Category: Bible (Page 98 of 356)

As I journey through the Bible, I follow a plan that leads me to read 2 or 3 passages of scripture a day (you can check out the program on the link to the right—a new schedule for 2024 is coming soon). Occasionally, all three passages flow together and a theme emerges.

Today was such a day, and the overall feeling I got was neither warm nor fuzzy.

First from Malachi: And now, you priests, this warning is for you. If you do not listen, and if you do not resolve to honor my name,” says the Lord Almighty, “I will send a curse on you, and I will curse your blessings. Yes, I have already cursed them, because you have not resolved to honor me…I will smear on your faces the dung from your festival sacrifices, and you will be carried off with it.”

Then I turned to the Psalms for a reading: Therefore, you kings, be wise; be warned, you rulers of the earth. Serve the Lord with fear and celebrate his rule with trembling. Kiss his son, or he will be angry and your way will lead to your destruction, for his wrath can flare up in a moment.

Finally to the book of Revelation: A third of mankind was killed by the three plagues of fire, smoke and sulfur…The rest of mankind who were not killed by these plagues still did not repent of the work of their hands; they did not stop worshiping demons, and idols of gold, silver, bronze, stone and wood—idols that cannot see or hear or walk. Nor did they repent of their murders, their magic arts, their sexual immorality or their thefts.

First, the cursing of priests who take advantage for their position and lord their power over others. Like a thick layer of cream cheese on a bagel, God coats their faces with feces and send them off. Rather graphic—who says the Bible is boring?

Then the rulers of the earth receive a warning to either follow the Lord or follow a path to destruction. Finally, those surviving to the end of days reject the Lord, despite massive plagues sent in judgement.

What is the Lord trying to say through the chilling theme running through these verses?

While I cannot give a quick answer, I am struck by the severe nature of God’s actions in our world. As a minister, I take seriously any warning given to priests. Do I serve those around me or use them for my own purposes, as innocuous as that might seem? For leaders of all types, one cannot reject the Lord without consequences, as people will discover in the future days recorded in the Apocalypse of John.

I cannot be flippant about the Lord. No one can ignore him, or ridicule him, or flip him off and go about life without a reckoning to come. It’s healthy to realize God cannot be mocked, and a dose of this reality makes for a theme worth reviewing.

Malachi 2; Psalm 2; Revelation 9 in reading the Bible in 2023

Photo by Patrick Hendry

Today is Pearl Harbor Day. As a nation we mark the anniversary of the surprise attack on American forces by the Japanese navy in 1941. Over 2,300 sailers died, many trapped inside ships as they burned and sank in the harbor. The assault catapulted the United States into a war that ended four years later only with the nuclear bombing of Japan.

On this day so long ago the wicked found success. David prayed against such people in his world:

Do not grant the wicked their desires, Lord; do not let their plans succeed.

I don’t know if any amount of prayer would have stopped the events leading up to Pearl Harbor. But I do know that millions of people died due to a war launched by a few men gorging on power. The desires of the wicked led to tragedy upon tragedy for the innocent.

I regularly pray for well-being, good health, prosperity, wisdom, kind hearts, and a meaningful relationship with the Lord for myself and those around me. But I rarely ask God to blunt the plans of the wicked.

Our world is no more enlightened today than when those planes rained death on a idyllic harbor in Hawaii. We possess more ways to harm each other than ever before.

Perhaps we all need to pray David’s prayer more often.

Psalm 140 in reading the Bible in 2023

Photo by Kirby Yardley

I’ve never experienced a homecoming like the one enjoyed by the Jewish exiles returning to Jerusalem. Seventy years in captivity, many knew of Jerusalem only from stories. They returned to a broken city, and only through great effort rebuilt the walls and restored the temple.

The priests called an open-air meeting and read from the Book of the Law atop a high wooden platform. They explained the text and helped people understand the meaning behind the words.

As people listened they began to weep.

The service turned profoundly emotional. This group had left their captors, endured dangerous travel, joined in a massive construction project, restored abandoned houses, and fed families in the midst of it all. When they finally took a moment to breathe, the reality of God’s restoration hit them hard.

Nehemiah stopped the reading and gave these instructions: This day is holy to the Lord your God. Do not mourn or weep. Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks…for the joy of the Lord is your strength.

Then all the people went away to eat and drink, to send portions of food and celebrate with great joy, because they now understood the words that had been made known to them.

Homecoming turned into Thanksgiving. God’s goodness overwhelmed these former exiles, and the joy of the Lord indeed became their strength.

Wonderfully, God’s joy can become my strength as well. If I listen, understand and practice His Word I can learn to recognize God’s hand in my life. Then his joy might seep out in ways I’m not expecting, much like that homecoming in Jerusalem.

Nehemiah 8 in reading the Bible in 2023

Photo by Guillaume de Germain

The “self-made man” is a great American myth. We champion those who rose from seemingly nothing to heights of greatness. But no one really rises from nothing. We all have help along the way, be it wise parents, or a teacher who uncovers our potential, or a mentor who pushes us farther than we thought possible. We need others along any path to success.

Nehemiah rebuilt the walls of Jerusalem with the help of scores of others. Under his leadership, citizens joined together to accomplish a near impossible task.

Here’s a few lines from the description of the work carried out all along the remnants of the wall surrounding the city:

Next to him, the repairs were made by the Levites under Rehum son of Bani. Next to him, Hashahiah carried out repairs. Next to him, the repairs were made by their fellow Levites…Next to him, Ezer repaired another section…Next to him, Baruch son of Zabbai zealously repaired another section...

And on and on. The phrase next to him appears over and over as the writer describes the enthusiastic work put in by the men and women of Jerusalem. Despite fatigue and threats of violence, they finished the wall in an astounding 52 days.

I can set out to achieve great things on my own, and maybe I’ll get there. But to build things that last, like massive walls or a life of faith—especially a life of faith—I need to get shoulder to shoulder with good people.

I need to get next to him and go to work.

Nehemiah 3 in reading the Bible in 2023

Photo by Lukas