Month: October 2024

TODAY’S BIBLE READING CHALLENGE:
  Jeremiah 42:1-44:23
  2 Timothy 2:1-21
  Psalm 92:1-93:5
  Proverbs 26:3-5

Jeremiah 42:2-3 — It’s about time! Jerusalem has fallen, the military governor was assassinated, the assassin’s coup was scattered, and those who are left want to listen to God finally … or do they?

Jeremiah 43:2 — God gave them a simple command, “Stay put (Jeremiah 42:10-12)!” They claimed they would obey (Jeremiah 42:2-3), not just once but twice (Jeremiah 42:5-6), and they even called Jeremiah a liar.

Jeremiah 43:3 — Baruch is again named. According to Josephus (Ant. x. 9, § 1), Baruch was a member of a very distinguished family.

Jeremiah 43:8 — Where is Tanpanhes? Roughly along the Suez Canal in Egypt. The children of Israel are regressing. They lost their kingdom, they did what was right in their own eyes, they recrossed the Sinai, and now they’ve returned to Egypt!

Jeremiah 43:12 — So one invasion and defeat isn’t enough! There’s another one coming!

Jeremiah 44:8 — They disobeyed with a king, they disobeyed without a king, and now they’re offering incense to the gods of Egypt!

Jeremiah 44:17 — Who is the “queen of heaven?” The “queen of heaven” is a false idol similar to Baal. We know this because vs. 16 says they will not listen to the voice of the LORD but to this other one. They ascribe their blessings not to the LORD but to the “queen.” We then see that the LORD regarded it as an evil abomination (Jeremiah 44:22).

2 Timothy 2:1 — Paul wants his son Timothy to be strong. As strong as a soldier (2 Timothy 2:3), as strong as an athlete (2 Timothy 2:5), and as strong as a farmer (2 Timothy 2:6).

2 Timothy 2:11-13 — Many people believe Paul is quoting an ancient hymn. This hymn emphasized the cost of discipleship – death, suffering, refusal to deny Jesus. And yet even if we don’t believe, it doesn’t matter. God’s Word still stands!

2 Timothy 2:15 — The AWANA theme verse! AWANA stands for “Approved Workmen Are Not Ashamed.” Four million kids every week are studying God’s Word because Lance Latham and Art Rorheim started a ministry to kids in Chicago.

2 Timothy 2:19 — We are told that we are under grace, and that the Old Testament Law doesn’t govern us. Yes, the 613 laws of the Old Testament are given to Israel for a previous dispensation. One-third dealt with the Temple and 1/3 were conditional, so the average Israelite didn’t have as much of a burden as we think. In contrast, we have over 1,000 imperatives given to us in the New Testament. We are commanded to depart from iniquity. We are held to a higher standard than Israel was. We are called to be a “vessel unto honor, sanctified, and meet for the master’s use (2 Timothy 2:21).”

Psalm 92:2 — Morning by morning and evening by evening, let’s praise the LORD!

Psalm 93:4 — The oceans cover 71% of the world’s surface. A hurricane produces “200 times the world-wide electrical generating capacity.” Yet the LORD is mightier!

Proverbs 26:4-5 — How do we handle contradictory statements? In our society we have dueling maxims:

• “Haste makes waste” & “Strike while the iron is hot”
• “A penny saved is a penny earned” & “Penny wise, pound foolish”

The challenge is to deal with the fool without being like him. Let’s avoid being a fool (Proverbs 26:12, 29:20).

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:
  Jeremiah 39:1-41:18
  2 Timothy 1:1-18
  Psalm 90:1-91:16
  Proverbs 26:1-2

Jeremiah 39:2 — Now the real action begins! Prophecies and imprisonment lead up to this pivotal point: the ninth day of the fourth month of the eleventh year of Zedekiah.

Jeremiah 39:3 — Every letter of Scripture is inspired but not the commas. Those were added by stylists to help us understand Scripture better. What is fascinating with this verse is that we have a list of names of Babylonian officials preserved for 2,500 years; for most of that 2,500 years the “official Babylonian records” were unavailable. Meaning, the ancient Jewish scribes had no records to check the spelling of the names of these officials. The translators of the King James in 1611 had no idea who these people were. Skeptics weren’t impressed with a 2,500-year-old “hand-me-down” account of a battle, even though the account included dates (Jeremiah 29:2), names (Jeremiah 29:3), and other interesting details.

In 595 BC, a receipt for the transfer of 27 ounces of gold was made by Nebo-Sarsechim, chief eunuch of Nebuchadnezzar. This individual – same name and title – was with Nebuchadnezzar at the Fall of Jerusalem according to Jeremiah 39:3. In 1870 AD (2,465 years later), a mile outside Babylon, this receipt was dug up, sold to the British Museum, and in 2007 was finally translated!

From the invasion of Jerusalem in 587 BC to the translation of the King James Version in 1611 AD – an astounding 2,198 years – Jeremiah’s record was accurately preserved letter for letter. And the amazing thing is, we didn’t know it for another 396 years! Read more about it at the Top 10 (secular) Archaeological Discoveries of 2007!

Jeremiah 39:4 — Zedekiah refused to go out the front door to the Babylonians (Jeremiah 38:17), so now he is fleeing out the back door. And the king who refused to believe the God he could not see had his sight taken from him (Jeremiah 39:7). The king who would not go out was dragged out in chains (Jeremiah 39:7). The king who would not leave his house had his house burned (Jeremiah 39:8). The king who oppressed the poor (Jeremiah 7:5-7) had his land left to the poor (Jeremiah 39:10).

Jeremiah 39:18 — The King of Judah who sat on the Throne of David (Jeremiah 13:13) saw his sons slain before he lost his sight and was dragged away in chains. The foreign Ethiopian (Jeremiah 38:7) who interceded for the prophet was delivered because he trusted in the LORD.

Jeremiah 40:3 — God spoke to several Babylonians:

• Messengers of Berodach-baladan (by Hezekiah) – 2 Kings 20:12
• Nebuzaradan (by the prophet?) – Jeremiah 40:2-3
• Nebuchadnezzar (by dreams) – Daniel 2:1
• Nebuchadnezzar (from heaven) – Daniel 4:31-32
• Belshazzar (by a finger) – Daniel 5:5

Jeremiah 40:16 — Famous last words. Gedaliah trusted a false friend (Proverbs 27:6).

Jeremiah 41:16 — So this whole chapter seems to be irrelevant, but I want you to notice the characteristics of the people of Israel outside of the kingdom. They’ve reverted back to the times of the Judges (Judges 21:25). “In those days there was no king in Israel: every man did that which was right in his own eyes.” Gedaliah is assassinated by Ishmael, Ishmael slaughters people bringing offerings to the LORD, and Johanan takes the remainder to Egypt.

2 Timothy 1:1 — This is Paul’s last letter, written shortly before he was beheaded by Nero. From J. Vernon McGee:

You can, I think, emphasize one word in this epistle above other words. That word is loyalty: (1) loyalty in suffering (ch. 1); (2) loyalty in service (ch. 2); (3) loyalty in apostasy (ch. 3–4:5); and (4) Lord loyal to His servants in desertion (ch. 4:6–22).

The deathbed statement of any individual has an importance which is not attached to other remarks. This is what lends significance to 2 Timothy. It is the final communication of Paul. It has a note of sadness which is not detected in his other epistles. Nevertheless, there is the overtone of triumph: “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith,” written by Paul as his own epitaph (2 Tim. 4:7). Also, because this was his last letter, Paul was very personal. In these four short chapters, there are approximately twenty–five references to individuals.

https://www.ttb.org/resources/study-guides/2-timothy-study-guide

2 Timothy 1:5 — Thank God for praying mothers and grandmothers!

2 Timothy 1:8 — Timothy is reading this from an inmate who is asking Timothy to join him in suffering because it’s worth it. Why? Death doesn’t scare Paul primarily because Jesus abolished death (2 Timothy 1:10).

2 Timothy 1:12 — Paul had confidence because he knew Jesus and could trust Him! Paul knew Whom he believed!

2 Timothy 1:17 — Compare Onesiphorus who sought out Paul to Ebedmelech (Jeremiah 38:7) who sought out Jeremiah! As Jesus said, “If you give a cup of cold water to my disciple, you have done it to me” (Matthew 10:41-42). May we be practicing hospitality. Paul refused to be chargeable to the Thessalonians (1 Thessalonians 2:9), but he was grateful for those who insisted on helping him (2 Timothy 1:17). The Christian car mechanic who fixes the missionary’s car has earned a prophet’s reward (Matthew 10:41), just like Ebedmelech (Jeremiah 38:7) and Onesiphorus (2 Timothy 1:17).

When I read this passage, I think of my grandfather, John McLario. He traveled to Havana, Cuba, which at that time was under the leadership of Fidel Castro. He was mentioned in God’s Missiles over Cuba for almost getting arrested there for his work in helping free imprisoned missionaries.

Psalm 90:4 — Six thousand years of human history isn’t even a week in God’s eyes!

Psalm 90:8 — God knows even our secret sins!

Psalm 91:1-2 — ”On Eagle’s Wings” is a song based on these verses:

Proverbs 26:1 — Yes, snow in summer is not seemly, and we definitely appreciate it when the snow holds off as long as possible! If we are a fool, how can we get honor? Stop being a fool!

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:
  Jeremiah 37:1-38:28
  1 Timothy 6:1-21
  Psalm 89:38-52
  Proverbs 25:28

Jeremiah 37:7 — Jeremiah wasn’t a popular guy. He prophesied defeat in the midst of apparent victory. He said that the wounded Chaldeans were better than Israel’s finest (Jeremiah 37:10).

Jeremiah 37:15 — Jeremiah knew (like Paul did) what it meant to suffer from his own countrymen (2 Corinthians 11:25).

Jeremiah 38:4 — Compare with Lachish Letter VI:

Who am I, thy slave, a dog, that thou hast sent me the letter of the King and the letters of the officers, saying: “Read, I pray thee, and thou wilt see that words of the prophet are not good, (liable) to weaken the hands, to make sink the hands of the men in city and country.

This rendering here in part follows Dr. J. W. Jack in The Palestine Exploration Quarterly, July, 1938, pp 176, 181.

http://nabataea.net/jeremiah.html

Jeremiah 38:5 — From Nabataea.net:

Zedekiah II was obviously a weak character. He allowed himself to be moved by whichever party pressed its will most earnestly upon him (Jeremiah 38:4, 5; cf. vs. 8-10, 19). Beginning his reign as a vassal of Babylon, he served Nebuchadnezzar up to at least his fourth year (594 B.C.), when he made a visit to the city of Babylon (Jeremiah 51. 59). However, the false prophet Hananiah was then already inciting the common people to support revolt against Babylon, by promising the breaking of the Babylonian yoke “within the space of two full years” (Jeremiah 28. 3, 11). Thus there were two differing factions under the rule of Zedekiah II; one faction, which included the princes, sought freedom from the Babylonian domination, and looked to Egypt for military support; the other faction, to which Jeremiah certainly belonged, if he did not actually lead it, believed submission to Babylon to be the right course.

http://nabataea.net/jeremiah.html

Jeremiah 38:16 — Jeremiah said the king will either kill him or not listen (Jeremiah 38:15). The king promised merely not to kill him.

Jeremiah 38:20 — The voice has cried out throughout the millennia, “Obey, I beseech thee, the voice of the LORD, which I speak unto thee: so it shall be well unto thee, and thy soul shall live.”

• “Obey” – the simple command
• “I beseech thee” – the personal, emotional appeal of Jeremiah
• “the voice of the LORD” – the authority appealed to by Jeremiah
• “which I speak unto thee” – Jeremiah is a preacher of the Word
• “so it shall be well unto thee” – the promised blessing part 1
• “and thy soul shall live” – the promised blessing part 2

1 Timothy 6:1 — Paul taught a radical concept: servants should obey secular masters (not just the believing ones). They should do so honorably, otherwise to do the opposite was the same as blaspheming God! How we interact in personally undesirable situations is a picture of how we treat God!

1 Timothy 6:9 — ”… (T)hey that will be rich …” is a great description of those that play the lotto. Strangely enough, the NY Times ran a story on a “Christian card-counting group” that played in casinos. All was “well” except for:

Accusations of cheating arose, stress mounted and at one point the team had a painful losing streak, having racked up $465,000 in losses. Some members failed their exams on their card-counting skills, resulting in being fired from the team. Members got kicked out of hundreds of casinos across the country.

https://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/10/sports/a-card-counting-mix-of-bibles-blackjack-and-cash.html

1 Timothy 6:17 – The “uncertain(ty of) riches” is just the tip of the iceberg as compiled by David Cloud:

Charles Riddle, who won $1 million in Michigan in 1975, got divorced, faced several lawsuits, and was indicted for selling cocaine.

Evelyn Adams, who won the New Jersey lottery in 1985 and 1986 for a total of $5.4 million, gambled and gave away all her winnings and by 2001 was living in a trailer park.

Teresa Brunnings, who won $1.3 million in a lottery in 1985, says that she had a party then, but, “Of all the people who came, not one speaks to me now.”

Karen Cohen, who won $1 million in the Illinois state lottery in 1984, filed for bankruptcy in 2000 and in 2006 was sentenced to 22 months in jail for lying to federal bankruptcy court.

https://www.wayoflife.org/reports/lottery_fever.html

Psalm 89:48 — The statistics still hold … 10 out of 10 people will eventually die!

Proverbs 25:28 – Patch the Pirate wrote a song about those who have no rule over their spirit. It’s called “Temper Tantrum Tilly!“

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:
  Jeremiah 35:1-36:32
  1 Timothy 5:1-25
  Psalm 89:14-37
  Proverbs 25:25-27

Jeremiah 35:6 — Jonadab the teetotaler! He’s not the first who took a pledge of total abstinence. The Bible doesn’t speak in positive terms of strong drink.

Interestingly, we have met Jonadab the Rechabite before! In 2 Kings 10:15 we met Jehonadab the son of Rechab coming to meet Jehu where they fulfilled God’s command to destroy the line of Ahab (2 Kings 10:17) and all the worshippers of Baal (2 Kings 10:23). Jehonadab was radically faithful to God, and 250 years later his descendants were faithful to their forefather. They refused to assimilate into the apostate culture of the Northern Kingdom. Jonadab’s descendants were blessed for their commitment to separation (Jeremiah 35:19).

Jeremiah 36:4 — Gehazi (2 Kings 5:20) was an assistant to another famous prophet (Elijah), but Gehazi’s closeness to power gave rise to covetousness. Baruch’s prophet was kept in prison. We’ll see God’s Word for Baruch in a few chapters, but Baruch is a model of a faithful servant in the church today. Whether it’s in the nursery or manning the photocopier, we can all help spread God’s Word by being faithful to the task God has called us to.

Jeremiah 36:19 — Interesting look at the palace intrigue. The princes were:

• intrigued by the Word of God (Jeremiah 36:14)
• wanted to hear it again (Jeremiah 36:15)
• convicted by it (Jeremiah 36:16)
• protected the prophet (Jeremiah 36:19)
• unconvicted (Jeremiah 36:24)
• split in their opinion on burning the roll (Jeremiah 36:25)

Jeremiah 36:23 — Jehoiakim was far from the last to try to destroy God’s Word. Watch The Indestructible Book to learn more!

Jeremiah 36:30 — In contrast to the line of Jonadab the Rechabite, we have the line of Jehoiakim. One was a Bedouin living in tents; the other one lived on the throne of David. One was blessed forever, and one was cursed forever.

1 Timothy 5:1 — Relationships within the family of God! Paul is talking to the young pastor, Timothy, about how to relate to his brothers and sisters.

1 Timothy 5:4 — Subsidiarity is the idea that actions should be taken at the lowest level possible. God doesn’t need master planners such as those that caused the Soviet famine. Most often He’s looking for those who excel in local responsibilities, especially the home.

1 Timothy 5:13 — The saying, “Idle hands are the devil’s workshop” isn’t found in the Bible, but the principle is clearly communicated. Those that can be productive but aren’t, are often tempted to idleness, and God takes seriously our idleness (Matthew 12:36).

1 Timothy 5:17-18 — It’s okay (especially during October’s Pastor Appreciation Month) to give your pastor a gift card to his favorite restaurant.

1 Timothy 5:23 — Having read about Jonadab, is this the Bible’s version of the 21st Amendment? No … this is more like “take some Robitussin” which can obviously be abused as well. Many a pastor has fallen by going from ingesting “a little wine” to alcoholism due to a misunderstanding and misapplication of this passage. A “little wine” in Paul’s day meant 2.5% alcohol content. Compare this with modern wine which has “more than five times as much alcohol as the diluted wine of the ancient world.”

An interesting modern parallel is CBD (cannabidiol) vs. the THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) in marijuana. THC is the “active ingredient” in marijuana that creates the “high” (it’s a hallucinogenic that claims to be therapeutic). Normal marijuana is only 1% THC, however, which is offset by the CBD (the non-hallucinogenic part, but also considered therapeutic). In contrast, today’s marijuana is bred to upwards of 30% THC and distilled up to 95% THC. Legitimate medicinal uses of marijuana are available in “pharmaceutical-produced, quality controlled and dose-specific medications containing synthetic THC. Curiously, they have not sold well.” This is a good example of people hijacking a legitimate concern for health and using it to further their passions.

Psalm 89:30 — As we read today, Jehoiakim forsook God’s Law (Jeremiah 36:29-31), and God visited his transgression (Psalm 89:32).

Psalm 89:36 — There is no king from David’s line sitting on a throne in the Knesset, but there is the Son of David sitting on the throne of heaven (Acts 2:30).

Proverbs 25:25 — It’s always exciting to hear missionary reports from a far-away land!

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:
  Jeremiah 33:1-34:22
  1 Timothy 4:1-16
  Psalm 89:1-13
  Proverbs 25:23-24

Jeremiah 33:1 — In prison? Jeremiah? He joins a good group of biblical prisoners:

• Joseph (Genesis 39:20)
• Samson (Judges 16:21)
• Hoshaiah (2 Chronicles 16:10)
• Micaiah (1 Kings 22:27, 2 Chronicles 18:26)
• Jehoiachin (2 Kings 25:27)
• Jeremiah (Jeremiah 32:2)
• John the Baptist (Matthew 4:12)
• The Apostles (Acts 5:18)
• Peter (Acts 12:5)
• Paul & Silas (Acts 16:23-27)

Paul recounts that he was “in prisons more frequent” (2 Corinthians 11:23). As Psalm 69:33 tells us, “… the LORD … despiseth not his prisoners …” and in Psalm 146:7 we hear, “The LORD looseth the prisoners!”

Jeremiah 33:3 — Growing up, it was fun to show off what you could make with Legos. But how much more amazing would it be to see the great and mighty things that the Creator of the Universe can make! Let’s call unto Him today!

Jeremiah 33:8 — Cleansed and pardoned! How can someone be cleansed? Leviticus 14:14 says that the blood of the trespass offering is needed to cleanse. Jeremiah accused them of bloodguiltiness or “any grievous sin which, if it remains, will block God’s favor to His land and people” (Jeremiah 2:34, Jeremiah 7:6, Jeremiah 19:4, Jeremiah 22:3, Jeremiah 22:17, Jeremiah 26:15). Numbers 35:33 says that the land can only be cleansed of the blood shed within its borders by the blood of him that shed it. Whose blood will be shed to pay for the penalty? Numbers 35:33 would imply that it would be Israel’s blood, but if their blood is shed, who would take the land? Only Someone who could take the iniquity of all (Isaiah 53:6). The Branch of Righteousness, the heir of David (Jeremiah 33:15) will save Judah. In the very first verse of the New Testament, Jesus is identified as the Son of David (Matthew 1:1). Even the blind men could see that Jesus was the Son of David (Matthew 9:27, 20:30-32), and the Canaanite woman (Matthew 15:22).

Jeremiah 34:7 — Sennacherib had already attacked Lachish about 140 years earlier. Now, it is under attack again.

In 1935, the archaeologist J. L. Starkey discovered in Lachish some broken pieces of pottery with writing on them that have become known as the Lachish Letters. We’ll discuss them more as we continue, but if you ever get to the British Museum or the Rockefeller Museum in Jerusalem, be sure to look for them.

Jeremiah 34:14 — Jeremiah notes that because the commands of Exodus 21:2 and Deuteronomy 15:12 had been neglected, the people that were released (belatedly) were now being re-enslaved!

1 Timothy 4:1 — Let’s see … are we in the latter times? What are the characteristics?

• Departing from the faith

Nearly one-third of white Americans raised in evangelical Christian households leave their childhood faith. About 60 percent of those who leave end up joining another faith tradition, while 40 percent give up on religion altogether. The rates of disaffiliation are even higher among young adults: 39 percent of those raised evangelical Christian no longer identify as such in adulthood.

https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/are-white-evangelicals-sacrificing-the-future-in-search-of-the-past ~ NOTE: we’re focusing on white evangelicals merely because they are the largest subgroup of senior citizens in American religion

• giving heed to seducing spirits (Slenderman?)
• doctrines of devils (only 17% of Christians have a biblical worldview)
• speaking lies in hypocrisy (take your pick!)
• forbidding to marry (the largest self-described church forbids its clergy to marry. See also “departing from the faith” for their view of justification)
• commanding to abstain from meats (Christian veganism)

1 Timothy 4:4-5 — Why do we say grace before a meal? We are commanded to!

1 Timothy 4:13 — Notice the emphasis on doctrine. Avoid doctrines of devils (2 Timothy 4:1), remember doctrine (2 Timothy 4:6), good doctrine (2 Timothy 4:6), teach good doctrine (2 Timothy 4:11), give attendance to doctrine (2 Timothy 4:13), meditate on it (2 Timothy 4:15), and take heed to the doctrine (2 Timothy 4:16).

Psalm 89:1 — Let’s sing forever!

Psalm 89:3-4 — We just read in Jeremiah about the Branch of David (Jeremiah 33:15, 17, 21-22, 26) and again we’re reminded of the everlasting covenant with the seed of David!

Psalm 89:9 — This seed of David is identified as stilling the waves of the raging seas! In Matthew 8:27 we see Who this is!

Proverbs 25:24 — A great book I’ve started reading is “Discovering the Mind of a Woman.” I’ve already bought copies for a couple of my friends.

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:
  Jeremiah 31:27-32:44
  1 Timothy 3:1-16
  Psalm 88:1-18
  Proverbs 25:20-22

Jeremiah 31:31-34 — This is the longest quoted passage from the Old Testament in the New Testament (Hebrews 8:8-11), per Olufemi Adeyemi. Jesus used the phrase “new covenant” when He instituted the Lord’s Supper (Luke 2:20). From John MacArthur:

I want you to notice two things in the New Covenant. The first is at the end of verse 34, and it has to do with the forgiveness of sin. The New Covenant carries with it the forgiveness of sin. The second is in verse 33, putting God’s Law in the heart. The New Covenant also carries an internal power to cause obedience to the Law of God. So what Jeremiah is saying is, “There will come a New Covenant. It will provide forgiveness of sin and a new divine enabling to keep the Law of God.”

Jeremiah 31:37 — The deepest mankind has dug is 7.6 miles. Only 3,951.4 more miles to go until we reach the center of the earth! We’ve estimated the universe to be approximately 880,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 miles across. Voyager 1 is 14,813,669,200 miles away from earth, travelling at 38,000 mph. Even at that speed, Voyager 1 is still 40,000 years away from hitting one of our closest celestial neighbors! It will take a while before we can measure the heavens!

Jeremiah 31:38-40 — From Jimmy DeYoung:

Jeremiah 31:38-40 talks about the return of Jerusalem to the Jewish people, which was partially fulfilled on the date, June 7, 1967. I say partially because the city of Jerusalem will be a center of controversy until the Messiah, Jesus Christ, sets up His kingdom. Jesus Christ will reign over His kingdom from Jerusalem for 1,000 years.

Jeremiah 32:8 — A prophet that prophesies destruction (Jeremiah 32:2) doesn’t usually buy land in the land being destroyed. But Jeremiah did so because God had declared that it would be possessed again (Jeremiah 32:15)!

Jeremiah 32:17 — The song, “Ah, Lord God” is based on this verse.

Or … from Earl Martin:

Jeremiah 32:27 — Great memory verse.

1 Timothy 3:2 — Even if you’re not a bishop/pastor, or a deacon, this is a good list of character traits to pursue. Especially in our alcohol-focused culture (15 million have an “Alcohol Use Disorder,” and 88,000 die from alcohol-related causes annually), Paul says that should not be a characteristic of a Christian leader.

1 Timothy 3:15 — No, this verse isn’t talking about running in church! Nor is it saying that a specific church is the God-ordained perfect teacher of truth. From GotQuestions.org:

Judging by the context of 1 Timothy, as well as the rest of Scripture, certainly not that “the church” has an infallible grasp of truth. In this case, Paul seems to be saying that the ekklesia — the body of believers – “the church” — is the structure that holds up and holds forth the gospel to the world. For that reason, the conduct of the body and its selection of leaders are critically important.

This interpretation is strongly supported by Paul’s use of two Greek words, stulos and hedraioma, translated as “pillar” and “foundation.” Stulos means “pillar, column, prop, or support” and is found in the New Testament only here, in Revelation 3:12, and in Revelation 10:1. Hedraioma means “prop or support” and is found only in this verse. Both words come from Greek root words that imply something that stiffens, stabilizes, steadies, or holds. These are completely different words than what are used for other occurrences of “foundation” in English Bibles. For instance, Paul’s reference to Christ as our “foundation” in 1 Corinthians 3:11 uses the word themelios, which means “foundation of a building” or “initial and founding principles of an idea.”

Psalm 88:1 — Ever sit back and notice the intensity of the Psalmist’s prayers? Sometimes we just say a “Now I lay me down to sleep” or a “Bless this food” kind of prayer without truly needing the LORD.

Proverbs 25:22 — Paul quotes this in Romans 12:20. From Wuest:

In Bible times an oriental needed to keep his hearth fire going all the time in order to insure fire for cooking and warmth. If it went out, he had to go to a neighbour for some live coals of fire. These he would carry on his head in a container, oriental fashion, back to his home. The person who would give him some live coals would be meeting his desperate need and showing him an outstanding kindness. If he would heap the container with coals, the man would be sure of getting some home still burning. The one injured would be returning kindness for injury.

Wuest

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:
  Jeremiah 30:1-31:26
  1 Timothy 2:1-15
  Psalm 87:1-7
  Proverbs 25:18-19

Jeremiah 30:9 — Why does God bring up the time of “Jacob’s trouble” (Jeremiah 30:7)? So that they may serve the LORD! God is planning on bringing King David back? Since that was not fulfilled after the exile, Jeremiah 30:3 must refer to another event. Between Abraham (2166 BC) and today (2023 AD) we see three major separations of the Jewish people from the land:

• Captivity – 1876 BC (entrance into Egypt under Joseph) until 1446 BC (Exodus under Moses). This occurred under the Dispensation of Promise/Covenant.
• Exile – The Fall of the Northern Kingdom of Israel in 722 BC to Sargon and the Fall of Southern Kingdom of Judah in 586 BC to Nebuchadnezzar until the returns led by Zerubbabel, Ezra, and Nehemiah. This occurred under the Dispensation of Law.
• Diaspora – Starting with the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70 until the modern Aliyah starting in 1882 and intensifying in 1948 with the formation of the modern state of Israel.

Did any ruler after the Exile time count as “King David?” The Hasmonean dynasty was an independent kingdom for only 50 years (110-63 BC) until it succumbed to the Roman Empire. Herod the Great wasn’t “King David” – he was an Edomite! This prophecy is yet to be fulfilled! In our day we are seeing Israel and Judah returning to the land (Jeremiah 30:3), making Aliyah even today! Unfortunately, they have not returned to serve the LORD; approximately 67% of Israeli Jews identify as secular atheist. Pray with Paul that Israel will be saved (Romans 10:1)!

Jeremiah 30:22 — We talked yesterday that it is good (and even commanded!) to be involved in political campaigns – to seek the good of the land. But how much better would it be to know that our leader is not a mere politician, but He’s God! Note that most of the time in this chapter that He uses the word “LORD” to describe Himself and His relationship to us. But here in this verse He uses the word “God” – Elohim – the same word used to describe Himself as the Creator of the World (Genesis 1:1). Our ultimate Leader, my Father, is omnipotent!

Jeremiah 31:3 — God is not done with Israel! He loves them with an everlasting love!

Jeremiah 31:15 — We’re familiar with this verse from Matthew 2:17. But that’s not the only application. From Jamieson-Faussett-Brown:

In Benjamin, east of the great northern road, two hours’ journey from Jerusalem. Rachel, who all her life had pined for children (Ge 30:1), and who died with “sorrow” in giving birth to Benjamin (Ge 35:18, 19, Margin; 1Sa 10:2), and was buried at Ramah, near Beth-lehem, is represented as raising her head from the tomb, and as breaking forth into “weeping” at seeing the whole land depopulated of her sons, the Ephraimites. Ramah was the place where Nebuzara-dan collected all the Jews in chains, previous to their removal to Babylon (Jer 40:1). God therefore consoles her with the promise of their restoration. Mt 2:17, 18 quotes this as fulfilled in the massacre of the innocents under Herod. “A lesser and a greater event, of different times, may answer to the single sense of one passage of Scripture, until the prophecy is exhausted” [Bengel]. Besides the temporary reference to the exiles in Babylon, the Holy Spirit foreshadowed ultimately Messiah’s exile in Egypt, and the desolation caused in the neighborhood of Rachel’s tomb by Herod’s massacre of the children, whose mothers had “sons of sorrow” (Ben-oni), just as Rachel had.

1 Timothy 2:2 — Do you pray for those in authority? PublicServantPrayer.org has done a great job in identifying a state’s elected officials so you can pray daily for them.

1 Timothy 2:4 — If God wants all men to be saved, how will He get His message to all men? Romans 10:14-15 reminds us that God is sending preachers; they just need to say, “Here I am, LORD. Send me (Isaiah 6)!”

1 Timothy 2:14 — Eve received bad information from Adam and the serpent. God told Adam not to eat of it (Genesis 2:17), but Eve who heard it second hand from Adam said that God had said not to touch it (Genesis 3:3). Interestingly, while the Serpent and Eve are having their discussion, Adam is standing right next to her (Genesis 3:6)!

So why should Eve’s mistake keep women from being preachers today? For that matter, why should woman “have power on her head because of the angels (1 Corinthians 11:10)?” Like Job, we don’t have to understand why, we just have to obey!

1 Timothy 2:15 — Does childbearing sanctify? No! Paul is going back to the garden – the man was cursed with the sorrow of work, and the woman was cursed with the pain of childbirth. Henry Alford discusses:

The curse on the woman for her “transgression” was, “in pains you will bear children” (Genesis 3:16). Her “childbearing” is that in which the curse finds its operation. What then is here promised her? Not only exemption from that curse in its worst and heaviest effects: not merely that she shall safely bear children: but the Apostle uses the word “will be saved” purposely for its higher meaning [eternal salvation], and the construction of the sentence is precisely as [in] 1 Corinthians 3:15 — “he will be saved, yet though as through fire.”

Just as that man should be saved though as passing through fire, which is his trial, his hindrance in his way, in spite of which he escapes — so she shall be saved, though as passing through her child-bearing, which is her trial, her curse, her (not means of salvation, but) hindrance in the way of it.

Alford, H. [2010]. Alford’s Greek Testament: An Exegetical and Critical Commentary [Vol. 3, 320]. Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software

Proverbs 25:19 — Are you trusting the right people? Solomon said earlier that it’s hard to find such a one (Proverbs 20:6).

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TODAY’S BIBLE READING CHALLENGE:
  Jeremiah 28:1-29:32
  1 Timothy 1:1-20
  Psalm 86:1-17
  Proverbs 25:17

Jeremiah 28:3 — Hananiah the son of Azur was a morale booster. Today we call his work PsyOps. And while it was lauded by the king, it would be worthy of death by God (Deuteronomy 18:20-22). Hananiah’s prophecy was two years out. The prophecy of Jeremiah was time sensitive. How would the people know who was the right prophet?

Jeremiah 28:16 — Jeremiah prophesied that Hananiah would be dead within the year, even though Hananiah prophesied there would be peace within two years.

Interestingly, in recent times John Alexander Dowie, founder of Zion, Illinois, entered into a prayer duel with the founder of Ahmadiyya.

A bizarre sidelight on Dowie’s later years is that he became embroiled in an acrimonious public dispute with a controversial Indian Muslim religious figure, Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, founder of the Ahmadiyya movement. In 1903 they engaged in a widely publicized prayer duel, each calling upon God to punish the other to expose him as a false prophet. Ahmad and his followers proclaimed Dowie’s rapidly ensuing illness, disgrace, and death as a vindication of their religious beliefs. Ahmad died in 1908, a year later than Dowie.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christ_Community_Church

Jeremiah 29:2 — It is strange that we see the eunuchs mentioned here. This is another pagan practice that had been adopted by Israel. Deuteronomy 23:1 declared that castration prevented a man from the assembly of the LORD. Why would a political leader cut off his advisers from the LORD? An attempt to be like the surrounding nations? Then again, the people offered their children to Baal as burnt offerings (Jeremiah 19:5) and castrated their advisers.

Jeremiah 29:5-7 — This is good advice for us today. We are away from our true home. Jeremiah 29:10 says that the Israelites will be in captivity for 70 years. Interestingly, Psalm 90:10 talks about our threescore and ten (70) years on earth before we go to our New Jerusalem (Revelation 21)! The “United Society of Believers in Christ’s Second Appearing,” better known as Shakers, believed that Jesus was coming back so soon that they did not need to “bear sons and daughters” (Jeremiah 29:6). Even today many talk about how they can’t imagine bringing children into the world.

What are we to do? Prepare to stay awhile through:

• personal comforts (build houses)
• profits (plant gardens)
• procreation (take wives, bear sons and daughters)
• politics (seek the peace of the city)

Yes, God is okay with you living in a nice house, having a 401k, bringing children into this world, voting, volunteering on a campaign, donating to a candidate, or even running for office yourself! BUT …

Jeremiah 29:10 — There is something better coming (taking you to the New Jerusalem)! That is the expected end. We can enjoy this present life but remember to call upon the LORD (Jeremiah 29:12). Someday, just like Israel, we will be gathered in as well (Jeremiah 29:14).

Jeremiah 29:22 — That is a vivid image of the end of a false prophet!

1 Timothy 1:3 — Jeremiah battled the false teachers Hananiah (Jeremiah 28:15) in Jerusalem, and Ahab and Zedekiah (Jeremiah 29:21) in Babylon. Timothy is now battling false teachers in Ephesus.

1 Timothy 1:15 — The anointed Messiah, “Jehovah is Salvation,” entered the world on purpose, to save people who admit they are horrible people. The good people (those still in Jerusalem per Jeremiah 29:16-19) won’t be saved. But the bad people – those who went into captivity (Jeremiah 27:12-13) – can live if they surrender!

1 Timothy 1:17 — The hymn “Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise” is based on this verse.

1 Timothy 1:18 — In 1 Timothy 6:12, Paul will get back to this expression when he urges Timothy to fight the good fight!

Psalm 86:1 — The Psalmist recognizes the same truth that Paul and Jeremiah do: God hears those who admit they are needy

Proverbs 25:17 — As we say today, “Don’t wear out your welcome!”

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TODAY’S BIBLE READING CHALLENGE:
  Jeremiah 26:1-27:22
  2 Thessalonians 3:1-18
  Psalm 85:1-13
  Proverbs 25:16

Jeremiah 26:1 — Have you noticed that Jeremiah’s writings are not in chronological order? Earlier we read that God would not turn even if Samuel prayed, but now He offers to hearken (Jeremiah 26:3). From J. Carl Laney:

According to Murphy, the individual units of Jeremiah were originally addressed to the people to whom Jeremiah ministered at different stages throughout his ministry. The final form of the work, compiled after Jehoiachin’s release in 561 B.C., was a message to the exiles in Babylon providing encouragement and hope through promises of restoration. Since the judgments which Jeremiah announced had been fulfilled, the exiles in Babylon could be confident that the restoration would also come about.

Murphy believes that Jeremiah has been carefully constructed to a recurring theological message of judgment and hope for God’s exiled people (p. 315). Because they have broken the Mosaic Covenant, they experienced judgment (Lev. 26, Deut. 28). But because of God’s unconditional promise to Abraham (Gen. 12:2-3), God would deliver His people from exile and rebuild them as a nation. So Jeremiah repeatedly presents Yahweh’s judgment and promised hope, destruction and restoration, and cursing and blessing.

The entry and exit points of the anthology, according to Murphy, are chapters 1 and 52. These chapters serve as “bookends” to hold the work together as an anthology. Chapter one verse 10 sets forth the agenda of the book. Here we see “in seed form” the themes of judgment and restoration which make up the rest of the book. The final chapter (52) highlights these same themes by recounting two incidents. Chapter 52 tells of the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple, emphasizing the theme of judgment. But the book concludes with a message of hope. Jehoiachin is released from prison, anticipating the future restoration and return of the people of Judah.

Jeremiah 26:14 — How could Jeremiah be so cavalier about his own life? Because he had accomplished what the LORD sent him to do (Jeremiah 26:12).

Jeremiah 26:18 — Who is this Micah the Morasthite? When we turn to Micah 1:1, we realize that this was the same prophet!

• Jeremiah 26:18 recognizes the prophecy of Micah
• Daniel 9:2 recognizes the prophecy of Jeremiah
• Ezekiel 14:14, Ezekiel 14:20, and Ezekiel 28:3 recognize Daniel
• 2 Peter 3:15-16 identify Paul’s writings as Scripture

We find several times in Scripture a reference to other people in Scripture. It’s not just an anthology of religious sayings, but the Word of God pointing towards His Son, Jesus Christ.

Jeremiah 26:23 — Religious persecution was evident in the “theocracy” of Judah with the death of Urijah. It also was evident in the Puritan colony of Massachusetts with Obadiah Holmes:

Obadiah Holmes (1610 – 15 October 1682) was an early Rhode Island settler, and a Baptist minister who was whipped in the Massachusetts Bay Colony for his religious beliefs and activism.

In 1650 he and others were taken to court for their religious views and practices, and compelled to leave the colony. He settled in Newport in the Rhode Island colony and soon befriended John Clarke and John Crandall. In July 1651 these three men, while visiting an elderly friend in Lynn, Massachusetts, were apprehended, tried, and given exorbitant fines for their religious practices. Friends paid the fines for Clarke and Crandall, but when Holmes learned of this he refused to allow them to pay his fine. Six weeks after trial he was taken to the whipping post in Boston and given 30 strokes, which were laid on so harshly that for weeks afterward Holmes could only sleep while on his knees and elbows.

Jeremiah 27:3 — A very unpatriotic message to send to Israel’s would-be allies, even though it was a message of hope (Jeremiah 27:13).

2 Thessalonians 3:1 — Pray for missionaries and evangelists that the Word of the LORD would have free course!

2 Thessalonians 3:6 — We are commanded to separate from disorderly brethren. What are their characteristics? False doctrine (2 Thessalonians 3:6), “too busy to work” (2 Thessalonians 3:11), and disobedient to Scripture (2 Thessalonians 3:14).

Psalm 85:6 — ”Revive us again!”

Proverbs 25:16 — Yes, you can have too much of a good thing!

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TODAY’S BIBLE READING CHALLENGE:
  Jeremiah 23:21-25:38
  2 Thessalonians 2:1-17
  Psalm 84:1-12
  Proverbs 25:15

Jeremiah 23:21-22 — Now, this is an odd scenario. There are prophets prophesying, but they weren’t sent nor spoken to by the LORD. An avalanche of alleged ambassadors from the Monarch of the World. Yet, with the plethora of people purporting to proclaim the King’s Word, none of them have turned from their evil way.

Jeremiah 23:34 — A promise of punishment for presumption! If you are a preacher and do not preach God’s Word but your own ideas, God will judge! Unfortunately, since Jonathan Edward’s day, “eminent saints” have been misled by what they thought was God speaking to them:

I . . . know by experience that impressions being made with great power, and upon the minds of true saints, yea, eminent saints; and presently after, yea, in the midst of, extraordinary exercises of grace and sweet communion with God, and attended with texts of Scripture strongly impressed on the mind, are no sure signs of their being revelations from heaven: for I have known such impressions [to] fail, and prove vain.

https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/why-do-we-say-god-told-me

Jeremiah 24:7 — Let’s pray for a heart to know the LORD, so we can appreciate that He is our God and follow Him with our whole heart.

Jeremiah 25:12 — There is so much evil to judge! God will punish Israel for 70 years, then punish Babylon for their sins. Yes, it was made desolate and still is today!

Before Hussein’s reconstruction, there had already been destruction from the shifts in rivers and deserts, and still more from colonial powers. Germans took the Ishtar Gate, which is now in the Pergamon Museum in Berlin, while the French took ceramics, and the Turks used Babylonian bricks to build dams on the Euphrates.

The occupation of US forces also damaged the site. Following the 2003 invasion, the US camp Alpha was set up on the ruins. Areas were leveled to create landing pads for helicopters and parking lots for vehicles. Tanks rumbled over the ancient bricks, and Polish troops dug trenches through a temple. Soil holding artifacts and bones was scooped into sandbags. And even the military presence couldn’t keep out looters, who ransacked Iraq’s more than 10,000 historic sites after the invasion.

https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/babylon

2 Thessalonians 2:3 — What is the falling away (apostasia)? From Jimmy DeYoung:

A close and careful word study of the Greek word apostasia will conclude that the true meaning of the word is found in the phrase, “departing from one place and going to another”, not a falling away from the doctrines of the church.

If the word “apostasia” was communicating that “apostasy” was what it was talking about then the Rapture and the coming of the Antichrist would have happened during the writing of II Thessalonians. Apostasy had infiltrated the early church by the time Paul wrote this passage.

What Paul is saying here is that the Antichrist, the “Son of Perdition”, would not come until the Church departs from one place and goes to another. That is what happens at the Rapture. The scenario for the future according to all prophetic passages is that the Rapture takes all Christians into Heaven and then the Antichrist appears on earth.

http://devotional.prophecytoday.com/search/label/II%20Thessalonians

2 Thessalonians 2:4 — Image of the Beast, the 3rd in the Thief in the Night series, depicts this defiling of the Temple.

2 Thessalonians 2:11 — God sends a strong delusion so that people believe a lie. As we read in Jeremiah today, there are times when He is angry (Jeremiah 25:38) and will not have a message for the people other than forsaking them (Jeremiah 23:33).

Psalm 84:10 — I heard a great message at the Christian School conference I was at the past few days. Discouragement comes in when we start calculating our hourly wage rather than our eternal reward.

Psalm 84:11 — The verse is a setting of a song from the WILDS.

Proverbs 25:15 — Pastor Andrew Brunson was finally released after two years of negotiations. The FBI’s lead hostage negotiator shares that the best way to negotiate is with “the late-night DJ voice,” i.e. slow, deep, and calm.

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.