the Church, he does prey on individual believers. Believers need to remain vigilant throughout the time of the Church.

Week 56 Saturday Revelation 15 Those who have conquered even in the midst of the deadly attacks of the beast stand at the sea of glass (no longer turbulent, the sea was the place of chaos, cf. Revelation 4:6) which was mixed with fire (the deadly attacks). The sea makes connection to the people of Israel who had suffered in Egypt yet stood victoriously at the Red Sea/Sea of Reeds after they had gone through it on dry ground. There they sing the song of Moses, cf. Exodus 15. This song is also linked to the Lamb, the one who was slain and has begun his reign, cf. Revelation 5. This connection reminds the believer that they are victorious even in death; they will enter the heavenly sanctuary. Thus the believer sings the song of triumph even in the face of the plagues that are coming upon the earth. How does this song help you face the challenges and attacks against your faith in your day to day life?

Week 57

Week 57 Monday Revelation 16 As seen in the second set of signs, here in chapter 16 the signs reflect the plagues of Egypt. What is the difference in the judgments of this chapter and those of Revelation 8 and 9? What does this difference teach? The difference in the plagues is the extent of their devastation. In chapters 8 and 9, the plagues devastated only a third of its target. Here it affects the whole target. This set of signs is a warning that the signs, while they have been going on for some time, ultimately will come to completion; the judgment will be final and complete. This set reminds the hearer that none of the earth will escape the final judgment.

Through the Scriptures

Consider the account of creation and its relation to this set of signs. What connections do you find? How does this inform you as to the message of the signs? The judgment goes forth as systematically as the creation of all things. The earth, sea, rivers and springs, the sun are all affected with each subsequent plague. The use of the term beast and Euphrates also brings allusions to the Creation. Finally, on the seventh and last day, the systematic work of God was done. Likewise, in judgment, the entire creation will be included and God will bring to conclusion the judgment and say “It is finished.”

If all of creation is going to face the judgment, should you be afraid? While this whole process is not an enjoyable one, we need not fear. For as God speaks works of conclusion to judgment, we are reminded of other words of conclusion, the words from the cross: “It is finished.” Here we are reminded that Jesus, the Christ, drank the cup of God’s wrath on the cross for us. Because of this sacrifice, we need not fear the judgment that is coming.

Week 57 Tuesday Revelation 17 In this chapter we see the great prostitute (cf. Hosea 1-3 for a clear connection between unfaithfulness to God and prostitution) and the beast. These reflect back on the first and second beasts of Revelation 13. These are the religious and political (as seen in the seven mountains of Rome) powers of the world. They make war on the Lamb. How do we see the powers of the world making war on the Lamb? How have they sought to lure the faithful away?

Seeing the great attack the powers of this world make upon the Lamb, how do we as Christians remain confident? To what does the text point us? The Lamb will conquer them. As we see in Revelation 5 he already has conquered and as we see recognize in presentations of the end, he will conquer. In addition, the powers of this world are not consistent. They want to parade as God, the one who was, is, and will be, but cannot. The imposter even in her luxury and power cannot sustain herself. In one hour she can/does fall. God, in spite of all the lures of the world, is the one in whom we put our trust.

Week 57 Wednesday Revelation 18 What valuable warning is giving to today’s society and world with relation to political and economic power? When do you see this warning needed in your life? In the lives of others? The fall of Babylon, the image of the political and economic power, reminds us that the standards of success and security that our world holds are fleeting. They will not be sustained and cannot be trusted. In a single day/hour they will come to naught.

Who celebrates the fall of Babylon? Cf. 18:20. The saints who have suffered faithfully and not seen the ‘success’ of Babylon are confirmed in their faith and been delivered from the oppression of the powers that be.

Week 57 Thursday Revelation 19 What does the end bring for believers? What does this do for the Church as it waits for the last day? Through the Scriptures

The end brings final deliverance from all of the oppressions of sin, death, and the power of the devil. It brings the consummation of all things when the Lamb will take his bride the Church and they will celebrate the proper relationship that God had in mind for his creation from the beginning. This future encourages the Church as she awaits this day faithfully and confidently.

Who comes to judge? How does this reality encourage the believer? Jesus comes to judge. He is the one with a robe dipped in blood; he is the one who conquered in his suffering. This is encouraging to the Church as she faces the presentations of security and power that Babylon brings forth. Economic and political power are not the measure of success and confidence. The false prophet (same as the prostitute; part of the deception is the reality that this adversary takes different forms to deceive) and the beast were captured. The Lamb who was slain is victorious; he comes to judge the living and the dead.

Week 57 Friday Revelation 20 When is Satan bound? Cf. Mark 3:22-30. Satan is bound in the work of Christ. Christ begins the binding of Satan as he works the miracles that reverse the effects of a fallen creation. This binding was accomplished and complete on the cross. Satan remains bound for the complete period of time that is the time of the Church. During this time, Satan is relegated to attacking only individuals since attacks on the entire Church are futile. God reigns over the true Church.

What is the first resurrection? What does the reign after this resurrection look like? The first resurrection is the life given to believers in their baptisms. As people die and rise with Christ in their baptisms, they are given life that the second death, i.e., eternal death, cannot overcome. These people, the true Church, reign with Christ as Christ reigns in their lives for the complete time of the church. This is not a glorious reign, rather one in the way Christ reigned; it is a reign resembling that of the reign of Christ on the cross.

How will Satan’s little season turn out? Cf. 20:9-10. Satan’s last ditch effort ended in utter and eternal failure. Jesus is victorious and he will come to judge.

Week 57 Saturday Revelation 21-22 How does the announcement of the new heavens and the new earth present the appropriate conclusion to the events of judgment presented? How does the proclamation “It is done!” present a different flavor in the context of 21:6 than it did in 16:7? The proclamation of the consummation of a new creation in which the troubles of a fallen creation are gone provides a fitting contrast to the judgment that brought an end to the old creation in all of its fallenness. Here rather than “It is done!” announcing to the world the completion of judgment, “It is done!” announces the triumph of God for his people.

Who is the Bride? What marks does she bear that highlight who she is? Through the Scriptures

The Bride is the Church. She is the people of God. She is the new Jerusalem, the temple of God that has been erected on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets and whose cornerstone is Christ. She is represented by the jewels in the walls, cf. Exodus 39:8-14.

What is the joy of the consummation? What does this mean for your present? The relationship between God and man will be perfect. He will be our God and we his people. He will nourish us with his life and be our life. We will live worshipping God. This reminds us of the joy of staying connected to God and encourages us to study the Word and worship regularly.

Week 58

Week 58 Monday Job 1-2 The book of Job does not claim an author; it does not claim a date. There does not seem to be enough data to offer a conclusive assessment of author and date.

Satan makes a deal with God to test Job’s faithfulness. Satan suggested that Job’s faith was the product of his abundance. Have you ever considered this possibility about other people? Yourself?

How did Job respond to the removal of his great wealth, family, and health? How would you respond to God in such a situation? Job worshipped God and blessed his name. He recognized God as the one who gives and who takes away. He knew that he was not the one to determine whether he had plenty or was in want.

Week 58 Tuesday Job 3 How does Job respond in chapter 3? What is Job’s desire? Job wishes that he was not even born or at the very least that he would have died in childbirth. He does not understand why the light, i.e., life, falls upon people who are in such misery.

Have you ever related to Job’s frustration? Why did you feel the way you did?

What question is Job asking? What is Job not saying? Why is this distinction important? Job is asking the question of ‘why?’. Job is not telling God that he is doing things wrong. He is not cursing God and seeking to usurp his position. This distinction is important because it recognizes the legitimacy of our frustration in times of difficulties, but it clarifies the need to understand that frustration as a frustration out of our ignorance rather than God’s poor judgment.

Week 58 Wednesday Job 4-7 The subsequent chapters of Job present Job’s friends response to the situation and Job’s response to their comment.

What is Eliphaz’s advice to Job? What rationale does he provide for that advice? Through the Scriptures

Eliphaz encourages Job not to complain but to recognize that God is disciplining him for something. The upright and the innocent do not perish, cf. 4:7. Job must have done something to produce this response of God’s. After recognizing God’s discipline, Job should plead to God for help since he is the one who lifts up the lowly.

How does Job reply? ‘If you think I am being disciplined, please tell me for what I am being disciplined.’ Job does not see error in his ways. Job is more than happy to be rebuked and taught, but he doesn’t see where that is being done. He therefore cries out to God, ‘why?’, cf. 7:20-21.

Do you ever find yourself in Job’s position? Do you ever find yourself facing one challenging thing after another and wondering why? What answer do you come up with? What answers may be legitimate? The answer to the question ‘why?’ could be one of a few options. First, you might suffer directly because of your sin. Second, you might suffer as the result of a fallen world. Third, you might suffer because of someone else’s sin. The question of which answer applies to you is a question that is situation specific.

Week 58 Thursday Job 8-10 What does Bildad tell Job in 8:3-6? Do we hear this sentiment today? How does this relate to a passage like Luke 13:1-5? Bildad tells Job that his children’s actions were the cause of their destruction. In converse, if Job pleads to God and acts rightly, God will bless him. Luke 13 reminds us that the reality of God’s judgment falls upon Gentile and Jew alike. The fallenness of the world affects all people not exclusively ‘worse’ sinners. [This does not negate the potential for specific acts of judgment as found with Sodom and Gomorrah.]

How does Job reply? How does Job’s reply contrast Bildad’s oration? Job asks how any person can be right before God, cf. 9:2. In addition, he highlights God’s wisdom, cf. 9:4, in contrast to Bildad’s use of the wisdom of the patriarchs, cf. 8:8-10. God destroys both the blameless and the wicked, cf. 9:22; it is not just a matter of God rewarding the good and punishing the bad, cf. 8:3-6.

How does Job appeal to God? What lesson is present here for us as we plead to God for help and mercy in the face of difficulties? Job recognizes that God is the one who defines justice and who stands mighty, cf. 9:19. Job recognizes his place and pleads to God in light of this place. God is the one who made him and as his creator he has interest in his creation. Job holds God to this relationship. We too plead to God on the basis of who he is even in the face of what seems to be his lack of care.

Week 58 Friday Job 11-14 What attribute of God does Zophar hold before Job? How does this relate to Job’s plight? What is Zophar telling Job? Zophar reminds Job that God’s understanding is far beyond our own and if anything his exacting of punishment is less than Job probably deserves. Since God’s wisdom transcends Job’s he should not press Through the Scriptures

the issue of ‘why?’ rather he should prepare his heart and get rid of his iniquities. Job should not try to out-reason/smart God.

How does Job respond to Zophar’s argument? He recognizes that the tents of robbers are at peace, cf. 12:6. God indeed is wise and powerful, the question is why does God allow this to work out like this. The reality is that God is able to stop such things, but he does not always work the way we think he might.

What resolve does Job show before God? What lesson is found here for you? Job clings to God in the face of his present situation, even death. He knows that God is the one in whom there lies hope. God is the one who can help. We too are called to cling to God even when it seems like God is against us. We cling to him in the reality that in Christ and because of Christ we see and know that God is for us. He is and will help us, even unto death.

Week 58 Saturday Job 15-17 Job recognizes the failure of his friends to support him, cf. 16:2, 20. Why do they not support him? Where does Job direct his search for help, cf. 16:20-21? Can you relate to Job? When have you felt like Job with respect to support from friends and family? Was there lack of support justified or not? Where did you turn? Job’s friends don’t support him because they assume that his troubles are the product of his actions. They believe that he needs to repent for his actions rather than argue with God. Job thus turns to God for his help and prays to God against God.

Week 59

Week 59 Monday Job 18-19 What is Bildad’s message to Job? Bildad is telling Job that God pursues the wicked; he metes out judgment on the unrighteous. The message thus, implicitly, is “Job, you are clearly an unrighteous man”, repent!

What is Job’s response? Does Job deny God’s pursuit of him? What does he deny? Job agrees that God has pursued him and knocked him down. He has taken away Job’s benefits and left him leveled. Nonetheless, Job demonstrates his faith in the words of 19:23-27. In these bold words he implicitly responds to Bildad’s accusation of unrighteousness and boldly proclaims his faith; he denies unrighteousness by rejoicing in God and his confidence in God.

Can you relate to Job in this instance? Have you had people claim that you must be doing something wrong because of how things have turned out? Have you made that claim against yourself? What does Job’s faith teach you to do in the face of what seems to be God’s pursuit? Job’s faith encourages us to cling to God’s promised salvation, to cling to the resurrection, in the face of our troubles and difficulties in life. Through the Scriptures

Week 59 Tuesday Job 20-21 What does Zophar add to Bildad’s (chapter 18) assessment of the wicked’s life? Zophar basically reiterates that God is going to bring the wicked down. The addition Zophar seems to bring to the table is the recognition that the wicked might have some time of ‘abundance’ but the time would be short. Even if it looks like the wicked are doing well, God will bring them down.

What question does Job ask in response, cf. 21:7ff.? Do we bear this sentiment still today? Job asks why the wicked live prosperous lives if this assessment of Zophar is accurate. Job wants to know why the ones who say they do not need God are filled with prosperity. Why do the wicked thrive and the faithful suffer?

Week 59 Wednesday Job 22-24 What is Eliphaz’s plea, cf. 22:22? What reasoning lies behind the plea? Eliphaz pleads that Job would receive instruction from God. He suggests that he should turn from his evil ways and hold to God’s words for strength and help. The rationale for this suggestion is that if he repents and turns, the Almighty will build him up, cf. 22:23. This change will bring a joyous life; God listens to and provides help for the faithful.

How does Job respond? Have you ever felt this way? Job responds: ‘You want me to go to God and repent. I cannot even find him. I would love to know where he is. Then I could present my case and he would clear my record. The problem is that I cannot find him.’

Job makes a bold statement in 23:13b, “What he [God] desires, that he does.” What does this truth say to you? Is this good news or bad news? What does God desire, cf. 1 Timothy 2:3-4? God desires all people to be saved. That is his desire and that is what he has done. He has saved all people by his death on the cross. Unfortunately, this salvation is not of benefit for all people. Some remain in their sin and impenitent state. For them, this message is still bad news.

Week 59 Thursday Job 25-28 What is Bildad’s last argument? People cannot be righteous in the eyes of God. God’s standard for righteousness is perfection.

What does Job say to all of the exhortations of his ‘friends’ Zophar, Eliphaz, and Bildad? Job will not give into their exhortations to admit that his actions have resulted in his suffering.

Why is Job willing to admit ignorance with regards to his suffering? Are you willing to admit ignorance of the reasons for difficulties in your life? What does this willingness look like in your life? How is Job’s commentary on where wisdom can be found encouraging for you in your lives? What does Job’s commentary teach you about how you are wise? Job recognizes that God only has all wisdom. He knows what is going on even though you do not, cf. 28:23-24. God is the God of all creation; he made it and understands it, cf. 28:25-27. Thus wisdom is not Through the Scriptures

in what one knows, but in trusting the God who does know. The wise one trusts in God’s wisdom even when things are not going well.

Week 59 Friday Job 29-30 What does Job present in these two chapters? What is the argument he makes? Job presents his situation. He points out the care and concern he had for people when he was doing ‘well’ in life. In his abundance he helped the needy and looked out for the poor. Job cared for the widow and childless. He was an all around considerate guy. Yet then his abundance disappeared. His many material/social blessings vanished and the society no longer appreciated his care. They disdained him and did not help him. He thus does not benefit from his faithful behavior. The argument of the three ‘friends’ is not valid.

What theological point does this presentation make? The claim that if you believe enough or do enough in life you will be repaid with blessings is a false notion. It is a ‘theology of glory’, a theology that does not recognize the truth. The believer is going to struggle and suffer in this life. The life of the believer is not trouble free just because he believes.

Is this point one you understand in your life? How do you respond when you face this type of situation?

Week 59 Saturday Job 31 What do you think Job expects from God? How does he feel about how God has treated him? Job’s plea comes across as an expectation of God to respond according to his actions. Job recognizes that he has been faithful and acted righteously; Job knows that he has cared for those who need help. Yet even though Job acted rightly, God took away his abundance. Seeing that God has not continued to provide abundance for Job, Job gets frustrated with the lack of fairness in the way Job’s situation is playing out.

Do you find that society carries a similar expectation? How does society respond when the response they receive does not follow what their actions warrant? How does society respond when the response they receive does follow what their actions warrant?

Week 60

Week 60 Monday Job 32-33 Elihu finds no answer with Job’s friends. He is appalled that they do not refute his claim to righteousness. What does Elihu tell Job in his rebuke of his claim to righteousness? In effect he seems to be telling Job that God is afflicting him to bring him to repentance. His argument is that God humbles people towards repentance in one of two ways: 1. He uses visions that terrify you; 2. He afflicts you so that your body wastes away. In turning to God, he forgives the sin and brings joy for the life that God provides. Through the Scriptures

From where does Elihu assert wisdom comes, cf. 32:8-9? From where is it not? Wisdom does not come from age, rather it comes from the Almighty; God himself gives wisdom.

Week 60 Tuesday Job 34-35 What is Elihu’s conclusion about Job’s claim to righteousness? What is the basis for this decision, cf. 34:10-11? Is this argument against Job’s righteousness valid? Why or why not? Job is sinful; God deals justly and repays accordingly. This assessment is valid, but it does not provide argument for every situation. Just because God deals justly, we cannot conclude that every action is the result of God meting out justice. In fact, even when God metes out justice, there are times when the sinner is not the one punished; consider Jesus’ crucifixion.

Why does Elihu find Job’s complaint to God lacking wisdom? What does he find illogical about it? Elihu mocks Job’s assertion that he would be better off if he had just sinned. He argues that Job’s sinful behavior would not ‘get back at’ God. God is greater than that; he would not be so injured by one person’s sin that the notion of ‘getting back at’ would bear consideration.

Is Elihu’s logic without fault? Why? The reality is God does not like when we sin. The separation it causes has concerned him so much that he gave up his Son to counter it. It is a big deal and it does ‘hurt’ God. In a similar way, God calls us to pray to him and beseech him. God is not some unmoved mover that does not listen to our prayers and answer them. He responds to our needs and our complaint. Elihu seems to miss that reality about God. To him, God is only the wholly other; God does not seem to be personal.

What comfort does this reality give to you? How do this perception and the contrary reality affect your prayer life? Does the perception influence you more or the reality? Why do you think that is?

Week 60 Wednesday Job 36-37 Elihu again affirms that God acts according to people’s actions. He exalts the righteous and brings down the haughty. What Elihu claim that God does with the afflicted? How? Cf. 36:15. Is this a true statement? Is affliction always God’s tool for deliverance? Elihu recognizes that God delivers the afflicted by their affliction. In their need, God provides deliverance from their problems. These problems may include pride, arrogance, etc. Affliction does humble people and direct them to the one who is greater than they; God does use it for this purpose. But God does not always use affliction in this way. There are times that people are afflicted just because the world is plagued by its fallen reality.

Do you ask whether your times of challenge are the result of your need for repentance? Should you? Through the Scriptures

Week 60 Thursday Job 38-40:2 God has a simple message for Job. What in effect is God telling Job? God reminds Job that he need not think that he understands better than God. Job has no place to claim that God is acting in ignorance or injustice. Job cannot begin to comprehend the inner workings of God. Job cannot comprehend the big picture. God is the one who made the heavens and the earth. He is the one who sustains them. He is the one who is the Almighty. Who is Job to find fault with God?

What do these chapters teach us about the formation of the world? How does God’s response to Job instruct us as we understand the origin of the world? God made the world and everything in it. God continues to sustain its existence. All of the creation was the product of the wisdom of God. He planned it out and understands it. This notion of the creation counters a happenstance understanding of the origin of life on the earth and a Deist perception of God, i.e., that God wound up the creation, like a clockmaker winds the clock, and let it go.

While the argument God is making is one that intends to put Job in his place, it is an argument that should also reassure Job. God does know what he is doing; God has it under control. How does this reality comfort you in the midst of challenging times?

Week 60 Friday Job 40:3-41:34 What hope do people have in standing against God? God is God. If people are afraid to stand against the giant beasts, they certainly cannot stand before Almighty God.

What right have people earned to require anything of God? God does not owe people anything by their merit.

Given this, can you legitimately raise a complaint against God? Why or why not? We can certainly raise a complaint against God. But the key that these and preceding passages highlight is that we raise complaint not on our own wisdom or merit. We raise a complaint on God’s wisdom and God’s merit. We can raise a complaint where we hold God against God. God this is who you are and what you are about; God you have revealed yourself to be this way. What is happening now seems to be contrary to who you are and what you do; it is contrary to your desire. Here the argument is not one based on human arrogance; instead it is based on God’s promises.

Week 60 Saturday Job 42 What is Job’s response to all of this? Job repents. He admits that God is almighty and all-knowing. Job spoke without knowledge.

What is the irony of God’s dealings with Job’s friends? God rebukes the friends for not speaking rightly of God. Ironically, God deals with them in mercy because of Job’s prayer; they do not receive what is due their words and deeds. It might be assumed that the friends claiming that God treats people as they deserve, i.e., the righteous he exalts and he brings down the wicked, was the error to which God speaks in 42:7. Through the Scriptures

How does God treat Job after his prayer for his friends? In times of affliction, do we expect this abundant favor? God treats Job with favor; he blesses him with more than he had before all of the travesties occurred. Ironically, God treats Job with the favor the friends were expecting. While we may not receive the temporal favor Job received, we do know that ultimately God will deliver us from this valley of sorrows and bring us to eternal life.

Week 61

Week 61 Monday Ecclesiastes 1-2 The book of Ecclesiastes is part of the Old Testament’s collection of wisdom literature. The author of the book seems to be Solomon and likely comes from around the 10th century B.C.

Ecclesiastes states that there is nothing new under the sun. How does this instruct your living? How does this instruct your perspective on facing the challenges of life?

The cry of vanity is common in Ecclesiastes. Vanity conveys emptiness or meaninglessness. What all is deemed vanity? What is of value in life? Is this rational or just pessimistic? All is vanity. In particular, wisdom is vanity; the wiser you are the more sorrow you suffer. Fulfilling one’s own desires in life is vanity, for it gains nothing. Living wisely also gains nothing; both the wise and the foolish die just the same. Working to acquire wealth is vanity; the produce of your labors just goes to someone else in the end. The only thing of worth is to enjoy serving God in our lives through our labors and toils, cf. Ecclesiastes 2:24-27.

Week 61 Tuesday Ecclesiastes 3-6 What is the joy of man? “Everyone should eat and drink and take pleasure in all his toil—this is God’s gift to man.” (ESV Ecclesiastes 3:13; cf. also 5:18-20) People should be joyful in all they do.

What endures? What implications does this bring? That which God does endures. Any efforts that are contrary to God’s efforts will not last. The wicked, while it may seem like they prosper, will perish. All will be judged by God.

What other aspects of vanity are highlighted in today’s reading? In what situation is life not vanity?

What highlighted vanity do you find most enlightening for your life? the world? Through the Scriptures

Week 61 Wednesday Ecclesiastes 7-8 What makes assessment of the fullness of life difficult? What is needed for a life that is not empty? How does one accomplish that goal? Fullness of life is accomplished by joyfully doing the work of God. The challenge is that it is hard to assess what the work of God is. While certainly we see the work of God in Christ, but with respect to everyday decisions, the work is difficult to determine, cf. 8:16-17.

Week 61 Thursday Ecclesiastes 9-12 What vanities do you find instructive/corrective for your life? the world’s?

What is the end of the matter? Cf. Ecclesiastes 12:13-14. Fullness of life is related to God alone. Life is worthwhile when the purposes of God are sought and done. All matters will be measured to his standard, whether good or evil.

Week 61 Friday Psalms 73-77 In life the wicked often seem to be well off. This reality discourages many. In Psalm 73, where does the psalmist find encouragement? Why is the believer much better off in the present and in the long run than the wicked counterpart? The psalmist recognizes that the believer has God with them throughout their lives. God sees them through good times and difficult times. What is more, God will see the believer to life eternal; he will bring the believer into glory. As a result, while the wicked may seem to be ‘living’ it up, the reality is their life can end at anytime and they have to live without the hope or security God brings to his faithful. God’s strength is much greater than the perceived success of the wicked.

In Psalm 74, the psalmist addresses a situation where it seems that the wicked are winning. The sanctuary has been attacked, and God does not seem to have done anything about it. In the face of what is seen, to what does the psalmist cling? Can you relate to the psalmist? When have you felt that the wicked were winning and God was just standing idly by? Where is your comfort? Cf. Psalm 77. The psalmist clings to the comfort that God is God. He has acted in the past as he delivered the people out of Egypt through the waters of the Red Sea. He is Lord over all creation. The psalmist trusts God to deliver them yet again; the psalmist prays to God for this reason. Likewise we have seen God’s acts of salvation in the past and we cling to the certainty of his acts in the future. In him we trust and to him we pray for deliverance.

Psalm 75 reminds that God puts down and he lifts up. He executes judgment causing the wicked to drink the cup of his wrath; he lifts up the righteous. Are you wicked or righteous? Why? The believer is righteous because God has put his judgment on his Son for the sake of all people. Jesus drank the cup of God’s wrath down to its dregs for you. His righteousness is given to you through baptism; for as many of you who have been baptized into Christ have been clothed with Christ. Through the Scriptures

Week 61 Saturday Psalms 78-82 Why do the people need to pass along the acts of God to the next generation? Do we hold the same emphasis on this reality? Is it still important today? Cf. Psalm 78. The next generation needs to know the work of God so that they will find their trust in him. They should not be like their fathers who went their own ways; these ways led to death. The way of the Lord is the way of hope and life.

How does the psalmist beseech God’s aid in Psalm 79? What argument/plea does he use? How does this instruct you in your praying? The psalmist pleads to God for God’s name sake. He asks God to help them so that the nations would stop mocking God’s name. The psalmist prays in humility recognizing that the people have sinned; he prays for forgiveness. Finally, he prays to God for the sake of his people, the people who give him thanks forever and praise his name.

How does the psalmist beseech God’s aid in Psalm 80? What argument/plea does he use? How does this instruct you in your praying? The psalmists utilizes God’s ownership and authorship of the people of Israel. He planted this vine and he made it flourish. This vine is his baby. So the psalmist says: ‘God, you want to help your vine.’ To this parental/botanistic care the psalmist pleads.

Week 62

Week 62 Monday Song of Songs 1:1-5:1 The Song of Songs presents a portrait of the joy of marital union. It presents dynamics related to the courtship, the wedding ceremony, the consummation, and life in marriage. It presents the dynamic of this process that includes the desire for the other both emotionally and proximally. The author appears to be Solomon. The work seems to be cyclical in nature.

The lack of linear presentation to the events makes following the text a little challenging at times. The two are courting each other, seeking to meet at the herd or looking for the other in the night; the two are prepared for the ceremony; the two are consummating the relationship. What does the jumping from one scene to the next and then back to the previous convey about the relationship between husband and wife? Do you think that this is a reality in the relationships of today’s world? The jumping from one scene to the next and back again could emphasize the cyclical nature of marriage. In relationship between husband and wife there seems to be a continual courtship, i.e., getting to meet each other, learning about the other, and grow in fondness for each other, a continually renewing wedding, i.e., celebration of the union that is near/present, and a continual consummation, i.e., the celebration of the reality of that union.

Through the Scriptures

Week 62 Tuesday Song of Songs 5:2-8:14 The second half of the Song of Songs seems to illustrate the marital state, i.e., life after they have courted, wed, and consummated. The shift seems to take place in 5:1 where the consummation is stated as completed. While this section highlights a different stage, it is important to note some of the same cycles of yearning and distance reappear. These things do not end at marriage. Nonetheless, even though this dynamic remains, another dynamic appears. What reality is highlighted that makes marriage different than life before marriage? Cf. Song of Songs 6:3; 7:10; 8:6. In the marital relationship, neither spouse is his/her own; they are their spouse’s. This marital union, this marital love is strong as death and is impassioned by the LORD.

Week 62 Wednesday Psalms 83-89 What is the stated motivation of the psalmist in Psalm 83, cf. 83:16-18? How does this encourage you in your praying? The motivation is God’s name. The psalmist prays for help that in his deliverance of them the enemies might seek the name of the LORD and that they may know that the LORD alone is God. This encourages us to pray with the promotion of God’s will in mind and to pray highlighting for God what is good for his name. In prayer it is good to hold God’s desire and reputation up to God as the rationale for our request.

In Psalm 84:1-2, 10-11 we hear that the psalmist’s delight is being in the presence of God and worshipping him day and night. This life in the presence of God is the reality presented as the Christian’s hope in Revelation 21-22. Does your delight reflect this hope? Do you concur with the psalmist? Do you live like this is your hope? How might you live differently to exhibit this hope? How might you speak differently?

In Psalm 86:5, 7, and 13 the psalmist gives reason for praying to the LORD. What is that reason? Do you hold the same truths in your mind as you make your petition to God? The psalmist prays to God for he is good and forgiving; he answers; his steadfast love is great; and he has delivered the psalmist in the past.

Week 62 Thursday Psalms 90-95 What does Psalm 90 remind us about God, cf. especially 90:1-12? Cf. also Psalm 95. How does the psalmist’s perspective as he prays to God help you have perspective in your prayer life? The psalmist reminds us that God’s perspective is much larger than ours. God was before us, is now, and will be well after us. From everlasting to everlasting he is God. The recognition of who God is in respect to your prayers helps you look beyond your immediate perspective to God’s perspective that transcends your understanding.

How does the message of Psalm 91 contrast with its use by the devil in Matthew 4:5-6? Through the Scriptures

The message of Psalm 91 upholds the joy and security the faithful have in God the Almighty. The devil uses the psalm to tempt Jesus to test the truth of this certainty. The devil takes this passage of security in the midst of life to offer license to do whatever might be intriguing to the self.

How does the psalmist pray so boldly in Psalm 94? What empowers him to speak this way? The psalmist sees injustice and calls it what it is. He knows that God cannot stand for injustice. He also knows that God will take care of his people, cf. 94:14-15. His boldness comes forth out of this confidence in the promises of God.

Week 62 Friday Psalms 96-102 What gives the psalmist cause for song in Psalm 96, 98, 100, 101? The works of the Lord, his salvation, his steadfast love, his name, etc., are noteworthy and wonderful. These spread beyond just one group; they relate to all nations. They inspire the psalmist to encourage proclamation to the nations so that they too would know his greatness.

Psalm 101:6-8 presents a picture of a city where there is no one who practices deceit or utters lies. This picture of peace and stability also comes forth in Revelation 21:22-27. What confidence does this stability bring to citizens? Do you sing for joy when you consider that such stability will be yours on the last day?

What is the argument for help in Psalm 102? The psalmist calls for God to help that the people yet to be created might praise God and declare his name.

Week 6 Saturday Psalms 103-106 What rationale is there for blessing the LORD? What rationale is there for giving thanks to the LORD? What do these psalms highlight? The LORD is the creator of all things. He has made everything and sustains it. He cares for it with his steadfast love and mercy. He has made promises and he keeps them. He is God.

How has the LORD demonstrated his faithfulness to Israel? Cf. Psalm 105. What benefit is there in the psalmist recounting this history lesson? Do you recount the acts of God on a regular basis? He was with them in their wanderings, i.e., during the time of the patriarchs. He provided for them during the famine by sending Joseph ahead of them. He made the people fruitful in Egypt and delivered them through Moses and Aaron his servants as they brought plagues upon the Egyptians. In their escape he provided them with riches, protection, guidance, and nourishment. He then brought the people to the land of promise. Through the Scriptures

Week 63

Week 63 Monday 1 Chronicles 1-5 Chronicles seems to have been written following the return from exile in Babylon. The focus of the book is on David, his descendants, and upon the faithfulness of God in the midst of Judah’s decline.

The first section of Chronicles presents genealogies. How are they organized thus far? Why do you think the highlighted people are highlighted? What message do these chapters convey? The genealogies begin with Adam to Noah. At Noah’s descendants, we see specificity for each son with greatest specificity for Shem of whom Abram was a descendant. Abram’s offspring are given and their specificity focuses in on Israel and his sons. Israel’s sons are given with emphasis on the lineage and descendants of David. Following David’s line, Simeon (the other tribe in the area of Judah), and the three tribes that were east of the Jordan are listed. The organization focuses clearly on David and his line. It focuses on the line of the promise and the demonstration that God is keeping to his promise. It highlights the victories won in the promised land and the land distributed. It provides comfort to those who return from exile at a loss for the order and lineage that defined them prior to the exile.

How would you present your genealogy to convey God’s faithfulness to you? What lineage would give you comfort today?

Week 63 Tuesday 1 Chronicles 6-10 How do the genealogies continue/end? Why? The genealogies continue with the rest of the tribes that entered the promised land and there dwelt. The first section of genealogies finishes with Saul’s genealogy. Then the listing moves into the failure of the people to abide in faith and the resulting exile. Then the return from exile is presented. Following this list, Saul’s genealogy is again presented. This bracket probably reminds the people of their failure that lead them into exile. The inside of the brackets focuses on the return and the life of worship in the return. This focus in the midst of failure probably conveys a valuable lesson to the hearers as they live in life after the exile.

What is introduced in chapter 10? What function does this serve? The death of Saul provides transition to the account of David. Given the bracket of Saul’s genealogy in chapter 9 and the emphasis on Saul’s failure in chapter 10, it also provides another transition for the hearer. It provides a transition from the people’s failure to heed God to a renewed commitment to obey his commands, ala the transition from Saul to David.

Do you need to be reminded of failure to help stay out of the same trap again in life? What traps might you face in your devotional life? In your life of faith? Through the Scriptures

Week 63 Wednesday 1 Chronicles 11-12 What message is presented in chapters 11 and 12? What does the recounting of the mighty men have to do with 1 Chronicles 11:1-3, 9? How might this same point be conveyed today? The message of chapters 11 and 12 is that David was king because God chose him to be king. David’s strength was because of the LORD. This point of 11:1-3 and 11:9 is furthered by the presentation of the mighty men. The mighty men helped David according to the word of the LORD, cf. 11:10. Their impressive strength as leaders further the picture of strength communicated by 1 Chronicles.

Week 63 Thursday 1 Chronicles 13-16 What is one of the first activities that David exhorts the people to do? Why is this significant? How does this continue the contrast between Saul and David? David encourages the people to come together as one people and bring the ark of God to the gathering. Bringing the ark was not the activity that characterized the reign of Saul, cf. 13:3. This action reminds the people as they return from exile that David’s success was related to trusting in the LORD. The LORD provided success. He was faithful, is faithful and will continue to be faithful.

Compare 1 Chronicles 14:10-11, 14-16 with 1 Chronicles 10:13-14.

David makes a point to restore worship of God on a regular basis. This reality can be seen especially in chapter 16. Why is daily worship of God so important from David’s perspective? How is this approach different from the time leading up to this change in policy? Do you see the value of regular worship and daily devotions in your life? What was the consequence for failing to practice regular worship for Saul and the people? What is it for you? Daily worship is expected by God. Just as importantly, daily worship helped the people remember that God is the center of their lives. He is the one who sees to their prosperity or lack thereof. Keeping this in their forefront through worship (as God commanded) was a strategic tactic. This practice helped them not become like Saul and the people of Israel under his rule.

Week 63 Friday 1 Chronicles 17-18 When David expressed his desire to build a house for the LORD, what was the LORD’s response? Did the LORD build a house for David? What did it look like? What does it look like? The LORD told David, via Nathan, that he was not to build a house for Him. Instead, the LORD was going to build a house for David. The LORD would establish the kingdom of David’s offspring forever. This offspring shall build a house for the LORD and the offspring’s throne will be established forever.

The LORD did build a house for David and the house did build a house for the LORD. We see a shadow of this in Solomon, Solomon’s kingdom and the temple Solomon built. We see the fullness of this house in Jesus, the kingdom he has brought in through his life, death, resurrection, and ascension, and the temple this activity builds, i.e., the Church.

Through the Scriptures

What promise does the enduring kingdom of David bring for the people returning from exile? What promise does it bring for you? The people returning from exile are given hope and confidence in the midst of their abasement in exile.

Week 63 Saturday 1 Chronicles 19-22:1 What happens to David with the victories the LORD provides? How does God respond to David’s actions? What option did David choose? Why? Was it a good decision? David begins to glory in the victories, cf. 20:2; 21:1-3. In response, God struck Israel with a pestilence. David chose the pestilence because it was God’s hand against the people and he trusted that God would be merciful to the people. God, in response to David’s pleas, was indeed merciful in the end.

Where does David decide to build the house of the LORD? Jerusalem.

Week 64

Week 64 Monday 1 Chronicles 22-26 What preparations were made for the building of the temple? Why did David make these preparations and put such emphasis on them? What connection is there between the preparations and the census of chapters 21 and 27? What is Chronicles trying to teach the hearer of the text? David collected all of the resources for the temple and made arrangements for its care. He went through all of this trouble to provide some help for Solomon as Solomon was ‘inexperienced’. He wanted to make sure that the temple would be established properly. The connection to the census and this activity is all but explicit in chapter 27. This presentation of the census might put a better spin on this inappropriate act of David; it also illustrates David’s focus on God and the temple. This emphasis on the temple directs the hearer to an appropriate focus in life. In contrast to the focus of those whose activity led to the exile, those returning from exile should focus on God and his desires.

How do you view worship? What preparations are made to ensure worship is emphasized as it should be in your life? In your church?

Week 64 Tuesday 1 Chronicles 27-29 What allusions are present in 1 Chronicles 22:13; 28:20? Cf. Deuteronomy 31:6-8 and Joshua 1:5-9. What function might these allusions serve? The text makes an overt connection to the words spoken between Moses and Joshua as they transitioned in their leadership of the people of Israel. The text is suggesting that this transition was as significant as that transition. Moses transitioned to Joshua with the end that the people would be led into the Through the Scriptures

promised land. David transitioned to Solomon with the end that the temple would be built and the people be able to worship in it. This connection continues the emphasis on the importance of worship; worship and heeding the voice of Yahweh is as important as the inheritance of the Land.

What does the offering of David and the people for the temple tell you about Christian giving: How did they give? What mindset lay behind their giving? What was the result of their giving? How should you approach giving to the church? David and the people gave out of willing hearts, cf. 1 Chronicles 29:9, 17. This willingness was accompanied by rejoicing as the people were thankful for the opportunity to give, cf. 1 Chronicles 29:9. The people recognized that all that they had had come from the hand of God and still belonged to God, cf. 1 Chronicles 29:16. This joyous giving reminds us that God loves a cheerful giver, cf. 2 Corinthians 9:7.

Week 64 Wednesday 2 Chronicles 1 2 Chronicles is a continuation of 1 Chronicles and should be understood in light of it.

For what does Solomon ask when God appears to him? What is significant about this request? How does this relate to the theme expressed in first Chronicles? What does it tell us about Chronicles emphasis on Solomon’s reign? Solomon asks for wisdom and knowledge to help govern the people of God, cf. 2 Chronicles 1:10. This request focuses on the desires of God for the people; it addresses the call of God for the people to observe everything that he has commanded/taught them, cf. Deuteronomy. This emphasis connects with the emphasis on the Lord that is accented in David’s dedication to the proper worship of God. This renewed emphasis directs the people returning from exile to focus anew on what is important in life as people of God, i.e., their relationship with God. Like David’s reign, Chronicles emphasizes the propriety of Solomon’s reign in this respect.

Week 64 Thursday 2 Chronicles 2-5 With what specifications did Solomon build the temple? What was the temple built like? Why did they build it in such a similar way? The temple was built much like the tabernacle that preceded it. The furnishings were similar to the ones used for the tabernacle and the square nature of the most holy place reflected the cubic nature of the most holy place in the tabernacle. This construction reflected the instructions of God that he provided to inform people of how he is to be approached and worshipped.

What is the crowning moment of the establishing of this temple? The settling of the ark of the covenant in the most holy place marked the high point of the temple’s construction. The ark brought with it the presence of God. The glory of the LORD filled the house of God.

Through the Scriptures

What does the cost of the temple teach us about the importance of the worship of God? Do you value the worship of God this much? Is the worship of God given such opulence today? Should it be? Why or why not? What significance does using the best for worship have?

Week 64 Friday 2 Chronicles 6-7 Chapter six highlights the central role the temple was to play in the life of the people of Israel. In their need they were to pray towards the temple, the dwelling place for God. Does anything serve this function in the church today? What benefit does this provide for you as a believer? There certainly is not a direct parallel for the church today (unless you consider prayer towards heaven a parallel). Even though there is not a direct parallel, the church today does use the altar in a similar way in its worship. The altar is the place which the congregation and the pastor face as they present their prayers and requests to God. The altar is also the place from which the pastor speaks to the congregation as he presents God’s absolution, blessing, etc. for the congregation. This specific place of focus reminds the believer that God is an incarnational God; he comes to us still today in his body and blood in the mystery of Holy Communion.

Notice again the emphasis on the observance of the statutes and commandments. How does this encourage the people as they come back from exile? How does this remind you of the life for which God has called you back from exile? Is this reflected in your life? The emphasis on the observance of the statutes and commands reminds the people the life to which God has called them. It reminds them that God intends them to have true life, i.e., life in proper relationship to God and each other, and has instructed them to facilitate that life.

Week 64 Saturday 2 Chronicles 8-9 How do chapters eight and nine reflect the message of chapter one when Solomon’s reign is introduced? What do these brackets teach us about how Chronicles uses Solomon’s reign? What word of instruction is present for the people of exile? What word of instruction is here for you? Chapters eight and nine reflect the promise God made to Solomon when Solomon asked for wisdom to rule. God told him that with wisdom he would grant to him wealth and success. Here Solomon’s reign demonstrates wealth, wisdom and success. This account is yet another reminder to heed the instructions of the LORD and walk in his ways. God intends life; his instructions lend to that end.

Week 65

Week 65 Monday 2 Chronicles 10-13 What reason is given to explain the division between Israel and Judah? Cf. 11:4. The division arose from God. He is the one who ordained it.

Through the Scriptures

What happened when Rehoboam did not serve the LORD? What happened when Rehoboam repented? What message is present here for us? Judah was attacked by Shishak, the king of Egypt. The king took away the treasures of the house of the LORD and the house of the king. Once the king and Judah repented from their error, God relented and did not permit utter destruction against the people.

Notice the difference in status between Jeroboam’s army and Abijah’s. Who is the one who taunts the other? On what basis was this taunt made? Abijah spoke against Jeroboam and his army even thought they had twice as many soldiers. Abijah spoke in confidence because he knew that he fought on the Lord’s side and that the other side trusted in false gods.

Why is serving the LORD so significant for the people of Judah? What message is present for those coming out of exile? What message is there for us? The text reminds us all that hope is found only in the LORD. He is the one who provides for and protects his people. As the people return from exile, they are reminded in this book that trusting in the LORD is their only source of certainty; no other thing or person provides and protects.

Week 65 Tuesday 2 Chronicles 14-16 With what was Asa’s reign characterized? What brought this about? In the first ten years, Asa’s reign was characterized by rest. The rest came from the LORD. He brought and sustained their peace. Even when the Ethiopians came against them, the LORD provided the victory. They sought the LORD and He responded.

What happened when Asa sought help apart from the LORD? What message did the LORD have for him? Asa turned to Syria for help against Israel and Syria provided help; Asa was able to regain control of all of Judah. Nonetheless, the gain was shortsighted; because Asa looked to Syria for help, the LORD left Asa to wars the rest of his years.

How easy is it to get turned away from your trust in the LORD even after God has done so many great things for you, even after you have trusted in the LORD for so long? Has this happened to you? When? What does today’s text teach you about how we are to respond to these failures? When we fail, we are to call upon the LORD in penitence; we look to him for mercy? Cf. 2 Chronicles 16:12.

Week 65 Wednesday 2 Chronicles 17-20 Here we see again the system of sacrifices for daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly offerings. How does a verse such as Hosea 6:6 relate to the instructions in these chapters? What is sacrifice supposed to be? What is sacrifice not?

How do the recorded events of Jehoshaphat’s reign affirm the message of Chronicles? Through the Scriptures

Jehoshaphat was a relatively faithful king who had much success because he trusted in the LORD. While he made some poor decisions, e.g., aligning with Ahab and Ahaziah, for the most part he looked to the LORD for his help. The LORD was faithful and provided deliverance to him in battle against Aram/Syria and in battle against the Ammonites and Moabites. Jehoshaphat ruled many years and had relative stability and peace during his reign.

How did Ahab’s policy of prophetic inquiry, cf. chapter 18, compare to Jehoshaphat’s? Do you find yourself falling into the mindset of Ahab? How can/do you combat that tendency? Ahab sought the prophets who told him what he wanted to hear. The one true prophet, Micaiah, Ahab ignored and then imprisoned because Micaiah always spoke badly concerning Ahab. This problem of selective listening and heeding still persists today and will persist, cf. 2 Timothy 4:3.

Week 65 Thursday 2 Chronicles 21-22 How would you describe the reigns of Jehoram and Ahaziah? What characteristics did they bear? Jehoram and Ahaziah both ruled Judah in the ways of the kings of Israel and not the kings of Judah. They were married into the family of Ahab and were influenced by their relatives’ foreign religions. As a result, their reigns were marked by turmoil and defeat. Jehoram and almost his whole house, i.e., his family, was destroyed. Ahaziah reigned only a year; he was killed by Jehu.

What did God do in the midst of his judgment upon these unfaithful kings? What reminder is provided in these chapters in the midst of the accounts of these bad kings? Do you see this faithfulness elsewhere in Scriptures? What accounts stand out most for you? The LORD was still faithful to his promises and for the sake of David, he preserved the line of David. This reality is clear by the preservation of Jehoram’s youngest son, i.e. Jehoahaz/Ahaziah, and the preservation of the still nursing Joash. Here, although they were the ‘weakest’ of the family line, the LORD kept his promise; he preserved the line in the face of its attempted destruction by the Philistines and Arabians as well as Athaliah.

Do you see in your life God’s preserving hand in the face of incredible challenges? Do you see God’s faithfulness to his promises in your life? How? When?

Week 65 Friday 2 Chronicles 23-24 How is the theme of Chronicles accented in the account of Joash? What events are highlighted in Joash’s reign? Joash’s reign is presented in two basic periods. The first is the time of his reign concurrent with the time of Jehoiada the priest. During this time Joash did what was right in the eyes of the LORD. He even repaired the temple. The emphasis on the temple as a central reality for Judah is present in the time of Jehoiada. After Jehoiada’s death, Joash followed other council and went contrary to the ways of the LORD. He even killed Zechariah, Joash’s son who tried to council him in the ways of the LORD. With this turn of events, the rather successful rule of Joash takes a decidedly negative turn and Joash is assassinated. Through the Scriptures

Do you see similar realities in today’s world? How often do your actions and mindset reflect the mindset of your advisors? When does this happen? How do you maintain your focus on the advice of the LORD in your life?

Week 65 Saturday 2 Chronicles 25 What does the LORD point out about Amaziah’s error? What was nonsensical about Amaziah’s actions following the defeat of the Edomites? Do you ever fall into similar traps? When? How do you avoid those traps? Amaziah took gods out from the defeated Edomites. The LORD pointed out that this action makes no sense whatsoever. If these gods were unable to preserve the Edomites from the hand of the LORD, why would one who has the LORD as God want these false gods for himself?

Week 66

Week 66 Monday 2 Chronicles 26-28 Note the contrast presented in Chronicles between the reigns of Uzziah and Jotham and the reign of Ahaz. How did their faith compare? How did their success as kings of Judah compare? What is the message here? Uzziah and Jotham both did what was right in the eyes of the LORD. Although Uzziah erred in his actions in the temple, he, for the most part, followed the ways of the LORD. Likewise Jotham trusted in the LORD and walked in his ways. The success of Uzziah’s reign was recognized up to the Egyptian border. In contrast, Ahaz was plagued by attacks from Aram and Israel. He followed the ways of the kings of Israel and turned to Assyria and foreign gods for help.

The message here is clear. God cares for his people and provides for them. He disciplines those who need disciplining. The demise of Judah before the nations is directly connected to this discipline. When no discipline is needed, Judah does well.

How does the state of Ahaz’s faith inform you in your reading of Isaiah 7:10-17? Was Ahaz being thoughtful when he told Isaiah that he would not put the LORD to the test? What lay behind his sentiment? Ahaz had already gone to Assyria for help. He trusted in Assyria and other gods more than the LORD. Chapter 28 in 2 Chronicles makes clear that his statement in Isaiah 7 had little to do with his regard for the LORD and not putting him to the test. Ahaz did not concern himself with the LORD because Ahaz took care of his needs in other ways.

Why do the kings of Judah have such difficulty being faithful to the LORD? Why do they not learn from their mistakes? How do you do in this regard? Of what message do you need to be reminded? Through the Scriptures

Week 66 Tuesday 2 Chronicles 29-30 Why did Hezekiah ask that the house of the LORD be cleansed? Why was this important/necessary? Do we do this still today? When? The house of the LORD is a sanctuary. It is a holy place that is set apart for the worship of the LORD. These cleansing acts are to set apart again this place for use as a holy place. Likewise, the utensils used in the temple also need to be set apart again for use. That which has been profaned (made ordinary) needs to be made holy (set apart). Since the house was profaned by Ahaz, Hezekiah had it cleansed. As for today, we do a similar thing when we bless books, sanctuary furnishings, etc. for use in the worship service. We set them apart through blessing and prayer.

What was significant about the restoration of the Passover? What made this celebration different from any since Solomon and David? As they restored the Passover, they called all the people, even those in Israel to come to celebrate with them as prescribed in the Law. While many scoffed at the notion of going into their enemy’s land, others humbled themselves and went before the LORD in celebration of the Passover. This demonstration of unity had not been since Israel divided. Given the nature of the Passover, i.e., it celebrates God’s deliverance of the whole people of Israel out of bondage in Egypt, it seems significant that they would consider this unity in its celebration.

Week 66 Wednesday 2 Chronicles 31-32 Why were the people instructed to tithe? What was given? For what was it given? How does this instruct our stewardship? The people were instructed to tithe so that the priests and the Levites would be able to give themselves to the Law of the LORD. The tithe provided for their needs as well as the needs of the temple. The tithe, which was a tenth, consisted of the firstfruits of everything. The firstfruits are given before the whole harvest is received in trust of faithful God, the one who will bring in the remainder of the harvest. Notice Chronicles presentation of the siege on Jerusalem. Notice how the faithful Hezekiah is labeled as a prosperous ruler in spite of the attack of Sennacherib. How does this event fit into Chronicles presentation of the success of faithful kings? What does this event teach us about success and prosperity in the eyes of the faithful? While many of the presentations of the kings of Judah who acted faithfully lead to an understanding of prosperity for Judah, the king’s reign, and the king’s reputation, this presentation demonstrates that Hezekiah had the LORD behind him even when he was basically surrounded in Jerusalem. Even in these dire straits, Hezekiah is presented as a prosperous king. This reality shows us that prosperity for the faithful is not always pictured as the world pictures prosperity.

What happened to faithful Hezekiah? Is this a danger for believers today? How does one fight this problem? Hezekiah became proud. His reputation following the attack of Sennacherib left Hezekiah proud. Pride is a dangerous trap that faces many believers. For this reason it is imperative for the believer to always remember that all they have is a gift from God. We do not merit any of it.

Through the Scriptures

Week 66 Thursday 2 Chronicles 33 While the LORD spoke to Manasseh and the people, they did not listen. What message finally got through to Manasseh? Why did God have to use that message to communicate with Manasseh? Does God occasionally use that type of message with you? How do you respond? God had the commanders of the army of the king of Assyria capture Manasseh. Here through captivity Manasseh was humbled and he turned to the LORD for help. Manasseh had to be knocked down before he could rejoice in the LORD. This reality is true with us today. While we do not have foreign powers come and capture us, we do have other life challenges that remind us that we are not in control and only God can and does provide help.

Week 66 Friday 2 Chronicles 34-35 Josiah’s reign was marked by adherence to the ways of the LORD. He had the temple repaired and encouraged the people in the ways of the LORD. This concern is most noticeable in the response of Josiah to the discovery of the Book of the Law of the LORD in the house of the LORD. When this book was read, Josiah tore his clothes in sorrow over the disobedience of the people of Israel; he changed the people’s ways and reformed the religious establishment. Josiah’s response is refreshing. How many people would respond in such concern today? How would you respond? Do you have the same concern over the instructions of the LORD? Do your fellow church members?

What happened when Josiah attacked the Egyptian army of King Neco? Why did Josiah lose? What does this teach us about God’s use of other people, even possible adversaries to God and his will? Josiah was killed in battle in the plain of Megiddo. The king warned him that he was on a mission from God, but Josiah opposed him anyway. Josiah was wrong. God was using the Egyptian king. This reminds us that God is God over all nations and can use any nations and any people to do his will. God can even use people who do not believe in him to do his will.

Week 66 Saturday 2 Chronicles 36 How does Chronicles end? What instructions are implicit in Chronicles for this people who are returning to build a house for the LORD at Jerusalem? With what instructions are you left? Chronicles ends with the fall of Judah, the exile of its people, and then the return of the people to reestablish a house for the LORD. As the book ends with this decree, implicitly the people of God are instructed to heed the word of the LORD and to worship the LORD. Likewise, we too are reminded that we are called to live in the LORD, walk in his ways, and worship him.

Week 67

Week 67 Monday Ezra 1-2 The book of Ezra continues the story of Chronicles. It presents God’s faithfulness in preserving a remnant in the exile and specifically in bringing that remnant back to the land of Israel following the exile. This return is climaxed in the restoration of the temple.

Through the Scriptures

In chapter one the return from exile begins with the decree of Cyrus king of Persia. By what is the return marked? How does this return from captivity compare to the deliverance from Egypt? Cf. Exodus 12:35- 36. How does this event provide a type of the deliverance we have been given and the ultimate deliverance? Isaiah 60:5-6; Matthew 2:11; Revelation 21:23-26. The return is marked by the mandated and voluntary giving of the people’s wealth to the people of Israel which the people were to bring back to Jerusalem for the temple. This wealth of the nations given up for the worship of God and providing for God’s people is seen also in the Exodus. This event can also be seen in Jesus as the Magi bringing gifts to baby Jesus and the promise of the New Jerusalem where they bring into Jerusalem the wealth of the nations.

Notice the numbers provided in the count of those returning from exile. How do these numbers compare to those of the last census? Cf. 1 Chronicles 23; 27; etc. What reality is present in this count? The numbers compared to other censuses are miniscule. Instead of thousands being counted, there are at times numbers as low as 42. The people have suffered for their unfaithfulness. In contrast God is being faithful to his promises and continues to help his people, even though the people are just a remnant.

Can you relate to the people of Israel? Have you ever found yourself a remnant of what you once were, with regards to pride, confidence, financial security, etc., and yet as a remnant you, by the faithfulness of God, were brought back to Jerusalem to worship and trust in Him?

Week 67 Tuesday Ezra 3-4 What is the first point of business for the people returning from exile? Why? How does this emphasis contrast with the actions that got the people into exile? The first point of business for the people returning was the rebuilding of the altar. They wanted to be able to make regular sacrifices to God and restore worship of God as prescribed by the Law. This God centered life, actually commanded by a foreign king, was the very opposite of the life the people of Israel led prior to the exile. At that time, the people turned away from the worship of God; this faithlessness led to their exile.

Adversaries inhibited the completion of the temple. Can you relate to that problem? Do you have times in your life when people or things get in your way of completing the tasks to which God has called you?

When the foundation was laid there was much joy and weeping? Why the mixture of emotions? The mixture of joy and apparent sorrow is not explained by the text. Nonetheless the provided age and the note that they saw the first temple suggest that the memory of the old was the source of sorrow. This memory could invoke sadness as to what was lost in the destruction of the old; it could reflect all that was connected to the old temple. The memory could also be one of sorrow in reality that the new temple was not going to come close to the magnificence of the first temple; it is another example of the remnant character of the return.

Through the Scriptures

Week 67 Wednesday Ezra 5-6 The delay in rebuilding the temple comes to an end after the mention of the prophets Haggai and Zechariah; the temple is finished and the prophets are mentioned again. What connection is being made here? Why is the completion of the temple so linked to these prophets? These prophets encouraged the people to finish the building of the temple. Consider the book of Haggai.

Note the mention of the celebration of the Passover after the completion of the temple. Why is the remembrance of the Passover so significant at the completion of the temple? What would mark a comparable event for a church being rebuilt today? One possible reason for the inclusion of this remembrance of the Passover is its connection to God’s faithfulness in bringing the people out of bondage in Egypt. Here the people are able to celebrate another mark of that faithful God. Another reason for the inclusion could be the reality that it is the first commanded event after the dedication; this inclusion would mark the return to the proper worship schedule of the people.

Week 67 Thursday Ezra 7-8 Notice the success of Ezra in relationship to Artaxerxes and the exiles. What was the reason for the success? What does this teach you? The hand of the LORD his God was upon Ezra, cf. 7:6, 9, 28; 8:18, 22-23, 31. God was the reason for his success. He saw to the task that he intended for Ezra. Ezra thus was an appropriate helper. This reality is another reminder for us to trust in God in all our tasks and in all our ways.

Ezra’s comment at 8:21-23 provides insight into Ezra’s thought process for not asking the king for help in their journeys. Have you ever had a similar mindset in asking God for help?

Week 67 Friday Ezra 9-10 What is the issue with intermarriage for the people of Israel? How is this distinct from a use of the term intermarriage today? How is this related to a use of the term intermarriage today? The point of issue is not marrying people of another ethnicity or race. The problem with intermarriage is marrying people of another faith. The people of Israel had problems marrying people who believed and practiced contrary to the faith of Israel. This contrary faith led them astray and they followed other gods and neglect of the one true faith.

What is the response to the sin of intermarriage? What does Ezra call the people to do? What do the people do? How is this sequence an important reminder for us still today? The response to sin is repentance. Ezra called the people to confess their sin and change their ways. The people responded with repentance. We too in the face of sin are called to do the same.

Through the Scriptures

Week 67 Saturday Psalm 107-113 Consider these psalms. To what situations in Scriptures would these psalms relate. To what situations in your life do these psalms relate?

Psalm 110 is frequently quoted in the New Testament. Jesus uses verse one in Jerusalem just prior to his suffering and death to illustrate the ignorance of the leaders of the Jews who kept asking him questions. Peter uses it in Acts 2:34-35 to highlight Jesus’ ascension. Verse four is accented in Hebrews 4-8. What does this psalm tell you about Jesus?

Week 68

Week 68 Monday Nehemiah 1-2 Nehemiah focuses on the restoration of the wall of Jerusalem.

What does Nehemiah do as he approaches the LORD concerning the situation in Jerusalem? Why does he do this act? What can we learn from this act? Nehemiah begins his request by recognizing that he and the people have sinned against God. Nehemiah does not try and hide from the fact that the people brought this upon themselves, rather in humility he approaches God for forgiveness and help. We have much to learn from Nehemiah’s action. It is very easy for us to approach a situation and find fault in it, to blame everyone but ourselves. Unfortunately, many times the situation is much like Nehemiah’s and the fault is ours; we have sinned and we need forgiveness.

Who was behind Nehemiah’s efforts to rebuild the city walls and the gates? God was behind the efforts. By God’s hand his request was looked upon favorably by the king, cf. 2:8. God put it on Nehemiah’s heart to take on this task, cf. 2:12. In God Nehemiah trusted to find help for the people of Jerusalem, cf. 2:20.

How do you approach the tasks you undertake in life? What lessons/encouragement does the account of Nehemiah provide?

Week 68 Tuesday Nehemiah 3-4 What was the response to the rebuilding of the wall by the outsiders who witnessed the efforts? How did the response change over time? Why? What concerns were developing in their minds? The outsiders jeered at first, but their jeers soon turned into concern. As they saw that the functionality of the wall was restored, they were concerned that the power and viability of Jerusalem would be a threat to them. As a result, they developed a plan to inhibit the efforts.

How did the people rebuilding the walls respond? How were they able to withstand the opposition? The people rebuilding the walls responding with trust in God and alertness in their living. When they were told of the opposition’s plan to stop their efforts, they kept watch over their building efforts and Through the Scriptures

stood ready to withstand the attacks of the opposition. The hand of God notified them and confused the opponents’ efforts.

Note the emphasis on teamwork and all of Judah working together to accomplish the task. How does such partnership look today as we work together as the body of Christ?

Week 68 Wednesday Nehemiah 5-7 The people cry out in recognition of oppressive policies of their governing officials. Note how Nehemiah responds. He tells the officials that “the thing that you are doing is not good.” From whose perspective was it not good? Would such oppression served Nehemiah? What is at the center of his perspective? The oppression certainly seemed okay to the officials. But it seems that Nehemiah recognizes that such activity is contrary to what God desired from creation; IT IS NOT GOOD! While one could be cynical and say that Nehemiah recognized that it was not good because it fostered discontent which produces social instability, it is probably better to recognize the fact that the current situation was not as God created the world to be. How does such a framing of the perspective shape your approach to matters in your life and society?

The completion of the wall was significant for the Jews. But notice also the message it sent to the surrounding nations. What message does the finished wall send to them? Consider also the events of the exodus from Egypt or the conquest of the Promised Land. God is acting for his people. The nations see God acting in the lives of the Jews just as they saw him acting with the exodus and conquest. So too in our lives the activity of God shines forth.

Week 68 Thursday Nehemiah 8-9 The Scriptures (book of the Law) were read and the people responded. What affect did the Scriptures have on them? To what did it draw them? The response of the people immediately was tears and mourning. They and they forefathers had failed to utilize this great gift. But note the response. There was opportunity for a feast and there was occasion to reflect upon God’s history of patient, long suffering, gracious love throughout their history. They confessed and they look to their God for mercy.

What events in history did the people recount? Why did they remember these events? What events in history do we reflect upon when we look to God’s great faithfulness, his great mercy, and his great love? They remembered God’s steadfast love and patience in spite of the ongoing failure of the people. Such a remembrance is important for them and us as we face the reality of our ongoing failures and struggles. Today we continue to see God’s steadfast love and mercy in the Old Testament, but we also look at his patience, love and care revealed in Jesus. Jesus’ death and resurrection are the most vivid illustration of such a dynamic in history.

Through the Scriptures

Week 68 Friday Nehemiah 10-11 The people agreed to the covenant. What did they promise to do? What was at the center of the promised activities? They promised not to give their daughters to foreigners sons nor foreigner’s daughters for their sons. They also agreed to give their firstfruits to the house of the LORD and to give a yearly sum for the service of the temple. All of these things focus on faithfulness and dedication to God.

What is at the center of your life? How should a God-centered life look today?

Week 68 Saturday Nehemiah 12-13 How did the people celebrate the consecration of the wall? Do you celebrate the gifts of God and his activity in your life as you ought? How might you give thanks in a way that reflects the things God has done? The people had a great celebration with choirs and trumpets; they read from the Book of Moses. There was quite a celebration orchestrated to recognize the joy of the day. The people recognized the activity of God and they rejoiced in it.

The people celebrated; Nehemiah went away; the people fell into their old ways. What does this passage illustrate and remind us? How is such a reminder helpful for us as we go forward in our lives of faith? We rely on God’s grace and his mercy. No matter how hard we try we have and will continue to fall short. This statement does not suggest that we should ignore repentance and seek to lead a godly life; but it is to suggest that ultimately we trust in God’s mercy to remember us with grace.

Week 69

Week 69 Monday Esther 1-3 What is the setting of Esther? Who is the king? What does Queen Vashti do and how do people respond? In the book of Esther we find the Medo-Persian Empire ruled by a king who had a vast reach and was rich. Queen Vashti refuses to obey the instruction of the king and the concern is for the influence it would have on the people. Women would no longer respect and listen to their husbands.

Mordecai faces a difficult situation. If he abides by the instructions of Haman, his life will be ‘easier’ but he will deny the faith. What is worse, Mordecai’s actions end up jeopardizing the whole Jewish population in the empire. What kind of challenges to living out the faith do you face in your life? How does your identity in Christ give you the boldness to act?

Through the Scriptures

Week 69 Tuesday Esther 4-7 The new queen Esther replaced Queen Vashti who was relieved of her duties due to insubordination. What does Esther set out to do in chapter 4? What gives her the confidence to proceed in this way? It seems that Esther knew what needed to be done and believed that she had been put in this position for a time such as this. She recognizes her limitations but does what she thinks is right and what Mordecai encouraged her to do.

Notice the attitude and the reversal of perspectives for Haman. Why such an emphasis on Haman’s pride? What message is here for us as we live out our lives as children of God? The arrogance of Haman seems to contrast with the humble, ‘if I perish, I perish’, attitude of Esther and the reality of one who is facing a death sentence. In the end, God scatters the proud in their conceit. He acts and reverses the situation for the downtrodden who trust in him. He gives them life in his name.

Week 69 Wednesday Esther 8-10 The confusion of Susa (3:15) turns into rejoicing (8:15). The Jews are preserved and the feast of Purim was established. They remember the deliverance from the enemy Haman and the care for the Jews. What does such a remembrance do for the Jews in light of the contrast with Haman’s arrogance? The remembrance keeps them humble in the face of success and confident in the face of difficult times. Given the practice of giving gifts of food and providing for the poor accompanying this feast, it seems like the humility also directs them to help others.

The last chapter highlights the good leadership of Mordecai. What does the text list as his positive activity? How does this relate to the activity of Haman? Are there instructions for our leaders and for us as we approach perspectives on leadership? Can you see similar attributes in Christ’s leadership? Mordecai sought the welfare of all his people and spoke of peace to them. In contrast Haman tried to act for selfish gain and sentenced an entire segment of the population, i.e. the Jews, to death. The instruction is for self-giving leadership rather than self-serving leadership. Consider the one who came not to be served but to serve and give his life as a ransom for many (Mark 10:45).

Week 69 Thursday Psalms 114-118 What message do we find about the God of Jacob in Psalm 114? Is this word a word of encouragement for us or a word that causes us to tremble? God delivers his people and dwells with them. In baptism, God claims us as one of his own and promises to act for us and with us even as he brought the people out of Egypt.

Psalms 115 and 116 provide great perspective as they call us to call upon the name of the Lord and trust in him. Because of the security and confidence we have in our God, we can respond with Psalm 116:16- 19. How does such a response look in your life?

The faithfulness of the LORD endures forever. His steadfast love endures forever. What does your Psalm 117 and/or 118 sound like? How has God acted in your life? Through the Scriptures

Consider especially Psalm 118:22 and the passages that cite it: Matthew 21:42/Mark 12:10/Luke 20:17; Acts 4:11; Ephesians 2:20; and 1 Peter 2:4-7. Consider also Psalm 118:24 and then Psalm 118:26 and its link to Jesus’ entrance into Jerusalem (Matthew 21:9; Mark 11:9; Luke 19:38.

Week 69 Friday Psalm 119 The words of this Psalm call for diligence in the teachings (the Law) of the Lord. It acknowledges the goodness of it and the desire to uphold them. The Psalm is an acrostic poem with sections that have each line beginning with the same letter. The section He (vv33-40) are helpful as we approach Psalm 119 as a whole. What do these verses teach you? Note the request in verse 35, “Lead me”; in verse 36, “incline my heart”; in verse 37, “Turn my eyes”. The request is one we need to make. For ultimately only God can turn our hearts to the joy of his teachings. Only he can free us away from ourselves to the goodness he desires.

How might you better dwell in the joy of the teachings of God in your daily life?

An important reminder comes in verses 105 and 130. The Word of God gives light. It gives understanding; it directs; it instructs us. What things get in the way of looking to the Word for light, understanding, and meaning?

Week 69 Saturday Psalms 120-125 Psalms 120-134 are Psalms of Ascents. These are Psalms used as the people journey up to Jerusalem for their religious feasts. What encouragement do Psalms 120-125 give you as you go on a journey (i.e. travel) and as you go on life’s journey? Psalm 121 reminds us that our help comes from the Lord. This joy is true when we go out or come in and it will be true forever. Psalm 122 centers our attention on the place of where God visits his people; He is the center of all of our comings and goings. Etc.

A great reminder given throughout these Psalms is that our help is in the name of the Lord, the one who made heaven and earth (Psalm 124:8). How is such a reality check good for you? In what things do you have a tendency to put your trust?

Week 70

Week 70 Monday Psalms 126-134 As we go through life we realize that our hope is in the Lord. Note especially Psalm 130 as it highlights our need for forgiveness and the hope that we have as we wait for the Lord.

Through the Scriptures

The Psalms also give perspective on meaning and purpose. Note the purpose or the center for meaning that is found in these Psalms. Psalm 127 highlights well the truth that unless the life is built by the Lord, it is a labor that is in vain. Only the LORD gives meaning and purpose. Psalm 132 (especially verses 4-5) highlight the centrality of the LORD as well.

Note the call to humility in Psalm 131. Do we maintain such humility in our lives of faith?

Psalm 133 highlights the goodness of unity. What makes people united? How do people try to accomplish unity or live in unity today? Are these good efforts? People are united in and by the LORD. In baptism we are united to Christ. He is the unifier. In him we need to learn to live by him; he needs to be the head. If the goal is to look united, it is a bad and virtually meaningless goal. If the goal is unity, it is worthwhile and appropriate.

Week 70 Tuesday Amos 1-2 The prophet Amos was called from his task as a shepherd to prophecy with respect to Israel (Amos 7:14- 15). His prophecy is with regards to the northern kingdom of Israel.

If you have a map, note the movement in these chapters from one nation to the next. It moves from Aram (in the northeast), to Philistia (in the southwest), to Phoenicia (in the northwest), to Edom (in the southeast), to Ammon (in the nearer northeast), to Moab (next door to the east), to Judah (next door to the south), and then to Israel. There is almost a zeroing in tactic going on. The prophecy begins distant and draws closer and closer until it hits its target. Listening to the prophecy against the enemies is good until the word is against me. Do you ever need people to take such tactics with your sins? Why is it so hard to receive the word without such stealth techniques?

Of what is Israel guilty? Of what are you guilty? Amos lists several issues. They step on the poor and troubled. They have sexual perversity. Religious abuses and going after false gods. They are not righteous.

Who is Israel’s God? How does God’s identity make their guilt so much more perverse? Can we say the same about our guilt? Note especially 2:10. God is the one who delivered them from Egypt and has cared for them thoroughly. He has taken care of them and yet they despised his care.

Week 70 Wednesday Amos 3-4 What is the simple message Amos proclaims? Judgment is coming. The lion is roaring and the trap is snapping!! The people will be taken into exile. There will not be much noticeable left of the remains after the judgment either.

Through the Scriptures

Notice God’s gracious activity that precedes the promise of exile. What had God done for the people to encourage them to turn from their wickedness and see the care of their God? God make them go hungry (4:6). He withheld rain (4:7-8). He sent disease to their crops (4:9), pestilence (4:10), war (4:10). He had some of the cities destroyed (4:11). Yet they did not return. Does God provide such grace in our lives? Do you recognize it when it comes? Later?

Week 70 Thursday Amos 5-6 How does the text remind the hearer of the nonsense that is turning away from the LORD? The text reminds of judgment that is coming, but even more reminds the people of who God is. For example, 5:8-9 highlights the God of heaven and earth. You cannot hide your unrighteousness with him (5:12).

God desires justice and righteousness. How does this declaration inform your life?

The text highlights the severity of the day of the LORD. Do you consider the judgment side of the day of the LORD? Is it important to remember both the reality of judgment and the reality that Jesus took our judgment for us on the cross? Why/why not?

Week 70 Friday Amos 7-9 These chapters continue the theme of judgment. What is the response of Amaziah the priest to the prophecies in this chapter? Do you ever respond to God’s Word with similar ears? What kind of response does the true prophet give in return? Amaziah told Amos to stop prophesying in Bethel because they did not like what Amos was saying. Amos responds with a reminder that he is just the messenger. The LORD declares it.

The images of destruction continue to the end of the chapter. But there at the end the tone shifts. What is the final word that shapes our understanding of the intention of the prophecies of judgment? In the face of certain judgment, Amos declares ultimate restoration in God. Here we see God’s ultimate desire of restoration. Judgment is an offshoot of justice. God’s mercy and forgiveness for the repentant is the final word.

Week 70 Saturday Psalms 135-139 What reason do these psalms give to bless the LORD? He has chosen Jacob. He made and governs creation. He delivers his people and conquers the enemy. He is the real God and not a mere idol. His steadfast love endures forever.

What other calls to remember do these psalms make? Do you have similar examples in your life to remember? Psalm 137 is a cry from exile. It remembers the loss of Jerusalem and the sorrow separation from Jerusalem and the temple is. We do well to recognize how good it is to be connected to God’s gifts and receive them in joy. Those times of exile should call us to remember the goodness and call us back. Through the Scriptures

Notice the ongoing declarations of trust in the LORD. What reminders do you have in your life of the importance of trusting in the LORD? Do you have anything beyond the psalms to help you? Can you use the psalms to remember?

Week 71

Week 71 Monday Micah 1-3 Micah was a contemporary with Isaiah prophesying towards the end of the 8th century and likely early in the 7th century. Particular connections seem to be made with the historical event of Assyria’s defeat of Samaria in 722 B.C.E. and the surrounding of Jerusalem by the same in 701 B.C.E.

The cities listed in chapter one are somewhat of an enigma. We cannot say with certainty how they are being used or to what they refer.

What is the situation to which Micah speaks? What is going on in Israel and Judah that is bringing judgment? The text highlights false worship (carved images, prostitutes most likely religious), abuse of the parties in position to oppress (those with much oppressing those with little, priests, false prophets, and rulers).

What hope is there for Israel? The Lord will gather a remnant like sheep in a fold. The Lord will have mercy and restore.

How does the call to justice reflect God’s will? How then does it instruct your life?

Week 71 Tuesday Micah 4-5 Micah 4 and 5 brings words of hope and peace. What ways is hope presented? What message among these chapters resonates with you? Note especially the declaration of restoration in 4:1-5; the word of hope and reversal of situations to the broken in 4:6-13; a righteous ruler and shepherd in 5:1-6; healthy correction in 5:7-15.

Note the activity proclaimed in 5:10-15. Is this message a word of hope or judgment? How does this passage give you a fresh perspective on being rebuked or corrected? The cleansing of the people from the tools or causes of their sin is a gracious act. It is also an act of judgment, but primarily an act of healing and correction.

Week 71 Wednesday Micah 6-7 Indictment goes out against Israel. Why is Israel’s behavior baffling? What has God done for you? How should that activity inform your life? How does it inform it? Through the Scriptures

The people were brought out of Egypt, led through the wilderness, and guided into the promised land. Shittim was the last camp before entering the land and Gilgal the first upon entering.

Notice Micah’s response to indictment (6:6-8). He recognizes the proper response is repentance. God desires justice and steadfast love. How do you respond to indictment? Does it reflect the Lord who rebukes you?

Note the house of Omri, a dynasty that included Ahab. Ahab was known for his marriage to Jezebel and his inclusion of Canaanite religion in Israel.

In the face of a terrible situation, Micah hopes in the Lord. Notice the bold statement of hope he gives in 7:7-9. Do you have such a bold statement to make? How has the death and resurrection of Jesus given new perspective to these words? How has your baptism given you cause to speak these words again?

Week 71 Thursday Habakkuk Habakkuk is one of the 7th century prophets. He speaks of the fall of Assyria and the rise of Babylon.

In chapter one we find an exchange. Habakkuk cries out to the Lord about the oppression taking place and the Lord responds. He will take care of the oppression and send the Babylonians (Chaldeans) to execute judgment. To this Habakkuk cries out again: “What! They are worse than the previous oppression! What are you doing!!!” Can you relate to Habakkuk’s plea? Have you had times when you received answers from God that did not quite conform to expectations or hopes?

Habakkuk takes his stand holding God to reflect the character of God. As he waits, God responds. What is his message to Habakkuk? Can we use that message today? The LORD tells Habakkuk to wait for the coming justice. The Babylonians will be dealt with in time, just not yet. He affirms that the righteous will live by faith. God the Lord is our strength. Though he took a while to come, Jesus was born; though he has not come yet again, we can wait with confidence.

Week 71 Friday Zephaniah Note the complacency discussed in 1:12. Is complacency a problem today? For you? What message is present here for those who are complacent? The great and awesome Day of the Lord is coming ready or not.

In response to the coming Day of the Lord, the call is to seek righteousness and humility (2:3). What does that look like in your life? How does Jesus play into that equation? Jesus is righteousness and makes us right with God. Righteousness is only found in and through him.

Judgment leaves people lowly and humble (3:12). Note how gracious this act is; note the end goal of that activity as well. God acts to bring healing and restoration.

Through the Scriptures

Week 71 Saturday Psalms 140-145 Psalm 140 speaks a word of trust in the face of opposition and difficulty; it speaks confidence in the justice and righteousness of God. How well do you sing Psalm 140? Do you remember this joy in your challenging times?

Psalm 141 is another prayer for help from the Lord. What does the prayer say? What does this prayer sound like in your words?

David refers to God as his refuge (Psalm 141-144). How does David reflect his view that God is his refuge? God is your refuge as well. What does that fact look like in your life? How does it give you solace?

Note David’s willingness to fervently pray in the Psalms. Jesus encourages us to pray with similar zeal. What comfort does this example provide for you?

Week 72

Week 72 Monday Jeremiah 1:1-3:5 Jeremiah prophesied towards the end of the 7th century and at the beginning of the 6th century. The overtones of judgment echo throughout his prophecies as he announces the judgment upon the nation of Judah (as Israel, i.e., the northern kingdom, has fallen at this point, Judah is referred to sometimes as Israel or Jacob) and its impending exile.

When Jeremiah begins his ministry he is young. What does Jeremiah’s insecurity about his capacity to speak as prophet and God’s response teach us about the power that stands behind Jeremiah’s prophecy? How is this reminder to Jeremiah a helpful reminder also for us as we go about the tasks God sets before us in our life of faith? God is with him to deliver him. He is the one who gives him the words and strength. Jeremiah’s capacity is rooted in his God, not in his eloquent and winsome speech. So too as we go about our life of faith, we do well to remember the God who goes with us and gives us strength to be about his work.

Jeremiah 2:13 speaks well to the problem Israel had. What is at the heart of their issue? Can you relate to the temptation to fall into that issue? How do you keep perspective on the truth that the Lord is the one who provides in good times and in difficult? Judah/Israel had the tendency to neglect God’s gracious provision and to turn to their own devices and the gods of their own creation for provision. It is an easy trap to fall into especially in a day when so much seems to be a problem that we ‘take care of’ ourselves. Hearing again and again what the true source of our strength is important to keep our perspective grounded.

The language of unfaithfulness to the marriage God forged with his people dominates. It accents how serious the sin of Israel is as they put their trust in another. Through the Scriptures

Week 72 Tuesday Jeremiah 3:6-4:31 In chapter 3 the distinction between Judah and Israel is explicit, or is it? For example, to whom is the proclamation of 3:12 made? (Remember the north fell a hundred years earlier.) The call is for repentance; Judah needs to repent. Sister Israel is in the equation to encourage Judah to repentance. Even when Israel is spoken to, Judah is in view (and earshot).

The sentence of judgment for Judah is clear. It continues to call for repentance. Would repentance do any good if the judgment is already declared? The goal of repentance is bigger than a simple matter of preventing exile. The direction of repentance doesn’t just turn you around away from disaster; it ultimately is about being turned to the Lord. The people can rejoice in the Lord even in exile.

Week 72 Wednesday Jeremiah 5-6 Jeremiah 5:7b says that when God fed them to the full, they committed adultery. Why the tendency to go away from God when everything is going well? Do you struggle with that in your daily life? How can we continue to hear that God is feeding us to the full and not fall into the latter half of the problem? Answers will vary. Many times when there is fear, there is recognition that we need help; conversely, when that fear is gone, we forget that we need help. One can counter the amnesia of God’s provision with regular prayer during the day, reading the Word, and hearing it.

The text highlights leaders who take advantage of the people (5:26-28) and claim peace when there is no peace (6:13-14). Such behavior of leaders is not helpful, but people like it. What is the result of such leadership? Why do people lead in such a way? How do we encourage people to lead in such a way? Leadership that ignores problems tends to perpetuate and worsen problems. Unfortunately it is less painful in the short term to ignore the problem; people don’t like to hear that they need to change their behavior or thinking. As a result, the popular response tends to reward poor leadership.

Week 72 Thursday Jeremiah 7:1-8:17 The initial verses of this section can easily call to mind James 2:14-26. Here as there, the attention is called to living out true faith. If you believe that God has brought you up out of slavery to live as his people, how should you live? Such a distinction remains pertinent for us. How does what you believe affect your actions? Or is God’s activity for us just a freed from death type of thing and not a freed for life reality? Our lives should reflect the hope that we have. If you believe God is your God, you should live as God is your God. Your desire should reflect your hope. Unfortunately, we don’t always carry out our desire, but the desire should reflect our faith (cf. also Romans 7).

How do you do at recognizing the goodness of what God has restored for you in Christ? Is living in the life we have been given difficult? Why? Through the Scriptures

Answers will very. The goal here is to recognize that we too have been given life in Christ. The absurdity of the people of Judah living apart from the life they have been given can be understood sometimes in our lives. We still struggle with sin; we still hope for final and complete restoration.

Week 72 Friday Jeremiah 8:18-10:25 There is grief for the people of Judah. What produces such grief for God? What produces such grief for Jeremiah? God and Jeremiah care for the people. God has acted to bring the people out of Egypt. He has been with them and fostered relationship with them. Yet God has been jilted by the people. Losing the relationship is heartbreaking. Should we feel grief for our communities? What kind of grief would it be and what activity should it encourage? Our situation is different from the situation of Judah in that Judah was a religious community. Nonetheless, the sorrow for the community show in Jeremiah is appropriate for us as well. We should care for our community and such care should encourage us to reach out with the Gospel. Chapter ten highlights the futility of idol worship. Yet people do it anyway. Why the attraction to idol worship? What idols are common today? Answers should vary. Some thoughts may be that idols are something that ultimately controls yet superficially provides reason or support for that which cannot be controlled. Common idols would be work, money, popularity, attention, etc.

Week 72 Saturday Jeremiah 11-12 In chapters 11 and 12 we are reminded that God has had it with his people. They have neglected and even rejected the relationship God had forged with them and now he is going to pluck them out of the promised land. At the end of chapter 12 we hear another aspect of this account. How do the nations fit in? What is God’s desire for the nations? God intends for the nations to swear by his name, to learn his name much as the nations had taught his people to follow Baal. In the midst of the discipline, God’s end desire is compassion on the Judah and the nations so that they know him.

Week 73

Week 73 Monday Jeremiah 13-14 The words of judgment continue. Here the LORD makes clear that he will spoil the pride of Judah and Jerusalem; they have lost the joy of clinging to the LORD. Apart from the LORD they are useless and good for nothing, a spoiled loincloth. The people need to realize this message. Yet what messages are they receiving? Consider not only Jeremiah’s proclamation but also the prophets referenced in chapter 14. Which message do the people prefer to hear? The people received the Word of the Lord from Jeremiah; they received words their itching ears wanted to hear from the false prophets. The false word seems to be the people’s favored word. Through the Scriptures

In a world where people can cloister themselves with the news and slants they like, how well do you personally and we as church listen to the Word proclaimed? What makes it hard to hear or proclaim? How do we hear it? Answers should vary. Hearing a word of rebuke and a call to repentance is difficult. We tend to like to have our perspectives reinforced. It can also be difficult to filter out the message of the true Word and that of the false prophets. Saturating ourselves with the Scriptures and engaging others (receiving clarity and calling people back to truth) in the faith is important in our lives together. Note the reference to the leaders, e.g., Jeremiah 13:13, 18; 14:13ff. Why do the leaders get called out so frequently in the text? The leaders were responsible for leading the people according to the Lord’s will. They have a special role and are called to special account for that role.

Week 73 Tuesday Jeremiah 15:1-17:18 The people plead ignorance in Jeremiah 16:10-13. Is ignorance an excuse for them? Ignorance is an excuse; but ignorance does not pardon them. Even in ignorance the judgment proclaimed against them is the same. Their fathers have forsaken God and his teachings and the people at present do the same. They will be hurled out of the land.

Note Jeremiah 16:21. The LORD acts to make his name known. He shows who he is and what he is about. Here he reveals his power and his might.

Jeremiah has a difficult task. We can hear his struggle in the face of it in Jeremiah 17:14-18. In the midst of his struggle he turns to the LORD. How does such an example encourage you as you serve the LORD in contexts and situations which make it difficult? Answers will vary. Hopefully the looking to the Lord for healing and deliverance is a key aspect taken away from Jeremiah’s example.

Week 73 Wednesday Jeremiah 17:19-19:15 Today we find to vessels. One vessel a potter forms and reforms; the other vessel is shattered. One seems to be a picture of adjusting and the other of starting over. What do we realize about our God as he shapes a new plan for Israel? Are there implications for us in our lives of faith? God desires life for this people. He is willing to adjust the plan to bring about the life they need. He continues to call them to repentance. God doesn’t give up on us either. He has called us out of darkness into his marvelous life. He uses life’s circumstances and the people around us to shape us as his people. What do we learn about our God as he shatters the vessel of Judah and Jerusalem? He loves the people enough to do the painful thing. Sometimes utter destruction is needed to accomplish the goal. God brings destruction so that the people could ultimately be made new. Are these one and the same plans for the people of God? What needs to happen to the people of Judah? to us? The people needed to face destruction. There needed to be an end, a death, before there could be new life. We too need to die to our sinful self and be reformed and raised to new life in Christ. We daily need to remember our baptisms as we are buried and raised with Christ. Through the Scriptures

Week 73 Thursday Jeremiah 20-21 Jeremiah shows great stamina as he responds to being beaten and put in stocks with an additional word of judgment against Pashhur, his friends and Judah. In the verses that follow, Jeremiah 20:7-18 we recognize that the stamina is not without struggle. What does Jeremiah express in these verses? How does his expression accent the struggle that he is going through? Do you relate to this back and forth sentiment he expresses? How do the central words of this section encourage you in your life of faith? Jeremiah wishes he were not born! He recognizes the goodness of his God, but doesn’t always see it. Here he is wearied by the difficult task he has been given and admits as much. In the middle of the lamentations of his difficult life he recognizes the Lord who is with him and who delivers. To him he can sing praise even in the midst of the struggles. We too can cling to those promises and the realities that have come to fruition even as we face present struggles awaiting the final restoration. In chapter 21 God answers the prayer of the people; he just answers it in a way they were not expecting. What are the instructions the people are given as a response to their request? Such instructions seem odd, but how odd are they really? God tells the people that he himself is going to turn against them with plague rather than just have Babylon coming to conquer. His instructions are actually for them to surrender to the Chaldeans. In their surrendering, they would have their life. We realize a similar reality in our baptisms and our lives of faith. Surrender, i.e., utter loss and defeat, precedes utter life and victory. Maybe it is not odd at all; it is just what they and we need!

Week 73 Friday Jeremiah 22-23 In the midst of the words of judgment there stands a bigger picture. God does not desire destruction; he desires life and restoration. God desires righteousness. He cares for the needy and oppressed and sends the righteous branch of David to bring righteousness in his reign. How does such a word give you perspective as you approach your day to day life? How does it give you hope for the future? In our day to day lives we can approach things with God’s desires of righteousness in mind. Even in the face of the brokenness all around us, we go forward recognizing God’s desire for wholeness. We seek to bring a taste of that restoration even as we anticipate the restoration still to come. God is not far off but near. Jeremiah proclaims the Word of God clearly on this matter. How does God demonstrate his nearness in history? How does this nearness relate to his name and why do their false prophecies cause the people to forget the name? Yahweh is the God of the promise to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; he is also the God who delivered the people out of Egypt. Such activity is characteristic of the God who encounters his people. He also speaks through the prophets. The false prophets in their activity miss this nearness entirely.

Week 73 Saturday Jeremiah 24-25 The cup of wrath goes forth. How does this passage help us with perspective on the Garden of Gethsemane when Jesus requests that the cup be taken from him? How about our understanding of Revelation 16:9? Through the Scriptures

Judgment is real. Jesus took the judgment that is the cup of wrath for us. The final judgment still comes for the unbeliever (our judgment took place on the cross). Bad figs will taste really bad.

Week 74

Week 74 Monday Jeremiah 26-28 Today’s reading has many questions of legitimacy regarding the prophets and their prophecies. What is the challenge realized here regarding prophecy? One does not know whether a prophet is telling the truth until his prophecy proves false or true. One must wait to see whether it is true or not. Unfortunately some of the hardest prophecies to deal with are the very prophecies that are true!

Jeremiah prophesies judgment on the people. They are going to face the destruction of the temple and the city. How did the people respond? How should the people respond? What makes it so hard to hear the Word of the Lord in situations such as this prophecy of Jeremiah? The people were outraged and decided that they would put Jeremiah to death! The response of attack is not uncommon when someone says something we don’t like. It is painful to hear and painful to reflect on the reality that we might need to repent and change our ways. Nonetheless, as we hear the Word of the LORD, we realize we should repent and believe trusting in our God and not our status as ‘right’.

Week 74 Tuesday Jeremiah 29-31 Notice the instructions the people are given during their time in exile, cf. 29:6-7. Do such instructions apply for Christians today? Are we exiles/sojourners as well? Cf. 1 Peter 2:11ff. What does that look like in your day to day life? Christians are also sojourners in the land. We are waiting to go home and the joy that dwelling in our true home will be. In the meantime, we have been place in our present location and situation. We get to live out our daily life doing our daily task for the benefit of those around us. As we do so, we bring Christ to them and support the society into which God has placed us.

In the midst of the devastation of losing their home, the people of Israel are directed to hope. We hear that God has plans for wholeness (29:10-11); that God will save (30:10, 22; 31:8-11); and that God is establishing a new covenant when they will all know him (31:31-34). What kind of perspective does that give the people in the midst of their time in exile? What perspective do we have as we live in the midst of a broken world? The promises direct their attention and ours to the hope that was/is coming. In the midst of the devastations we face in life, we have hope in the God who has and does save. The wholeness comes in Christ and we will see it more fully on the last day. We are a hope-filled people.

Week 74 Wednesday Jeremiah 32-33 In chapter 32 Jeremiah recounts buying a field. He proclaims the certainty of Judah’s return to the land and buys the field in anticipation of the return. Consider the confidence it takes to buy the field. We Through the Scriptures have confidence in the return to the Promised Land. There will be a new heavens and a new earth. How does such a promise guide your “field buying” today? What “investments” do you make in anticipation of the return? How does such a perspective affect your stewardship? Answers should vary depending on your situation. Whatever the answer is, it should reflect the confident hope we have in Christ. There is no doubt. Christ will return and restore all things.

“The days are coming…I will cause a righteous branch to spring up for David.” The name will be “The LORD is our righteousness.” Here there is a play on the name Zedekiah (The Lord is Righteous). What does such a promise mean for a people who are facing defeat and king Zedekiah being taken to Babylon? Even in the midst of defeat and failure of the people, God’s promises do not fail. He is going to demonstrate his faithfulness and provide for the people the King from the house of David that will reign forever in righteousness. We see this hope come to fruition in Jesus the Christ.

Week 74 Thursday Jeremiah 34-36 In chapter 36 Baruch was instructed to write the word of the LORD given to Jeremiah. It was written to call the people to repentance. How did the people and especially the king respond to the words? How did the LORD respond to the king’s response? What does that response tell us about the word of the LORD and the LORD himself? The king responded by burning the scroll piece by piece. He did not repent. But the word of the Lord endured. The LORD spoke again and had them write the words down again. The word endures forever; God persists in his purposes and will for his people.

The word continues to call people to repent and direct them to the life God brings. How well do you do heeding the word given? Do we fall into the practice of disregarding the word in our life? Answers will depend on the individual. We too like to hear what we like to hear and can struggle to hear words that are less appealing.

Week 74 Friday Jeremiah 37-39 At Jeremiah 38:19 we hear a stark admission of King Zedekiah. He doesn’t want to surrender to the officials of the king of Babylon; he is afraid what those Judeans who deserted will do to him. He decides against following the instructions of the LORD proclaimed by Jeremiah out of fear of the people with whom he might interact. Can you relate to such a perspective? Why is it so difficult to heed the instruction of God in the face of the threat that seems so much more immediate? What confidence should Zedekiah have had and should we have in the instructions of the LORD? Answers will vary. The thing with which we have most experience, e.g., our enemies utilizing opportunities to get back at us, is often easier to focus on than the seemingly distant promise of God. Yet we have seen the extent of God’s faithfulness. We are reminded again and again that we can trust in God’s Word.

Through the Scriptures

Week 74 Saturday Jeremiah 40-42 In chapter 42 the people essentially say “tell us what we should do and we will do it.” Can you appreciate the request? It is a request made out of a desire for direction and clarity. What situations in your life have you made or thought of such a request to God? Answers will vary. Hopefully the question helps us see how easy it can be to make such a request.

Note how the people responded to the answer. After pleading for the response, once they receive it, Jeremiah knows that they will not stay but rather go to Egypt. Can you relate to the asking of a question and then not liking the answer you get? How often do you hear the Word of God and determine that you know better? How does the promised result of their decision act as a reminder or a message that they really don’t know better? Have you had such reminders in your life? Selective reception of the Word of God is common in our society and world. We need to be reminded of God’s wisdom and trust in the wisdom provided for our lives in his name.

Week 75

Week 75 Monday Jeremiah 43-45 What do the people find when they flee from the reign of Babylon? What is proclaimed to them? Does running from God work? The people fled to Egypt hoping to escape the reign of Babylon but found with their flight that the reign of Babylon would follow them. God’s judgment was certain; the people were not going to run away. Trusting in their devices to escape does nothing. They were called to turn to God and listen to his instructions.

The people denied the Word of God and trusted in their offerings to the queen of heaven. They failed to see where their trust should be. Do you ever struggle trusting in the trustworthy? What devices in our culture do you or others associate being trustworthy but ultimately are not? Answers will vary. Some examples of misplaced trust today may include money, jobs, family, intellect, personal savvy, etc.

Week 75 Tuesday Jeremiah 46-47 As we hear the word against the nations in Jeremiah, we hear judgment on Egypt. God is acting against Egypt and will also act against Babylon. What happens to Israel? Israel will come back from exile. God is disciplining his people and he will restore them.

What message is important here? Who is God in relationship to the nations? What message is communicated to the people of Israel in the midst of the judgment that sends them into captivity? God is the Lord of all nations. The oracles against the nations are a clear reminder of such a truth. Here we also are reminded of God’s faithfulness to his people even in the face of their unfaithfulness. God is going to act to deliver them out of bondage and bring them back to the joy of the promise. Their judgment is not their end; it is discipline. There is restoration and hope before them. Through the Scriptures

Week 75 Wednesday Jeremiah 48:1-49:27 Note the extended section on Moab. Why such a long section on Moab? Note also the inclusion of a promise of restoration. Restoration is promised for Moab, Ammon, and Elam. Why the mention of restoration for these nations? The Moabites were the descendants of Lot, Abraham’s nephew. They have been part of the story from early on; they also find a prominent place in Isaiah’s oracles concerning the nations. Why exactly these nations are listed for restoration and not the others, is a good question.

Week 75 Thursday Jeremiah 49:28-50:46 Like the rest of the oracles concerning the nations, this oracle provides a nice reminder that God is the God of every nation. Here the word is given in the face of the pride of the Babylonians, e.g., Jeremiah 50:31-32. Is such a reminder important for us? Does our pride get in the way of recognizing the work of God? Pride and the notion of self-sufficiency is probably as big of a challenge today as ever. The notion of being able to take care of ourselves is common and there is frequently little dependency on that which is bigger than we are. Being reminded of God being God is a gracious if not easy thing.

At Jeremiah 50:33-34 we realize that this reminder is probably as helpful to the people of Judah as it is to Babylon. What do these verses remind the people of Judah? The words remind Judah that they have a strong redeemer. Even in the face of the difficult times of exile and discipline, their God is acting for them. He will act to redeem them and give them rest.

Week 75 Friday Jeremiah 51 The oracle concerning Babylon turns in these verses to the destruction of Babylon. Why is Babylon being destroyed? Babylon faces the consequences for their activity against the people of Judah (v11) and the temple (v49).

What is Babylon’s relationship to God? How does the recognition of Jeremiah 51:7 help us recognize the dynamic at play here in chapter 51? Babylon was God’s tool to execute judgement on Judah and Assyria. Babylon was being used by God for the sake of disciplining his people. This dynamic can be confusing as Babylon (and Assyria before them) was punished for their actions that God was using. Nonetheless, while God used them as a tool, their activity was still activity that was against the people of God and not good. It was used, but not good in itself.

Note what the message is here for the people of Israel and Judah, cf. Jeremiah 51:5. What is the oracle concerning Babylon communicating to them? The Lord is not forgetting the people of Israel and Judah. While the people were being severely disciplined by the Lord, his ultimate plan is one of restoration and life. He wants relationship with his people and he does not forsake them even in the face of punishment and discipline. Through the Scriptures

Week 75 Saturday Jeremiah 52 As the temple vessels and furniture is listed, what attention is drawn to the situation? What is happening? The temple was an opulent place with grandeur befitting the dwelling place of God. Yet here the beautiful promises God has made with his people, his gracious provision for them over time, the splendor of Solomon is being dismantled and brought to an end.

What does the end of the temple indicate? What does such a reality say about the role of the temple? The end of the temple does not indicate the end of the promises of God. The promises of God still stand firm. The end of the temple may suggest that this temple was not the end that was promised in the first place. Perhaps there is implication that the house that God was going to build David is more significant than this temple.

Note the provision for King Jehoiachin. What does such provision suggest regarding the promises Jeremiah proclaimed in Jeremiah 29? The book leaves off may be leaving off with a word of hope. It seems to suggest that the people of Judah are finding favor in the sight of the Babylonians. God is taking care of his people and will bring them back to the promised land just as he said.

Through the Scriptures

Week 76

Monday Lamentations 1:1-3:24 Note the devastation presented in Lamentations. What happens to the people in the siege and defeat of Jerusalem? Why does it happen? How does this illustrate the result of sin? Lamentations 2:20 provides an example of the devastation. The devastation is a product of sin. Very specifically here, it is the product of Jerusalem’s sin.

Such events we read in Lamentations are horrific. What are the results of sin we see in the world today? In your life?

Lamentations 3:21-24 provides perspective in the midst of weeping. What shapes your perspective as you face the results of sin? How can the faithfulness of God be seen more vividly in your life? What tools might be employed? What outside help is important? How do such truths shape your engagement of other Christians? Although answers should vary depending on the individual’s personality and situation in life, the reality of God’s faithfulness should be central. Such centrality comes as we are reminded of his faithfulness through the promises of God seen in his word and through fellow believers. Being in contact with it is key. Such importance can be seen in Proverb 3:3 (in Wednesday’s reading). As we recognize that sometimes in the midst of the devastations of sin it is hard to engage God’s faithfulness, we realize that the word engages us from the outside; our fellow believers need to remind us. Seeing this truth, we are reminded of the importance of bringing such hope and perspective to our fellow believers as well as they face the brokenness of sin in the world and their lives.

Tuesday Lamentations 3:21-5:22 It is easy to whine, moan, and mourn at the product of sin. In fact it is good to recognize that the results of sin are bad. But to what does seeing the result of sin call the people of Judah? What should we do as we see the result of sin? Cf. Luke 13:1-5. Seeing the result of sin in the world should call us to repent.

What verses are at the center of Lamentations? How should that reality shape Judah’s weeping? Your weeping? Lamentations 3:21-24 are central in Lamentations. God’s faithfulness should be at the center of Judah’s weeping and ours.

The book ends with a call for restoration. Is such a call appropriate? Do you see the appropriateness of the call in your life and cry out: “Lord, have mercy; Christ, have mercy; Lord,

Through the Scriptures have mercy”? Or do you get complacent with the product of sin? How can you keep the joy to come and how things are supposed to be in your view throughout life? The call is certainly appropriate. Keeping the call in view can be a challenge. Remembering the promise of restoration in the Scriptures and encourage each other with it is important to maintain perspective. Participating in the foretaste of the feast to come and remembering it is such a feast helps too!

Wednesday Psalms 146-150 Where is your hope? Why? How do Psalms 146-149 inform your perspective? Consider e.g., 146:5-10; 147:2-6,8-9; 148:5,14; 149:4. Our hope is in our God and he is more than capable to make good on our hope. He made the heavens and the earth and has acted through history. Here we find many opportunities for praise. What opportunities for praise do you see in your life?

Thursday Proverbs 1-3 Proverbs 1-9 begins and ends with the phrase “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” (1:7; 9:10) What does the fear of the Lord mean? What does it look like? Fear of the Lord recognizes who God is and our relationship to him. Understanding who God is and who we are shapes how we engage the world and live out our life with God.

The Lord reproves those he loves (3:12). In a world that thinks reproving or rebuking is mean or unkind, what does a passage like this suggest? How does such a perspective play out as we engage our brothers and sisters in Christ? Discipline is important for growth, maturation, and education. As we engage one another we need to recognize reproof as an act of love and implement it in love. Calling people out of folly, out of death, is important for them; it is important for their life.

Proverbs 3:5-6 is a healthy reminder to trust the Lord and lean not on your own understandings. What makes this proverb so difficult to do? What gets in the way and how do we address that? Our own understandings get in the way of trusting in the Lord. We deceive ourselves by thinking that we know better than the one who made us. We get trapped into mindsets that are destructive and contrary to the goodness God desires; we think that they make more ‘sense’ than God’s wisdom. Seeing the depths of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God is helpful in addressing it. Growing in the words and promises of God and seeing how they fit together. Seeing the ‘foolishness’ of the cross and recognizing how much wiser it is than our own understanding is an example of such growth.

Through the Scriptures

Friday Proverbs 4-6 Proverbs 4:14-15 instructs not to enter the path of the wicked but rather to avoid it. How do we heed such wisdom today? What does that look like in your life of faith? What challenges are present as you engage the world with hope? How one answers this question will vary based upon life situation and personality. Regardless of who you are though, engaging the world with hope is going to make avoiding the path of the wicked more difficult. Nonetheless, the key in this verse is walking in the path. Walking would suggest living in/going forward in the way of life of the wicked. One can engage the person who is on the path without taking up that walk.

Saturday Proverbs 7-9 Note the warning about adultery. This warning had already been sounded in the preceding verses. The destructive yet seductive nature of adultery is obvious and highlighted here. Why do people get caught up by the seduction? What word of warning is present here? Adultery is clearly a bad choice. The number of proverbs warning against this behavior suggests that it is a threat. The danger of adultery is real no matter how bad of a choice it is. Being aware of the threat and danger should help distance oneself from falling into the seduction of adultery.

How is wisdom presented? What is significant about wisdom? Wisdom is a matter of life and death. Wisdom shaped how things were made and the relationships into which they have been placed. Wisdom relates to our relationship to God and one another. As a result, despising wisdom is tantamount to striving for and living death.

Week 77

Monday Ezekiel 1:1-3:15 What does son of man mean? Son of man simply is a person. The term at its heart refers to a human. Special designations as you get with Jesus being THE Son of Man probably should not be divorced from this basic usage.

In Ezekiel 2:6 we hear instructions not to be afraid of them or their words even though briers and thorns are with you. Why? What is Ezekiel’s strength and perspective? How does such instruction relate to us? Consider the Great Commission in Matthew 28:16-20. Ezekiel has be called and sent by God. God stands behind him. Even though the earth should give way, he can trust in God throughout his task and life. We too do well to remember the one who sends us and the importance of the task even if it means suffering and difficulty. We should have eyes beyond that which is immediately present in our perspective.

Through the Scriptures

Tuesday Ezekiel 3:16-5:17 What is the responsibility of the prophet? How does that responsibility affect his message? Cf. Ezekiel 3:16-21. The prophet is to prophesy the Word of the LORD to the people. He is to warn them. He does not force them to listen or to like the message. The prophet is providing the instruction and warning. Recognizing that task should keep the message true and not catered to the whims of the hearer.

Judgment falls on Jerusalem. What is the cause for judgment? What is the result? Ezekiel 5:7,11 asserts that judgment comes because the people have not lived in the joy of the Lord. In fact, not only have the people not heeded the instruction of the LORD, they have not even lived as appropriately as the nations around them. And the nations were supposed to be learning from Israel! Central in this disobedience is the defilement of the sanctuary. Thus God will withdraw from it.

Wednesday Ezekiel 6-7 Here in Ezekiel we see the first pronounced repetition of the refrain “And you shall know that I am the LORD.” This refrain highlights a major goal of the judgment being incurred by Israel and a major thrust of the text. What is important in this phrase to understanding the goal of these things? The desire here is that the people would know that God is the LORD. He is the one who desires relationship with his people (remembering that ‘know’ is a very relational word when dealing with two entities); he is their God; he is the one who cares enough to discipline his people that they would know his good desires (even in the face of their judgment).

How does such a refrain relate back to the understanding of the Name in Exodus and the relationship of the Name to Egypt? The Name is connected to the promise made to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in Exodus 3. In Exodus 6, the understanding expands to connect God with his deliverance of the people out of Egypt. Here we learn that God also reveals himself as the God who disciplines his people (which of course we have seen elsewhere). The Name is about who God is and what he does. Interestingly enough, the deliverance of the people from Egypt also was a situation of judgment on Egypt that they would know that God is the LORD. Judgment in both cases is an effort towards relationship.

What is the benefit of their stuff and “security” on that day? What message is present here for perspective in your life? Ultimately the stuff and security (Ezekiel 7:19,24) goes away. If it is not true security in God, it is going to disappear ultimately. This word is a helpful reminder for us as we consider what is important in our lives and in our interactions with others.

Through the Scriptures

Thursday Ezekiel 8-9 What is the image of jealousy? Why does it lead God to jealousy? What does this suggest is at the heart of God’s engagement with the people at the exile? The image of jealousy seems to be something that suggests the taking the place of God with respect to the people. God desires relationship with the people. He is their groom and they the bride. When the people have other gods, they provoke him to jealousy. They were made for relationship and he is going to act towards that relationship. So he acts regarding the judgment of Jerusalem and the exile.

What does the mark on the head do? Who gets marked? The mark is put upon the heads of those disturbed/appalled by the situation. The mark sets the people apart for exile rather than destruction. Cf. Ezekiel 9:4-6.

Friday Ezekiel 10-11 In Ezekiel 10 we find the glory of the LORD leaving the temple. What dire picture is this for the people? The temple is the locatedness of God for the people; there he dwells with them. His departure is a severe message of brokenness and a reality of the severity of the discipline and judgment that is on the horizon.

Even with the judgment here, we find promise (e.g., 11:9-10, 17-21). What needs to happen with respect to Jerusalem? What is God ultimately doing? Ultimately God is going to gather the people once again. The exile is a tool for discipline and to direct people to God’s desire for relationship and provision for that relationship.

Saturday Ezekiel 12-14 How does Ezekiel 12:2’s ‘eyes to see but see not, ears to hear, but hear not’ help us understand Jesus’s use of parables, e.g., Mark 4? What is happening here? Here again we see the use of exile to bring the people to rock bottom. Much like we hear in the words Isaiah is given to proclaim in Isaiah 6, hear the confusion and lack of understanding is a gift. Ultimately the people need to recognize their destitution so that they can rejoice in their God to whom they should go for help and understanding. Likewise, in Jesus’s use of parables, we see Jesus directing people to himself to gain understanding not boosting up their morale because of the hearer’s great wisdom/mental capacity.

Note the provision in Ezekiel 12:16: a few will escape. Why will they escape? Note again the big picture of the activity of God as he engages the people. What is he doing? God lets the people escape from destruction so that they can communicate to others the abominations. He wants them to let others know how bad they are; he wants them to let others know his real intentions for them and the entire world. He wants them and others to know the LORD!

Through the Scriptures

Who is Daniel in the midst of Noah and Job? This question is difficult. There is a Daniel from Ugaritic texts (Canaanite) who was seen as a righteous leader. The name fits; the connection to righteousness fits; and the ancient reference fits. But the connection he would have had to what is assumed to be a foreign god would be odd. Daniel from Daniel is a virtual contemporary of Ezekiel. He fits, but seems a bit recent to be included here and the name is spelled a little differently.

Week 78

Monday Ezekiel 15-16 How does God find Jerusalem? What does God do for her? He finds Jerusalem pathetic and abandoned. Jerusalem was not even washed and did not even have the cord cut at birth. She was disgusting! Yet God took her; covered her nakedness; entered into covenant with her; cleansed her; adorned her with great garments and jewelry; and fed her with food that enhances appearance and health.

What does Jerusalem do? Jerusalem takes the advantages given by God, the enhanced appearance, and utilizes them to engage for intimacy with others instead of/apart from God. She broke the marital covenant and played the whore. Such relations meant using the gifts for the benefit and sacrifice to other gods/nations; it even included sacrificing the children from the relationship with God to other gods/nations.

What is the consequence of her actions? Jerusalem will be stripped of the beauty given by God. She will be left devastated without the health, the garments, the food, or the jewelry.

How does God respond? God restores the fortunes of his people. He remembers his covenant even when they forgot it. He will establish it with them and they ‘will know that he is the LORD!’

Tuesday Ezekiel 17-19 Why is God upset with the actions of the king who rebels against Babylon after he agreed that the kingdom would exist in humility (Ezekiel 17:13-24)? A couple of things seem to be at play here: 1. God was bringing humility on the people by sending them to exile. To try to avoid such humility is not just going against the covenant with Babylon, but it is going against God. 2. God is the one to whom they should go for help; their help is not in Egypt. Especially consider the role of Ezekiel 17:14,22-24.

Through the Scriptures

At the heart of many of Ezekiel’s prophetic words is repentance. Note the emphasis on the individual in Ezekiel 18. What is Ezekiel’s call to the people of Israel? Why is it just for God to receive the one who sins and then changes his ways to righteousness but the one who does what is right and changes his way to sin God rejects? The goal is repentance. God desires relationship with his people. The one who is rebellious for the first 50% of life and then rejoices in the relationship with God given by God for the latter 50% is significantly different from the person who lives in relationship with God for the first 50% of life and then rebels against God for the last 50%. The amount certainly is the same; the end result is substantially different. God desires repentance. Even if it is at the last second, God desires repentance!

Wednesday Ezekiel 20 At least three major themes come up in this chapter. 1. (20:22) We are reminded that God had acted to preserve Israel in the wilderness not because of their faithfulness, but for the sake of his name. He does not want the nations to lose sight of who God is. 2. (20:32) The people have a problem of wanting to be like the other nations; they have lost sight of the joy of being a people set apart to be an example and a light to the nations (e.g., Exodus 19:4-6). 3. (20:33) God is king and he will reign. We see in this chapter the difficult balance of the fact that God desires to rejoice in relationship with his people and the reality that God does not tolerate the rebellion that flows out of rejected relationship. It is the balance between God’s great love and care for his people and his justice and righteousness. How does such a balance inform your understanding of God’s great grace that calls you out of darkness into his marvelous light? What does it say about the problem of treating sin/rebellion lightly? God calls the people to life. He calls them and us to repentance. God actually wants relationship with his people. As a result, sin still is not tolerated. Yes, Jesus died for the sins of the world; but no, Jesus did not die so that we can keep on sinning. While we do continue to sin, we need to see it as the abhorrent thing it is; we need to see it as something that is not who we really are in Christ.

Thursday Ezekiel 21-22 Judgment is coming. The sword has been drawn. God continues to reveal himself as the just God who desires relationship with his people. But why then does the judgment affect both the righteous and the wicked (21:3-4)? The judgment here is a clear activity. It is the ruler of Babylon bringing destruction. Such destruction on the corporate, affects the corporate. This affecting of the whole means that even the righteous get the effects of the judgment on the city. It also means that the prophecy of destruction does not mean that repentance is too late. While the city may be destroyed, the people still can turn as we heard the call to in Ezekiel 18. They may suffer the immediate effects, but the relationship can be restored. What a gracious word for us even when we face the effects

Through the Scriptures

of our own sinfulness in life! We may deal with the consequences, but God still desires ultimately repentance and restoration.

The picture here in Ezekiel 21-22 is bleak. There are sins of all sorts listed. Do any sound familiar? In our world? In your personal life? Where do you have cause for repentance? Where do you have cause to return to the relationship the LORD desires for you? Answers should vary depending on what stands out to you. As we reflect on sins though, we do remember the LORD’s desire for relationship and the restoration he intends, the restoration he brings in Jesus.

Friday Ezekiel 23 Ezekiel 23 presents a vivid image of sexual misconduct. At the heart of the chapter we find Israel and Judah’s unfaithfulness to their spouse. They each go after another lover. The result is the Lord GOD giving them up to their depravity. Why does God give them up to their depravity? The ultimate goal is to bring an end to the perverse behavior in the land. The goal is to end the infidelity and provide a message to others to prevent future infidelity (23:48). The people are to have relationship with/know the Lord GOD (23:49).

Saturday Ezekiel 24-25 In chapter 24 we hear of the destruction of Jerusalem and the defilement of the temple. In chapter 25 we recognize the start of the sequence of oracles concerning various nations. The sequence continues through chapter 32. After chapter 32, pronouncement resumes against Israel. Connecting them all is the end result of the people knowing that “I am the Lord GOD.” Is the text of Ezekiel doing something with this sequence? Has Jerusalem/Israel become like the nations? Is there just an accent that the nations are part of God’s purview? The relationship here is interesting. Conclusions may vary. God certainly cares for all the nations and is willing to exercise judgment on them; Israel has lumped itself together with the nations.

Week 79

Monday Ezekiel 26-28 Note the judgments related to Tyre. Tyre was a great trading city who made its living on the ocean. What happens with its identity as a great shipping power? Cf. 26:19; 27:26,32-34. Their source of pride is that which is their judgment. The waters consume them even though that is for what they are known. Likewise, the prince’s wisdom which brought wealth comes to nothing as the nations defile his splendor (28:5-9); the king’s beauty becomes a sight that is abhorrent (28:17-19). Why are such judgments appropriate and helpful? Do you need to be brought back down to earth regarding areas in which you have been gifted?

Through the Scriptures

We need to be reminded that all we have is a gift and that the power and position is not something that is because we are so good or smart. We need to be knocked down so that we remember that he is the Lord GOD!

Note the distinction of Israel at the end of chapter 28. Although they were scattered, God is still looking out for them. Of what do these verses help remind us? God’s desire is ultimately for restoration and relationship. His goal is not judgment/knocking people down. His goal is for them to know that he is their God; he is the LORD who cares for them and desires relationship with them.

Tuesday Ezekiel 29-32 What will happen to Egypt? Why? Consider Ezekiel 29:13-16. Egypt is going to scattered, but then God is going to gather them again. He will restore them; but they will be in a lowly state. They will remain lowly so that they no longer tempt Israel to rely on it (rather than God). God is addressing the problem of reliance on Egypt, one of Israel’s false gods.

At the conclusion to this oracle concerning Egypt, there is a description of what happens to the fallen Egyptian. They go to Sheol where all the other powers have gone. What message does the text communicate to the Egyptians by making such a proclamation? Of what message does it remind us? The text is a harsh reality check for the Egyptians and others who live under the delusions of power and control. The end of those people outside of the covenant, i.e., the uncircumcised in this text, is the same. The power and control comes to an end for them. Likewise, we do well to recognize the ultimate futility of power struggles, popularity contests, etc. These things will pass away.

Wednesday Ezekiel 33-34 In Chapter 33 there is much talk about the righteous person who goes and sins will die, but the wicked who turns from his ways will live. How does Ezekiel 33:11 help us understand the message of these verses? How does it inform our communication with others regarding right and wrong? God is not seeking death; he desires life! The point of rebuking someone or calling them to repentance is not to make them look bad; it is to point them to the God who desires righteousness. God desires relationship with the people and calls them to the same. As a result, we speak words of warning not to claim we are better than people, to exert power, or to check off a box; we speak to call people back to relationship with the God who made them and loves them.

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Note the problem in Ezekiel 33:24. What are the people thinking is the cause for their provision/benefit? What does God remind them is actually the important factor in being blessed? The people seem to think that their numbers matter. ‘Abraham was one and we are many; we will possess the land!’ God reminds them that the key factor in the equation is himself and his relationship with Abraham. The people living out of the relationship with God are going to realize judgment. Again, God desires relationship with his people; it is not about their relative goodness or success.

Chapter 34 addresses leadership issues and deals with some similar issues as the warning for the watchman in chapter 33. What is the problem and how will God address it? The people are not being led by selfless leaders; instead the leaders are acting out of self- interest. God addresses the problem by pronouncing judgment on such behavior and by sending a good leader, David, to be their shepherd; indeed, God’s says that he will be their shepherd and provide them with good pasture. Consider John 10.

Thursday Ezekiel 35-36 Much attention is drawn to knowing that God is Yahweh in chapter 36. We have heard the name frequently connected to judgment in Ezekiel. What is emphasized here in chapter 36? God is acting in grace for his people. After so many words confirming judgment against them in out of his relationship with them, i.e., out of the reality that he is the Lord, here we find once again God’s gracious acts being connected to his name. In so doing, it is helpful to note that the grace and the judgment are acts that flow out of God’s relationship with his people. They are actions made for the people because of the relationship God has made with them.

God says that it is not because of the people of Israel and their behavior that he is acting. God acts for the sake of his name. What distinction is God making here in Ezekiel 36? God makes clear that the people of Israel were not receiving restoration and life because of their goodness. They were a rebellious people who rejected God and his gracious gifts. God is making clear that the restoration to Israel is for the sake of his name! He wants Israel and the nations to know that he is the God who acts for his people.

Friday Ezekiel 37 Ezekiel prophesies resurrection for the people of Israel in the vision of the valley of dry bones. God will restore the people and cleanse them from their sin. Note the mention of the temple. What is God’s desire in restoration and sanctification? How does that inform our lives of faith as we live in relationship with God? God desires to have relationship with his people. He wants restoration so that he can dwell with his people and have the relationship he desires as their God. The temple reference highlights that desire as the temple is the place where God dwells with his people.

Through the Scriptures

Saturday Ezekiel 38-39 In the midst of the judgment of the nations, there is depiction of peace and rest. The weapons are destroyed, the enemies dealt with, and all nations will know that Yahweh is the Holy One of Israel. What word of comfort is here for Israel? for us? Israel is going to face the consequences of her sin. The people will face warfare and death. Yet in the midst of the destruction, God is bringing peace and restoration. The word directs the people beyond the horrors to God’s ultimate plan. In the midst of our struggles, such words encourage us and remind us of the final restorative plans God has worked out for us as well.

Week 80

Monday Ezekiel 40 Here Ezekiel is given a vision of the new temple. Many details are provided. Note the description of the dating of this vision. What details are provided? Why are these details included with the dating? How might these details inform the reading of this vision? The temple lies in ruins. Fourteen years prior, the city with the temple was destroyed. Here the temple grounds have the appearance of a city, i.e., it is that big and complex, and the structures are in place. The complex is on a high mountain much as Jerusalem was elevated above its surroundings. The subsequent depictions of the temple provide a word of promise in contrast to the reality of the judgment in which they lived that destroyed the temple.

In verse 4, Ezekiel is told to look with his eyes and hear with his ears. Does such a statement provide a contrast to the situation that led to the exile? Consider with this question Isaiah 6 and the juxtaposition of the temple scene and the judgment that Isaiah was to proclaim. What positive sentiment is included with the call to look with his eyes and hear with his ears? The judgment on the people before was that the people would have eyes but not be able to see, ears but not be able to hear. The instructions given to Ezekiel suggest that he will be able to look and hear. Such a word, while Ezekiel and the people are in exile and the temple in ruins is a word of hope and promise.

Tuesday Ezekiel 41-42 In chapter 40, the measurements were quite precise and reflected much symmetry. What do the measurements show in chapters 41-42? Symmetry continues in the depiction of these chapters. The holy area bears symmetry as did the Most Holy Place in the Tabernacle.

Note the distinction between holy and common (e.g., Ezekiel 42:13-14,20). Why is this distinction mentioned? Why is this destination a big deal? Cf. Revelation 21:8,24-27.

Through the Scriptures

God dwells with his people in the holy place. God is holy and engages the holy. But the impure does not enter; it has no place. We must be made clean before we enter into his presence.

Wednesday Ezekiel 43-44 The emphasis on holiness continues. Notice what is said about the entire complex that is up on the mountain, cf. 43:12. The term most holy can also be translated ‘holy of holies’ which is the way the Hebrew expresses the superlative. Consider the description of the new Jerusalem presented in Revelation 21-22. Here the city is the dwelling place and is symmetrical in its dimensions. How does such a description, both the city but also the emphasis on holiness with regards to the priests and altar, encourage the people in exile as they struggle through the challenges of the present? How does it encourage us as we anticipate the hope that is to come? Answers will vary, but the emphasis here is on the goodness of God dwelling with his people and the joy that all that enters will be holy. Things will be right with God! While such a promise still seems a long way off, the joy of the brokenness being gone is a joy we get to cling to with the confidence of the resurrection. The firstfruits of the blemishes of sin and the unholy has already been raised and we get to anticipate that joy at the last day and the final resurrection!

Thursday Ezekiel 45-46 Note the clear instructions to the leaders of the people. The call is for justice. In particular weights and measures are standardized. Important to recognize here is the frequent use of adjusted measurements, fingers on the scales, etc. to take advantage of people. Such times are at an end. The instruction is for justice and specifically fair dealings with the people. Consider the situation of the people in exile. They are in exile because of the practices of their leaders; in exile the situation is not ideal either. How does such a word encourage the general population? What hope do the people have? How does such a word inform our understanding of God’s plans for our future at the restoration? Answers will vary. But the general idea of have a fair system and justice for all is certainly an appealing vision. Throughout history those wielding power often take advantage of those who are not in power. Here there is a hope for the people and as we look towards the restoration, a word of hope for us as well.

The depiction of the gates in 46:1-2 has the gates closed six days a week and open on the Sabbath. How does such a situation compare with the depiction of the new Jerusalem in Revelation 21:22-25? In Revelation we hear that the gates will never be shut, there will be no more night, and nothing evil will enter in. Revelation presents a time when God’s people will dwell with him and there will be no time such a celebration of rest does not occur. Here the depiction has the gate closed on the non-Sabbath or non-new moon days.

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Friday Ezekiel 47-48 Note the river that flows out of the city. It waters the land and makes fresh the salt water. Trees bear fruit every month and their leaves do not wither. Cf. Revelation 22:1-2. What does the lushness communicate to this people in exile? What does it communicate to us as we anticipate the joy of Revelation 22:1-2? There is hope for the people and for us. The struggles of the present will come to an end. God is going to make things the way they were supposed to be; we will enjoy God’s constant provision.

The people receive their inheritance. God is faithful to his promise and the people will rejoice in his provision. And above all, the LORD is there! What a joy for this people! How does the joyous promise that we have in Christ Jesus even the hope of eternally dwelling with God in his city inform you in the midst of your present struggles? We are people of hope and have a great joy that awaits us. We get a taste now with God’s presence among us; we will taste fully on that last day!

Saturday Proverbs 10-12 Proverbs 10:3 follows nicely from Ezekiel’s vision of fruit bearing trees and provision for God’s people. What does such a reality look like in life? It is not always an easy thing to see. Ultimately we recognize what Jesus says to Satan at his temptation: “Man does not live on bread alone but on every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.” At present we can struggle with physical needs; the Lord will make whole and provide in the long run. God will see to the wholeness of the righteous, even if at present it is a struggle at times to see.

Proverbs 10:28-30 also echoes a distinction between the righteous and the wicked. How does such a distinction encourage the faithful in the midst of the real challenges at present when it seems like the righteous suffer and the wicked benefit? How does the view that holds the end in mind help us as we struggle with the present challenges? Ultimately our desires revolve around life with God in service to Him and each other, not life gratifying the self. Here we are redirected in our thinking to what is good, healthy, and enduring.

Week 81

Monday Haggai Haggai prophesies after the exiles return to Judah. He addresses concerns with the reconstruction of the temple and with perspective as the people face a return that leaves them in a situation that is not as glorious as Israel’s of the past.

Haggai addresses a simple question: “Why are you all living in paneled houses when God’s house is rubble?” It is a question of perspective and priority. How do you do with priorities and

Through the Scriptures perspective in your life? Do you set your life in order and then think about God or does life work the other way around? What might help you first see God’s activity and desire for you and then let that certainty guide the piecing together of the aspects of your life? Answers will vary. The goal here is to see God’s care in our lives and the joy of him being central to our lives. Even following a tragedy like the exile, priorities shape perspective. A Christ- centered perspective should shape our life in times of ease and in times of difficulty.

God will shake the heavens, the earth, the sea, and the dry land. In the midst of difficult and times of scarcity and disappointment, our hope remains in the Lord. Consider how such a perspective shapes our lives of faith. Consider the dynamic of the cries “Lord, have mercy” and the response of the angels “Glory to God in the highest”; God has been faithful to his promises. And God will be faithful to his promises. What perspective does the historic faithfulness of our God give us as we wait for Him to shake the heavens and the earth? We are a people of confident hope. We wait, but we wait with certainty. Even when our eyes cannot see, we know our God is faithful.

Tuesday Malachi 1:1-2:16 Following the designation as an oracle, the text begins with a recognition of Israel’s place as loved. But in so doing the text makes a clear declaration: “Great is the LORD beyond the border of Israel!” How does such a declaration impact your perspective of the mission of God? God is the LORD of all the earth. His love has been and always extends beyond the borders of Israel even when His activity demonstrates his mighty hand and draws attention back to Israel.

The text addresses issues of priests offering gifts of rejects to the LORD. It also deals with an issue of intermarriage and what is more, divorce and remarriage to the local population. A possibility here is that the marital manipulations were to gain land or access socially. Regardless of the specifics there, it seems to be an issue as Malachi 2:10-16 appears to be placed intentionally at the dead center of the text of Malachi. How does God respond to the beloved Jacob? How does such an addressing of the issue inform us? God is calling Jacob, the priests, and the people to task. He addresses sin and calls them to repent! Love does not ignore the sin issue; love addresses it appropriately.

Wednesday Malachi 2:17-4:6 Return to me and I will return to you. The call is for repentance. How does that prophecy inform our understanding of John the Baptist and the coming Christ? God calls His people to repentance. He calls them to live in relationship to Him. It is little wonder that the proclamation in the Gospels is the good news of the reign/kingdom of God. It is a call to trust God and live in the joy of His righteousness. It is a call that Jesus fulfills and shares.

Through the Scriptures

Thursday Proverbs 13-14 Proverbs 13:20 highlights a common understanding. The company you keep affects you. How does such a perspective affect our understanding of what Jesus did in his ministry considering especially the company he kept? What instructions does such wisdom give us as we engage the world around us influencing the world rather than being sucked into the ways of the world? Jesus engaged the outcast in the world and the despised; he also engaged the privileged and ‘wise’. Those designations were much more complicated as sometimes the ‘wise’ were foolish and the ‘foolish’ wise. Nonetheless, in either case, Jesus brought light into their lives and stayed grounded in his relationship with the Father. He took time out to pray and be with his followers. He was balanced in his approach. We too need to engage the world while remaining grounded in the faith and supported by those in the faith.

What does it mean in Proverbs 13:21-22 that the righteous are rewarded with good and that they will leave an inheritance for their children’s children? What does it not mean? Good is not equated with monetary or physical prosperity. Good is defined by the one who is good and knows what is best for us. The good of a right relationship with God is a blessing in itself and is something that the righteous communicate to their children and children’s children.

Friday Proverbs 15-16 Proverbs 15:33 connects the fear of the LORD to instruction in wisdom. How is the fear of the LORD instruction in wisdom? What is the fear of the LORD and how does that relate to wisdom? The fear of the LORD recognizes who the LORD is and His relationship to the world and the person who is ‘fearing’ the LORD. Such recognition shapes one’s perspective to see things in light of that relationship. It provides a lens of understanding and processing/comprehending that is the nature of wisdom.

Proverbs 16:6 connects steadfast love and faithfulness to atonement for iniquity. Where do we see steadfast love and faithfulness? Ultimately we see true steadfast love and faithfulness in our God and very specifically in His acting in Christ. By Christ’s steadfast love and faithfulness, he covers our sins with his self-giving, faithful sacrifice.

Saturday Proverbs 17-18 Proverbs 17:9 highlights a social dynamic that is common. Why does someone ‘repeat a matter’? What is the result of such activity? What is the difference in acting in love? Where does one who is driven by love place the concern? What is key for one to act in love? Gossip is frequently an endeavor to establish leverage or to make oneself feel better. Unfortunately such activity is destructive and produces brokenness. Love in contrast concerns itself with the needs of the other and seeks to heal and restore. But love flows out of security and freedom; it flows when one does not perceive the need to save/protect the self.

Through the Scriptures

Proverbs 18:10 states that the name of the LORD is a strong tower. How is the name of the LORD a strong tower into which the righteous man runs and is safe? Keep in mind the name of the LORD is who God is and what He is about. God’s identity and activity is a point of security for us. We can trust in Him knowing that He cares for us, He is capable of acting, and He will act.

Week 82

Monday Mark 1:1-20 Here John the Baptist is introduced as the one written about in the Old Testament. Quotes from Isaiah and Malachi are given. Notice what John the Baptist declares: One comes after me. What does such a declaration say about Jesus? How does this inform your reading of Jesus’s calling of the disciples when he says “follow me/come after me”? The statement says that Jesus follows the line of the Old Testament; the calling of the disciples suggests that the following does not stop at Jesus. The theme of following is a major emphasis in the Gospel of Mark.

The voice from heaven declares Jesus to be the beloved Son with whom God is well pleased. What implications does this statement have? Two understandings could be present here; two understandings maybe should be held here. Israel is understood to be the son in the Old Testament (out of Egypt I called my son). Israel also failed as the son. There is also a statement of Jesus’s divinity here (such a statement stands in contrast to the declaration of humanity found in Mark 6 where he is recognized as the son of Mary).

Note the proclamation Jesus makes at the beginning of his ministry. “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe the good news.” What is the kingdom of God and how does that relate to repentance? How does that relate to the call of discipleship in your life? The kingdom of God is God’s reigning. He reigns in Jesus’s ministry as Jesus is the perfect disciple. The call to repent and believe is a call to turn from self-rule to the joy of God’s ruling. It calls us to rejoice in God’s reign rather than trying to tell God how things should be.

Tuesday Mark 1:21-3:6 Jesus in his ministry casts out demons, preaches, heals and forgives. How does such activity highlight the kingdom of God? God’s order is one of wholeness and health. Jesus lives that reign and brings a taste of it as he restores through healing and forgiveness.

Through the Scriptures

The conflict with the Jewish leaders begins in this section. These are people in a position of social privilege and authority. Why does a position of privilege and authority make it more difficult to rejoice in the kingdom of God? Do you see this dynamic in your life? Having a position of power can make it difficult to give it up and rejoice in God being the one in authority. This challenge can happen at different levels. Even a little bit of pride and perceived authority and control inhibits the joy of God’s reigning in one’s life.

Wednesday Mark 3:7-4:41 People follow Jesus in great numbers; Jesus calls his disciples and the apostles are named; and his family raises the question of whether Jesus is sane because of their busyness. To this question of sanity, we hear the scribes suggesting he is possessed; then Jesus also responds to his family’s inquiry. What does this sequence and his response to his family teach about discipleship? What is important in discipleship? Jesus is not possessed by demons. On the contrary, he is binding Satan. But it is not okay not to believe in Jesus; the one who denies who Jesus is does not have forgiveness. Discipleship calls for belief in Jesus! Discipleship also calls for being with Jesus; whoever does the will of God is his family.

The parables call for listening to Jesus’s teaching. How do you do listening to Jesus? Is it easier to say Jesus has a demon and stay in your ways, or is it easier to listen to Jesus? What does or should that look like in your life? It is hard to listen to Jesus when we do not like his teaching; we prefer to ignore it or counter it with excuses. Nonetheless, the call is clear: We need to listen and grow in his Word. So we continue to read the Scriptures and grow in our understanding even when we do not like it.

Thursday Mark 5:1-43 These verses deal with people who are unclean. The possessed man has an unclean spirit and is in an unclean place (notice the tombs, the pigs, etc.). The women are dead or bleeding (both unclean characteristics). Yet how do the unclean people respond to Jesus? How does the status of an unclean person compare to that of a religious leader? Is it surprising that the unclean people respond the way that they do? Do we see this in our lives? The unclean people have no social status. Jesus engages them and they believe. Jesus not only interacts with the unclean, He makes them clean again. It is easier for someone of no status to rejoice in the complete reign of God than someone who desires to continue reigning over their own life. We too tend to be most receptive to God when we are in need and realize we do not have standing except in Him.

Through the Scriptures

Friday Mark 6:1-29 Jesus sends the disciples out to be about His task. They do the work of the kingdom of God. In so doing they are following Jesus. How empowering is it to recognize that God uses people for His task? Do you recognize that God uses you to do His work? How does that reality change your perspective? Answers will vary based on personal experience. The idea here is to recognize the ongoing activity of God in the followers of Jesus, even in us.

What happens to John the Baptist? What does that mean for the one who follows John the Baptist? John the Baptist is beheaded. He dies because he was about his task. Jesus, the one who follows, will also die being about his task. Note the parallels between John the Baptist’s death and Jesus’s.

Saturday Mark 6:30-8:21 Jesus feeds five thousand, he travels to unclean territory, and then feeds four thousand. Note the contrast between the leaders of the Jews discussion of washing hands (being clean) and the woman in the unclean territory whose daughter is possessed. Who understands Jesus better? Noting the next story: How does the deaf get to hear and understand? The woman understands better. The key is Jesus. Jesus provides understanding. The unclean seem to get that. Jesus heals and opens ears. It is not about our standing or status. Jesus is sufficient for us.

Throughout the section, it is clear that Jesus is the one who provides the necessary bread. How do you do recognizing the sufficiency of Jesus in your life? What does that look like for you? What does that not mean? Jesus provides for all of our needs. This truth is clear. This truth though does not mean that our life will be easy and that we will never get sick or have problems. It does mean that our hope and our confidence is in Him. Ultimately we will see the fullness of that provision on the last day.

Week 83

Monday Mark 8:22-10:52 Jesus heals blind men twice in this section. What is the difference between the two healings? How does the nature of what Jesus does throughout this section inform our understanding of the implications of the first healing narrative in relationship to discipleship and the disciples? Consider also Peter’s response to Jesus prior to the transfiguration. The first healing of a blind man takes two attempts. The first attempt only allowed him to see a little better. After the second attempt he saw clearly. Peter does not see who Jesus is clearly. He

Through the Scriptures

declares him to be the Christ, but then Peter says Jesus should not talk about suffering and dying. Jesus must teach Peter and the disciples further about who he is. They need to be healed again. At the end of the section, Bartimaeus receives sight and follows Jesus. Discipleship means learning from Jesus as he continues to teach us and give us a clearer and clearer picture of who He is by showing us his cross and empty tomb.

Three times Jesus predicts his passion ‘on the way’. Finally just before he opens the eyes of Bartimaeus, James and John ask to sit on his right and on his left in his glory. They miss the point. What does Jesus say to clarify what discipleship looks like? How does that shape your perspective of what it means to follow Jesus? First, Jesus is glorified on the cross. To hang on his right and on his left is already determined. Here in service to the other is glory. Discipleship is not about achieving higher status; discipleship is about serving the other. Jesus leads with this perspective; we are called to follow.

Tuesday Mark 11:1-12:44 At Jesus’s entrance into Jerusalem, we find people going before him and people coming after him. The theme of discipleship is again at the forefront. How do the words shouted inform our understanding of discipleship and Jesus? The people shouted blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord and blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David. Jesus, the consummate disciple, goes the way of disciples; he lives the reign of God acting according to who God is and what he is about. We see this coming in the name and this kingdom most explicitly as he comes into Jerusalem to suffer and die for the world.

The destruction of the temple is announced with the cursing and withering of the fig tree. Ultimately we see in this section that this activity points us to Jesus’s death, the end of the temple. What does such an end mean for the religious leaders as they confront Jesus? What does it mean for you in your life? The end of the temple was an end to that which gave the Jewish leaders identity. They confronted Jesus because they knew that Jesus was the end of their pride and their identity. Likewise for us, the cross calls us to look to Jesus for our identity and our hope. No longer is our life centered around our success or what we accomplish. God is our God and we trust his reign and live joyously according to it.

Wednesday Mark 13 After Jesus says that these ‘wonderful buildings’ will be destroyed, the disciples ask when the temple will come to an end. How does Jesus respond? What kind of answer does he give? Jesus gives an answer that describes the current state of affairs. He gives a largely vague description that directs the disciples away from predicting and encourages them to look to him.

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No one knows the day or the hour. Note the references made in the call to stay awake. As you read the passion narrative tomorrow, keep your eyes open for these times and the call to stay awake. Who stays awake? Who falls asleep? What does such a teaching coupled with the preceding emphasis of the chapter and the nature of the question teach us in our lives of faith? We are not to be looking at the end and trying to be in control of everything. As we go about our lives of faith, it is Jesus, the one who stayed awake through the watches of the night, who is the center of our attention. We will fall asleep and our understanding will fail. We stick with Jesus; he sticks with us. In that joy is our hope and certainty.

Thursday Mark 14-15 While Mark 11-15 all addresses Jesus’s time in Jerusalem and thus his passion, the passion narrative more properly is this section that is Mark 14-15. As we see Jesus’s passion, what do you notice about the disciples? How do the disciples respond to the events? Who is guilty among them? What implications does this reality have on us as we look in the mirror and consider our lives of discipleship? It is easy to talk about Judas and how he betrayed Jesus. But in the Gospel of Mark, it is clear that all of the disciples are guilty. They all fall away. The young man flees naked. Peter denies Jesus three times. They fall asleep in the garden. They are all guilty. We are all guilty. We fail in our discipleship as well. It might look different at different times, but we all fail in one way or another.

In contrast to the disciples, we see Jesus. He stands trial and does not veer from the way of the cross. Pilate encourages him to speak to His innocence, but he takes this unjust punishment. He is told to come down, but he stays on the cross. How does Jesus’s faithfulness provide the key to our understanding of discipleship? Jesus is the faithful one. We follow him. We trust in him. Our discipleship looks to the good news of the reign of God. It is about God’s rule, not our own. It is about God’s success and faithfulness, not our own. Here we have confidence; here we follow in that confidence.

Friday Mark 16:1-8 Note the instructions given at the tomb. How do these words provide restoration, hope, and direction for the disciples? for our lives? At the tomb we find the young man clothed. It is significant that he is called a young man as it calls our attention back to the young man in Mark 14:51-52 who fled naked. Here a young man is clothed in white reminding the reader of forgiveness and restoration through Jesus’s cross. In baptism we are clothed in his righteousness and called forth in faith. The instructions say that Jesus will meet the disciples in Galilee. They remind us of the promise at 14:28 where Jesus says that he will go before them. Here we recognize a renewal in discipleship and a call to go forward renewed for discipleship. There is also a note here to go back to Galilee which happens to be the location of the first part of the Gospel. It calls for an ongoing rereading of the text as we continue to learn and grow in discipleship.

Through the Scriptures

Saturday Proverbs 19-20 Proverbs 19:27 reminds us of the importance of continuing to learn and be instructed. We have heard this truth as well in the Gospel of Mark. It is easy though to forget; it is easy to think we understand everything. How do you continue to be instructed? What opportunities do you have in your day to day life? How does church play a part in this learning? How do you play a role in other people’s learning? Answers will vary. We learn through study, through God’s gifts received, and through each other.

Week 84

Monday John 1 This chapter says a lot about who Jesus is. What designations do you find in this chapter? What implications does that have on your understanding of who Jesus is? What might you expect as you go through this Gospel? The Gospel says that Jesus is the Word made flesh, the One through Whom all things were made, God, the Light, the One coming after John, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, the Son of God, Rabbi, King of Israel, and Jacob’s ladder (John 1:51). Such designations open up Jesus’s identity and begin to reveal his work. As we proceed into the Gospel, we anticipate such designations will be further opened up for us and we will grow in the joy of Jesus’s identity.

Jesus makes God known to us and to the world. How do the designations here relate to the rest of Scriptures? How does Jesus’s identity inform our reading of the rest of Scriptures? Jesus is the key to our understanding of who God is and what he is about. He is the interpretive key to understanding all of the Scriptures. We understand other passages through Jesus.

Tuesday John 2:1-3:21 The signs are connected to belief. We see that at John 2:11, 22, and 23. What does the sign at Cana in Galilee show? How does it relate to the verses that follow it? How does belief factor into these questions? The jars used for the rights of purification producing wine better than the wine produced before and the destroying of the temple to rebuild it seem to both present a ‘new’ thing that is happening in relation to Jewish rites and customs. Jesus is coming and he is bringing new wine and a new temple. He is coming to adjust the understanding of the Jewish rites; he is coming to clarify a new understanding that is realized only through him and his ministry.

Nicodemus asks Jesus some questions. How does Jesus respond? To what does Jesus direct him? Is the answer simple or complicated?

Through the Scriptures

Jesus responds to Nicodemus pointing him to baptism/birth by the Spirit and the cross. He highlights the Son of Man’s purpose of bringing salvation. The need is to be born again/from above (the Greek can mean either and probably in this case means both!) and that only happens by the power of the Spirit through the cross (to which baptism connects us). The answer is simple, but is utterly complicated. Sometimes we try to make things fit into our mindset rather than rejoicing in the different simplicity of God’s light.

Wednesday John 3:22-4:54 People continue to believe in Jesus as the result of His word spoken and the signs done. What is the water Jesus will give people? What is the food that the disciples don’t know about? The woman asks about the living water. At this point the water for purification has been mentioned twice (John 2:1-12 and 3:25) and baptism has been mentioned (John 3:1-24). Here in response to the woman’s question, Jesus exposes her sin. There may be an effort towards purification here connected with the water. The food is explicitly mentioned as doing the will of the One who sent Him. Such food is given to the disciples as Jesus charges them to go out and do the work others had already begun.

Jesus speaks to the disciples about being sent into the labor of those who have gone before them. As we consider God’s ongoing mission, what implications does going forward in the mission, on which others before us have gone and served, have for you? It is a privilege to consider that we are part of a bigger story and that God has joined us to that story even enlisting us to share it. To think we are being used for such an important task is empowering. God sends us forth to the fields for harvest!

Thursday John 5-6 The text again reveals much about who Jesus is. What does the text teach about Jesus? How does such a teaching give us perspective on the packaged nature of Scriptures? Jesus understands the instructions of the Law and thus can command the man to take up his mat and walk; Moses wrote of Jesus; the Scriptures bear witness to him. Jesus is the Son and he acts in concert with the Father. He will come to call the dead forth from the tombs and execute judgment. The Son will judge and do everything he does in concert with the Father’s will. From beginning to end, the Scriptures, the Word, work in concert with the Father’s big picture. It is not a matter of dissecting Scriptures into sections you listen to and sections you don’t listen to. It all works together.

What is the nature of a sign? Consider the implications of Jesus’s comment at John 6:26. The sign points to something. Jesus’s signs point people to believe in Him. The people saw the sign but missed the sign. The miracle became for them a meal ticket rather than a sign of the bread of life.

What ultimately is the sign to which Jesus points the people? What does the sign do?

Through the Scriptures

The sign is Jesus. He is the bread of life who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.

John 6:52-59 makes strong allusions to the Lord’s Supper much as John 3:1-8 alludes to Baptism. How do these verses encourage us to see the nourishing benefit of the Supper? These verses highlight that feeding on the bread of life gives life. Eating the flesh and blood gives nourishment and life! We want to eat!

Friday John 7-8 Jesus’s hour had not yet come. We have heard reference to a coming hour in John’s Gospel. Here we are told it had not yet come. What is the coming hour? Consider also John 4:21-23; 5:25-29. Jesus’s hour is certainly connected to the cross. John 4:21-23 and 5:25-29 seem to also connect the hour to the resurrection and judgment. There appears to be a connection to the end; it seems to be connected to God’s end time activity.

What does it mean to be children of Abraham? What do people put their identity in today? How does our identity as baptized people of God change our perspective? Children of Abraham act in concert with Abraham. They reflect the will of the heavenly Father. Children of Abraham are thus those who believe in God, the Father, and the Son whom he sent.

Saturday John 9-10 The Pharisees cannot see who Jesus is even after he heals the blind man. What challenges prevent them from rejoicing in who Jesus is? Do you struggle with challenges to see and understand who Jesus is? What do those struggles look like? The Pharisees entire worldview would have been changed by believing in Jesus. Their status in society would have been jeopardized if Jesus is who he says he is. Such a reality is likely scary for them. It is often scary for us. Sometimes faith calls us to give up things we hold dear. The light reveals such realities and that makes believing in Jesus uncomfortable. Nonetheless, the call is to believe and trust in him, not to trust in the other things to which we sometimes cling.

Jesus is the Good Shepherd. What confidence does such a reality give you as you go about your life of faith? Jesus gives us certainty and security. He provides for us and leads us. He even lays down his life for us. Such joys are encouraging to us as we go about our life of faith. We can go forward with confidence in him.

Through the Scriptures

Week 85

Monday John 11-12 There are several references to the cross and the challenges therein. Jesus’s hour to be glorified has come. Is the cross here only about Jesus going to suffer and die? How do John 11:16; 12:9- 11; 12:25-36 inform our understanding? Jesus indeed draws all people to himself on the cross. But the cross is about doing the will of the Father. It is concerned about life. As we are brought into that life, the cross shapes us too. We are brought into his mission and his story. In a similar way, keeping Jesus’s words and the commandment is intimately tied in to life. It is not about works based righteousness; it is about life, life that involves living in the joy of the Father’s will.

In contrast to the will of the Father, we hear two clear words that reflect the desires of the sinful nature. Note the statements at John 11:48 and 12:43. Does such thinking ever cloud your life of discipleship? How does such thinking remind us of our continual need to look to be drawn to Jesus? The saving of our own place and culture is an ongoing challenge. We like to be known for what we have accomplished or our position in society; we like to have the stability of the culture/situation we know. We like the glory that comes from man, the glory that we produce. We need to be reminded of the glory that comes from heaven; we need to be reminded of true life that comes through the Son.

Tuesday John 13-14 As we have heard Jesus mention keeping the commandment at various times throughout the Gospel, here Jesus speaks of a new commandment. What makes it new? How was the law summarized? Why is this commandment that Jesus gives a new one? The commandments were summarized by loving the Lord our God with all of our heart, soul, and mind, and loving our neighbor as ourselves. The newness of this commandment could be in the perception of it, i.e., this commandment is new to them because it had been misperceived prior, or it could be that because the commandment flows out of the love of Jesus, it is manifested differently now that Jesus has come to his hour of sacrifice. Regardless, the love is focused on the care for the other and is self-giving by nature. Such love is also seen in the washing of the feet.

Jesus instructs his disciples as he gets ready to depart. He says that he prepares a place for them and that he is the way, the truth, and the life. What implications does that have on other ideas about being with God and eternal life? How central is Jesus to the story? While the society likes to be welcoming of all ideas, the claim Jesus makes here is exclusive. He is the only way to the Father. Trying to claim a welcoming Spirit and not be so exclusive is actually an action that excludes what Jesus teaches here and thus excludes the whole of Scriptures which bear witness to Jesus. Jesus is the key to understanding and the key to eternal life.

Through the Scriptures

The Son asks the Father to send the Helper, the Spirit of truth. Our relational God does not leave us as orphans. How does God’s ongoing care for you, even through the difficult situations of life, encourage you in your life of faith? The Spirit continues to shape our understanding and reveal who Jesus is. He continues to open our hearts and minds to grow in the call of discipleship and the challenge and joy of the cross.

Wednesday John 15-17 How does the vine branch imagery inform your life of faith? What implications does it have as you live out your life as a branch that bears fruit? It reminds us that God has given an identity connected to his; that we need to be connected to him so that we can bear fruit; that we are called to bear fruit and should expect to be pruned.

Jesus prays for his disciples. He prays that they may be one. Why does Jesus say He prays that they would be one? How does unity in the church affect things? How does this instruct the church as it goes forward in its mission? How does it not instruct the church? A united church bears a better witness to the world. It better reflects the gift given that frees us from self-centered thinking and behavior. When the church is wrapped up in its own personal agenda or when people are concerned about control and power, witness to the name is not happening. At the heart of disunity tends to be some such issue. The call to unity is not a call for fake unity where everyone gets their own way and self-centered goals flourish. It is a call to actual unity that comes only in and through Jesus.

Thursday John 18-19 The Jewish leaders were upset that they wrote “This is the King of the Jews.” Why were they upset? Who was their king? How does this distinction compare to what Jesus said to Pilate in John 18:33-38? Jesus’s focus of kingship is very different from the Jewish leaders. They seem to be concerned about matters of temporal authority (cf. also John 11:48); Jesus is actually concerned about the reign of God. Unfortunately this attitude is familiar; in the Old Testament one of the issues was that the people wanted to have a king like the other nations.

Scriptures were fulfilled. How does the cry “It is finished” encourage you in your life of faith? Jesus completed the task. He did all that needed to be done. We can now live in confidence and joy bearing fruit without fear of falling short. It frees us for our life of faith.

Friday John 20 Jesus appears to Mary and his disciples following the resurrection. What does he tell them? Why does he tell them what he tells them? Is there a consistent focus in the conversations? With Mary, he tells her to tell his disciples and notes that he has not ascended to the Father yet. With the disciples he breathes on them the Holy Spirit so that they can forgive and retain sins.

Through the Scriptures

With Thomas, he says blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe. In all three cases, Jesus directs them beyond his resurrection and prepares them for his ascension and the mission that follows. He prepares them to do the Father’s will that has been so central to the ministry to this point; he prepares them to continue the mission.

How does John 20:20-31 inform our understanding of the Gospel? How does it shape our perspective on the signs provided in the Gospel? The goal of the Gospel is life in Jesus’s name. It calls people to believe that Jesus is the Christ. The signs have purpose; they were not just to attract numbers. We go forth in mission, not just to attract numbers; we go forth in mission to share life in Jesus’s name.

Saturday John 21 Jesus appears to the disciples and they knew it was Jesus. They finally get it. How does that encourage us as we grow in our faith and understanding? Answers will vary. It encourages us to continue to grow in the Christ as he makes himself known to us. He will help us grow in our understanding.

Peter is asked if he loves Jesus. Peter responds yes. Jesus then instructs him to feed his sheep. Peter is called to follow in Jesus’s love and continue that love. What does that look like in the church today? We certainly recognize that God uses pastors to feed his sheep. But there is another aspect that seems to be in play here. He calls his disciples to follow him. How that looks is different for each disciple (e.g., the one whom Jesus loved was not getting the same information about how he was going to die). But we are called to live out the love of Christ as we live out our lives of faith.