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    • September 11th Chronological Bible Readings

      Haggai 2:1-9; Zechariah 1:1-6; Haggai 2:10-19; Ezra 5:2; Haggai 2:20-23; Zechariah 1:7-5:11
      ~ Click here to read today’s Scripture on Bible Gateway ~
      ~ Listen to today’s Scripture with The ESV Bible ~

      I’ve been talking about a lot of obedience in recent blog posts.   Here’s a great verse of a promise of a blessing from God for obedience, from Haggai chapter 2 verse 19: “I am giving you a promise now while the seed is still in the barn, before you have harvested your grain and before the grapevine, the fig tree, the pomegranate, and the olive tree have produced their crops. From this day onward I will bless you.”  Below is a Greek icon of the prophet Haggai from the 18th century:

      Haggai_

      Today we start the book of the prophet Zechariah!  You’ll note that we are now at the 2nd to the last book of the Old Testament.  Malachi is after Zechariah.  Zechariah was a prophet during the post-exile (returned from Babylon) period at about the same time Haggai was a prophet.  Both started their prophecies in 520 B.C. – however, Zechariah prophesied for many more years going forward – probably until about 480/475 B.C.   Zechariah’s name means, “The Lord remembers,” which is fitting for this book.  God is remembering his covenant promise to the Israelites in this post-exilic period.  Zechariah’s prophecies are similar to Haggai’s in that he is encouraging the Israelites to rebuild the temple.  Zechariah is a wonderful book, filled with 8 night visions, 4 messages, and 2 oracles.  A good overview of the book of Zechariah is online at bible.org at this link.

      Zechariah

      Chapter 1 verse 3 stood out to me in today’s readings: “Return to me, and I will return to you, says the LORD Almighty.’” What a great calling and promise from God!  Return to me – and I will return to you.  Are there areas in your life where you need to change your ways and return to God?  If you change our ways, or repent, and return to God, do you believe that God will also return blessings to you for this act of repentance?  Will you return to God?  Why would this be wise? Is it a risky waste of time to be apart from God?  Will you no longer turn back?

      No20turning20back

      In verse 8 we begin to read about Zechariah’s night visions.  It is interesting to note that all 8 of his visions in this book take place in 1 night.  Visions are different from dreams in that Zechariah is an in an awake state while these visions occur.  You’ll note that the four horsemen described here are very similar to the “four horsemen of the apocalypse” described by John in Revelation chapter 6, which we recently read.  The four horns in verse 18 are thought to represent Assyria, Egypt, Babylon, and Persia and the four blacksmiths in verse 20 are thought to represent Egypt, Babylon, Persia, and Greece.  Below are the visions of Zechariah from a 14th century illuminated Bible:

      Zechariah_visions

      Today in Zechariah we read about the future prosperity of Jerusalem, the Exiles being called home, and cleansing for the high priest.   Chapter 2, verses 4 & 5 stood out to me in today’s readings: “”Hurry, and say to that young man, `Jerusalem will someday be so full of people that it won’t have room enough for everyone! Many will live outside the city walls, with all their livestock–and yet they will be safe. For I, myself, will be a wall of fire around Jerusalem, says the LORD. And I will be the glory inside the city!’”  My mind took me to the thought of the holy heavenly Jerusalem being chocked full of people who love God!  And a wall of fire – holy protection – surrounding everyone in a heavenly Jerusalem and providing safety.  And God’s glory reigning eternally…  I don’t think this is quite proper exegesis on this passage…  🙂 but I like the thought!

      Chapter 1 verse 13 also jumped out at me: “Be silent before the LORD, all humanity, for he is springing into action from his holy dwelling.””  I think sometimes we get so busy during the Christmas season that we forget to be silent and to be still.  We can just go, go, go – rush, rush rush – and maybe miss the true meaning of Christmas?  Don’t forget the song, “Silent Night, Holy Night….”   Can you find time and space to be silent before the Lord this upcoming Christmas?  And time and space to reflect upon what the advent of Jesus as a baby in the manger means to you?

      Nativity

      Chapter 3 verses 8 & 9 were also beautiful for me today as we think about the birth of Jesus: “Listen to me, O Jeshua the high priest, and all you other priests. You are symbols of the good things to come. Soon I am going to bring my servant, the Branch. Now look at the jewel I have set before Jeshua, a single stone with seven facets.  I will engrave an inscription on it, says the LORD Almighty, and I will remove the sins of this land in a single day.”  Are you looking forward to the coming of the Branch?  What does the Branch symbolize to you?  Verse 9 above also looks beyond Christmas and toward Good Friday – How were our sins removed in a single day?  Do you believe that your sins were removed by Jesus on the cross on that single day?

      And chapter 3 verse 10 is powerful: “And on that day, says the LORD Almighty, each of you will invite your neighbor into your home to share your peace and prosperity.” Will you have an opportunity over this next couple of weeks to invite someone into your home to share in your peace and prosperity?  Or, if not, can you find an opportunity to go out and share your peace and prosperity with others?  Maybe volunteer at a place that has neighbors that really need your peace and prosperity?

      Today in the book of the prophet Zechariah we read about Zechariah’s visions of a Lampstand and Two Olive Trees, a Flying Scroll, and a Woman in a Basket.  Chapter 4 is essentially a vision of encouragement for the Jews to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem – not by their own might, but by relying on the Spirit of God.  The rebuilding will be led by Zerubbabel, the political leader of Jerusalem at this post-exilic time, as well as by Joshua, the priest – and these two are represented by the 2 olive trees in the vision.  The bowl of oil held by the lampstands in the vision represents God’s power through his spirit.  Below is an image of Zechariah’s vision of the lampstand and olive trees from a Cervera Bible from Spain from approximately the year 1300:

      Zecheriah_cervera

      Chapter 4 verse 6 stood out to me in today’s readings: “It is not by force nor by strength, but by my Spirit, says the LORD Almighty.”  How often in our own lives do we try to do things by our own force or our own strength?  And not look to God?  Would we ultimately lead more productive and peaceful and joyful and restful lives if we instead allowed God’s Spirit to move in our lives?  Or will we continue to try to do things by our own force and strength?

      Verse 10 is a great reminder for each of us – “Do not despise these small beginnings, for the LORD rejoices to see the work begin, to see the plumb line in Zerubbabel’s hand.”  If we do feel led by the Spirit of God to work on something – and it turns out to be maybe something bigger than ourselves – do we sometimes get discouraged by the task before us?  Do we despise small beginnings?  Be encouraged to know that God rejoices in small beginnings!  Take the first step!  Take the plumb line in your hand!  (I will be honest – it’s not always easy to get motivated for typing in this blog each evening.  Most days I am motivated – but not always.  Sometimes I just have to “take the plumb line in my hand” – get started with the typing – and God shows up….)

      Plumb_line

      In chapter 5 we read about the vision of the flying scroll – which is a very large scroll with a purpose of encouraging repentance with a clear message of judgment.  The second vision of the woman in the basket is essentially purging sin from the land of Jerusalem, and plopping it down in a more fitting place where they will build a temple for it!   To worship the sin… Babylon…  Are there areas in our life where we need to deposit some sin into a basket, close the lid, and let the basket be taken away to another place far from us?  Is it possible that there are areas of sin in our life where we actually worship the sin somehow?  Will we turn away from this false idol worship and return to loving God whole-heartedly?

      Worship Video: Today’s readings reminded me of Britt Nicole’s song “Walk on The Water:”


      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wddc8UzNiG8

      Do you want to walk on the water? Click here and Walk On!

      Comments from You:  What verses or insights stand out to you in today’s readings?  Please post up in the “Comments” below!

      God bless,
      Mike

      p.s. Download our monthly Small Group study notes for our Chronological Bible readings at this link.

      p.s. #2 – Download a schedule of our Chronological Bible readings for the year in PDF format at this link.

      p.s. #3 – I would greatly appreciate it if you would pray for this Chronological Bible Blog ministry today! Please also consider partnering with us by financially supporting this ministry. Thank you!

    • September 10th Chronological Bible Readings

      Daniel 10:1-12:13; Ezra 4:24-5:1; Haggai 1:1-15
      ~ Click here to read today’s Scripture on Bible Gateway ~
      ~ Listen to today’s Scripture with The ESV Bible ~

      Daniel chapter 10 is fascinating as Daniel interacts with angels, including Gabriel – and we hear about Michael the Archangel and his work.   If you are interested in learning more about “angelology” – yes, a real word apparently – check out this link on angelology at bible.org. 

      Angel_daniel

      Chapter 10 verses 12 & 13 are worth considering: “”Don’t be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day you began to pray for understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your request has been heard in heaven. I have come in answer to your prayer. But for twenty-one days the spirit prince of the kingdom of Persia blocked my way.”  This is encouraging to me that our prayers are heard in heaven.  What is maybe discouraging is that our answers or help needed for our prayers can be blocked by fallen angels / demons, as we see in these verses.  The spirit prince of Persia being a demon of some sort blocking the angel from getting to Daniel to answer his prayer.  A good book that I would recommend to dive more into what this spiritual realm and the spiritual battles between angels might be like is “This Present Darkness” by Frank Peretti.  It is a powerful read.

      This_present_darkness

      Daniel chapter 11 today is phenomenal when you realize that these prophecies were made in 537 B.C. and covered events for about 300 or so more years following that date.  Essentially, we are getting a history lesson in this chapter – in advance of the history unfolding!  This chapter really made me realize how “in control” God really is of everything.  Which is actually very comforting for me, and hopefully is for you.  I look at it this way – if God knows what is going to be transpiring hundreds of years in advance – if not thousands and millions of years in advance – why are we worrying about what’s going to happen tomorrow?  🙂  Or why are we fretting over what happened yesterday?  A quote I heard many years ago and occasionally bubbles back up into my mind is this: “Let go.  And Let God.”  Let go, and let God.  Meaning – let go of your worries and fears about yesterday or tomorrow and let God take the reins.  He’s got the reins anyway… so why fret & fuss over our worries and fears?  Somehow the sweep of this prophecy seemed to make me realize that we often worry too much about really insignificant stuff…

      Sweat_small_stuff

      There is a lot going on in this chapter – I’ll point out a couple of highlights.  Verse 3 & 4 discuss Alexander the Great (336 – 323 B.C.): “Then a mighty king will rise to power who will rule a vast kingdom and accomplish everything he sets out to do. But at the height of his power, his kingdom will be broken apart and divided into four parts.” Many of the remaining verses then dive into kings of the line of Ptolemy in the south kingdom, or Egypt , and kings of the line of Seleucus/Anttiochus in the north kingdom, or Syria.  Verse 31 covers 168 B.C. when an altar to the pagan god Zeus Olympius is set up in the Temple in Jerusalem by Antiochus Epiphanes: “His army will take over the Temple fortress, polluting the sanctuary, putting a stop to the daily sacrifices, and setting up the sacrilegious object that causes desecration.” Tell you what – there is so much going on in this chapter, I recommend jumping over to bible.org at this link to read up more on what’s happening.  It really is fascinating stuff.  Below is a coin from 175 to 164 B.C. with Antiochus Epiphanes image upon it:

      Antiochus

      Today we finish the book of Daniel!  What an amazing read this book has been for me this year.  I have been blessed by it.  I hope you have too.  It is always interesting to dive into prophecies and angels and such.  I have to admit that I don’t think about these types of things too often in my day to day life.  However, I know they are real.  And as I read the book of Daniel I am reminded of God’s amazing story and where it is ultimately leading.  Below is an image of Satan being bound by Michael the archangel, from the John Brown Bible circa 1816:

      Satan_michael_

      In Daniel chapter 11 verse 36 onwards we are looking at verses prophesying about the anti-christ and end times.  The verses just prior to 36, in yesterday’s readings, referred to Antiochus Epiphanes in 168 B.C., but we are looking at the future here in today’s verses in chapter 11.  To get some more context on these verses today, check out 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4 and Revelation 13:5-8.  A portion of verse 36 does stand out to me today: “For what has been determined will surely take place.” Do you believe these prophecies in Daniel have been determined?  Do you believe they will surely take place?

      Daniel_king

      Daniel chapter 12 is called “The Time of the End” or “The End Times” in many Bible descriptors.  However, over at bible.org Bob Deffinbaugh calls this chapter “The Hope of Heaven”.  I like that!  Here’s an excerpt from Bob’s essay: “Daniel 12 is the crowning chapter of this prophecy, as well as its conclusion. It takes the believer to the high-water mark of Christian hope—the assurance of the resurrection of the dead. Let us listen and learn, and gain hope and comfort.”  Check out Mr. Deffinbaugh’s full essay on Daniel chapter 12 at this link.

      Daniel_prophecy

      Verse 2 stands out in Daniel chapter 12: “Many of those whose bodies lie dead and buried will rise up, some to everlasting life and some to shame and everlasting contempt.” This is one of the first clear mentions of a resurrection in the Old Testament.  The phrase “everlasting life” appears only here in the Old Testament!  Pretty fascinating.  Seems like this chapter is in some ways bridging Old Testament / Old Covenant theology to New Testament / New Covenant.  Do you believe that after death some will rise to everlasting life?  And some to everlasting contempt?  Below is the famous fresco titled “The Last Judgment” by Michelangelo, which is at the Sistine Chapel in Rome:

      Last_judgment_

      Worship Video: Today’s readings reminded me of Mercy Me’s great song “Here I Am:”


      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qfU5ys2O7gA

      Are you in a relationship with God such that you could reply like Isaiah did, “Here I Am, Send Me?” Click here and get sent!

      Comments from You:  What verses or insights stand out to you in today’s readings?  Please post up in the “Comments” below!

      God bless,
      Mike

      p.s. Download our monthly Small Group study notes for our Chronological Bible readings at this link.

      p.s. #2 – Download a schedule of our Chronological Bible readings for the year in PDF format at this link.

      p.s. #3 – I would greatly appreciate it if you would pray for this Chronological Bible Blog ministry today! Please also consider partnering with us by financially supporting this ministry. Thank you!

    • September 9th Chronological Bible Readings

      Ezra 2:1-4:5; 1 Chronicles 3:19-24
      ~ Click here to read today’s Scripture on Bible Gateway ~
      ~ Listen to today’s Scripture with The ESV Bible ~

      Worship Video: Today’s readings remind me of the terrific Josiah Queen song called “My Promised Land:”


      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lwz6dqE511k

      Is Jesus your Promised Land? Click here for your Promised Land!

      Comments from You:  What verses or insights stand out to you in today’s readings?  Please post up in the “Comments” section below!

      God bless,
      Mike

      p.s. Download our monthly Small Group study notes for our Chronological Bible readings at this link.

      p.s. #2 – Download a schedule of our Chronological Bible readings for the year in PDF format at this link.

      p.s. #3 – I would greatly appreciate it if you would pray for this Chronological Bible Blog ministry today! Please also consider partnering with us by financially supporting this ministry. Thank you!

    • September 8th Chronological Bible Readings

      Daniel 6:1-28; Daniel 9:1-27; 2 Chronicles 36:22-23; Ezra 1:1-11; 1 Chronicles 3:17-19
      ~ Click here to read today’s Scripture on Bible Gateway ~
      ~ Listen to today’s Scripture with The ESV Bible ~

      Daniel chapter 6 today is probably more famous than chapter 5’s writing on the wall!  Today Daniel goes into the lion’s den…  Several things, as always, are going on in this chapter.  One big note is that Daniel is about 80 years old at the time of this chapter.  He’s not a young man.  And yet he is running laps around the other kingdom administrators with his work – and for this he is honored more and more by the king.  And others are getting jealous of this old man Daniel.  They realize the only way to trip him up is on his religion.  And – by appealing to the king’s pride with a law that makes people worship the king only.  Interesting thing that pride…  seems an easy sin for us humans to fall into..? Well, then the old man Daniel gets tossed into the pit of lions – and comes out alive through the grace of God.  And the king realizes he was duped by the admins and tosses them & their families into the pit of lions.  But enough of my Cliff Notes here… let’s check out a few verses…  (below is a painting of "Daniel in the Lion’s Den" by Peter Paul Rubens, circa 1615)

      Lion_daniel

      Verse 4 makes me reflect on my life and the way I live it: "Then the other administrators and princes began searching for some fault in the way Daniel was handling his affairs, but they couldn’t find anything to criticize. He was faithful and honest and always responsible."   How are we in handling our affairs?  Our job, our tempers, our finances, our time?  Are we faithful in all of these areas?  Honest?  Always responsible?

      Daniel__

      Verse 10 helps us look at how we should act when challenging circumstances come into our lives: "But when Daniel learned that the law had been signed, he went home and knelt down as usual in his upstairs room, with its windows open toward Jerusalem. He prayed three times a day, just as he had always done, giving thanks to his God."  Daniel continued to worship God as he always had in the midst of bad news of the new law.  He didn’t blink.  He didn’t flinch.  He didn’t take a break from God.  He kept worshiping.  How do we act when bad news comes into our lives?  Do we sulk?  Do we decide to avoid God for a while?  Or do we continue to worship God as we have always – giving thanks to God?  Even in the midst of severe challenges, will we still give thanks to God for who He is?

      Daniel_prayer

      Verse 20 is a wonderful verse from the mouth of the remorseful King Darius: “When he got there, he called out in anguish, "Daniel, servant of the living God! Was your God, whom you worship continually, able to rescue you from the lions?””  First of all – I love the term “the living God”.  Do you believe that God is indeed a living God?  Not a stoic God who just sets up the universe and then lets it run on its own – but a God who is in the midst of every single one of our experiences – good and bad?  A living God?  A God who is with us on the mountain tops – and in the lion’s den?  Do you believe God is indeed a living God?  Do you worship the living God continually? Like Daniel, are you a servant of the Living God? Do you want to be a servant of the Living God?  The Living God that will send His angels to protect you from even lions in their den?

      Daniel_lion

      Daniel chapter 9 today has an amazing prayer from Daniel!  Confess your sins, be humble, praise God and petition for others.  What a prayer.  If you liked Daniel’s prayer in today’s readings as much as I did, here are two more that I think you’ll appreciate – one from Ezra at this link – and one from Nehemiah at this link.  (okay, this is completely a geeky Bible thing here – but I just noticed that all 3 of these amazing prayers are in chapter 9 of their respective books!  🙂  So, if you are forgetting how to pray and feel like you need some inspiration, just remember:  Daniel 9, Ezra 9, and Nehemiah 9!)

      Angel_gabriel

      I’ll just highlight the opening verses of Daniel’s prayer in verses 4 & 5: ""O Lord, you are a great and awesome God! You always fulfill your promises of unfailing love to those who love you and keep your commands. But we have sinned and done wrong. We have rebelled against you and scorned your commands and regulations."  What a great way to open in prayer – praise God and then confess your sins.  Do you believe that God is indeed a great and awesome God?  That God always fulfills his promises of unfailing love to those who love him and keep his commands?  Have we sinned?  Have we rebelled?  Have we scorned God’s commands?

      Daniel_vision_

      The remainder of chapter 9 (and into chapter 10 two days from now) are fascinating as Daniel interacts with angels, including Gabriel – and we hear about Michael the Archangel and his work.   If you are interested in learning more about "angelology" – yes, a real word apparently – check out this link on angelology at bible.org. 

      Angel_daniel

      Today we begin the book of the priest & scribe Ezra!

      Ezra_thanks_god_for_his_help

      Author: Ezra
      Date: Fifth century B.C.
      Content: The book of Ezra deals with the return of the Israelites to the land of Palestine after their captivity in Babylon. After describing first the return and how the work on the Temple was begun, the author tells us the problems that arose. After a great deal of trouble and early failure, the Temple was finally finished and rededicated to the glory of God. The ministry of Ezra is described in some detail, stressing the intercession that he made to God for the wayward people of the restored community.
      Theme: When the people of Israel returned home they saw this as the fulfillment of the promise of God. God had said he would never abandon his people, and although they were judged for their sin, God never stopped loving them. That God should care for the world to this degree is the deepest of mysteries. God desires our worship in return for his love, however. This may be seen in that he sent the prophets Haggai and Zechariah to speed the rebuilding of the Temple after the people, in discouragement, had ceased to work upon it. (Above commentary is from Tyndale Publishers “The One Year Bible Companion” p. 8) More commentary on Ezra is at this link:       https://bible.org/article/book-ezra

      Worship Video: Today’s readings reminded me of Michael W. Smith’s great song “A New Hallelujah!”


      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nBxOkruKpqI

      Do you want to sing a new Hallelujah? Click here and Sing!

      Comments from You:  What verses or insights stand out to you in today’s readings?  Please post up in the “Comments” section below!

      God bless,
      Mike

      p.s. Download our monthly Small Group study notes for our Chronological Bible readings at this link.

      p.s. #2 – Download a schedule of our Chronological Bible readings for the year in PDF format at this link.

      p.s. #3 – I would greatly appreciate it if you would pray for this Chronological Bible Blog ministry today! Please also consider partnering with us by financially supporting this ministry. Thank you!

    • September 7th Chronological Bible Readings

      Daniel 7:1-8:27; Daniel 5:1-31
      ~ Click here to read today’s Scripture on Bible Gateway ~
      ~ Listen to today’s Scripture with The ESV Bible ~

      Okay, so Daniel chapter 7 with the vision of 4 beasts is not exactly an easy one for me to interpret here in a daily blog!  🙂  But I’ll give it a bit of a go.  Actually, if you’re looking for in-depth commentary on this chapter, please check out this link on bible.org, titled "Daniel’s Disturbing Dream."

      Daniel_beast_

      Overall, this is a very powerful chapter to read… I definitely was feeling drawn into this chapter and the description of the beasts.  Basically here in chapter 7 we’re seeing a parallel with the vision of these 4 beasts in this vision of Daniel’s with the dream Nebuchadnezzar had of the statue in chapter 2 of Daniel.   The lion with the eagle wings represents Babylonia, just as the head of gold in ch. 2 did.  The bear represents Medo-Persia, as the silver did in ch. 2.  The leopard represents Greece, as did the bronze/brass in ch. 2.  And the terrifying and frightening beast represents the Roman empire, as the feet of clay & iron did in ch. 2.   Roughly speaking of course…  🙂  Maybe this image below will better explain things:

      Daniel_beasts

      The best verses in this chapter are in my mind verse 13 & 14 where we get a Messianic vision of Jesus! "As my vision continued that night, I saw someone who looked like a man coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient One and was led into his presence. He was given authority, honor, and royal power over all the nations of the world, so that people of every race and nation and language would obey him. His rule is eternal–it will never end. His kingdom will never be destroyed."   Wow…  very powerful stuff..  Do you believe that Jesus has been given authority, honor and royal power over all the world?  Do you believe that his rule is eternal and his kingdom will never be destroyed?  Do you know in your heart that Jesus is your eternal King?

      King_jesus

      Verse 8 & 20 are intriguing to me when they talk about: "This little horn had eyes like human eyes and a mouth that was boasting arrogantly."  The thing that jumped out at me was the mouth that was boasting arrogantly.  How did this read to you when you came across it?  As a good or bad thing to have a mouth that boasts arrogantly?  Again, this reminds me of the sin of pride that we have been seeing over and over again here in the book of Daniel with the Babylonian kings & Darius the Mede.  Essentially some commentaries suggest this little horn that boasts arrogantly represents the antichrist…

      Daniel_beast

      Daniel chapter 8 is quite a chapter!  I’m not 100% sure how to post up on this chapter – so I went over to bible.org to see what they had to say and I came across this paragraph over there – "Daniel chapter 8 is a preacher’s nightmare. Even noted scholars hesitate to be dogmatic in their interpretation of this chapter. Daniel himself has not the foggiest notion of the vision’s meaning, even after the angel Gabriel has interpreted the vision for him."   I think I better just link over to what bible.org has to say about this chapter today.  This is in the blog world what one would call a punt!  🙂

      Punt

      The closing verse 27 of chapter 8 certainly stands out to me today: "Then I, Daniel, was overcome and lay sick for several days. Afterward I got up and performed my duties for the king, but I was greatly troubled by the vision and could not understand it."  Do you think you’d be physically exhausted & sick if you saw a vision like Daniel saw in this chapter?

      Daniel_goat

      Daniel chapter 5 is the famous "the writing is on the wall" chapter!  It is not a good sign to see writing appear on the wall in this way…  This chapter is of huge importance to the Babylonian dynasty – because this chapter is the very last day of Babylon the empire.  The next day everything goes to the Persians & Medes and Cyrus will be taking over the roost.  Daniel chapter 5 verse 1 starts us out today with: "A number of years later.."  This chapter takes place in 539 B.C., whereas chapter 4 with Nebuchadnezzar took place before his death in 562 B.C.  So, at least 23 years have past between chapter 4 & 5 – and several leaders of Babylon have passed by, leaving Belshazzar, who has 1 day more… 

      _belshazzar

      Verses 1 through 4 in the chapter unfortunately describe an orgy taking place, utilizing gold and silver cups taken from the Temple in Jerusalem decades earlier by Nebuchadnezzar.  Unwisely, Belshazzar and the crew toast false idols with these sacred cups of God – at which point immediately the hand begins writing on the wall, and verse 6 tells us this about Belshazzar – "Such terror gripped him that his knees knocked together and his legs gave way beneath him."  Think he had reason to be scared like this?  Why?

      Belshazzar_1

      As Daniel is called in to interpret the writing, verse 17 stands out as Daniel tells Belshazzar: "Keep your gifts or give them to someone else, but I will tell you what the writing means."  Daniel is obviously quite bold and dismissive of Belshazzar here – he does not defer to Belshazzar being the king, and the seemingly right thing to do would be to immediately say you’d appreciate the gifts.  Daniel simply says – keep ’em! (though, later he’s still bestowed with them)  Bold…  A righteous boldness, yes?  Plus, you’ve got to think that Daniel’s seen a lot in Babylon in his time and he’s ready to cut to the chase and just interpret the writing.  He doesn’t need earthly gifts or honor…  What about us in our lives today?  Do we seek earthly gifts and honor for ourselves?  Should we?  Can we learn from Daniel’s boldness and focus on what truly matters in this life?  (note that an older Daniel is in the middle of this image below from the 1816 John Brown Bible, with a strange looking Belshazzar sitting to the right)

      Belshazzar_daniel

      Before interpreting the dream Daniel gives Belshazzar an old fashioned lecture which culminates in verse 22 as he speaks of Nebuchadnezzar being humbled by God: ""You are his successor, O Belshazzar, and you knew all this, yet you have not humbled yourself."  Basically, Daniel is saying – you should have known better.  You knew better.  You saw Nebuchadnezzar’s mistakes.  You did not learn.  Are we like this sometimes in our lives today?  Shouldn’t we know better…?  Below is an artist’s take on Belshazzar’s final feast –

      _belshazzar_

      Verse 27 is worth reflecting upon! "You have been weighed on the scales and found wanting." (NIV).  Very interesting to think about a godly scale.  A scale that maybe looks at how we invest our time, money, love, life, worship?  Are we investing in things that are eternal?  Obviously, through the opening verses Belshazzar was simply investing his life into himself, his lusts and his desires.  And hence, MENE, MENE, TEKEL, PARSIN was written on the wall…  Pretty amazing to think that the great kingdom of Babylon went down like this in one chapter…  God clearly is a kingdom-maker and a kingdom-taker!

      Mene

      Worship God: Today’s readings reminded me of the fantastic song “Create in me a Clean Heart” performed here by Donnie McClurkin and a choir:


      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ILRjmPGvVB8

      Do you want a clean heart? Click here to be made clean!

      Comments from You:  What verses or insights stand out to you in today’s readings?  Please post up in the “Comments” section below!

      God bless,
      Mike

      p.s. Download our monthly Small Group study notes for our Chronological Bible readings at this link.

      p.s. #2 – Download a schedule of our Chronological Bible readings for the year in PDF format at this link.

      p.s. #3 – I would greatly appreciate it if you would pray for this Chronological Bible Blog ministry today! Please also consider partnering with us by financially supporting this ministry. Thank you!

    • August 29th Chronological Bible Readings

      Jeremiah 42:1-44:30; Ezekiel 33:21-33
      ~ Click here to read today’s Scripture on Bible Gateway ~
      ~ Listen to today’s Scripture with The ESV Bible ~

      The three Jeremiah chapters today are quite eventful!  It is intriguing that the Israelites ask Jeremiah for a message from God – and that whatever they hear back they will do and obey. But then they don’t obey! Are we like this at times… ?  We promise promise promise God that we’ll listen & change…  but then do we?  If you are going through struggles in your life today will you call out to God?  Do you trust that He will answer in His own unique and perfect way and timing?  And then will you trust and obey?

      God_answer

      Jeremiah chapter 42 gives a good overview of the day’s readings, with these closing 2 verses in this chapter from Jeremiah: "And today I have told you exactly what he said, but you will not obey the LORD your God any better now than you have in the past. So you can be sure that you will die from war, famine, and disease in Egypt, where you insist on going." Jeremiah delivered the message from God… but knew that the message would go unheeded.

      Jeremiah20prophesying20the20defeat20of20

      Chapter 43 reminds me that when we are disobedient to God’s will that our disobedience can affect not only ourselves, but others around us too. Mind you, Egypt was not a "house of the holy" – but the Israelites disobedience is going to bring destruction to themselves and Egypt. They’re carrying their disobedience and curse on to others.  Jeremiah 43’s verses 9 & 10 stood out: ""While the people of Judah are watching, bury large rocks between the pavement stones at the entrance of Pharaoh’s palace here in Tahpanhes. I will surely bring my servant Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, here to Egypt." Interesting that God calls Nebuchadnezzar his "servant". Would God have said this about the Israelites at this time? Called them his servants?

      Jer_43_9_take_great_stones_in_thine_hand

      Chapter 44 is a great reminder of why it’s a bad idea to pursue idols in our life instead of God! Verse 7 asks "Why are you destroying yourselves?" I love this verse. Why are we destroying ourselves? We bring upon self-abuse, self-destruction, when we pursue things that are not of God. Think about it. They may bring a quick temporary pleasure, but in the long run are they building us up or destroying us? Why are we destroying ourselves?

      Stress

      Jeremiah 44:28 stood out to me in today’s readings: “”Only a small number will escape death and return to Judah from Egypt.” This verse reminds me that God is continuing to preserve the line – the house of David. God will destroy most of the Israelites in Egypt for their unfaithfulness & idol worship, but he will preserve a remnant! We see this over and over in the Bible – even Noah & the flood comes to mind, pre-David of course.  Verses 29 and 30 in this chapter continues: “And this is the proof I give you, says the LORD, that all I have threatened will happen to you and that I will punish you here: I will turn Pharaoh Hophra, king of Egypt, over to his enemies who want to kill him, just as I turned King Zedekiah of Judah over to King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. I, the LORD, have spoken!”  Based on these verses, below is an image of Pharaoh-Hophra taken prisoner in the war with Amasis:

      Pharaoh_egypt

      Worship Video:  Today’s readings reminds me of Matthew West’s song “Me on Your Mind:”


      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hie9q5aOA6k

      Do you believe you are on God’s mind? Click here and find out!

      Comments from You:  What verses or insights stand out to you in today’s readings?  Please post up by clicking on the “Comments” link below!

      God bless,
      Mike

      p.s. Download our monthly Small Group study notes for our Chronological Bible readings at this link.

      p.s. #2 – Download a schedule of our Chronological Bible readings for the year in PDF format at this link.

      p.s. #3 – I would greatly appreciate it if you would pray for this Chronological Bible Blog ministry today! Please also consider partnering with us by financially supporting this ministry. Thank you!

    • August 28th Chronological Bible Readings

      Lamentations 5:1-22; Obadiah 1:1-21; 2 Kings 25:22-26; Jeremiah 40:7-41:18
      ~ Click here to read today’s Scripture on Bible Gateway ~
      ~ Listen to today’s Scripture with The ESV Bible ~

      Old Testament – Lamentations Chapters 4 in yesterday’s readings and chapter 5 in today’s are tough chapters to read. We know why everything that we read in these chapters has come to pass from our readings in the book of Jeremiah. I guess the thing personally that jumped out at me today when reading this chapter were these thoughts: Have I personally ever experienced anything like what we read about in this chapter? The answer is no. The second thought or question that came to me, however, was this: Are there people in our world today that are experiencing similar things that we read about in this chapter? And I believe the answer is obviously yes. Not for the same “reasons” that Jerusalem was experiencing all of this of course – but the same experiences of starvation and lack of hope are indeed happening in our world today.

      Starvation

      Today we start and finish the book of Obadiah – the shortest book in the Old Testament!  Obadiah was a prophet from Judah, who prophesied against Edom, Israel’s neighbor to the southeast of Jerusalem & the Salt Sea.  Edom was a descendent of Esau – and Israel a descendent of Jacob.  Esau & Jacob were the twin sons of Isaac and fought during their lifetimes, and the fighting of the nations of Israel & Edom continued throughout the Old Testament.  A quick flashback of Jacob & Esau is here from Genesis 25:23 – “Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples from within you will be separated; one people will be stronger than the other, and the older will serve the younger.”  Below is clear map of where Edom was located – in modern day Jordan – in relationship to Israel:

      Edom

      Quick tangent – This map above, which shows the ancient city of Petra reminds me of an amazing book I read several years ago.  It’s called “Walking the Bible: A journey by land through the Five Books of Moses” by Bruce Feiler.  Has anyone read this book by chance?  I had a good friend give it to me, and I avoided reading it because it looked kind of long and boring… 🙂  But it’s not!  It’s fantastic.  I cannot believe I waited years to read it.  In the book Bruce writes about his journey across the land that he takes from Mt. Ararat in Turkey, where Noah’s Ark was thought to have landed, through Abraham’s journey in the fertile crescent to Canaan, to the Israelites going to Egypt, through the Exodus, the Sinai, the Negev, and the finally to Petra and Edom and to the edge of the Promised Land.  It is an amazing modern day retracing the steps of the patriarchs!  I cannot recommend it highly enough.  It’s a nonfiction book.  And not really religious per se – though it’s all about the Bible, so in my mind it was.  This is a great read!

      Walking_the_bible

      Back to Obadiah – There is some uncertainty over when Obadiah prophesied.  It was either approximately 853-841 B.C. when Edom rebelled against Judah during the reign of Jehoram – in which case Obadiah would be a contemporary of Elisha.  Or, more likely, it was approx 605-586 B.C. when Babylon was attacking Jerusalem – in which case Obadiah would be a contemporary of Jeremiah.  A good overview of the book of Obadiah is at this link.  Verse 11 today tells us this about the reasons for Edom’s punishment – “For you deserted your relatives in Israel during their time of greatest need. You stood aloof, refusing to lift a finger to help when foreign invaders carried off their wealth and cast lots to divide up Jerusalem. You acted as though you were one of Israel’s enemies.”

      Edom

      Verse 15 stood out to me in Obadiah today: “As you have done to Israel, so it will be done to you.”  This is a good reminder to do unto others, as we would have done unto us…  Or, what goes around, comes around?  🙂  God was upset that Edom sat around and did nothing while their neighbor Israel was attacked.  They could have done something, but did nothing.  In our world today are our neighbors are being attacked – or hurt – or starving – or dying of disease?  If so, should we be doing something about it?  Should we be like the Good Samaritan, caring for our neighbor?  Who is your neighbor?

      Good_samaritan

       

      Jeremiah chapter 40 continues with Gedaliah being appointed governor of Judah by Babylon. Gedaliah seems to be a good sort, as he invites the people living in the country side to: “Settle in any town you wish, and live off the land. Harvest the grapes and summer fruits and olives, and store them away.” (v. 10). However, things don’t go well too long for Gedaliah, which is sad…  Ishmael enters the scene in chapter 40 and into chapter 41, and ultimately murders Gedaliah. This definitely made me sad! Things seemed to be getting a bit peaceful in Judah, and prosperous to a degree. And then evil enters the scene once again… How many times have we seen this scenario play out over history?  Below is an image of Ishmael’s treachery to the remnant of Judah in 41:6 –

      Ishmaels20treachery20towards20the20remna

      Worship Video:  Our Obadiah readings today reminded me of the Delirious song “Majesty.”  I had the good fortune to worship to this song with Delirious several years ago just before it was released.  They were playing some of their “new stuff” and this was a great song to worship to live!  You’ll notice the crowd in this video is definitely worshiping.


      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vNjH8QDpBFY

      Do you know our Majestic Lord? Click here for your Majesty!

      Comments from You:  What verses or insights stand out to you in today’s readings?  Please post up by clicking on the “Comments” link below!

      God bless,
      Mike

      p.s. Download our monthly Small Group study notes for our Chronological Bible readings at this link.

      p.s. #2 – Download a schedule of our Chronological Bible readings for the year in PDF format at this link.

      p.s. #3 – I would greatly appreciate it if you would pray for this Chronological Bible Blog ministry today! Please also consider partnering with us by financially supporting this ministry. Thank you!

    • August 27th Chronological Bible Readings

      Lamentations 2:1-4:22
      ~ Click here to read today’s Scripture on Bible Gateway ~
      ~ Listen to today’s Scripture with The ESV Bible ~

      Perhaps Lamentations chapter 2, verses 18 & 19, give us a hint at what we should do if we realize we’ve hit a rock bottom place in our lives due to unchecked sin – “Cry aloud before the Lord, O walls of Jerusalem! Let your tears flow like a river. Give yourselves no rest from weeping day or night. Rise during the night and cry out. Pour out your hearts like water to the Lord. Lift up your hands to him in prayer.” If you are at that place of rock bottom, or nearing it, will you cry to the Lord? Will you pour out your heart to the Lord letting him know that you need him – that you cannot do life without him? Will you pray?


      The20elders20and20the20virgins20of20jeru

      Lamentations Chapter 3 today starts out quite sad and empty in verses 1-20.  Of course, the reason for this sadness and emptiness in these opening verses is God’s discipline toward the people of Jerusalem at this time.  They had sinned greatly and thus this discipline had come upon them.  I think the thing for us to remember in seasons like this in our lives is that it is typically only a season.  This too shall pass – if we repent & learn & grow and return to the Lord.  Indeed, we see the transition in chapter 21: "Yet I still dare to hope when I remember this…"  I love this!  "I still dare to hope" – even in the midst of so much sadness & emptiness.  In the midst of our tough seasons in life, can we still dare to hope?  Why should we still dare to hope?  Will you still dare to hope?

      Bubbles

      Verses 22 to 66 in today’s readings are just phenomenal. I could write on and on about probably each of these verses. There is so much here for us. I’d encourage you to read these verses at least twice and meditate on them and how they might apply to your life today. I’ll jump through a couple of verses here that stood out to me. Verse 23 – "Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each day." Do you experience God’s mercies afresh each day? Do you believe that you can?

      Verse 25 – "The LORD is wonderfully good to those who wait for him and seek him." If you are not experiencing God now, will you wait for him? Will you seek him? (this reminds me of Jeremy Camp’s tune on his worship album – "I’ll wait for the Lord. My soul waits". Great tune and great reminder that we sometimes need to wait on the Lord).

      Wait

      Worship Video:  Lamentations 3:23 obviously reminded me of the wonderful worship song "Great is Thy Faithfulness."  I couldn’t quite find a good version of this on song on YouTube.  However, I found a wonderful song called "Great is Your Mercy" with Donnie McClurkin and several other singers.  Enjoy!


      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W7jVa1RBldQ

      Can you sing "Great is Your Mercy" to God?  Click here to sing!

      Comments from You:  What verses or insights stand out to you in today’s readings?  Please post up by clicking on the “Comments” link below!

      God bless,
      Mike

      p.s. I would greatly appreciate it if you would pray for this Chronological Bible Blog ministry today! Please also consider partnering with us by financially supporting this ministry. Thank you!

    • August 26th Chronological Bible Readings

      Jeremiah 39:11-18; Jeremiah 40:1-6; 2 Kings 25:8-21; Jeremiah 52:12-27; 2 Chronicles 36:15-21; Lamentations 1:1-22
      ~ Click here to read today’s Scripture on Bible Gateway ~
      ~ Listen to today’s Scripture with The ESV Bible ~

      Today we begin the book of Lamentations!  Lamentations is a short 5 chapter book. It’s essentially a postscript to the book of Jeremiah, and was likely written by the prophet Jeremiah. It is a book that surveys and laments Jerusalem and the Temple after the destruction of both by the Babylonians in about 586 B.C.  A wonderful commentary on the book of Lamentations by Donald Curtis titled “The Fall of Jerusalem” is at this link – surf about 2/3rds the way down this page to get a good chapter by chapter overview of Lamentations – and to dive into info on the acrostics, etc.

      Lament

      ~ Lamentations ~
      Author: Jeremiah
      Date: Sixth century B.C.
      Content: The book of Lamentations is a funeral song, written for the fallen city of Jerusalem. It was composed by Jeremiah, who was an eye-witness of all he describes in such vivid detail. He shows the destruction in all its horror so that it could never again be asked, “Why did no one ever tell us the awful price we would have to pay for disobeying God?” There is very little of comfort, but Jeremiah’s prayer in chapter 5 does look beyond the desolate ashes of the once glorious Jerusalem to God whose throne endures forever. Only there can Jeremiah find any solace.
      Theme: Lamentations is a declaration of the wrath of God. It portrays the bitter truth that God had promised judgment upon sin, and Judah had been foolish enough to put God to the test. Bad as that was, the deeper tragedy was that it did not have to be. God’s faithfulness is great, being renewed every morning, and his compassion never fails. Had Judah only obeyed, it all could have been avoided. The warning and the promise found in this book should be emblazoned in the skies for all to see. (Above commentary is from Tyndale Publishers       “The One Year Bible Companion” pp. 13-14)  Below is an engraving by Gustaf Dore of these Lamentations of Jeremiah…

      Lamentations

      Lamentations chapter 1 verse 1 sets the tone & stage for this book – “Jerusalem’s streets, once bustling with people, are now silent. Like a widow broken with grief, she sits alone in her mourning. Once the queen of nations, she is now a slave.” Why is this so? Well, we just read the book of the prophet Jeremiah, so we know why…  One thing to keep in mind when reading Lamentations – it provides a glimpse at the devastating affects of unchecked & unrepentant sin. Per this verse above, do you think our sin change our position in life from being a “queen” to a “slave”? 

      Slaves

      I think it is important to realize that God did provide so much grace and compassion toward Jerusalem and Judah in the book of Jeremiah before everything got to the devastating point that it is in the book of Lamentations. God sent the prophet Jeremiah to warn Judah over and over and over again…. However, there was no repentance of sin and things got worse and worse – until it got to the point that God had no choice but to discipline Judah through Babylon’s taking Judah captive. We do need to know that unrepentant, unsorrowful, unchecked sin in our lives can lead to horrifically sorrowful things happening in our lives. And perhaps, by us hitting a rock bottom, like Jerusalem clearly is here in Lamentations, there will be an opportunity for discipline and ultimate redemption…

      Redemption

      Today in Lamentations 1:14 we read: “My sins have been bound into a yoke; by his hands they were woven together. They have come upon my neck and the Lord has sapped my strength. He has handed me over to those I cannot withstand.” Do you believe that sin can become a “yoke” around your neck? Can sin sap your strength? Can sin hand you over to those you cannot withstand? How can you be freed from this yoke of sin? Perhaps these words from Jesus in Matthew 11:28-30 will give us some ideas – “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” If there is a yoke of sin around your neck, will you allow Jesus to remove that yoke? Will you exchange the yoke of sin for the yoke of rest that Christ offers you today?

      Worship Video:  Today’s readings in Jeremiah 40 reminded me of The After’s wonderful song called “Light Up the Sky.” Here’s a great live version of this song:


      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5UpWVQbbKVo

      Has God lit up the sky for you? Click here for Light!

      Comments from You:  What verses or insights stand out to you in today’s readings?  Please post up by clicking on the “Comments” link below!

      God bless,
      Mike

      p.s. Download our monthly Small Group study notes for our Chronological Bible readings at this link.

      p.s. #2 – Download a schedule of our Chronological Bible readings for the year in PDF format at this link.

      p.s. #3 – I would greatly appreciate it if you would pray for this Chronological Bible Blog ministry today! Please also consider partnering with us by financially supporting this ministry. Thank you!

    • August 25th Chronological Bible Readings

      Ezekiel 26:15-28:26; 2 Kings 25:3-7; Jeremiah 52:6-11; Jeremiah 39:2-10
      ~ Click here to read today’s Scripture on Bible Gateway ~
      ~ Listen to today’s Scripture with The ESV Bible ~

      Ezekiel Chapter 27 indicates that Tyre was certainly good at business and trading!   This was in large part due to Tyre’s prime real estate location, which you can see in the two maps below:

      Tyre
      Tyrus

      However chapter 28 tells us that there was also a lot of pride associated with these business skills & wealth.  Verse 5 tells us: "Yes, your wisdom has made you very rich, and your riches have made you very proud."  This verse definitely stands out to me.  How often in our lives does something in our lives make us proud?  Verse 2 in this chapter says this: "In your great pride you claim, `I am a god!" If we get prideful enough, might we even consider ourselves a god??  Do you hear others in our culture today telling us that we are gods?  Good idea or bad idea here….?

      Ezek202620201620then20all20the20princess

      Verse 11-19 in this chapter are very interesting.  It is tough to discern if these verses about the king of Tyre or Satan or both?  Commentators hedge on these verses.  Perhaps, indeed, when we let pride get the best of us and think we are a god then we risk interweaving our life story with Satan’s?  I don’t know.  Scary stuff to think about though – jump down to the Psalm 111 verses for a good antidote to all this pride stuff…

      Satan

      Worship Video:  Today’s readings reminded me of Steven Curtis Chapman’s song, “Love Take Me Over:”


      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qn5mi5G9RQY

      Has Love taken you over?  Click here and be taken over! 

      Comments from You:  What verses or insights stand out to you in today’s readings?  Please post up by clicking on the “Comments” link below!

      God bless,
      Mike

      p.s. Download our monthly Small Group study notes for our Chronological Bible readings at this link.

      p.s. #2 – Download a schedule of our Chronological Bible readings for the year in PDF format at this link.

      p.s. #3 – I would greatly appreciate it if you would pray for this Chronological Bible Blog ministry today! Please also consider partnering with us by financially supporting this ministry. Thank you!