Author: biblereadingchallenge

TODAY’S BIBLE READING CHALLENGE:
  Nehemiah 11:1-12:26
  1 Corinthians 10:14-33
  Psalm 34:11-22
  Proverbs 21:14-16

Nehemiah 11:1 — The nobles led by example in dwelling in Jerusalem. Why was it a sacrifice for others to live in Jerusalem? From EnduringWord.com:

• To live in Jerusalem, you had to re-order your view of material things. You had to give up land in your previous region and take up some kind of new business in Jerusalem.
• To live in Jerusalem, you had to re-arrange your social priorities, certainly leaving some friends and family behind in your old village.
• To live in Jerusalem, you had to have a mind to endure the problems in the city. It had been a ghost town for 70 years, and was now basically a slightly rebuilt, somewhat repopulated ghost town. The city didn’t look all that glorious and it needed work.
• To live in Jerusalem, you had to live knowing you were a target for the enemy. There were strong walls to protect you, but since Jerusalem was now a notable city with rebuilt walls, the fear was more from whole armies than bands of robbers. The old village was nice, but not in much danger from great armies.
• The Bible tells us there is a city coming down from heaven to earth, when God is done with this earth as we know it, and it calls that city New Jerusalem (Revelation 21:2). People don’t want to be citizens of the New Jerusalem for the same reasons many didn’t want to be citizens of Nehemiah’s Jerusalem.

1 Corinthians 10:14 — Paul resumes his teaching on what to do about meats offered to idols, and he does so forcefully! He mentioned yesterday that we must avoid idolatry (1 Corinthians 10:7), and he repeats it today.

1 Corinthians 10:20 — And here is the capstone of the argument – meats offered to idols are not under a harmless spell; they are sacrificed to devils! Paul laid out the case earlier (1 Corinthians 10:17) that fellowship is identity; you are judged and rewarded by who you fellowship with. We are communing with the body and blood of Christ (1 Corinthians 10:16); why should we commune with devils? If you missed Paul’s argument, look at 1 Corinthians 10:21. You cannot serve two masters (Matthew 6:24) – pick which table you want to eat at, the table of devils or the table of the LORD. Unfortunately, GotQuestions.org avoids this verse in its discussion. Trumpet Call also fails to analyze this verse as well, in order to help us understand how the teaching of Paul fits in with the rest of Scripture, including that of Jesus Christ in Revelation 2:14 and 2:20. Paul here clearly says – if you work for Coca-Cola, what on earth are you doing drinking Pepsi? Paul never says that it’s okay to eat meat offered to idols – he says if you don’t know it’s offered to idols, it’s not a problem (an unmarked can of Pepsi). But if you know that it is – avoid it, if for nothing else than loving your fellow Christian believer.

1 Corinthians 10:32-33 — Can a Christian eat meat that is halal (slaughtered in the name of Allah)? First, we must discuss whether Christians and Muslims worship the same God. Al Mohler exhaustively points out that the answer is, “NO!” If the process of ‘halal’ (reciting ‘Allah’ before slaughtering the animal) is “offer[ing] to idols” (Acts 15:29) – then the meat is not offered to the God of the Bible, but to another god (1 Corinthians 8:5) which in reality is not another god (compare to Galatians 1:6-7, 1 Corinthians 8:6). The Bible tells us who meat is offered to in 1 Corinthians 10:20. So then if that is the case, a Christian who is offered meat by his Muslim neighbor and told that it is halal, a) he/she cannot eat it (1 Corinthians 10:28), but b) he/she must decline without giving offence (1 Corinthians 10:32). A tactful refusal must show that you love your Muslim neighbor (Matthew 5:44) for whom Jesus Christ died (2 Corinthians 5:15) and for whom Jesus wants to be saved (1 Corinthians 10:33).

Psalm 34:11 — Pay attention to this Psalm! This is the secret of Proverbs (Proverbs 1:7, Proverbs 1:29, Proverbs 2:5, Proverbs 9:10, Proverbs 10:27, Proverbs 14:26-27, Proverbs 15:16, Proverbs 15:33, Proverbs 16:6, Proverbs 19:23, Proverbs 22:4, Proverbs 23:17)!

Proverbs 21:14 — Jesus may have been thinking about this verse in Luke 14:32. Note Solomon is not talking about bribery.

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:
  Nehemiah 9:22-10:39
  1 Corinthians 9:19-10:13
  Psalm 34:1-10
  Proverbs 21:13

Nehemiah 9:33 — The right perspective says, “Thou art just” and “We have done wickedly.”

Nehemiah 9:38 — Nehemiah makes another covenant with God on behalf of the people. Though we fail often, as did the children of Israel, we can renew our relationship with God each day. Brother Homsher of Neighborhood Bible Time referred to it as “Personal, Daily, Direct, Dedication Renewal.” We are a living sacrifice (Romans 12:1) so we need to get back on the altar!

Nehemiah 10:29-32 — Nehemiah might be considered a legalist. It had been generations since the people had committed (and followed) all the commandments of the LORD like not entering into marriages with the locals, obeying the Sabbath, obeying the year of Jubilee, following the temple taxes. Every single command, which regardless of what people today may say, is what God requires!

1 Corinthians 9:23 — Paul would sacrifice his rights “for the Gospel’s sake.” Will we? Hudson Taylor abandoned English dress to reduce barriers between him and the Chinese people.

His ship arrived in Shanghai, one of five “treaty ports” China had opened to foreigners following its first Opium War with England. Almost immediately Taylor made a radical decision (as least for Protestant missionaries of the day): he decided to dress in Chinese clothes and grow a pigtail (as Chinese men did). His fellow Protestants were either incredulous or critical.

1 Corinthians 10:4 — The Rock that was to be spoken to by Moses the second time was Christ (Numbers 20:8)!

1 Corinthians 10:10 — If you didn’t catch the examples of lust, idolatry, fornication, and tempting God, you should have caught the prohibition against murmuring!

1 Corinthians 10:13 — If you haven’t memorized this verse, do it today!

Psalm 34:7 — We saw what the Angel of the LORD did to Sennacherib’s massive army that went against Hezekiah. God will protect you just as fiercely!

Psalm 34:8 — Here’s another memory song from Earl Martin:

Proverbs 21:13 — Ask yourself this question, “If everyone in the church did exactly what I did, what kind of church would my church be?”

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:
  Nehemiah 7:73-9:21
  1 Corinthians 9:1-18
  Psalm 33:12-22
  Proverbs 21:11-12

Nehemiah 8:3 — Imagine all the people gathered, begging Ezra to bring the book of the Law, and Ezra reads it to the standing room only congregation from morning till noon!

Nehemiah 8:5 — Wondered where our modern church architecture comes from? The preacher is above the people, standing in a pulpit (Nehemiah 8:4). The preacher reads from the Book, and then causes understanding (Nehemiah 8:8).

Nehemiah 8:14 — Watching people obey the Law is exciting! Especially when it was the most exciting Feast of Booths since Joshua’s time, almost a thousand years earlier!

Nehemiah 9:3 — What does revival look like? Reading the Word, confessing sins, worshiping God!

Nehemiah 9:5 — James Montgomery was inspired by this verse to write the song, “Stand Up and Bless the LORD“. Hear it recorded by the Herbster Trio:

Nehemiah 9:6 — Notice how in the Psalms and in Nehemiah, the worship of God starts with the recognition of Him as Creator! They continue to recount the history of how God worked with His people.

1 Corinthians 9:11 — Paul outlines his case for the reasonableness of being paid for ministry, but then he surprises us by saying in vs. 12, “we have not used this power.” Paul voluntarily gave up his rights so as not to hinder the Gospel. Sounds like Paul is imitating his LORD Who gave up His rights in order to give us the Gospel!

1 Corinthians 9:16 — We need more preachers who can declare “Woe is me if I preach not the Gospel!” Matt Black recorded a song based on this verse:

Psalm 33:12 — A musical was composed based on this verse:

Psalm 33:16-17 — These are the verses that Ezra claimed! We will not trust in horses or mighty men but in the LORD! He can deliver our souls from death (Psalm 33:19).

Proverbs 21:11 — Like Zig Ziglar said, “God has a plan for everyone – even the worst of you can serve as bad examples!”

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:
  Nehemiah 5:14-7:73
  1 Corinthians 8:1-13
  Psalm 33:1-11
  Proverbs 21:8-10

Nehemiah 5:14 — Should Christian leaders be paid? Nehemiah had a right to eat (Nehemiah 5:15), he had an opportunity to profit off the work (Nehemiah 5:16), but he realized this would be a “heavy bondage” for the people (Nehemiah 5:18). Paul says the Christian leader has a right to be paid (2 Timothy 2:6, 1 Corinthians 9:11, 1 Corinthians 9:14, Galatians 6:6) and so did Jesus (Luke 10:5-7), but at times Paul taught it is better not to be paid (1 Corinthians 9:12-18). Les Bridgeman has a lengthy discussion on Paul’s financial sources for ministry. It is interesting that Nehemiah, as foreman of a massive construction project, passed on some of the pay he had a claim to because of the specific needs of the situation.

Nehemiah 6:3 — I read about a pastor who had some naysayers criticizing his ministry. He simply replied to their voluminous attack with a simple reply: “Nehemiah 6:3.”

Nehemiah 6:9 — Notice Nehemiah again breaks into prayer! He has learned from the kings of Israel that failure to pray is the greatest predictor of failure. How many times has Nehemiah prayed in his short little book? From BridgePointe Church:

1. Nehemiah 1:4-11
2. Nehemiah 2:4
3. Nehemiah 4:4-5
4. Nehemiah 5:19
5. Nehemiah 6:9
6. Nehemiah 6:14
7. Nehemiah 9:5-38
8. Nehemiah 13:14
9. Nehemiah 13:22
10. Nehemiah 13:29

Of the 405 verses in Nehemiah, 51 are prayers. 12.6% of the book is about Nehemiah praying to God. In contrast, by my count only 45 verses talk about the work that Nehemiah did. Nehemiah the great builder lets us know its more important to be praying than it is to be working.

Nehemiah 6:18 — Commentators note that Shechaniah, the son of Arah, was one of the leading pioneer families (Ezra 2:5, and we’ll see him in Nehemiah 7:10) that returned with Zerubbabel.

Nehemiah 7:17 — Why does Nehemiah report the children of Azgad as 2,322 and Ezra 2:12 reports it as 1,222? Will Kinney thinks Nehemiah is just reporting the records he found, which were varied from Ezra’s record. CARM examines all the differences and thinks it was a copyist error. Lavista thinks Ezra recorded the departure count, and Nehemiah recorded the arrival count. GotQuestions.org concurs – thinking it was based on deaths/births in families. Jack Kelly addresses the subtotals but not the family discrepancies. He does give a good analysis of the bigger issue:

Skeptics look at apparent discrepancies like this and immediately conclude that the Bible is not the inspired Word of God but a flawed work of man.

But those who believe in the inspiration of Scripture assume that the discrepancy is caused by a lack of understanding on their part and dig deeper for the solution.

1 Corinthians 8:1 — Paul is asked to weigh in on the issue of meats offered to idols. He will in a future chapter give a very clear answer on this issue and come to the conclusion that Jesus Christ Himself reiterates in the Book of Revelation! If the question was merely theoretical, he would have gone right to the answer. But because it was rooted in a messy situation, he had several other problems to work through before he made his point about meats offered to idols. His first point: showing love is better than having the right answer.

1 Corinthians 8:4 — The “wanna be” meat eaters said that idols aren’t real, so what’s wrong with meat offered to something that doesn’t exist? Paul acknowledges that they have a valid point, but that is not the final point (1 Corinthians 8:7).

1 Corinthians 8:13 — Many people think that Paul’s teaching is limited to just not offending our brother. They have extended that theory to other things such as claiming that drinking alcohol is not addressed in the Bible, and we can do it as long as no one else is offended by it. Contrary to their opinions, however, the Bible has clear warnings against the consumption of alcohol (Proverbs 20:1, Ephesians 5:18, Genesis 9:21, Leviticus 10:9, Proverbs 23:29-32, Proverbs 31:4, Isaiah 5:22, Hosea 4:11, Habakkuk 2:5, etc.). Paul’s point is something he has exemplified in his own life: “Even for something legitimate like getting paid for ministry, I will waive my rights, and do without if it causes problems for my brothers.” Interesting that we read this passage today for this was Nehemiah’s point in Nehemiah 5:18. Paul will continue to address meats offered to idols in the next few chapters.

Psalm 33:2 — What is a ten string instrument (Psalm 92:3, Psalm 144:9)?

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:
  Nehemiah 3:15-5:13
  1 Corinthians 7:25-40
  Psalm 32:1-11
  Proverbs 21:5-7

Nehemiah 3:1 — The roll call of the faithful who were involved in rebuilding the walls! Pastor Wolfmueller has collected some maps to help explain what is going on:

Nehemiah 4:1 — No good deed goes unpunished! Nehemiah has learned the lesson from the past and intersperses the building project with prayer; we see this in Nehemiah 4:4-5 and Nehemiah 4:9.

Nehemiah 4:16 — A most unusual church building campaign! We often see the story of Nehemiah used in church building campaigns, but we can be thankful for the freedom of religion in America so that we don’t have to be physically armed. But just because our enemies don’t threaten us physically, we are daily tempted with a more subtle and dangerous enemy that has lulled us to sleep: APATHY!

Nehemiah 5:7-8 — Nehemiah is decrying crony capitalism – the “war profiteering” of his day. But note how he argued with them (Nehemiah 5:10) – he had the opportunity to demand their submission, but he didn’t. He led by example!

1 Corinthians 7:27 — Paul’s advice seems to contradict Ezra’s in Ezra 10:11 where he ordered the Israelites to divorce. Ezra, however, was talking to Jewish men who were marrying unbelievers, while Paul is talking to Gentile men who became believers after they had married other unbelievers.

1 Corinthians 7:28 — Having recently been married, I am glad that Paul says I have not sinned! For those of you who are single, John MacArthur has preached on this passage and notes the five blessings of singleness:

• pressure of the system (1 Corinthians 7:26)
• problems of the flesh (1 Corinthians 7:28)
• passing of the world (1 Corinthians 7:29)
• preoccupation of the married (1 Corinthians 7:32)
• permanence of the union (1 Corinthians 7:39-40)

Psalm 32:1 — Read how Isaac Watts set this psalm to music.

Psalm 32:7 — ”You are my Hiding Place” is based on this verse.

Psalm 32:8 — Sally Atari recorded “Be Glad” almost word for word from Psalm 32:8 & Psalm 32:11.

Proverbs 21:5 — Aesop memorialized this truth in his classic tale of the tortoise and the hare. Here’s the Disney version from 1934:

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:
  Nehemiah 1:1-3:14
  1 Corinthians 7:1-24
  Psalm 31:19-24
  Proverbs 21:4

Nehemiah 1:7 — One thousand years after Moses, Nehemiah is still aware of the consequences of forsaking the Law and the promise for obedience to the Law (Nehemiah 1:8).

Nehemiah 2:4 — One of the shortest prayers recorded in the Bible.

Nehemiah 2:18 — The energy within the crowd is intense! “Let us rise up and build!” God’s work should result in an enthusiastic response!

Nehemiah 3:1 — Nehemiah motivated the pilgrims of Israel to follow through on the burden that God shared with Nehemiah to rebuild the city.

1 Corinthians 7:1 — Paul uses the Corinthian sin as a teaching opportunity. Having chastised the Corinthians for tolerating incest, he now backs up and shows the biblical practice of sexual morality:

• Exclusivity (1 Corinthians  7:1)
• Monogamy (1 Corinthians 7:2)
• Sexuality (1 Corinthians 7:3)
• Submissive (1 Corinthians 7:4)

1 Corinthians 7:19 — Paul reiterates that circumcision is not valuable in God’s economy (see Romans 4:9-12).

Psalm 31:20 — The Psalmist knows personally the blessing of the LORD because it was the LORD that hid him safely away from his enemies! Because God has been so good, the Psalmist has to shout (Psalm 31:19, Psalm 31:21, Psalm 31:23-24).

Proverbs 21:4 — What does he mean “the plowing of the wicked?” From Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers:

The plowing of the wicked.–i.e., their work, all they do; for it is not done to please God but themselves; nor carried on in His strength, but in reliance upon their own, and therefore it is “sin,” not pleasing to Him.

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:
  Ezra 10:1-44
  1 Corinthians 6:1-20
  Psalm 31:9-18
  Proverbs 21:3

Ezra 10:3 — Is God ordering mass divorce? In today’s culture we are told “love is love,” but Luke 10:27 reminds us that the first commandment is to love God, then to love our neighbor. Sometimes following God will cause family division (Matthew 10:35). Joshua had warned the people of the curse following a religious intermarriage (Joshua 23:12-13). Ezra is hyper-sensitive to violations of the Law because this is a precedent setting time! Ezra is establishing patterns that will be followed for the next 500+ years until the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70. He is afraid that if the people fail at the start, how can the nation continue? Notice also that animals died for this sin (Ezra 10:19).

First, the wives in the Old Testament were not just “unbelievers” who were “willing” to be “sanctified” by the believing husband (1 Corinthians 7:14). They were “pagans,” that is, they were probably Babylonian idol worshipers (cf. Nehemiah 13:25–26), who were having a pagan influence on their husbands. – DefendingInerrancy.com

… there are heart-breaking temporal consequences associated with wrongdoing, to say nothing of the potential eternal penalty. – ChristianCourier.com

… the special instructions to divorce non-believers in Ezra 10 must be understood from an exceptional, nationalistic circumstance during a most critical time under Jewish law and should not be looked at as objective moral law especially when considering the totality of the Bible (See: 1 Corinthians 7:12ff; 1 Peter 3:1ff). – Kevin Pendergrass

1 Corinthians 6:1 — This idea has been a historical part of the American legal system. Other religions adopt similar systems – see Sharia Tribunals, Rabbinical Courts, and Christian Panels. From the Santa Clara Law Review:

At present, in the United States, agreements to arbitrate a dispute before a religious tribunal are generally enforceable in civil courts, as are awards made by religious arbitral tribunals … A Boston town in 1635 laid down an ordinance that no congregation members could litigate unless there had been a prior effort at arbitration.

1 Corinthians 6:7 — Paul says that even though we have a right to “religious arbitration,” can we be willing to suffer temporally because we shall inherit the Kingdom (1 Corinthians 6:9)?

1 Corinthians 6:11 — The encouragement following a list of convicting sins – such were some of you!

1 Corinthians 6:15-16 — Paul might have been thinking about the sins of Ezra’s day just 500 years prior. How can a follower of the LORD unite with someone following another god? Our bodies are not our own (1 Corinthians 6:19)!

Psalm 31:9 — The miserable man makes much of mercy because he trusts in God (Psalm 31:14).

Proverbs 21:3 — Samuel has stated this before (1 Samuel 15:22). God does not believe that it is better to ask forgiveness than permission.

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:
  Ezra 8:21-9:15
  1 Corinthians 5:1-13
  Psalm 31:1-8
  Proverbs 21:1-2

Ezra 8:22 — Ezra was faced with a dilemma: accept the gracious offer of the king to provide protection, or allow God to protect them as they traveled with over $100 million in gold (that’s not counting the silver – see Ezra 8:26). Hudson Taylor once refused to wear a life jacket on a boat because he thought it showed his faith in God. Should we refuse to wear life jackets as well? How are we to balance keeping our faith in God and exercising reasonable care?

FIRST note that Elijah fasted and prayed about this decision (Ezra 8:23). Keep in mind that this was someone that God was willing to be entreated of (Psalm 66:18). If we’re not living for the LORD, we should be hesitant to claim we heard a command from the LORD.

SECOND note that Ezra learned the lesson of Hezekiah and Sennacherib in 2 Kings 18:15 – trust God first or soldiers won’t help you (Psalm 127:1). His decision was a response to a specific problem in Israelite history, not a general disregard of human precautions. God blessed this decision (Ezra 8:31).

THIRD note how Ezra was demonstrating his trust in God (see today’s reading in Psalm 31), and how he took every human precaution when auditing the treasure. Not because the transport team was untrustworthy, but to a) protect their reputation, b) deter temptation, and c) ensure they focused on the goal for the team instead of personal enrichment, Ezra employed the service of the Levites to transport the treasure. This is similar to a church treasurer who completes a deposit slip with the rest of the finance team and then is dispatched to the bank to deposit the money. The church auditor then reconciles the deposit slip with the deposit receipt to make sure nothing happened to the money enroute. Ezra found trustworthy men (Ezra 8:24), weighed the gold (Ezra 8:25), documented the weights (Ezra 8:26-27), charged the trustworthy men with the sacred trust (Ezra 8:28), and then scheduled an audit in Jerusalem (Ezra 8:29). While today’s treasurer might pocket some loose change enroute, the big danger in times past was debasement. Roman emperors would reduce the silver content of coins thinking people wouldn’t notice. Archimedes famously developed a test to ensure the gold in the crown wasn’t diluted. Here, the chapter concludes with the auditing in Ezra 8:33-34.

Back to Hudson Taylor:

Later he realized that was wrong thinking and wrote, “The use of means ought not to lessen our faith in God; and our faith in God ought not to hinder whatever means He has given us for the accomplishment of His own purposes … When in medical or surgical charge of any case, I have never thought of neglecting to ask God’s guidance and blessing in the use of appropriate means … to me it would appear presumptuous and wrong to neglect the use of those measures which He Himself has put within our reach, as to neglect to take daily food, and suppose that life and health might be maintained by prayer alone” (p. 99). He was later said to be “a man of prayer, but it was prayer associated with action … He prayed about things as if everything depended upon the praying … but he worked also, as if everything depended upon the working” (p. 329).

Excerpt comes from pg. 329 of It Is Not Death to Die: A New Biography of Hudson Taylor by Jim Cromarty

Ezra 9:1-2 — Ezra, whose father was executed by a pagan king in a pagan land as part of God’s judgment on the sins of Israel, knew sin could not be tolerated. They were commanded not to defile themselves with the Canaanites and their practices (Leviticus 18:24). They were commanded not to associate with them but to drive them out (Deuteronomy 7:1). They were not to show any mercy.

Ezra 9:6 — Ezra’s prayer of contrition; he recognizes his lowly position (Psalm 40:17) and the vastness of his sins (Psalm 51:3). He cites the very command they have broken (Ezra 9:11-12, Deuteronomy 7:3). Ezra refuses to allow people to make the same mistake Solomon made (1 Kings 11:1-2).

1 Corinthians 5:1 — Speaking of sin in the camp, Paul commands a harsh penalty (1 Corinthians 5:5) for sinful activity in the local church and God’s disapproval of those who tolerated it (1 Corinthians 5:2, 1 Corinthians 5:6, 1 Corinthians 5:9).

1 Corinthians 5:10-12 — We’re not to avoid those who sin. We must confront those who claim to be washed of their sin in the blood of the Lamb and yet persist in the sin that nailed the Lamb to the Cross! God will take care of sinners; we must take care of our so-called brothers.

Psalm 31:1 — The psalmist is declaring what Ezra believed: we can trust in the LORD and be delivered! He has delivered us from our enemies!

Proverbs 21:1 — The Lord changed the heart of the king from Ezra 4:21 to Ezra 6:7. God can still change hearts even 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.

TODAY’S BIBLE READING CHALLENGE:
  Ezra 7:1-8:20
  1 Corinthians 4:1-21
  Psalm 30:1-12
  Proverbs 20:28-30

Ezra 7:1 — Don’t gloss over this genealogy! Who is Seraiah? The last high priest of Jerusalem (2 Kings 25:18, Jeremiah 52:24). The priests were executed as vanquished leaders (2 Kings 25:21, Jeremiah 52:27) by the Babylonians. God exercised judgment on the Babylonians and put the Persians in charge. They have a much different attitude toward Ezra than toward his father.

Ezra 7:5 — Remember Phinehas the Bold? Yes, we have his descendant with us. Ezra the scribe was birthed to be high priest, he descended from the valiant, he was studied in the Law, and he was ultimately favored by the king.

Ezra 7:9 — Ezra was in a 4-month-long wagon train with thousands of his kinfolk, and we complain about rush hour traffic, delays boarding our seat on a plane, or flying international in just economy!

Ezra 7:10 — Great verse to memorize and to apply!

• Seek it (2 Kings 22:8-10 – Josiah did so upon discovering the Law)
• Do it (James 1:22 – Doers of the Word and not hearers only)
• Teach it (1 Timothy 4:11 – These things command and teach)

Ezra 7:15 — Five surprising things in the Royal Letter:

• The king is giving to the God of Israel silver and gold (Ezra 7:15)
• The king is not specifying what can be purchased (Ezra 7:18)
• The king is giving a blank check (Ezra 7:20, Ezra 7:22)
• The king is giving tax exemption (Ezra 7:24)
• The king is establishing a theocracy (Ezra 7:26)

1 Corinthians 4:7 — ”What hast thou that thou didst not receive?” Everything we have is from God – why are we boasting in what we have and comparing ourselves?

1 Corinthians 4:10 — What does Christian love entail (John 13:34)? Appearing foolish, appearing weak, being despised, hungering, thirsting, being naked, being beaten, being homeless, earning your own pay, being reviled, being persecuted, and giving your best (1 Corinthians 4:17). This is the result of the love their spiritual father, Paul, had for them (1 Corinthians 4:15).

Psalm 30:4 — “Sing to the Lord and Be Not Silent” is based on Psalm 30:4-5.

Proverbs 20:28 — Solomon wrote out instructions for his son, Rehoboam, but Rehoboam ignored them (1 Kings 12:11).

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:
  Ezra 4:24-6:22
  1 Corinthians 3:5-23
  Psalm 29:1-11
  Proverbs 20:26-27

Ezra 5:11 — “Who said you could build this?” Interesting the response back – “We are the servants of the God of heaven and earth.” Servants of not just a regional territorial god, but the God of all that is on earth and all that is above the earth!

Ezra 6:7 — The Israelis knew they had:

• authority from God (Ezra 5:11)
• atonement for their fathers (Ezra 5:12), and the
• auspice of Cyrus to build!

God used the researchers of Babylon (Ezra 6:1-2) to find the records and confirm His will!

Darius — 

• protected them from interference (Ezra 6:7)
• provided the resources needed, and
• preferred the sacrifices

Was he a devout believer? No! He had enough issues without ticking off whoever this “God of heaven” was!

1 Corinthians 3:6-7 — Just as God was the confidence of the Israelis, He is the giver of increase to the Christian. Our enemy is not Team Apollos or Team Paul, but the world, the flesh, and the devil. Apollos and Paul are “laborers together” (1 Corinthians 3:9).

1 Corinthians 3:13 — The Bema Seat that we read about in Romans 14:10 is discussed here. What will be revealed is what has been done in the Christian life. Christians will be judged, not on the economy and not on the politics of this world, but on what has been built upon the foundation of Jesus Christ! Rewards and losses will be measured out as the fire tests our work.

Psalm 29 — Notice the structure of the Psalm – 2X the expression “give unto the LORD” is used, 3X the expression “voice of the LORD” is used, there’s a center keynote, then 3X the expression “voice of the LORD” appears, followed by two descriptions of the LORD (a modified chiasm). In vv. 1-2, we give strength to Him; in vv. 10-11, He gives strength to us! What an amazing God we serve!

Proverbs 20:26 — For those wanting to keep religion out of politics, we need some good leaders who will follow the teaching of Proverbs. The good ruler does not let the wicked take over his city. You may not be a ruler of a city, but if you are a leader in your family, do not let the wicked take over your family!

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