Author: biblereadingchallenge

TODAY’S BIBLE READING CHALLENGE:
  Nahum 1:1-3:19
  Revelation 8:1-13
  Psalm 136:1-26
  Proverbs 30:7-9

Nahum 1:1 — Nahum means “comforter,” but there is little comfort in this book. We’ve jumped ahead 150 years since the Book of Jonah. The revival faded away, and the people forgot when they repented. J. Vernon McGee asks why Jonah was sent personally to Nineveh, but Nahum just sent them a letter? “Why doesn’t Nahum go? Because they have already had the light, and they’ve rejected it.”

Nahum 1:3 — We’re seeing the need for forensic justification outlined here. Jesus didn’t come to just make good people better or poor people rich; He came to set guilty people free! God cannot let guilty people go free unless there is a substitute.

John MacArthur sees the qualities of the LORD in this chapter: “He is a God of inflexible justice, irresistible power, and infinite mercy.”

Nahum 1:7 — How can a good God be furious like fire (Nahum 1:6)?

“God has the absolute right to rule and authority over His creatures because He is God. He makes the laws, He determines the standard and He judges in terms of the results. He created everything at His own pleasure. He didn’t have to therefore He has the total and the perfect right to set the principles by which His creation must function.”

https://www.gty.org/library/sermons-library/1213/who-is-god

Nahum 1:11 — Contrast the wicked counsellor with the Wonderful Counsellor of Isaiah 9:6. A wicked counsellor plots evil against his Creator, a Wonderful Counsellor is the Creator reconnecting with His creation.

Nahum 1:15 — We’ll notice parallels between Nahum and Isaiah. Nahum 1:15 excerpts Isaiah 52:7. Nahum 3:5 references Isaiah 47:3.

Nahum 2:4 — John MacArthur jokes that this verse may be talking about Los Angeles traffic!

Nahum 3:4 — Notice the list of sins. The 7th Commandment and witchcraft (Exodus 22:18, Deuteronomy 18:10). In Nahum 1:14, we’ve seen the Second Commandment; in Nahum 3:1, we’ve seen the Sixth, Ninth, and Eighth Commandment. At the end of the chapter, we see the rhetorical question, “Upon whom hath not thy wickedness passed continually?”

Revelation 8:7 — We saw in Nahum that the LORD held all nations accountable for His laws; now we see Him judging all nations for their sins. The Seven Seals now lead to the Seven Angels. Notice the universal nature of the judgment:

• First Angel – 1/3 of trees burnt up
• Second Angel – 1/3 of sea becomes blood
• Third Angel – 1/3 of rivers became bitter
• Fourth Angel – 1/3 of sun became dark

Psalm 136:1 — We’re on the second lap through the Psalms – remember Psalm 136? While we’re on this lap, notice again the universal character of God:

• God of gods, Lord of lords, that alone doeth great wonders (Psalm 136:2-4)
• Made the heavens, the earth, the sun and the moon (Psalm 136:5-9)
• Divided the Red Sea and led Israel through it (Psalm 136:13-14)
• Giveth food to all flesh (Psalm 136:25)

Our God is great! Let’s thank the God of heaven (Psalm 136:26)!

Proverbs 30:9 — The dangers of poverty and riches. Notice the conclusion: stealing is not just a violation of the 8th Commandment but of the 3rd Commandment as well. Someone that claims to follow God but disobeys Him, takes the name of their God in vain.

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:
  Micah 5:1-7:20
  Revelation 7:1-17
  Psalm 135:1-21
  Proverbs 30:5-6

Micah 5:2 — Read through this verse again. A promised ruler in Israel that is from everlasting? Who can that be other than God? This is the promised Messiah! Coming from Bethlehem Ephratah!

People were aware of this prophecy in Jesus’ adult ministry (John 7:42), and this was part of the confusion – Jesus was thought to be from Galilee (John 7:41). The chief priests and scribes knew this when Jesus was born (Matthew 2:6). But when we look at Matthew 2:6, it’s missing the last phrase: “whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.” That’s the key phrase in the verse; this is no mere created being, but the very Mighty God, Everlasting Father (Isaiah 9:6).

By the way – let’s compare the prophecies of the contemporaries Micah and Isaiah:

Isaiah 9	Micah 5
“unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given” (Isaiah 9:6)	“But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah… out of thee shall he come forth unto me” (Micah 5:2).
“the government shall be upon his shoulder” (Isaiah 9:6) “of the increase of his government… there shall be no end” (Isaiah 9:7)	“that is to be ruler in Israel” (Micah 5:2)
“his name shall be called Wonderful, Counseller (Isaiah 9:6)	“and he shall stand and feed” (Micah 5:4)
“the Mighty God” (Isaiah 9:6)	“in the strength of the LORD” (Micah 5:4)
“the Everlasting Father” (Isaiah 9:6)	“whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting (Micah 5:2)
“the Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6) “of the increase of his …peace…  there shall be no end.” (Isaiah 9:7)	“and this man shall be the peace” (Micah 5:5)
“of the increase of his government …  there shall be no end.” (Isaiah 9:7)	“for now shall he be great unto the ends of the earth” (Micah 5:4)

Micah 5:5 — Jesus is the peace! He made peace through the blood of His cross (Colossians 1:20). Then we see Micah shifting to the present day challenge of the Assyrians. “After the pattern of the prophets, Micah blended near and distant ages in his prophecy” (EnduringWord.com).

Micah 5:10-14 — Notice how the LORD is cleansing His people by going back to the Law. Horses and chariots (Deuteronomy 17:16), witchcraft (Exodus 22:18, Deuteronomy 18:10), graven images (Exodus 20:4, Leviticus 26:1, Deuteronomy 5:8), groves (Exodus 34:13, Deuteronomy 7:5, Deuteronomy 12:3).

But why cities? The LORD destroyed cities before Israel (Sodom and Gomorrah – Genesis 19:25), enlisted Israel in the destruction of the Canaanite cities (Numbers 21:2 and Joshua 6:17 – “accursed/under the ban“), and threatened to destroy rebellious cities (Leviticus 26:31-33). Destruction of cities is a “capital punishment” judgment for egregious sin, and we’ve seen the sins listed already.

Micah 6:8 — Micah has simplified the Old Testament Law – the 613 commands of the Torah and the 10 Commandments of Moses – into three requirements: do justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with thy God.

• Do justly – the “second tablet” of negative commandments – murder, steal, lie, covet, adultery (Exodus 20), not to mention the “divers weights” (Deuteronomy 25:13-14, Proverbs 20:10, Proverbs 20:23).
• Love mercy – the “positive” second greatest commandment – “love thy neighbor as thyself” (Leviticus 19:18, Matthew 22:39, Mark 12:31). Mercy is the word “hesed” (see exposition at Ligonier).
• Walk humbly with thy God – the “first tablet” of commandments – no other gods, no graven images, no name in vain, remembering the Sabbath (Exodus 20), not to mention literal “humility before God” (Exodus 10:3, Deuteronomy 8:2, 1 Kings 21:29, 2 Kings 22:29, 2 Chronicles 7:14, 2 Chronicles 12:7, 2 Chronicles 12:12, 2 Chronicles 34:27, Psalm 34:18, Psalm 51:17, Proverbs 29:23, Isaiah 57:15, Isaiah 61:1, Matthew 18:4, Matthew 23:12, Luke 14:11, Luke 18:14, James 4:6, James 4:10, 1 Peter 5:5-6).

Micah 7:2-3 — The world hasn’t changed much. “There is none upright among men … that they may do evil with both hands.”

Micah 7:6 — Jesus referred to this in Matthew 10:35.

Micah 7:9 — Even for those who have sinned against the LORD, God will hear (Micah 7:7) if we will repent, i.e. if we refuse to avoid the consequences of our sin but bear them. As Micah concludes, “Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity” (Micah 7:18)? He will have compassion (Micah 7:19) and will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea (Micah 7:19)! Yes, my sins have been cast in the depth of the sea! Down, deep in the sea! Join Martha and Bradley Garvin as they perform:

Revelation 7:4 — No, the 144,000 are not the number of people who will reign with Christ!

Revelation 7:17 — Yes, there is coming a day when no heartaches shall come, no more clouds in the sky, no more tears to dim the eye. All is peace forevermore, On that happy golden shore. What a day, glorious day, that will be!

Psalm 135:5 — What a mighty God we serve!

Proverbs 30:5 — We are holding the pure Words of God in our hands! Thank God that we have His Word!

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:
  Micah 1:1-4:13
  Revelation 6:1-17
  Psalm 134:1-3
  Proverbs 30:1-4

Micah 1:1 — Micah is a contemporary of Isaiah. He was around in the days of Hezekiah. Notice that even during good king Hezekiah, Samaria (capital of the Northern Kingdom of Israel) and Jerusalem (capitol of the Southern Kingdom of Judah) still had sin problems.

Micah 1:13 — Micah is warning Lachish of coming judgment – this was fulfilled when Sennacherib destroyed Lachish as he moved toward Jerusalem.

Micah 2:2 — This was written 100 years after 1 Kings 21:3 , where Naboth refused to sell “the inheritance of my fathers” to Ahab. In Joshua 18-19 (that was a while back!), we read about the division of the land. The LORD God used two chapters of Scripture to assign property so it must be important to Him. Yet, people are constantly trying to redraw maps to benefit themselves.

Micah 3:4 — The scariest verses in the Bible talk about people crying “unto the LORD, but He will not hear them: He will even hide His face from them at that time.” Let’s turn to God while we still can, before it’s too late! Learn more at the VCY America Prayer Encouragement Project.

Micah 3:11 — They are violating some of the oldest commands in the Bible (Exodus 23:8).

Micah 3:12 — This prophecy was quoted in Jeremiah 26:18. In the days of Jehoiakim, Jeremiah prophesied against Jerusalem, and the leadership wanted to execute him (Jeremiah 26:11). But the “cooler heads” (see Gamaliel in Acts 5:34) pointed out the precedent (Jeremiah 26:17-19) of not executing prophets. By way of context, this was in the days of Hezekiah that the judges were corrupt, and the priests were doing their duty for pay. Even though Hezekiah cleaned up a lot of things in the Temple, it appears that he let some things go.

Micah 4:1 — Remember that Micah preceded Daniel (even though Daniel’s book comes first). Micah is prophesying the “mountain of the house of the LORD.” This mountain would be seen by Nebuchadnezzar in Daniel 2:35 and explained in Daniel 2:45.

Micah 4:3 — This verse is almost identical to his contemporary, Isaiah, in Isaiah 2:4. Outside the UN headquarters is a statute of a man beating his sword into a plowshare, but that promise is not yet fulfilled! We can’t do that with human strength; we need the Prince of Peace!

Micah 4:4 — ”Under his vine and under his fig tree; and none shall make them afraid” … we saw this phrase used once before in 1 Kings 4:25. In the apocrypha (1 Maccabees 14:12), the claim is made that this was the status under Simon. George Washington loved this phrase according to Dan Dreisbach, author of Reading the Bible with the Founding Fathers. From the Library of Congress:

In his letters he referred often, as an expression of this devotion and its resulting contentment, to an Old Testament passage. After the Revolution, when he had returned to Mount Vernon, he wrote the Marquis de Lafayette on Feb. 1, 1784: “At length my Dear Marquis I am become a private citizen on the banks of the Potomac, & under the shadow of my own Vine & my own Fig-tree.” This phrase occurs at least 11 times in Washington’s letters. “And Judah and Israel dwelt safely, every man under his vine and under his fig tree” (2 Kings 18:31).

https://www.loc.gov/loc/lcib/0010/gwdiary.html

Micah 4:8 — The “Tower of the flock” is where the King will come. From Jimmy DeYoung:

Micah 4:8 says that the Messiah’s birth at Migdal Eder, the tower of the flock, is evidence that Jesus will one day come back to Jerusalem and set up his kingdom. The tower of the flock, Migdal Eder, is at the edge of the Shepherd’s fields where Priestly Shepherd’s watched over their lambs that were to be sacrificed at the Temple about three miles away in Jerusalem. Therefore, the sacrificial lamb, Jesus Christ, had to be born at Migdal Eder.

http://news.prophecytoday.com/2015_12_24_archive.html

Revelation 6:12 — This was prophesied of in Joel 2:31 and reiterated in Acts 2:20.

Revelation 6:16 — The first coming of the Lamb was the silent sacrifice (Isaiah 53:7). The second coming of the Lamb is the forewarned wrath.

Psalm 134:1-2 — ”Behold, Bless Ye the Lord” is a song based on these two verses.

Proverbs 30:4 — From EnduringWord.com:

Agur knew there was something special about the Son of God. We don’t know to what extent he prophetically anticipated the Messiah, God the Son, Jesus Christ – but Agur knew that God had a Son, and the Son had a name.

https://enduringword.com/bible-commentary/proverbs-30

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:
  Jonah 1:1-4-11
  Revelation 5:1-14
  Psalm 133:1-3
  Proverbs 29:26-27

Jonah 1:1 — This wasn’t the first prophetic message of Jonah. We know he was a popular prophet of victory, he was from Gath Hepher, and he was a contemporary of Jeroboam II who reigned from 793-753 BC (2 Kings 14:23).

Jonah 1:2 — Why is Jonah afraid of preaching to Ninevah? It was the Assyrian hub, and it would grow into the largest city in the world during the 7th century BC. The Assyrians were a particularly brutal people, here’s an example of their artwork commemorating their victories.

In just a generation (722 BC), the Assyrians would brutally conquer the Northern Kingdom of Israel.

Jonah 1:3 — Count the times the word “down” is found. Down to Joppa. Down into the ship. Down into the sides (Jonah 1:5). Down to the bottoms of the mountains (Jonah 2:6).

Jonah 1:4 — Let’s count all those who obey the Lord in this book:

• The wind and the sea (Jonah 1:4, Jonah 1:15)
• The lots (Jonah 1:7)
• The crew (Jonah 1:16)
• The great fish (Jonah 1:17, Jonah 2:10)
• The people of Ninevah (Jonah 3:5)
• The King of Ninevah (Jonah 3:6-7)
• The gourd (Jonah 4:6)
• The worm (Jonah 4:7)
• The east wind (Jonah 4:8)

Jonah obeys … eventually but reluctantly.

Jonah 1:9 — Does Jonah really fear the LORD God? The mariners appear to fear the Lord more (Jonah 1:10, Jonah 1:14) and then fear the LORD “exceedingly” (Jonah 1:16).

Jonah 1:13 — Doesn’t this picture look like us in our lives before we met Christ? The prospects look dim, our fear is great, our possessions are worthless (Jonah 1:5), and we need supernatural help (Jonah 1:15). The psalmist writes about a similar situation (Psalm 107:28-29). Peter knew of Jonah and the psalmist, and when he was in a similar situation, he effectively declared Jesus to be the LORD God of Israel (Matthew 14:28).

Jonah 2:6 — From the Institute for Creation Research (ICR):

bottoms of the mountains. In Jonah’s day, so far as we know, men had no means to explore the sea floor, yet Jonah somehow knew that mountains had “roots” extending deep into the earth’s crust. In fact, this may even be another way of referring to his descent into “hell.”

Jonah 2:7 — Like Hezekiah, Jonah prayed only when it was pretty late in the game.

Jonah 3:4 — Notice his message was just eight words.

Jonah 4:2 — Jonah is quoting Joel 2:13 almost verbatim! Joel was written about 50 years before Jonah’s ministry. Jonah isn’t just a mouthpiece for the LORD – he’s able to quote Scripture verbatim!

Jonah 4:11 — Jesus loves the little children, yes, all the children of the world!

Revelation 5:5 — Ron Hamilton wrote a great song based on this verse, reminding us not to weep because of the Lamb!

Revelation 5:12-13 — George Frederic Handel incorporated this text into Handel’s Messiah.

Revelation 5:14 — The only one to be worshipped is the LORD God. See Revelation 22:9, Matthew 4:10, Luke 4:8, Romans 1:25, Colossians 2:18.

Psalm 133:1 — May we be united in the truth and living in peace (Ephesians 4:3). Sadly, quarrelsome brethren have destroyed many a church.

Proverbs 29:27 — You can’t make everyone happy! Better to have the right kind of enemies than the wrong kind of 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:
  Obadiah 1:1-21
  Revelation 4:1-11
  Psalm 132:1-18
  Proverbs 29:24-25

Obadiah 1:1 — From J. Vernon McGee:

The name Obadiah means “servant of Jehovah.” He is one of four prophets about whom we know absolutely nothing except that he wrote prophecy. The other three prophets are Habakkuk, Haggai, and Malachi. These four prophets are cloaked in anonymity. Obadiah is like a ghost writer in that he is there, but we do not know him. He lived up to his name, for he was a servant of Jehovah. A servant boasts of no genealogy neither exploits nor experiences. He doesn’t push himself forward. He has to demonstrate by what he does that he can even claim the place of a servant. So Obadiah is just a prophet who wrote one of the great prophecies of the Scripture.

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

Obadiah 1:4 — The LORD is serious about pride. Why? It can lead to violations of every commandment. Also, everything we have to be proud of is given to us from Him. So, is the root of pride ingratitude?

Obadiah 1:12 — Speaking of pride, this specific type of pride is known in German as schadenfreude.

Obadiah 1:21 — Amos was a Judean sent to the Northern Kingdom. Obadiah was sent to Edom. Jonah was sent to Ninevah. Notice that God is implying that His standards are not local/tribal but universal. That assumes that those without specific revelation are accountable, i.e. general revelation is enough to condemn them (Paul will amplify this point in Romans 2:15).

Revelation 4:1 — That’s a strange thing. A door opens in heaven and John is told to come up to the door! How could he? He didn’t; God told him what He would do and then proceeded to do it. Just like the rest of Revelation, God is telling us what He will do, and then He is getting ready to do it!

By the way, we’ve read about this in 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17. A voice like a trumpet will call out “Come up hither,” and then we will be caught up like John was.

Revelation 4:4 — Who are the four and twenty elders? The 12 Tribes and the 12 Apostles – united together in the day when “all Israel shall be saved” (Romans 11:26).

Revelation 4:6 — Yes, one day we can sing His praise as we gather by the crystal sea.

Revelation 4:11 — This is a great verse to meditate on. The song “Thou Art Worthy” is almost word perfect KJV and great for meditating.

Psalm 132:12 — Notice the conditions of the Davidic Covenant. In Psalm 132:11, one sees that the LORD swore that He will set David’s children on the throne, but He did not say which ones. In Jeremiah 22:30, for example, God says Jehoiachin’s line is over.

Proverbs 29:24 — As we say today, “There is no honor among thieves.”

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:
  Amos 7:1-9:15
  Revelation 3:7-22
  Psalm 131:1-3
  Proverbs 29:23

Amos 7:3 — Notice how powerful prayer is? God’s judgment by grasshoppers was stopped. Judgment by fire was stopped in Amos 7:6. This is similar to Abraham in Genesis 18:16-33. Prayer changes things. If you have been praying for God’s mercy on America, we’ve seen it in His continued protection. But let’s make use of this window of opportunity!

Amos 7:10 — Sadly today we have false doctrine spread by our political establishment. Baptismal regeneration was taught at President George H.W. Bush’s funeral. This is no different from today. J. Vernon McGee does a masterful job visualizing this story happening today. Below is merely an excerpt; I encourage you to read his whole description of this situation.

Amos preached the Word of God. Many people were moved, and some turned to God; but he disturbed the liberal element. Organized religion in Bethel, the worship of Baal and of the golden calf, got together. They had the ecumenical movement going there, so they had the same program. If you don’t believe anything, my friend, there is nothing to keep you apart. If I don’t believe anything and you don’t believe anything, we can get together. That is the ecumenical movement, and it was going great guns even in that day …

They had a mass meeting of all the religions in Bethel — it was really the first meeting of the World Council of Churches — and the motto of this first meeting was, “Away with Amos, away with Amos.” And the inevitable happened at this meeting: they appointed a committee chairman, Amaziah, to go and confront Amos. Amaziah was a priest who had gone into idolatry. (Does all of this sound modern to you? It’s the same old story; we think it’s modern, but this sort of thing has been happening ever since man got out of the Garden of Eden.) Amaziah was the hired hand of religion. He was polished, he was educated, he was proud, he was scholarly, he was pious, and he was a classic example of a pseudo-saint.

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

Amos 7:12 — Amos is dismissed and told to flee (reminds me of Psalm 11:1) to Judah where he can earn a living preaching to a receptive audience. But Amos cannot go because the LORD has said the people of Israel are His people (Amos 7:15). Notice that phrase “prophesy unto my people Israel.” God loves His wayward people. We are commanded to preach to His people!

Amos 8:5 — Notice the two things that distress the Almighty. They observed the Sabbath (4th Commandment) physically, but not with their heart. They violated the 8th Commandment through the false balance. Notice how often this is condemned in Scripture (Leviticus 19:35-36, Deuteronomy 25:13-16, Proverbs 11:1, Proverbs 16:11, Proverbs 20:10, Proverbs 20:23, Ezekiel 45:10-12, Hosea 12:7, Micah 6:10-11).

Amos 8:11 — US Senator Zell Miller (D-Georgia) quoted this verse in 2004 on the floor of the US Senate (watch on C-SPAN) and talked about the famine of the Word of the LORD in America today.

Amos 9:3 — Why does God talk about the top of Carmel? Because it is high above Israel and has an incredible view. Near the statute of Elijah commemorating his defeat of the prophets of Baal, is the peak of the mountain. Yours truly took this panorama photo from the top of Carmel.

Amos 9:10 — The sad truth is that sinners will die. Eternal death is awaiting, yet if we repent and turn to Jesus we can enjoy incredible promises! According to Amos 9:13, there will not be time enough to gather in the overabundant harvest that is coming! God’s judgment will come to an end (Amos 9:15).

Revelation 3:8 — We don’t have to have a lot of strength, we just need to keep His Word and go forward!

Revelation 3:10 — John Ankerberg talks with both John Walvoord and Jimmy DeYoung about this verse, a verse that seems to support the case for a “secret rapture.” The phrase is pejorative according to GotQuestions.org.

Revelation 3:17 — The Laodiceans are similar to the Israelites. They are unaware of their spiritual condition – “wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked.” The answer is again repentance (Revelation 3:19).

Revelation 3:20 — Jesus wants to dine with you!

Psalm 131:1 — Remember James 4:6?

Proverbs 29:23 — And yet another warning on pride!

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:
  Amos 4:1-6:14
  Revelation 2:18-3:6
  Psalm 130:1-8
  Proverbs 29:21-22

Amos 4:2 — Not much has changed between ancient Egyptian fish hooks and today’s fish hooks.

Amos 4:6 — “Cleanness of teeth” is not referring to good dental care but is part of the “sarcasm” of this passage. Note the invitation to transgression in Amos 4:4, a leavened sacrifice in Amos 4:5, want of bread in Amos 4:6, and a lack of water in Amos 4:7. It seems likely that the cleanness of teeth refers to lack of eating.

Amos 4:7 — Notice God’s control of weather. Jesus confirmed in Matthew 5:45 that the Father in Heaven “sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.” Notice the point God made: He withholds rain from one city to make people go to another city. They would go long distances for water but no distance for God (Amos 4:8).

Amos 5:4 — ”Seek ye me” is repeated in Amos 5:6 and Amos 5:8. Notice that He contrasts this with their rituals (Amos 5:21).

Amos 5:24 — This verse has been quoted by such people as Martin Luther King Jr. and former FBI Director James Comey. However, usually the context isn’t brought out by people with one foot in the worship of Yahweh (Amos 5:22), and one foot in the worship of Moloch (Amos 5:26). If you’re going to use this verse, you better be committed to the pro-life cause.

Amos 6:7 — The first captives are the ones who are enjoying the luxury of the day.

Revelation 2:20 — The last recorded words of Jesus, and we’re being warned about tolerance. The buzzword of today is the antithesis of commitment to Christ.

Revelation 2:23 — When you receive the reward for your works, what will you get?

Revelation 3:5 — Who are the overcomers? In Romans 8:37 they are identified as “we”, i.e. believers – they/we are the “more than conquerors.” But we are not given that title because of something we have accomplished, but we overcome “through him that loved us.” We can overcome through His love! 1 John 4:4 reminds us that we have overcome, because “greater is He that is in you, than he that is in the world.”

Psalm 130:5 — This year we’ve been hoping in His Word! Keep waiting for the LORD!

Proverbs 29:21 — Mentorship is important – if you haven’t seen The Secrets of Jonathan Sperry, you’re missing a great movie.

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:
  Amos 1:1-3:15
  Revelation 2:1-17
  Psalm 129:1-8
  Proverbs 29:19-20

Amos 1:1 — Who was Amos? A herdsman as opposed to the influential Isaiah who lived at the same time. In Amos 7:14, we’ll see “I was no prophet, neither was I a prophet’s son; but I was an herdman, and a gatherer of sycomore fruit.” He lived a few miles southeast of Bethlehem.

We can see, then, that Amos had to travel to his job. He was a migrant worker, if you please. His sheep and his sycamores pushed Amos far out into that desert. He was truly a farmer. He was a country rube. He was a rustic. He was a yokel and a hayseed. He was a country preacher. He was a clumsy bumpkin who was “all thumbs” among the ecumenical preachers up yonder in Bethel. But before you laugh at Amos, may I say this? He was one of God’s greatest men, and he was a remarkable individual.

J Vernon McGee

Amos 2:3 — Judgment on Damascus, Gaza, Ashdod, Tyrus, Edom, Ammon, Moab, and now Judah! Why? “… they have despised the Law of the LORD and have not kept His commandments.”

Amos 2:12 — Nazarites were forbidden from drinking (Numbers 6:3).

Amos 3:15 — What’s a house of ivory? Probably meant that the house was full of ivory artifacts.

Revelation 2:1 — Jimmy DeYoung has done a documentary on the 7 Churches of Revelation:

Revelation 2:2 — Jesus appreciated the intolerance of the Ephesians! They recognized the importance of doctrine (Acts 2:42).

Revelation 2:4 — The Ephesians were good separatists, but they forgot the reason they separated!

Revelation 2:10 — Not exactly your best life now! We have a promise: for those faithful unto death, Christ offers us the Crown of Life!

Revelation 2:13-14 — These churches have unique problems! Pergamos hadn’t denied Jesus, but they tolerated false teaching. They needed to separate from the false teachers (see Ephesus in Revelation 2:4)!

Psalm 129:4 — What does it mean to say “The LORD is righteous?” From the BlueLetterBible.org:

God’s righteousness, or justice, is an attribute that leads Him to do only those things that are right. Because God is righteous He must judge evil. God’s justice allows Him to reward those who have been faithful to Him. Someday He will rule in absolute righteousness.

https://www.blueletterbible.org/faq/don_stewart/don_stewart_1285.cfm

Proverbs 29:20 — Like James says, “Be swift to hear and slow to speak!”

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:
  Joel 1:1-3:21
  Revelation 1:1-20
  Psalm 128:1-6
  Proverbs 29:18

Joel 1:4 — This event is the biggest event in five generations (Joel 1:2-3) and has four layers of destruction (Joel 1:4)!

Joel 1:14 — Several groups have put out guidelines for calling a “solemn assembly” including the Southern Baptist Convention, Family Research Council, and the Presbyterian Mission.

Joel 2:10 — These events look like the events of the fifth seal (Revelation 6:12-13) and are reiterated in Joel 2:31.

Joel 2:13 — ”Rend your heart, and not your garments.” God wants internal, actual change, not just external conformity.

Notice who God is: “… gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth Him of the evil.” That’s almost word for word from Jonah 4:2, which showed that Joel was familiar with these writings.

Joel 2:25 – How’s this for a promise! In spite of four layers of destruction (Joel 1:4), God is promising to restore the lost years!

Joel 2:28 — This was quoted in Acts 2:17 as part of Peter’s Pentecost message. The giving of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost was a fulfillment of this passage.

Joel 2:32 — This verse is quoted almost exactly in Romans 10:13! Those days are now here; the message of salvation is offered universally!

Revelation 1:3 — Revelation can be hard to follow, but it comes with a blessing for those who read and hear this book!

Revelation 1:5 — Yes, Jesus washed us in His blood!

Revelation 1:11 — Jimmy DeYoung produced a documentary “Let them Hear.” You can watch it online at VCY.tv.

Psalm 128:1 — Speaking of blessings, let’s be sure to fear the LORD!

Proverbs 29:18 — More blessings for those who keep the law!

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:
  Hosea 10:1-14:9
  Jude 1:1-25
  Psalm 127:1-5
  Proverbs 29:15-17

Hosea 10:12 — This chapter has been difficult to read, but this verse is clear. “Break up your fallow ground: for it is time to seek the LORD.” A.W. Tozer preached a message on this verse. Also, from the Steve Pettit Team:

Hosea 10:13 — 15% of people pray that something bad they did will not be discovered.

Hosea 11:1 — Notice that God retells the story of Israel. They were ransomed from Egypt through the Passover, but they immediately began sacrificing to Baal (Hosea 11:2). Clearly, they were bent on backsliding (Hosea 11:7).

Hosea 11:8 — What on earth is Admah and Zeboim? They are allies of Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 14:2-3) that were likewise destroyed (Deuteronomy 29:23). Will God destroy Israel like Sodom & Gomorrah? No (Hosea 11:9)! He will make them walk after Him (Hosea 11:10).

Hosea 12:6 — In spite of all the judgment God is bringing, He pleads, “turn thou to thy God.”

Hosea 13:4 — Notice the comparison to the First Commandment (Exodus 20:2-3).

Hosea 13:14 — God is more powerful than death and the grave (1 Corinthians 15:55)!

Hosea 13:16 — How could God be so cruel? GotQuestions.org compares this passage to Nahum 3:10:

The immediate context speaks of the defeat of the Egyptian city of Thebes by Assyria, of which Nineveh was the capital. When Thebes was defeated by Assyria in 663 B.C., the detestable acts of Nahum 3:10 took place. The Assyrians sold people into captivity and killed infants (cf. Hosea 13:16). The infants were likely killed by the Assyrians as a gratuitous act of cruelty and because the infants could not be easily exiled. It’s important to note that God did not condone this horrific action. In fact, Nahum mentions this account as justification for God’s condemnation of Assyria.

https://www.gotquestions.org/infants-dashed-to-pieces.html

Hosea 14:1 — Calling out again to Israel: “Return unto the LORD thy God.” Aren’t you thankful for His patience with us? How do we return? Repent (Hosea 14:2), turn (Hosea 14:3), and be healed (Hosea 14:4).

Jude 1 — According to Insight.org and J. Vernon McGee, Jude is the half-brother of Jesus, yet introduces himself as “the servant of Jesus Christ.” McGee makes an interesting point:

Neither James nor Jude believed in the messianic claims of Jesus until after His resurrection. It was the Resurrection that convicted them and confirmed to them that Jesus was who He claimed to be. Up until that time they thought He had just gone “off” on religion, that He was, as the Scripture puts it, beside Himself. But after His resurrection they became believers. You see, it was possible to grow up in a home with Jesus in the days of His flesh and not recognize Him.

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

Jude 4 — Again, heresy in the early church! What does Jude show? Doctrinal error (Jude 4) and promised destruction (Jude 5 – effective destruction, Jude 6 – everlasting chains, Jude 7 – eternal fire).

Jude 14 — No, Jude isn’t endorsing the extrabiblical alleged Book of Enoch. He is, however, showing that for hundreds of years before Noah, the Preacher of Righteousness (2 Peter 2:5), God did not leave Himself without a remnant prophet.

Jude 17-18 — Two observations: 1) The brother of Jesus is submitting to his brother’s disciples, and 2) Jude 18 is a good description of today.

Jude 22-23 — Great verses today! “Of some have compassion, making a difference” (Jude 22), and “save with fear, pulling them out of the fire.” Let’s remember that hell is real, and as someone once said, “The most sobering reality in the world is that people are dying and going to hell today.”

Psalm 127:1 — A great reminder to those of us who like to build projects! Ask God what He thinks first!

Proverbs 29:16 — Thankfully, the wicked don’t reign forever!

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.