The Bible Reading Challenge Presented by VCY

TODAY’S BIBLE READING CHALLENGE:
  1 Kings 2:1-3:2
  Acts 5:1-42
  Psalm 125:1-5
  Proverbs 16:25

King David Statue

1 Kings 2:3 — King David gives his most important advice to Solomon. Be a man (1 Kings 2:2), but most importantly obey the LORD thy God. David’s charge to Solomon here uses language from Psalm 119. Ways (6x in Psalm 119), statutes (22x in Psalm 119), commandments (22x in Psalm 119), judgments (22x in Psalm 119), testimonies (23x in Psalm 119), and Law (25x in Psalm 119). 120 times in Psalm 119 he uses these six words to refer to the requirements of God. Why?

“… that thou mayest prosper in all that thou doest …” Prosperity is the dominant desire of America for the last hundred plus years. One of the more interesting characters promoting this idea is Napoleon Hill, author of Think and Grow Rich (1937), one of the 10 bestselling self-help books of all time. We need to follow the LORD, and we can prosper – without having to buy any other books!

1 Kings 2:5 — Joab is a man that has stood out in the passages we have read. David has not forgotten his deeds to Abner and Amasa. Because Joab was loyal to David, David had to deal tactfully with Joab, so David lets Solomon tend to the problem. We see David has a good memory of his friends (Barzillai) and his enemies (Shimei).

1 Kings 2:17 — Such a simple request, but it was a request that cost him his life (1 Kings 2:25). From The Bible Knowledge Commentary:

Solomon in his wisdom realized that the people would regard Abishag as a concubine and therefore would interpret Adonijah’s marriage to her as a claim to the throne. Also since Adonijah was older (v. 22) than Solomon (cf. 2 Sam. 3:4 with 2 Sam. 5:13–14) the people would assume that he had more right to be king than Solomon.

Thomas L. Constable, “1 Kings,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, ed. J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck, vol. 1 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), 492.

1 Kings 2:39-40 — While not exactly applicable, the principle of Deuteronomy 23:15 does apply.

1 Kings 3:1 — Leviticus 18:3 warned against the doings of the land of Egypt. Deuteronomy 17:16 warned about causing the people to return to Egypt.

Acts 5:5 — God has the power to bring the dead to life and to take the living to death. Not all signs (Acts 5:12) were positive situations for rejoicing.

Acts 5:21 — John on the Isle of Patmos records some of the last words of Jesus to us: “I have set before thee an open door.” (Revelation 3:8) The door was opened so that we could go, stand, and preach!

Acts 5:33 — The same God who broke up Adonijah’s war party with intense fear, allowed Gamaliel to be the tool to spare His servants and to further their ministry.

Acts 5:42 — From Earl Martin:

Psalm 125:1 — The promise of 1 Kings 2:3 has just been expanded to all that trust in the LORD. This promise applies to you – IF you trust and obey!

Proverbs 16:25 — Does God want you to follow your heart? No, He just wants you to follow Him!

Share how reading thru the Bible has been a blessing to you! E-mail us at 2018bible@vcyamerica.org or call and leave a message at 414-885-5370.

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Image Credit: Alexander Dyomin (https://www.flickr.com/photos/zeevveez/6846446753)

TODAY’S BIBLE READING CHALLENGE:
  1 Kings 1:1-53
  Acts 4:1-37
  Psalm 124:1-8
  Proverbs 16:24

We are now in 1 Kings! Fourteen books of the Bible done! Great job staying
faithful to God’s Word!

1 Kings 1:4 — Interesting comparison to Esther. In 1 Kings 1:2, the suggestion is almost identical “Let there be sought for my lord the king a young virgin” to Esther 2:2 “Let there be fair young virgins sought for the king.” Abishag was “very fair” (1 Samuel 1:2), while Esther was “fair and beautiful.”

1 Kings 1:5 — Note the similarity between this verse and Absalom in 2 Samuel 15:1. Lest you think this is an outdated tradition, be sure to go to your local 4th of July Parade!

Quick Parade Tips for Political Candidates

Paul Ryan for Congress (2011)

1 Kings 1:7 — Joab was also instrumental in bringing back Absalom (2 Samuel 14:22-23).

1 Kings 1:41 — For some reason Joab is sticking out to me as I read. Interesting that he is caught unprepared. Joshua also heard an unexpected noise of what he thought was war (Exodus 32:17).

1 Kings 1:49 — Instead of another war for the kingdom, God blessed Solomon by putting fear into the hearts of his opponents, neutralizing his opposition.

Acts 4:12 — 

No other name but the name of Jesus,
No other name but the name of the LORD,
No other name but the name of Jesus,
Is worthy of glory, is worthy of honor,
And worthy of power and all praise!

Acts 4:24 — Some may say that understanding creation isn’t an important issue. But if God didn’t make the heavens, the earth, the sea, and all that in them is, then God has no authority to dictate to them. But the Creator does have the authority, and He has given us power to speak His Word with boldness (Acts 4:31)!

Psalm 124:8 — Speaking of the Creator, enjoy this song by Earl Martin, “Our Help Is in the Name”:

Proverbs 16:24 — Make some honey today!

Share how reading through the Bible has been a blessing to you! E-mail us at 2018bible@vcyamerica.org or call and leave a message at 414-885-5370.

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Image Credit: Susan Jacobson (https://www.flickr.com/photos/11625607@N04/6118231882/in/photostream/)

TODAY’S BIBLE READING CHALLENGE:
  2 Samuel 23:24-24:25
  Acts 3:1-26
  Psalm 123:1-4
  Proverbs 16:21-23

2 Samuel 23:24 — Our Bible reading plan jumps back in for the list of David’s Mighty Men. We may not all be part of David’s cohort, but we can be loyal soldiers!

2 Samuel 23:39 — Uriah the Hittite … the one that David had slain.

2 Samuel 24:1 — What was the big deal with the census? From GotQuestions.org:

In Exodus 30:12 God told Moses, “When you take a census of the Israelites to count them, each one must pay the LORD a ransom for his life at the time he is counted. Then no plague will come on them when you number them.” It was up to God to command a census, and if David counted he should only do it at God’s command, receiving a ransom to “atone” for the counting. This is why God was angry again with Israel and is also why David was “conscience-stricken” after he counted Israel. David knew it was wrong and begged God to take away the guilt of his sin (2 Samuel 24:10).

Was this from Satan or from God? From Answers in Genesis (AiG):

All temptation is permitted by God, but not caused by God. When evil spirits tempt us, they do so by permission (Job 1:12, 2:6; Luke 22:31). Satan therefore provoked David to number the people, and God allowed him to do so. God allows those things which serve to advance His holy and perfect will.

2 Samuel 24:3 — The loyal Joab, who was ethically challenged, realized that this was a bad idea. If your “Yes-Men” say “Wait a minute” … maybe they have a point …

2 Samuel 24:24 — What is special about the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite? In 2 Samuel 5, David captures the Jebusite city, but a threshing floor is fairly common. In 2 Chronicles 3:1, Solomon builds the House of the LORD on a threshing floor. From a sermon by Charles Spurgeon:

The threshing-floor of Ornan boasted no magnificence of size or beauty of construction. There was just the rock, and I suppose a composition spread upon it of hard clay or cement, that the feet of the oxen might all the better tread out the grain. That was all it was, yet when the Temple with all its glory crowned the place, God was never more conspicuously present than on that bare, ungarnished threshing-floor. “Meet God in a barn!” one says. Why not? Does that astonish you? God met Adam in a garden, Abraham under a tree, and Noah in an ark.

Acts 3:6 — And we’re back in the Temple, about a thousand years after our Old Testament reading. Peter had no silver or gold, but what have we read in Psalms and Proverbs that is better than silver and gold?

Acts 3:12 — Once you have a crowd – PREACH! I was with a young evangelist in training and a crowd had unexpectedly gathered around him at a local park. He asked me what to do – I said, “PREACH!”

Acts 3:19 — The message is reiterated from yesterday: Repent and be converted. But now we hear the message from the Mount of Olives – Jesus is coming!

Acts 3:22 — We read in the Torah about the coming of the Prophet. Now, Peter is saying this is the Prophet!

Psalm 123:2 — Yes, Jesus is our friend and our elder brother, but He is also our Master!

Psalm 123:4 — The psalmist is repenting of sins of the heart here: pride at not being at ease and pride at not being proud (yes, that is an ironic sense of pride).

Proverbs 16:22 — Echoing Deuteronomy 30:19!

Share how reading through the Bible has been a blessing to you! E-mail us at 2018bible@vcyamerica.org or call and leave a message at 414-885-5370.

TODAY’S BIBLE READING CHALLENGE:
  2 Samuel 22:1-23:23
  Acts 2:1-47
  Psalm 122:1-9
  Proverbs 16:19-20

2 Samuel 22:4 — Does this verse sound familiar? Actually, this whole chapter is very similar to Psalm 18! Psalm 18:3 says “call upon,” while 2 Samuel 22:4 says “call on.” But let’s enjoy the song based on this verse and 2 Samuel 22:47.

Note the structure of this proto-psalm:

• Attributes of the LORD (vv. 2-3)
• Deliverance of the LORD (vv. 4-7)
• Awesome power of the LORD (vv. 8-16)
• Deliverance of the LORD (vv. 17-20)
• Characteristics of a follower of the LORD (vv. 21-28)
• Enabling power of the LORD (vv. 29-46)
• Conclusion: Praise the LORD! (vv. 47-51)

2 Samuel 23:3-4 — The classic choral work “The Last Words of David” features this verse. From Diane Bish:

2 Samuel 23:5 — “Although my house be not so with God” – what a great reminder that God’s mercies are greater than our failures!

2 Samuel 23:16 — David inspired not just loyalty but love from his men.

Acts 2:21 — The culmination is not the prophecies, the visions, the dreams, the wonders, the signs, the darkened sun, or the blood moon, but that whosoever shall call upon the name of the LORD shall be saved! The message is not kept within the bounds of the Israelite kingdom; it is spread to the uttermost ends of the earth!

Acts 2:38 — Peter is preaching from Joel and David and leading the call to repent! What is Peter saying about baptism? It’s the result of the remission of sins, not the antecedent. From GotQuestions.org:

One example of how this preposition is used in other Scriptures is seen in Matthew 12:41 where the word eis communicates the “result” of an action. In this case it is said that the people of Nineveh “repented at the preaching of Jonah” (the word translated “at” is the same Greek word eis). Clearly, the meaning of this passage is that they repented “because of’” or “as the result of” Jonah’s preaching. In the same way, it would be possible that Acts 2:38 is indeed communicating the fact that they were to be baptized “as the result of” or “because” they already had believed and in doing so had already received forgiveness of their sins (John 1:12; John 3:14-18; John 5:24; John 11:25-26; Acts 10:43; Acts 13:39; Acts 16:31; Acts 26:18; Romans 10:9; Ephesians 1:12-14). This interpretation of the passage is also consistent with the message recorded in Peter’s next two sermons to unbelievers where he associates the forgiveness of sins with the act of repentance and faith in Christ without even mentioning baptism (Acts 3:17-26; Acts 4:8-12).

Psalm 122:1 — The choral work based on this verse was the processional march of the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton:

Psalm 122:6 — Pray for the peace of Jerusalem!

Proverbs 16:20 — How can you find happiness?

Share how reading through the Bible has been a blessing to you! E-mail us at 2018bible@vcyamerica.org or call and leave a message at 414-885-5370.

TODAY’S BIBLE READING CHALLENGE:
  2 Samuel 20:14-21:22
  Acts 1:1-26
  Psalm 121:1-8
  Proverbs 16:18

View of Tell Abil el-Qameḥ (Israel)

2 Samuel 20:15 — Abel of Beth-maachah is located on the present-day border of Israel and Lebanon, about four miles from where the Tel Dan Stele was found. Sheba fled to the farthest northern reach of the kingdom.

2 Samuel 20:21 — While Israel was forbidden from multiplying chariots, in their geographically dangerous spot that is the cross-section of Assyria, Egypt, Philistines, and who knows who else coming between Europe, Asia, and Africa, and in their agriculturally precarious position of being greatly dependent on the rainfall, God did allow them to have walled cities (Leviticus 25:29, Joshua 19:35-38, 2 Chronicles 11:5-12). During the Divided Kingdom, Jezebel would be thrown down off the wall (2 Kings 9:33).

2 Samuel 21:1 — Many commentators say that this event did not directly follow the preceding chapter. The Believer’s Bible Commentary says:

The remainder of 2 Samuel is really an appendix highlighting various incidents in the reign of David, though not in chronological order. (The chronological order continues again in 1 Kings 1.)

William MacDonald, Believer’s Bible Commentary: Old and New Testaments, ed. Arthur Farstad (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1995), 345.

It is interesting that it took 3 years for David to recognize a supernatural cause of the famine. We see from many other places that famine was sent as a judgment (Nave’s Topical Index).

By the way, remember the Gibeonites from Joshua 9:15? This was roughly 400 years ago, yet God still was allowing the consequences of a rash vow from 400 years ago to cause a famine.

David was hoping for a lesser sentence than that prescribed under the previous Noahic Dispensation of Government (Genesis 9:6). The Noahic Covenant demanded bloodshed as did the current Mosaic Dispensation of Law (Leviticus 24:17). God had previously stated that sin was punished to the third and fourth generation (Exodus 34:6-7, Deuteronomy 5:9, Numbers 14:18, Leviticus 26:39). But how do we reconcile that with Deuteronomy 24:16 which says children shall not be put to death because of their father’s sin? John Piper says that “the sins of the fathers are punished in the children through becoming the sins of the children.” But why did God bless Israel (2 Samuel 21:14) for giving seven sons to be slain for a foolish oath taken 400 years ago?

Now what does the history of Israel demonstrate? It demonstrates that when God deals with Israel, He deals with them as a nation. When the fathers, the ones in control, the adults are bad, everybody gets the punishment.

From Stand to Reason (www.str.org)

The mother who abuses her body with cocaine may give birth to a “crack baby,” who will suffer its entire life for the sin of the mother. Sons may suffer like Saul’s sons did. Grandchildren and great-grandchildren may experience the hurt from an ancestor’s sin. The whole world is suffering from Adam’s sin. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound (Romans 5:20)!

It took the death of seven sons to assuage (not propitiate) the wrath of God for the sins of one man. Saul did not die for this sin even though he should have, he died for the witch’s sin that he took upon himself. One thousand years later, one sinless Son would die to propitiate the wrath of God for the sins of the whole world!

2 Samuel 21:21 — We read about Jonathan’s subtle (shrewd or crafty) brother Jonadab (2 Samuel 13:3, 2 Samuel 13:32), but now we have the complete opposite – an honorable nephew of David carrying on the family legacy of slaying giants!

Acts 1:8 — From Earl Martin:

Acts 1:22 — In addition to the twelve apostles, there were at least two other witnesses from the baptism of John to the ascension of Christ who were constant companions. Yes, indeed there are “many infallible proofs” of the resurrection of Jesus.

Psalm 121:1-8 — The song “My Help” is based virtually word for word from this Psalm:

Proverbs 16:18 — One of the most misquoted verses of the Bible. Pride does not go before a fall … pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit goes before a fall.

Share how reading through the Bible has been a blessing to you! E-mail us at 2018bible@vcyamerica.org or call and leave a message at 414-885-5370.

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Image Credit: Tel Abel Beth Maacah Excavations, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

TODAY’S BIBLE READING CHALLENGE:
  2 Samuel 19:11-20:13
  John 21:1-25
  Psalm 120:1-7
  Proverbs 16:16-17

2 Samuel 19:13 — David invites Absalom’s Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, Amasa, to join him. David was interested in a speedy reconciliation, not a vindictive punishment. It was similar to Abraham Lincoln’s vision for a post-Civil War America.

2 Samuel 19:15 — Gilgal … where Joshua built a monument (Joshua 4:20), where the Angel of the LORD started in Judges 2:1, where Samuel had a circuit stop (1 Samuel 7:16), where Saul was made King (1 Samuel 11:14), where Elisha and Elijah worked (2 Kings 2:1, 4:38).

2 Samuel 19:23 — David followed the teaching of Proverbs 19:11 in order to spare Shimei. He “split the baby” so to say between Ziba and Mephibosheth and rewarded his true friend (Barzillai). David would not forget Barzillai’s kindness (1 Kings 2:7), and Barzillai is even recorded in the post-exilic records (Ezra 2:61, Nehemiah 7:63).

2 Samuel 19:37 — Barzillai wanted the king to bless Chimham instead. The king agreed (2 Samuel 19:38), and brought Chimham with him (2 Samuel 19:40). From Easton’s Bible Dictionary:

… probably the youngest son of Barzillai the Gileadite (2 Samuel 19:37-40). The “habitation of Chimham” (Jeremiah 41:17) was probably an inn or khan, which is the proper meaning of the Hebrew “geruth”, rendered “habitation”, established in later times in his possession at Bethlehem, which David gave to him as a reward for his loyalty in accompanying him to Jerusalem after the defeat of Absalom (1 Kings 2:7). It has been supposed that, considering the stationary character of Eastern institutions, it was in the stable of this inn or caravanserai that our Savior was born (Luke 2:7).

2 Samuel 20:5 — Was David worried that Amasa was disloyal? From John Gill’s Exposition of the Bible:

(W)hether this was owing to the remissness of Amasa, or the unwillingness of the people to serve under him, who had been Absalom’s general in the late rebellion, or not having time sufficient allowed him, is not certain.

Either way, Amasa met a bloody end (2 Samuel 20:12).

John 21:3 — From the Pulpit Commentary:

According to some writers, Peter felt a presentiment of the coming of his Lord under scenes identical with those of his first call (Luke 5:1-11). According to others, Peter exhibited some of the heart-sickness of deferred hope. On either supposition we see a new illustration of, and testimony to, the character of the man who was so conspicuous an initiator.

John 21:17-19 — Peter, who so boldly said he would die for the LORD (Matthew 26:35, Mark 14:31, John 13:37) but denied Him three times (John 18:17, 25, 26), is now distraught as Jesus questions his love. But Jesus says, “I have a plan for you: feed my sheep … follow me.” And someday, this same Peter who wanted to die for his LORD, would die glorifying the Lord!

John 21:25 — From Earl Martin:

Psalm 120:1 — A great promise! “In my distress I cried unto the Lord, and He heard me.”

Proverbs 16:16 — Television ads are filled with people hawking gold and silver. Usually, they can afford their marketing budget because they sell it at a 50% markup (yes, if you buy gold at a 50% markup, that means that even if gold jumps 50%, you have now officially broken even). Solomon, 3,000 years ago, realized that the demand for gold and silver was just as obsessive as it is today. But better than gold is wisdom. Better than silver is understanding. Interesting that Solomon’s father David uses the same analogy – Psalm 119:127 – the commandments of God are better than gold, and the Law of God is better than thousands of gold and silver pieces (Psalm 119:72).

Share how reading through the Bible has been a blessing to you! E-mail us at 2018bible@vcyamerica.org or call and leave a message at 414-885-5370.

TODAY’S BIBLE READING CHALLENGE:
  2 Samuel 18:1-19:10
  John 20:1-31
  Psalm 119:153-176
  Proverbs 16:14-15

Welcome to June! We’re on the verge of the halfway mark!

2 Samuel 18:2 — Notice that David paid attention to the loyalty of Ittai the Gittite. Now he’s a four-star general.

2 Samuel 18:8 — This is a curious phrase. Gill’s Exposition of the Whole Bible helps:

… and the wood devoured more people that day than the sword devoured; … there were more slain in it the in the field of battle, what by one thing or another; as by falling into pits and on stumps of trees, and being entangled in the bushes, and could make but little haste, and so were overtaken by David’s men, and slain; insomuch that, as Josephus observes, there were more slain fleeing than fighting, and perhaps some might perish by wild beasts; so the Targum,

“and the beasts of the wood slew more of the people than were slain by the sword;”

and so the Syriac and Arabic versions render the words to the same purpose.

2 Samuel 18:9 — Speaking of the wood, the urbane Absalom got stuck in a tree.

2 Samuel 18:12 — The certain man learned the lesson of the Amalekite (2 Samuel 1:10) – don’t kill anyone that the king wants to protect!

2 Samuel 18:32-33 — “Is the young man Absalom safe?” David is moved by emotion for Absalom, but does he have a right to? David married many wives and even had more concubines (2 Samuel 5:13), clearly disobeying Deuteronomy 17:17. At the grave of the famous evangelist Billy Sunday, his sons are marked on his family memorial. The death years for his sons is close to Sunday’s, and some are before that of Billy himself. A biographer for D. L. Moody made a brief mention that all of D. L. Moody’s kids turned out okay as opposed to those of Sunday. Sunday’s three sons had nine marriages between them. From BereanWife.net:

George Marquis Sunday was born in 1892, William Ashley Sunday, Jr. in 1901, and Paul Thompson Sunday in 1907. These three sons were the source of untold grief and despair for their parents. They were drunkards, while their parents fought for Prohibition. They lived wild, riotous lives and embarrassed their parents. All three died before the age of 40 in tragic violent deaths. The oldest son committed suicide after being arrested for drunkenness and auto theft, one died while driving home drunk from a party, and the other crashed an airplane.

Like Billy Sunday, David accomplished much for the LORD but both regretted how their sons turned out. Is the young man Absalom safe? No, but he hasn’t been safe for a while.

2 Samuel 19:7 — While Joab wasn’t ethical, he was very practical. Thus, the moral danger of pragmatism. If pragmatism didn’t work, nobody would be enticed by it.

John 20:1 — ”Christ the LORD is risen today!“

John 20:9 — How many times had Jesus told them He would rise again? Matthew 20:19, Matthew 27:63, Mark 8:31, Mark 10:34, Luke 18:33, Luke 24:7, etc.

John 20:23 — Did the Apostles have special power to forgive sins? No!

The key to understanding the meaning of John 20:23 lies in the previous two verses: “Again Jesus said, ‘Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.’ And with that he breathed on them and said, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit.’” He sent them, as He is sending us, to bring the good news of the way to salvation and heaven to the whole world. Jesus was leaving the earth physically but promised God would be with them in the person of the Holy Spirit living in them. As they proclaimed the gospel, they could honestly tell people who believed in that message that their sins were forgiven, and they could honestly tell people that did not believe in the message that their sins were not forgiven and that they stand condemned in God’s eyes. “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on him” (John 3:36).

www.gotquestions.org/John-20-23.html

John 20:31 — The Gospel of John is not a collection of tales, inspirational stories, or morality plays. It is written that you may believe that Jesus is the Son of God!

Psalm 119:153 — How much of God’s Law do you have memorized? It’s a source of promises (Psalm 119:154), a treasury of mercy (Psalm 119:156), an eternal anchor (Psalm 119:160), awe-inspiring (Psalm 119:161), and the cause for rejoicing (Psalm 119:162)!

Psalm 119:165 — Need peace? Love the law!

Proverbs 16:14 — How do we pacify the wrathful King of Kings? Psalm 2:12 – submit to His Son!

Share how reading through the Bible has been a blessing to you! E-mail us at 2018bible@vcyamerica.org or call and leave a message at 414-885-5370.

TODAY’S BIBLE READING CHALLENGE:
  2 Samuel 17:1-29
  John 19:23-42
  Psalm 119:129-152
  Proverbs 16:12-13

2 Samuel 17:23 — Why was Ahithophel so bitter against David? From the American Tract Society (ATS):

Ahithophel seems to have been the grandfather of Bathsheba. 2 Samuel 23:34, compared with 2 Samuel 11:3.

2 Samuel 17:27 — When David felt like everyone abandoned him, it was so good to be refreshed by true friends. A friend in need is a friend indeed!

John 19:39 — Nicodemus is only mentioned in the Gospel of John. He met with Jesus at night in John 3, and he urged caution among the chief priests and Pharisees in John 7. Now he brings about 70 pounds of myrrh and aloe. From If714.org:

This teaching Nicodemus learned coming in the secrecy of the night would greatly transform his life. In John 19 we see a very different Nicodemus, who was once afraid to come to Jesus in the day. Here he brought a mixture of aloes and myrrh to Jesus’s grave. Nicodemus was no longer afraid of what others thought of him or his reputation as a Pharisee. Jesus’ grave was under heavy guard following His death. The Pharisees wanted to make sure the disciples did not try to steal Jesus’s body and claim that He resurrected. It would have been well known that Nicodemus went to His grave. That day Nicodemus was bold in his faith of Christ. He denied his own rights to a reputation and submitted everything to Christ.

Psalm 119:136 — Many a parent has wept over their children’s sins after it was too late to redirect them. In today’s reading, the psalmist is weeping not just over other’s sins but also crying to the LORD because of his own sins (Psalm 119:145).

Psalm 119:147-148 — Where do you start and end your day?

Proverbs 16:12-13 — Do these verses only apply to royalty like King Charles? We are told that we are a royal priesthood (1 Peter 2:9). We shall reign as kings and priests one day (Revelation 5:10). Let us act like the “princes in training” that we are, for our Father is the King of Kings!

Share how reading through the Bible has been a blessing to you! E-mail us at 2018bible@vcyamerica.org or call and leave a message at 414-885-5370.

TODAY’S BIBLE READING CHALLENGE:
  2 Samuel 15:23-16:23
  John 18:25-19:22
  Psalm 119:113-128
  Proverbs 16:10-11

2 Samuel 15:25 — From Matthew Henry’s Commentary:

David is very careful for the safety of the ark. It is right to be more concerned for the church’s prosperity than our own; to prefer the success of the gospel above our own wealth, credit, ease, and safety. Observe with what satisfaction and submission David speaks of the Divine disposal. It is our interest, as well as our duty, cheerfully to acquiesce in the will of God, whatever befalls us. Let us see God’s hand in all events; and that we may not be afraid of what shall be, let us see all events in God’s hand.

2 Samuel 15:30 — Almost 1,000 years later someone else went up Mount Olivet, sweating drops of blood. David and Jesus both prayed to God on that mountain.

2 Samuel 16:4-5 — “Fog of War” is a phrase that applies. Ziba seems to be a devout follower of David, but then we read Mephibosheth’s account in 2 Samuel 19:24-30. Interestingly, it is difficult to tell what really happened. We hear Ziba’s account here and Mephibosheth’s account later. David doesn’t seem too sure either and just tells them to split the land (2 Samuel 19:29), but Mephibosheth foreshadows the wisdom of Solomon and tells David that Ziba can take it all. Or is Mephibosheth just glad to be alive? Either way David made a good call on the important issues (sending the Ark back, not killing anyone rashly, and building an informer network in Jerusalem).

Meanwhile, when Shimei bashes David, David spares him. We’ll see Shimei along with Mephibosheth later (2 Samuel 19:16).

2 Samuel 16:22 — This action with the concubines of David is seen as a political statement, and quite possibly what the Islamic term “zina” refers to. Zina (adultery punished by stoning) requires four witnesses, and depending on the school of thought, the witnesses must be witnesses to the very act. Very rarely does one have 4 witnesses to a generally private act, so possibly Mohammed was referring to the political implications of such an act, seeking to prevent one of his sons from rebelling like Absalom did against David.

John 18:30 — Not exactly a clear charge that the prosecutors have before the judge, Pilate.

John 18:33 — In John’s account, he does not record the Jews accusing Jesus of claiming to be the King of the Jews.

John 18:36 — Jesus challenges Pilate’s jurisdiction. Pilate is only worried about territorial threats to Roman domination, and Jesus is not an earthly threat.

John 18:40 — A great movie on Barabbas was produced by Unusual Films called Wine of Morning.

John 19:7 — Just a week earlier they shouted Hosanna. Now they have rejected His claim to be the Son of God. They rejected Him six separate times (John 18:40, John 19:6, John 19:7, John 19:12, John 19:15).

Psalm 119:113 — The Law is my love (Psalm 119:119, Psalm 119:127), my hope (Psalm 119:114), my safety (Psalm 119:117), and my instruction (Psalm 119:124).

Albany County Department of Consumer Affairs Sticker in Colonie, N.Y.

Proverbs 16:11 — Don’t tell the Freedom from Religion Foundation, but virtually every state has government officials on government payroll doing the work of the LORD, a very religious task!

Share how reading through the Bible has been a blessing to you! E-mail us at 2018bible@vcyamerica.org or call and leave a message at 414-885-5370.

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Image Credit: Copyright Capital Newspapers, a division of The Hearst Corporation, Albany, N.Y. (Paul Buckowski / Times Union)

TODAY’S BIBLE READING CHALLENGE:
  2 Samuel 14:1-15:22
  John 18:1-24
  Psalm 119:97-112
  Proverbs 16:8-9

2 Samuel 14:3 — Interesting contrast between God’s words that Nathan conveyed to David and Joab’s words to the woman of Tekoah.

2 Samuel 14:5 — Because of today’s Secret Service protection, we’re not used to commoners having direct access to a high ranking government official. Abraham Lincoln, during the Civil War, was directly accessible by anyone who wanted to talk to him:

One aspect of White House life that made family life particularly difficult for the Lincolns was the mansion’s open-door policy to the public, war notwithstanding. Virtually from Lincoln’s first day in office, a crush of visitors besieged the White House stairways and corridors, climbed through windows at levees, and camped outside Lincoln’s office door “on all conceivable errands, for all imaginable purposes.”

Neither custom nor security precautions shielded the president from his voraciously demanding public. Office-seekers were the biggest drain on the presidents time and energy—among them, his wife’s own relatives—crowding the hallways all the way down the front stairs in an endless effort to importune him for lucrative government appointments.

2 Samuel 15:6 — Today, it’s hard to imagine such intense intra-family feuds that Absalom would seek to steal the hearts of Israelites away from his father. We don’t see Prince William trying to take the crown of his grandmother from King Charles. But as recently as World War I, we saw close relatives at war:

And at the center of this stage stood three cousins, King George V of Great Britain, Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany, and Tsar Nicholas II of Russia, whose complicated family relationships partly fueled the international animosity that led to the horrors of The Great War.

http://theworcesterjournal.com/2014/08/22/family-feud-the-three-cousins-who-led-europe-into-the-first-world-war/

2 Samuel 15:8 — Ever notice how cavalier the leadership was to invoke God’s name in an act of subterfuge? Not just a generic term like El (God), but His covenant name YHWH (LORD). Saul swore by the LORD to the witch (1 Samuel 28:10), and David swore by the LORD to kill the rich man who took the poor man’s lamb (2 Samuel 12:5). Several of these may fall under violations of the Third Commandment.

2 Samuel 15:21 — Interesting that Ittai the Gittite was more loyal to David than David’s own son and his trusted counselor Ahithophel. Why? Thanks to Dexter Penwell for pointing this out:

“Eliphelet the son of Ahasbai, the son of the Maachathite, Eliam the son of Ahithophel the Gilonite …”

2 Samuel 23:34

Eliam is the son of Ahithophel … and Eliam had a daughter:

And David sent and enquired after the woman. And one said, Is not this Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?

2 Samuel 11:3

John 18:1 — Much of Jesus’ special times were east of Jerusalem in the area of the Mount of Olives.

Arrest of Jesus (The Pictorial Bible and Commentator)

John 18:15 — The Gospel writers hint at many of the political connections of the group. Even though John was part of Jesus’ inner circle, he may have still had connections/access to the palace of the high priest. John was the one who had access enough to get Peter into the courtyard. The Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary (JFB) discusses the issue with Acts 4:13.

John 18:21 — Jesus was invoking His “5th Amendment” right – the rabbinic right against self-incrimination obviously pre-dated the US Constitution by a few thousand years!

Psalm 119:97 — A great song based on this verse and this section of Psalm 119 is “Lord, How I Love Thy Law.”

Psalm 119:105 — This is the classic verse on the guidance of Scripture. Too often we keep the lamp on the shelf and walk in darkness.

Memorize this verse with Earl Martin:

Psalm 119:112 — Have you inclined your heart this way?

Proverbs 16:9 — The phrase “Protestant Wind” brings to mind some of the miraculous protections of England that occurred in her history. But on this side of the pond, we have our own version of the “Protestant Wind”. Consider the amazing protection of George Washington from Captain Patrick Ferguson, or when Washington was found with four bullet holes in his coat, and that was after he had two horses shot out from under him. Man proposes, but God disposes.

Share how reading through the Bible has been a blessing to you! E-mail us at 2018bible@vcyamerica.org or call and leave a message at 414-885-5370.

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Image Credit: Cobbin, Ingram, 1777-1851;March, Daniel, 1816-1909;Brockett, L. P. (Linus Pierpont), 1820-1893;Stretton, Hesba, 1832-1911, No restrictions, via Wikimedia Commons