Blog – Read Through the Bible

March 28 / Jeremiah 32-33

Jeremiah 32-33

Dear RTB’ers,

A long reading today, one of our longest of the year, but also with a lot of narrative that makes it easier to read.

Jerusalem is under siege by the Babylonians (Chaldeans), just one year before the city actually falls in 586 B.C., yet the Lord tells Jeremiah to buy land in his hometown of Anathoth in Benjamin. The Lord is sending a message through Jeremiah that He will be restoring His people (recall yesterday’s message of restoration!) after they have suffered for their countless misdeeds: For the children of Israel and the children of Judah have done nothing but evil in My sight from their youth. The children of Israel have done nothing but provoke Me to anger by the work of their hands, declares the LORD. (v. 32:30) The Lord will indeed bring His people back: For thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: Houses and fields and vineyards shall again be bought in this land. I will rejoice in doing them good, and I will plant them in this land in faithfulness, with all My heart and all My soul. (vv. 32:15, 41) We will be reading more of this restoration in Ezekiel, Ezra, and Nehemiah.

Jeremiah continues this message of restoration in the first half of chapter 33, I will restore the fortunes of Judah and the fortunes of Israel, and rebuild them as they were at first. (v. 33:7) But then he moves beyond Judah’s immediate situation with the Babylonians to look far into the future: In those days and at that time I will cause a righteous Branch to spring up for David, and He shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. David shall never lack a man to sit on the throne of the house of Israel, and the Levitical priests shall never lack a man in My presence to offer burnt offerings, to burn grain offerings, and to make sacrifices forever. (vv. 33:15, 17b, 18) Jesus is that Righteous Branch; He is that King from David’s line and that Priest whose bodily sacrifice brought eternal salvation, what prior burnt offerings could never do. As the host of heaven cannot be numbered and the sands of the sea cannot be measured, so I will multiply the offspring of David My servant, and the Levitical priests who minister to Me. (v. 33:22)

But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come, …He entered once for all into the holy places, …thus securing an eternal redemption. And by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. (Hebrews 9:11-12, 10:10) Again, thank you, Jesus.

Blessings.

March 27 / Jeremiah 31:27-40

Jeremiah 31:27-40

Dear RTB’ers,

The new covenant… In my earlier “born again” years I was active in a church called the “New Covenant Fellowship”, so this section of Jeremiah is always special to me.

The new covenant paragraph (Jer. 31:31-34) is quoted in its entirety in Hebrews 8:8-12. To me the essence of this new covenant is in two sentences: I will put My law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be My people. (v. 33b) I see this promise from God played out at Pentecost, wherein we now have the Holy Spirit living within each of us, His law now on our hearts – collectively and individually.

It’s worth each of us re-reading that paragraph a few times, asking the Holy Spirit to indwell us in this New Covenant – day by day, hour by hour, in all of our relationships and our circumstances. Let God be our God and us His people!

For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more. Thank you, Jesus.

Blessings.

See also: July 24 (2023) / Jeremiah 37; 30-31 (again).

March 26 / Jeremiah 30:1-31:26

Jeremiah 30:1-31:26

Dear RTB’ers,

Today and the next two days the key word is “restoration” – the Lord restoring the fortunes of both Israel (the Northern Kingdom) and Judah, bringing them back from captivity (exile) and re-settling them back in their own land. What’s unusual here is God’s inclusion of Israel and its restoration. Almost everything that we have read thus far in Jeremiah has been about Jerusalem and Judah (along with some chastisement for Babylon and for Judah’s neighbors). But Jeremiah 30 is written to both Israel and Judah. (Note especially the mention of both in Jer. 30:3, 4, 10.) Then the first twenty or so verses in Jeremiah 31 are devoted entirely to Israel. It’s comforting to know that God never forgets His people, no matter where they are or how difficult their misfortunes.

Thus says the LORD: “A voice is heard in Ramah, lamentation and bitter weeping. Rachel is weeping for her children; she refuses to be comforted for her children, because they are no more.” (v. 31:15) Many of us recognize this verse, quoted in Matthew 2:18, reflecting Herod’s decision in Matthew 2:16-17 to kill all the infant boys in Bethlehem. In the immediate context, however, the Lord is still referring to Israel. Rachel was the mother of Joseph and Benjamin, and Joseph was the father of Ephraim and Manasseh, two of the leading tribes in Israel. So the mention of Rachel weeping for her children was probably referring to Israel being taken into captivity by Assyria in 722 B.C. In the next verse, however, the Lord returns to Israel’s restoration: Keep your voice from weeping, and your eyes from tears, for there is a reward for your work, declares the LORD, and they shall come back from the land of the enemy. (v. 31:16)

Today’s last verse surprised me: At this I awoke and looked, and my sleep was pleasant to me. (v. 31:26) And a blessed Good Morning to all of you!

Blessings.

March 25 / Jeremiah 29

Jeremiah 29

Dear RTB’ers,

A number of verses stand out for me today. First, But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the LORD on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare. (v. 7) Although Jeremiah was writing to the exiles in Babylon to pray for the city of Babylon, I think there’s a message for us when we find ourselves in any unhappy situation. We may not like the job that we have, the house in which we live, the local or national government over us, or any other situation in which we find ourselves. However, the Lord knows exactly where we are, exactly what our particular situation is. He allowed us to be exactly where we are, and He has His Holy Spirit indwelling us to make the best of our situation – actually, not to make the best of that situation, but to thrive in it. That is, pray for everything, every situation in which we are unhappy and ask the Lord to give us peace. He may even turn things around. Always our prayer needs to be, “Not my will, but Your will be done.”

The second set of verses follows directly from the first, including a few oft-quoted verses (esp. vv. 11 and 13): For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will hear you. You will seek Me and find Me, when you seek Me with all your heart. (vv. 11-13) He knows the plans that He has for us. He knows where we are and where He wants us to be. It was a long, unhappy road that brought Carol and me to Kentucky. Come join us at our next RTB gathering on April 12 and I’ll tell you about it – a couple of major failures and a glorious deliverance. Thank you, Lord!!

Blessings.

March 24 / Jeremiah 27-28

Jeremiah 27-28

Dear RTB’ers,

A first comment… I have often suggested that you read the “See also” material. I particularly suggest that you read those items when we are reading these Old Testament prophets. I have never posted comments over most of the Old Testament, but John covered the entire Bible in 2023. His comments are noteworthy, so please read those “See also…” comments.

Yesterday and in previous chapters we have seen Jeremiah predicting doom for Jerusalem and Judah and its leaders and people. In today’s first chapter we see Jeremiah also predicting doom for Judah’s neighbors – Edom, Moab, Ammon, Tyre, and Sidon. Presumably these nations had come together with Judah to rebel against Babylon and were trusting in their own power and that of other nations to see Babylon defeated. Jeremiah tells these neighbors that they will also come under the yoke of Babylon and that they should submit to Babylon and remain in their lands. Failing that, they would become servants of the king of Babylon in his lands: For it is a lie that they are prophesying to you, with the result that you will be removed far from your land, and I will drive you out, and you will perish. But any nation that will bring its neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon and serve him, I will leave on its own land, to work it and dwell there, declares the LORD. (vv. 27:10-11) The chapter continues with the same message for King Zedekiah and the priests and people of Judah.

Chapter 28 is a stand-alone story of Hananiah, the false prophet. He predicts that Babylon will fall and that all the Temple treasures that had been taken to Babylon would be returned to Jerusalem within two years. Instead he is confronted by Jeremiah and he dies in two months. Bottom line – if you think that you have a word from the Lord, make sure of your source!!

Blessings.

March 23 / Jeremiah 26

Jeremiah 26

Dear RTB’ers,

Back to Jeremiah. Both the STS editors and my Study Bible suggest that today’s chapter 26 reading is an extension of what we already read in Jeremiah 7. Back then Jeremiah was warning the officials and people of Jerusalem of their certain doom if they did not repent of their evil ways. We read that again today, with Jeremiah speaking words that the Lord gave him: Thus says the LORD: ‘If you will not listen to Me, to walk in My law that I have set before you, and to listen to the words of My servants the prophets whom I send to you urgently, though you have not listened, then I will make this house like Shiloh, and I will make this city a curse for all the nations of the earth.’ (vv. 4b-6) His words inflamed the Jewish leaders and the people, nearly all of whom were ready to kill Jeremiah. He, however, spoke in his own defense (Jer. 27:12-15) and was spared.

No doubt, Jeremiah’s defense was through the Lord providing the words that he spoke. Jesus had given similar advice to His disciples: Now when they bring you before the synagogues and the officials and the authorities, do not worry about how or what you are to speak in your defense, or what you are to say, for the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say. (Luke 12:11-12; see also Matthew 10:18-20 and Mark 13:9-11) We also, in sharing our faith need to pray for wisdom and rely on the Holy Spirit to give us words to share.

Blessings.

March 22 / Matthew 28:1-20

Matthew 28:1-20

Dear RTB’ers,

Jesus’ Resurrection. Words fail me. The best that I can do is to try to “put myself into the story”. I imagine that I were there, alongside the women meeting the angel or with Jesus’ disciples in Galilee. And even then I am awestruck – that He had done what He had said that He was going to do, to die and rise again! Never in history had that happened – and never again!! We will all meet Him one day and I expect that our response will be similar to the women in today’s reading, And they came up and took hold of His feet, and worshiped Him. (v. 9b)

I am sad for the Jewish leaders. After all that they had heard and seen, after their many verbal battles with Him, and now this story from the guards – and the leaders still fought against the truth that Jesus was who He said He was. I want to believe that some of them, possibly many of them came to faith as they heard the apostles preaching and teaching in the temple after Pentecost. Maybe we’ll find out one day.

And now we go back to Jeremiah.

Blessings.

March 21 / Matthew 27:51-66

Matthew 27:51-66

Dear RTB’ers,

The events immediately following Jesus’ death are striking: And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. And the earth shook, and the rocks were split. (v. 51) I wonder, is this God the Father doing this? Is this His final condemnation of sin, shaking the earth itself, Jesus having accomplished what He had been sent to earth to do? The curtain torn from top to bottom is especially intriguing. Mankind could tear it from the bottom to the top, but only God could tear it from the top. Interesting.

But to me the most interesting item is one that occurs only in Matthew’s gospel: The tombs also were opened. And many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised, and coming out of the tombs after His resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many. (vv. 52-53) Matthew writes that Jesus’ resurrection opened the tombs for others to be raised, with personal accounts that these “saints” had appeared to many. Again, I wonder who these saints were? Isaiah? Jeremiah? Daniel? And why these events are recorded only in Matthew? Again, interesting events…

The timing of our reading is perfect. Yesterday, Friday we read of Jesus’ crucifixion. Today, Saturday He is placed in the tomb. And tomorrow, Sunday we will read of His Resurrection. Today, Saturday is known for its solemnity. We are finished with the horrors of Jesus’ suffering and death, and we await the glorification of His Resurrection. Two millennia down the road we continue to ponder these events. It’s a quiet Saturday for me.

Blessings.

March 20 / Matthew 27:32-50

Matthew 27:32-50

Dear RTB’ers,

Finally, Jesus’ Crucifixion. After all the suffering He had already endured… I guess it’s appropriate that we are reading this on a Friday – for us in our reading, a “Good Friday”.

Jesus’ last words in Matthew’s gospel, My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me? (v. 46b) [NOTE: John’s gospel adds one other final phrase, “It is finished.” (John 19:30b)] Because of Jesus’ death and Resurrection we have never had to repeat Jesus’ words ourselves. God has never ever and will never ever forsake us! His love for us is beyond measure. We can rest in that, with full assurance of that eternal love. Rest in that, in His eternal love.

Blessings.

March 19 / Matthew 27:15-31

Matthew 27:15-31

Dear RTB’ers,

Then he released for them Barabbas, and having scourged Jesus, delivered Him to be crucified. (v. 26) These are only a few words, “having scourged Jesus”, but they leave me almost sick to my stomach every time I read them. The famous “forty lashes less one”… My Study Bible noted that it was not uncommon for prisoners to die from the scourging before they ever got to the crucifixion.

I’m sure that I have said this before, that if Jesus had to die for the sins of the whole world for all time, wouldn’t a simple beheading have been enough? Why did He have to go through all this suffering? I am not a theologian, so I’m certain that my comment, my question must sound trivial. But I do cringe at the suffering that Jesus endured. I can only make sense of it when I read something like Isaiah 53:5, But He was pierced for our transgressions; He was crushed for our iniquities; upon Him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with His wounds we are healed.

It’s troubling to me, all that Jesus suffered. Nothing brings me closer to Jesus than when I embrace His suffering, His scourging, His crucifixion. For us. For me. For you…

Blessings.