Month: April 2024

TODAY’S BIBLE READING CHALLENGE:
  Judges 15:1-16:31
  John 2:1-25
  Psalm 103:1-22
  Proverbs 14:17-19

Judges 15:6 — What type of society says that property damage is worthy of the death penalty? Mosaic Law provides for the death penalty in only one type of sin – kidnapping (Theopolis Institute has a great analysis – however, I’m not endorsing their Federal Vision Theology).

Judges 15:11 — Not only do the Philistines have their values flipped (property over people), but three thousand men of Judah don’t know who their ruler is. The Torah records in Exodus 15:18 that the LORD shall reign for ever and ever! The Philistines are not to reign over the Israelites per Deuteronomy 15:6.

Judges 15:15 — God provides in spite of Samson breaking his Nazarite vows.

Judges 16:1 — Dave Benoit preached a great message on parenting from Samson:

• Seeking the wrong type of wife (Judges 14:2)
• Parents counsel was disregarded (Judges 14:3)
• While a judge, goes to a harlot (Judges 16:1)
• Doesn’t learn from Judges 14:17 (Judges 16:16)
• Ends up buried by his parents (Judges 16:31)

John 2:1 — Jesus began His ministry quickly – after the temptation in the wilderness, He comes back to John the Baptist and takes Simon, Andrew, Philip, and Nathanael to Galilee, avoiding the hub of Jerusalem and settling into the Galilee.

John 2:8 — Jesus takes over the job of the ruler (King), in a few verses He cleanses the temple as priest (John 2:17), and then prophesies of His death (John 2:19).

Psalm 103:1 — This verse is set to music in a familiar tune followed by a verse from 1 Samuel 12:24 and other passages. SoundForth’s song “From Everlasting to Everlasting” is based on Psalm 103.

Proverbs 14:17 — Interesting word study on anger – God has a right (or perhaps a responsibility) to be angry.

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TODAY’S BIBLE READING CHALLENGE:
  Judges 13:1-14:20
  John 1:29-51
  Psalm 102:1-28
  Proverbs 14:15-16

Judges 13:2 — Exodus 23:26 and Deuteronomy 7:13-14 promise fruitfulness to the people, the land, the crops, even the cattle – if the Israelites obeyed (Deuteronomy 7:12). God can make the barren woman into a joyful mother of children (Psalm 113:9).

Judges 13:8 — Manoah is asking God for advice on child rearing. God sends the angel again to Manoah, and the angel repeats the message. But God had already told him how to raise a Nazarite in Numbers 6:2-21.

Judges 14:9 — Numbers 6:6 warned about dead bodies, but the boy raised by biblically illiterate parents broke his vow and didn’t tell his parents.

John 1:29 — John is the only Gospel writer who records John the Baptist’s declaration of Jesus to be the Lamb of God. Later in Revelation John writes about the Lamb Who was slain (Revelation 5:6) and Who was worthy (Revelation 5:12-13). The Lamb was glorified in Revelation 7:9-10, and the blood of the Lamb was the power to overcome (Revelation 12:11). Throughout Revelation we read about the Lamb that was foreshadowed in the Old Testament.

As the hymn says, “O Lamb of God, I Come:”

Psalm 102:1-11 — Most of us would say this is a needlessly long prayer. Doesn’t God always hear His people? Luke 11:8 uses a great word: “importunity.” Shameless insistence. A “proper prayer” won’t be heard (Luke 18:11), but a shameless prayer from someone humbly entreating the Lord WILL be heard (Psalm 57:15). Daniel’s prayer was held up for 21 days (Daniel 10:13), but Daniel kept praying.

Psalm 102:12-22 — Following 11 verses of begging, we have 11 verses of blessing the LORD. Eternal. Memorable. Merciful. Fearful. Glorious. Builder. Hearer. Praiseworthy. High above the earth. Deliverer. Master.

Proverbs 14:15 — Trust, but verify.

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TODAY’S BIBLE READING CHALLENGE:
  Judges 11:1-12:15
  John 1:1-28
  Psalm 101:1-8
  Proverbs 14:13-14

Judges 11:2 — We’ve seen the family tension between Gideon’s concubine’s son and his other sons (Judges 9:5), and now we see that Gilead’s family has problems because Gilead’s son was immoral with a harlot. National success starts with success in the home!

Judges 11:14 — Land disputes in the Holy Land … sounds familiar …

Judges 11:35 — Did Jephthah offer his daughter as a human sacrifice? Tim Chaffey argues that it is unfortunately very likely. Solomon warns against breaking vows (Ecclesiastes 5:4-5).

John 1:1 — Was Jesus really God? He was not just a great teacher; He was Elohim – the same God that created the World (John 1:3). Was He the same as YHWH – the covenant making God that made and fulfilled His promises to Adam, Noah, Abraham, and Moses? A great comprehensive book on this topic is Putting Jesus in His Place: The Case for the Deity of Christ.

John 1:12 — The common teaching of the world today is that God is panentheistic and has 6.7 billion children. Only those that believe on His name have the power to become the sons of God, however. Are you a son of God?

From Earl Martin (But as Many as Received):

Psalm 101 — What is your personal commitment to holiness?

• Behavior and walk (Psalm 101:2)
• Eyes and work (Psalm 101:3)
• Companions (Psalm 101:4)
• Tongue and attitude (Psalm 101:5)
• Toleration (Psalm 101:7)

Proverbs 14:13 — Satisfaction is the goal not just in customer service, but in “self-actualization.” What does the Bible say about being satisfied?

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TODAY’S BIBLE READING CHALLENGE:
  Judges 9:22-10:18
  Luke 24:13-53
  Psalm 100:1-5
  Proverbs 14:11-12

Judges 9:45 — ”Salting the city” was a way to curse a city.

Judges 9:56 — Proverbs 26:27 and Ecclesiastes 10:8 talk about this.

Judges 10:6-7 — Those who forsake the LORD bring His anger. If you don’t incur God’s anger when you forsake the Lord, then you are not His son (Hebrews 12:8). We don’t forsake the LORD today by spending more time in TV, leisure, sports, eating, drinking, shopping, etc. than with our LORD … or do we?

Judges 10:14 — Jeremiah echoes this verse centuries later in Jeremiah 2:28. Moses warned in Deuteronomy 32:37 that God would say this.

Luke 24:27 — We’ve made it through Moses – have you seen in the Torah the things concerning Jesus?

Luke 24:45 — Let’s be sure to pray that Jesus would open our understanding as well so we can understand the Scriptures!

Luke 24:47 — Repentance and remission – God will forgive us if we call to Him!

Psalm 100:1-3 — Patch the Pirate has done a great job of putting this passage to music (word perfect)!

Proverbs 14:12 — Jeremiah 17:9 reiterates the warning of trusting your heart.

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TODAY’S BIBLE READING CHALLENGE:
  Judges 8:18-9:21
  Luke 23:44-24:12
  Psalm 99:1-9
  Proverbs 14:9-10

Judges 8:27 — John MacArthur says Gideon’s intentions were good with this ephod:

This was certainly a sad end to Gideon’s influence as he, perhaps in an expression of pride, sought to lift himself up in the eyes of the people. Gideon intended nothing more than to make a breastplate as David did (1 Chr. 15:27 to indicate civil, not priestly, rule. It was never intended to set up idolatrous worship, but to be a symbol of civil power. That no evil was intended can be noted from the subduing of Midian (v. 28), quietness from wars (v. 28), and the fact that idolatry came after Gideon’s death (v. 33), as well as the commendation of Gideon (v. 35).

Judges 8:30 — Even though Gideon did not want to be king (Judges 8:23), he should have hearkened to the command of Deuteronomy 17:17.

Judges 9:1 — We have secular records referencing Lab’ayu, the King of Shechem, that indicate collaboration between the Israelites and the Shechemites. From the Associates for Biblical Archaeology:

A number of the Amarna Letters indicate that the Shechemites were working with the habiru/Israelites to expand their territory. Since Lab’ayu was a third generation ruler (EA 253), there was continuity in leadership from the time of the conquest. This could account for a continuing relationship between the Shechemites and the Israelites/habiru. We have three letters from the king of Shechem (EA 252-254). In one letter, Lab’ayu has a somewhat defiant tone, much different than the letters from the other city states (EA 252; Campbell 1965: 195-196; Hess 1993: 99). This, coupled with the fact that Shechem was fortified during this period, suggests that Shechem was somewhat independent of Egyptian control and was pursuing its own best interests.

Luke 24:6 — Christ the Lord is risen today!

Psalm 99:1 — The LORD is not just a friend; He is our reigning monarch! What does it mean when it says to let the people “tremble”? The original Hebrew word is “ragaz” which means “to be agitated, quiver, quake, be excited, perturbed.” Throughout this Psalm we are commanded to tremble, be moved, praise Him, exalt Him, and worship Him.

Proverbs 14:9 — What do Americans think about sin? From a 2021 Gallup survey:

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TODAY’S BIBLE READING CHALLENGE:
  Judges 7:1-8:17
  Luke 23:13-43
  Psalm 97:1-98:9
  Proverbs 14:7-8

Judges 7:3 — Deuteronomy 20:8 says to let the fearful and fainthearted go home. Gideon had to wait for God to reiterate this command.

Judges 7:10 — If thou fear … ever notice how merciful God was as He orchestrated this victory?

• Israel did evil (Judges 6:1)
• Israel cried unto the LORD (Judges 6:6)
• The LORD allows Gideon to ask a sign (Judges 6:17)
• The LORD puts up with Gideon thinking he will die (Judges 6:23)
• The LORD helps Gideon even though his father has an altar to Baal (Judges 6:25)
• The LORD helps Israel even though the townsmen wanted to kill the obedient Gideon (Judges 6:30)
• The LORD helps Gideon even though he asks for a second sign (Judges 6:37)
• The LORD helps Gideon even though he asks for a third sign (Judges 6:39)
• The LORD helps Israel even though 22,000 of them were fearful and afraid of trusting in the LORD (Judges 7:3)
• The LORD helps Gideon even though he’s still scared (Judges 7:10)
• The LORD was patient and victorious – all Israel did was sin and cry

Luke 23:14 — Notice the contrasts:

• The man who was charged with perverting the people is found with no fault at all (Luke 23:14)
• Bar-abbas (“son of the father”) was desired instead of the Father’s Son (Luke 23:18)
• The rebel to authority was traded for the King of the land (Luke 23:19)
• The typically bloodthirsty Romans (Luke 13:1) wanted to release a prisoner (Luke 23:20)
• The priests of mercy (Hosea 6:6) want death (Luke 23:23)
• The governor obeys the governed (Luke 23:24)
• The guilty murderer was released, the innocent victim was punished (Luke 23:25)

Luke 23:42 — The guilty malefactor did what the Israelites did (Judges 6:6) and cried to the LORD.

Psalm 97:9 — The LORD who puts up with Gideon and Israel, who humbles Himself to accept the judgment of His Creation, is the same LORD who is high above all the earth.

Proverbs 14:8 — Deceit blinds your eyes to the truth. Understanding opens your eyes to the truth. Not all truth is immediately visible (Proverbs 25:2).

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TODAY’S BIBLE READING CHALLENGE:
  Judges 6:1-40
  Luke 22:54-23:12
  Psalm 95:1-96:13
  Proverbs 14:5-6

Judges 6:1 — Twenty times in the Old Testament the phrase “did evil” occurs. Seven times is in the Book of Judges. As a result of their evil, God delivered them into the hand of their cousins, the Midianites.

However, the relations between the Israelites and the Midianites began to sour when the Midianites joined forces with the Moabites in order to hire Balaam to curse Israel (Numbers 22). Later, when Israel fell into idolatry and sexual sin with the Moabite women (Numbers 25), we find that a prominent Midianite woman was also involved (Numbers 25:6). The Lord then told Moses to wage war against the Midianites (Numbers 25:17-19).

Judges 6:17 — John MacArthur examines if Gideon’s request violates Deuteronomy 6:16:

Though the Lord graciously consented to his request (as He had to a similar one by Moses in Exodus 33:12ff), Gideon’s actions should not be viewed as a pattern for believers to follow. As Christians, we do not ascertain the validity of God’s Word by asking Him for miraculous confirmation. Instead, we live according to His will by believing Him and being obedient to His Word. The Lord had already told Gideon that He would be victorious over the Midianites. That revelation should have been sufficient. By asking the Lord not to be angry with him before his request, Gideon, driven by his doubt, showed that even he knew he had overstepped his bounds. He acknowledged his faith was weak, but that he was in danger of sinfully putting God to the test (cf. Deuteronomy 6:16). The Lord could have punished Gideon for his lack of faith, but He didn’t.

Judges 6:25 — Gideon joins a small group of people who destroyed the false altars in the land in accordance with Exodus 34:13 and Deuteronomy 7:5.

• Asa (2 Chronicles 14:3)
• Jehoiada (2 Kings 11:18, 2 Chronicles 23:17)
• Hezekiah (2 Chronicles 30:14)
• Josiah (2 Kings 23:15, 2 Chronicles 34:4)

Luke 22:61 — This is the only gospel to record that the LORD looked at Peter.

Psalm 95:5-6 — Note the increasing emphasis on the creation by the Creator. It starts out that the sea is His, then the land, but even more so we are made by Him!

Proverbs 14:5 — I was just listening to a radio preacher who said that he knew someone who wasn’t able to speak for 6 months due to a surgery. He said their opportunity to sin dropped almost 50%.

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TODAY’S BIBLE READING CHALLENGE:
  Judges 4:1-5:31
  Luke 22:35-53
  Psalm 94:1-23
  Proverbs 14:3-4

Judges 4:8 — If Deborah won’t go with him, Barak refuses to obey a direct command from the LORD. In contrast, Daniel stood alone (Daniel 6:13).

Luke 22:36, 38, 49, and 51 — What is the normally peaceful Jesus doing telling His people to buy swords? And what about when He finally tells His people to put down their sword? In Matthew, Jesus comes across as “anti-sword” (Matthew 26:51-52), so why the contrast here in Luke 22?

Jesus, the omniscient One, knew His enemies would be coming with swords (Luke 22:52), and He was demonstrating that His followers also had weapons – not to mention that His twelve legions of angels had weapons (Matthew 26:53). It is clear that no man took Jesus’ life from Him (John 10:18), but that He laid it down, just as He told Peter to lay down the weapons (Luke 22:51, Matthew 26:52).

Psalm 94:7 — What does God call those who think He cannot see or regard something? Psalm 94:8 says He calls them “brutish and fools.”

Proverbs 14:4 — A verse of encouragement to young mothers who are discouraged over their house being a mess because of their toddlers.

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TODAY’S BIBLE READING CHALLENGE:
  Judges 2:10-3:31
  Luke 22:14-34
  Psalm 92:1-93:5
  Proverbs 14:1-2

Judges 2:12 — A violation of the vow of Joshua 24:16.

Judges 3:6 — Direct violation of Deuteronomy 7:3.

Judges 3:7 — God warned them about the groves in Deuteronomy 16:21.

Judges 3:9  — Caleb and Othniel form a godly line of leadership in stark contrast to their surroundings.

Luke 22:29-30 — It’s not just the apostles that will reign – we will too (2 Timothy 2:12, Revelation 5:10, Revelation 20:6, Revelation 22:5).

Psalm 93:3 — This is a great example of an anthropomorphism.

Proverbs 14:2 — Not only does the “wise man build his house …” but the wise woman does as well!

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TODAY’S BIBLE READING CHALLENGE:
  Judges 1:1-2:9
  Luke 21:29-22:13
  Psalm 90:1-91:16
  Proverbs 13:24-25

Judges 1:1 — The Book of Judges starts on a high note! “The children of Israel asked the LORD.” Unfortunately, it ends on a bad note (Judges 21:25).

Judges 2:2 — “… ye have not obeyed my voice.” The pre-incarnate LORD spoke, not a messenger who said “Thus saith the LORD.” And it was a rebuke. Obedience is what God desires.

Luke 22:5 — “… and they were glad.” 2 Corinthians 9:7 says that the Lord loveth a cheerful giver, but these givers (although cheerful) were not giving to the Lord but to a man possessed by Satan who would help them kill the Lord.

Psalm 90:12 — There are “Death Clock” websites that allow you to enter your date of birth, sex, smoking habit, body mass index, personality, alcohol consumption, and country you live in, and it will tell you how much time you have left on earth, statistically speaking. When we number our days, we stop and think about where we are putting our most valuable resource (not our talent, not our treasure, not our tools, but our time).

Proverbs 13:24 — A goal of parenting is to set the appetite of your children. You want them to love good and be repulsed by evil. Obedience brings blessing, and disobedience brings consequences. A danger is when we overemphasize the behavior of our children; the child may be tempted to lie about their improper actions just to please you (or perhaps not to infuriate you). While we are pleased with his/her words, he/she may ultimately feel rewarded for lying about doing wrong and punished for admitting when he/she did wrong. Make sure that you’re not just encouraging verbal conformity but truth telling as well!

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