Blog – Read Through the Bible

January 21 / Zephaniah 3:8-20

Zephaniah 3:8-20

Dear RTB’ers,

Today’s reading is a bit confusing for me. (Nothing new about that…! ) Early on we see another picture of complete destruction: For My decision is to gather nations, to assemble kingdoms, to pour out upon them My indignation, all my burning anger; for in the fire of My jealousy all the earth shall be consumed. (v. 8) All the earth consumed…? That’s what we saw two days ago, that I repeated yesterday. But then, immediately, God has a plan for a separate people? For at that time I will change the speech of the peoples to a pure speech, that all of them may call upon the name of the LORD and serve Him with one accord. … the daughter of My dispersed ones shall bring My offering. (vv. 9-10) Then the rest of the chapter seems to be a “salvation” of sorts for these special people, likely the Israelites. They will have been cleansed from all their wrongdoings; they shall be safe and secure: The LORD has taken away the judgments against you; He has cleared away your enemies. The King of Israel, the LORD, is in your midst; you shall never again fear evil. (v. 15)

Yes, the Lord will have His special people. We close today with “At that time I will bring you in, at the time when I gather you together; for I will make you renowned and praised among all the peoples of the earth, when I restore your fortunes before your eyes,” says the LORD. (v. 20) So, what peoples? The Israelites? What time? In Zephaniah’s life, or the End Times or when? What place? Jerusalem? A bit confusing to me…

Blessings!

See also: June 29 (2023) / II Kings 22; Zephaniah (again).

January 20 / Zephaniah 2:1-3:7

Zephaniah 2:1-3:7

Dear RTB’ers,

Yesterday we saw God’s judgment on all humanity, the Day of the Lord, a full and sudden end He will make of all the inhabitants of the earth. (v. 1:18b) We also saw His warnings for Judah, particularly Jerusalem. Today we back off that final day a bit and see judgment against Israel’s enemies – from the north (Assyria, Zeph. 2:13-15), south (Cushites, Zeph. 2:12 and Moab (Zeph. 2:8), east and southeast (Moab, Ammon (Zeph. 2:8-11), and west (the Philistine cities, Zeph. 2:4-7). Judah is again warned in Zeph. 3:1-5.

Today’s reading ends with another warning to either Judah or the nations (or both!), one which, sadly, they will ignore: I said, ‘Surely you will fear Me; you will accept correction. Then your dwelling would not be cut off according to all that I have appointed against you’. But all the more they were eager to make all their deeds corrupt. (v. 3:7)

So, do we hear God’s warnings? Is He warning us today? Yes or no, what is our response to all that we know of Him, to all that He has said to us? He wasn’t joking back then, I don’t think that He is joking today.

Blessings!

January 19 / Zephaniah 1

Zephaniah 1

Dear RTB’ers,

Zephaniah, the third of the six minor prophets that we are covering in this two-week stretch of RTB readings. The introductory information in STS and in my Study Bible provide the same focus – the Day of the Lord. And we see that focus develop quickly in today’s reading: “I will utterly sweep away everything from the face of the earth,” declares the LORD. “I will sweep away man and beast; I will sweep away the birds of the heavens and the fish of the sea, and the rubble with the wicked. I will cut off mankind from the face of the earth… (vv. 2-3) And in case we missed it in these first couple of verses, Zephaniah repeats himself: In the fire of His jealousy, all the earth shall be consumed; for a full and sudden end He will make of all the inhabitants of the earth. (v. 18b) Zephaniah is clear – we will all be gone from the face of the earth. That “day of the LORD” (or “day” only) is mentioned more than a dozen times in this one chapter. And it will be a harsh day. See especially verses 14-16.

Not a good beginning for our reading of Zechariah…!

Blessings!

January 18 / Joel 2:18-3:21

Joel 2:18-3:21

Dear RTB’ers,

One item that I failed to mention yesterday was that yesterday’s passage was all about Israel, with nothing said about its neighbors or its enemies. The devastation, the call to repentance, God’s reply – they were all about Israel. Today however, we are only two verses into our reading when we see a different picture, Israel in the larger context: … I will no more make you a reproach among the nations. (v. 2:19b) Today’s passage continues with the Lord’s restoration of the land that the locusts have destroyed, but then Joel 2:28 begins a time frame centuries into that future (that Peter quotes at Pentecost) and even into times that we have not yet seen.

That future is paramount in Joel 3, beginning with its first verse: For behold, in those days and at that time, when I restore the fortunes of Judah and Jerusalem… (v. 3:1) The chapter continues with the Lord’s judgment upon those nations who have defiled Israel and ends with the glory of the Lord radiating from Jerusalem: The LORD roars from Zion, and utters His voice from Jerusalem, and the heavens and the earth quake. But the LORD is a refuge to His people, a stronghold to the people of Israel. So you shall know that I am the LORD your God, Who dwells in Zion, My holy mountain. And Jerusalem shall be holy, and strangers shall never again pass through it. … Judah shall be inhabited forever, and Jerusalem to all generations. (vv. 3:16-17, 20)

We have a future to look forward to!

Blessings!

See also: October 2 (2023) / Joel (again).

January 17 / Joel 1:1-2:17

Joel 1:1-2:17

Dear RTB’ers,

Joel. Locusts! It’s hard to read this passage without wincing at the devastation brought on by these insects. Many months ago we read about the locusts plague in Exodus 10:1-20 and probably smiled at the plight of the Egyptians as Pharoah was refusing Moses’ requests to let the Israelites go. But when we read about this locust plague in Joel, it’s much different. It’s like we’re reading it in present personal time instead of as a third-party observer: …gnawing locust…swarming locust…creeping locust…stripping locust… It has made my vine a waste and my fig tree a stump. It has stripped them bare and hurled them away; their branches have become white. (Joel 1:4,7, NASB)

Some scholars argue that this locust plague is metaphorical, that it actually relates to invading armies from Assyria or Babylonia, but it seems much more real to me that the Lord is judging His people, Israel: The LORD utters His voice before His army; for His camp is exceedingly great; He who executes His word is powerful. For the day of the LORD is great and very awesome; who can endure it? “Yet even now,” declares the LORD, “return to Me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning; and rend your hearts and not your garments.” (vv. 2:11-13)

It really struck me – what a powerful passage it is that we read today! Yet even now … rend your hearts and not your garments.

Blessings!

January 16 / Jonah 3-4

Jonah 3-4

Dear RTB’ers,

I’m trying to imagine a real-life scenario for us. Imagine that you are working in an office. You don’t like your job, but you do your best. Then your boss gets an award for work that you’ve done – and never mentions you or your contribution. You sulk. You go back to your office and do the minimum necessary to keep your job. Then your boss’s supervisor looks at your work record and, realizing that you’ve been overlooked offers you a promotion, a move to a much better position. You’re thrilled! You’ve now got a window office and a private room. Then the CFO tells that supervisor that we cannot afford your new position and you must go back to your old office and your old job – and your original boss slides into that new position and that new office. End of story. Your reaction?

I think that I would be seriously bummed and I would be angry at my (original) boss for not honoring my work when s/he had the chance. And I would be jealous of her/him in that new office. Yeah. Not happy!

But I’m not God: And should not I pity [your boss]… who does not know their right hand from their left…? (v. 4:11, seriously edited)

Yes, these kinds of metaphors typically fail to get at the real meaning of the original story. Thankfully, God did have pity on Nineveh and does have pity on me and loves me deeply, even though I don’t know my right hand from my left…

Blessings!

January 15 / Jonah 1-2

Jonah 1-2

Dear RTB’ers,

Jonah! We leave Matthew for a couple of weeks while we cover six of the twelve “Minor Prophets”, Jonah being the first of these. Jonah is a story with which we are all familiar. It’s a standard in children’s Bible story books – and yes, it also has theological and historical intrigues for adults.

But getting beyond the essence of today’s reading – the basic story and Jonah’s prayer – we see something unusual in this historical context. I don’t imagine the average ancient sailor to be composed of a gentle nature, yet these sailors do what they can to rescue Jonah from his fate: Nevertheless, the men rowed hard to get back to dry land, but they could not, for the sea grew more and more tempestuous against them. Therefore they called out to the LORD, “O LORD, let us not perish for this man’s life, and lay not on us innocent blood, for You, O LORD, have done as it pleased You.” (vv. 1:13-14) They first work hard to spare Jonah’s life; then when that fails they call out to the Lord – obviously a God stronger than any of the pagan gods they have known. So, a hint of compassion in these pagan Gentiles… Can it be that there is a hint of goodness in all of us, even though …all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God… (Romans 3:23) and …None is righteous, no, not one…? (Romans 3:10) These sailors provide us a soft moment in an otherwise harsh story. Nice.

Blessings!

January 14 / Matthew 7:13-29

Matthew 7:13-29

Dear RTB’ers,

Much of Scripture is deeply personal for me, as it should be (ideally) for anyone reading these Spirit-inspired words. Today there are two items that touch me every time I read them.

Surprisingly, the first has a negative connotation: Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and cast out demons in Your name, and do many mighty works in Your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you workers of lawlessness.’ (vv. 21-23) In all my born-again years I have been very active in every church that I have attended – with finances, in leading Bible studies, and in children’s ministries. I often fear that I could say to God, “Lord, Lord, did I not…” and He could reply with “…depart from Me…” Instead I want to be … the one who does the will of my Father… So, all the more I need to seek His will, not mine.

The second item is much more positive – the wise man who built his house on the rock in Mt. 7:24-27. Those elements coming against the house reflect the strength of the roof (the rain), the foundation (the floods), and the walls (the winds). Carol and I chose these verses for the Gospel reading at our wedding. We wanted our family “house” to be built on “the rock”. And God has certainly been faithful for us these past 42+ years! Interestingly, our opening hymn at church this past Sunday was “Fairest Lord Jesus”. That hymn was also the opening song for our wedding. Memories…!!

Blessings!

January 13 / Matthew 7:1-12

Matthew 7:1-12

Dear RTB’ers,

Judging (…don’t) and asking (…do). So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets. (v. 12) Also known as the Golden Rule: “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” Now you know where that came from (if you didn’t know already!). 😊!

Blessings!

January 12 / Matthew 6:19-34

Matthew 6:19-34

Dear RTB’ers,

Wealth and anxiety. Two separate topics? Or two topics closely tied together…? Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ (v. 31) It takes wealth (income) for us to buy our food and drink and clothing – and housing, possibly the most expensive today, but not mentioned by Jesus. And these basic necessities are a difficult purchase for millions of Americans – and an even greater problem for billions of people worldwide.

Money anxiety is a serious problem in the USA today. We see both spouses working just to meet the bills for life’s basic necessities. Then we see childcare so expensive that parents have a difficult time justifying both of them working. Then we have healthcare and healthcare insurance also expensive and increasingly so, a major issue in Congress today. And alongside all that we see pockets of enormous wealth. I remember a time when “millionaire” was a big term; today we talk of billionaires and their undue influence. I even saw an item recently that we have some individuals approaching trillionaire status. And people continue to go homeless and hungry.

Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth … but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven … For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. No one can serve two masters … You cannot serve God and money. (vv. 19-21, 24)

Blessings!