Author: biblereadingchallenge

TODAY’S BIBLE READING CHALLENGE:
  Genesis 41:17-42:17
  Matthew 13:24-46
  Psalm 18:1-15
  Proverbs 4:1-6

People ask, “Should Christians get involved in politics?” I point out that there are two books of the Bible called Kings and two more called the Chronicles of the Kings. Genesis 41:25 – God had a message for a politician in Egypt. Genesis 41:46 reveals an interesting fact – Joseph was about the same age as Jesus (Luke 3:23) when his ministry began. Also, did you notice the parallel between Genesis 42:8 and John 1:10-11? There are some sermons on SermonAudio.com that show how Joseph was a picture of Christ. By the way, if you’re looking for more info on a passage, checking www.sermonaudio.com will show you some of the most popular sermons on a passage. One final note about Joseph – though Joseph was in Egypt and Pharoah gave him an Egyptian wife of cultic pedigree (Genesis 41:45), Joseph did not name his children Egyptian names. He gave them Hebrew names (Genesis 41:51-52). While you may be in Egypt, don’t let Egypt get into you!

Matthew 13:30 — Jesus has talked about hell several times already in Matthew (Matthew 5:22, 5:29, 5:30, 10:28, 11:23). Now, He talks about burning tares (Matthew 13:40). The children of the wicked one will be gathered and burned. I hate to use the word “sobering” so often, but when we compare reading Scripture to the amusements (literally, “a” = ”no” & “muse” = “thinking”; the word literally means “non-thinking”) of today, we have serious words to pay attention to (Matthew 13:42). “And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.” If you knew that and believed that, shouldn’t you say something? Do we think hell is real? Do we think heaven is a “pearl of great price” that we are willing to sell all that we have for it (Matthew 13:46)?

Matthew 13:31-33 — Thanks to Dexter Penwell for providing this helpful insight:

“In the parable of the mustard seed, there are 2 varieties of mustard plants in Israel. The more common is a small bush that grows 2 to 3 feet tall. So, that growing into a tree that the birds lodge in would be an abnormal monstrosity. The other type is a wild mustard plant that is more like a sunflower. It grows tall, but only has leaves coming out from the main stem. Again, that is not like a tree. What Jesus is saying is that the mustard plant grows into a monstrosity where the servants of Satan lodge. In the parable of the leaven, in all the times that leaven is used symbolically in the Bible, this is the only place where people try to portray it as being good, that it is a sign of the church growing. However, that does not match with all the times in the OT and NT where leaven is used as a symbol of sin. And, the woman is hiding it in the dough. The 3 measures of flour imply the fellowship offering which uses unleavened cakes. So again, it is sin in the church. In this case, sin being hidden in the church.”

Matthew 13:44-46 — While some use this to talk about the value of salvation, others point out the eschatological nature of salvation:

“First, we do not sell all we have to purchase our salvation. In the parable of the soils, the field was the earth. Jesus gave up all to come to earth to purchase the church, and, he will come again to take us to be with Him … (Look at the) parable of the pearl of great price. The church elsewhere is described as gems. So, if Jesus is put in as the man, Jesus gave up all to purchase the church. The church grows in times of persecution, similar to how the pearl develops because of an irritant getting inside the oyster. And, like the church, it is taken from the place that it grows to become a jewel of adornment.”

Dexter Penwell

Psalm 18:1-3 — Take a sheet of paper and make a list of who the Lord is. Or if you’re already building in your journal a biography of God, add these attributes to the list. Psalm 18:3 and 18:46 (we’ll get there day after tomorrow!) have been recorded in song – if you haven’t heard this classic, it’s a great way to hide these two verses in your heart!

Proverbs 4:4 — Keeping the commandments is not misery. They are life. Have you noticed that Solomon seems to think wisdom is important? Genesis has given us an interesting look at people who have or have not been wise.

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:
  Genesis 39:1-41:16
  Matthew 12:46-13:23
  Psalm 17:1-15
  Proverbs 3:33-35

Biblical illustration of the Book of Genesis Chapter 39

Genesis 39:2 shows us prosperity from someone who was with the Lord. While God can send prosperity, not all prosperity is of God (Psalm 73:12). Doctrine makes a difference – non-believers can follow Proverbs’ advice from God on how to be successful, but they don’t have to follow the Author of the rules to be successful in this life. While there are many ways to riches on this earth, only one doctrine leads to riches in the next world (Matthew 6:19).

Genesis 39:8 — Joseph was willing to risk prosperity on this planet (Genesis 39:8) because he would not risk the next world (Genesis 39:9). Because of his integrity, he lost his material prosperity in this world (Genesis 39:20). Recently in the news, a man in Oregon was asked to violate his conscience, so he quoted a verse of Scripture and was fined $135,000. Sometimes, though, the test is not will you stand in persecution, but can you stand in blessing?

Genesis 41:16 — In today’s reading Joseph turned down the credit (Genesis 41:16), yet we read yesterday that he seemingly wanted the credit (Genesis 37:6).

Matthew 13 is a great example of “venture capital.” A friend of mine is a venture capitalist – he buys businesses. Some businesses get devoured. Some wither. Some are choked out. But if just one of ten businesses can return a hundredfold or even just thirtyfold, he can make a ton of money. Speaking of investing – what are you investing in? Are you investing in spreading the Gospel seeds? Are you praying for your friends? Are you praying that as they respond they won’t be devoured, withered, or choked?

Dexter Penwell shared this insight on the parables in Matthew 13:

This parable (Matthew 13:1-9) is described in Luke as being the key to understanding all parables … the key is to put Jesus as the man in the “kingdom from heaven” parables that are in the rest of this chapter of Matthew. The birds represented Satan and his followers (vs. 4 & vs. 19).

Psalm 17:13 is a great cry from someone oppressed – as we go through trials, we can cry to the One who listens!

Psalm 17:15 — Also, notice how Psalm 17:15 today and Psalm 16:10 yesterday seem to be a burst of prophetic utterance in the midst of a prayer within a temporal struggle.

Proverbs 3:33-35 is a great example of Hebrew antithetical poetry.

It is very different from English poetry. English poetry is developed from Greek and Latin poetry, which is primarily sound based. Hebrew poetry has much in common with Canaanite poetry. It is basically thought-based in balanced, parallel lines.

www.Bible.org

These verses contrast a blessing with a curse. Will we follow wisdom and understanding, or will we follow the Simple, the Scorner, and the 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.

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Image Credit: Distant Shores Media/Sweet Publishing, CC BY-SA 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

TODAY’S BIBLE READING CHALLENGE:
  Genesis 37:1-38:30
  Matthew 12:22-45
  Psalm 16:1-11
  Proverbs 3:27-32

Genesis 37:1 — Abraham was a stranger. His blessing of being the Father of Many Nations wouldn’t be realized until after he was dead. If we obey someone for a reward that’s in the distance – what’s that called (Hebrews 11:9)?

Genesis 37:6 — By the way, Joseph seemed to have the same youthful lack of discretion (albeit less violent) than his siblings had (Genesis 37:6-8, 9-11). Reuben had a grosser lack of discretion (Genesis 35:22) but seems to have improved some because later he stopped the fratricide in Genesis 37:21. Ever wonder why Proverbs always talks about wisdom? Children have needed it for thousands of years!

Biblical illustration of the Book of Genesis Chapter 37

Genesis 37:28 — Joseph was sold for twenty pieces of silver, similar to Someone who was sold for thirty pieces of silver (Matthew 26:15).

Genesis 38:15 — Judah still had lessons to learn. He sold his brother for a quick buck (37:27) and then looks to buy a favor from a harlot (38:15). I Timothy 6:10 has something to say about money.

BONUS THOUGHT — Scripture is not just “character lessons”, e.g. Judah wanted to kill Joseph so we shouldn’t want to kill our brothers. Rather, all of Scripture points to Jesus. Jack Klumpenhower has lesson notes on most of Genesis, including today’s reading. He wrote a book emphasizing that Sunday School has become “character lessons”, i.e. they don’t show how every passage of Scripture points to Jesus. Over the next few days, let’s see how Joseph’s life points to Jesus.

Matthew 12:25 was alluded to by the Founding Father John Dickinson: “By uniting we stand, by dividing we fall.” Patrick Henry declared in his final speech, “United we stand, divided we fall.” Abraham Lincoln talked about a house divided on slavery. Ross Perot named his political committee “United We Stand.”  But are we united with Jesus (Matthew 12:30)?

Matthew 12:40 — By the way, did you notice that Jesus believed Jonah was a real person? We were talking yesterday about how great Jesus is – He claimed to be greater than Jonah (Matthew 12:41) and greater than Solomon (Matthew 12:42)! Finally, let’s make sure to be careful with our words (Matthew 12:36). Reading Scripture tends to be sobering, does it not?

Psalm 16:1 — Once when I was feeling under attack and overwhelmed, I started copying the Psalms by hand. Not because I didn’t have access to a photocopier, but because I felt I was reading through the Bible too quickly, and I needed to force myself to slow down and meditate. The Psalms really came alive as I realized that God deals again and again with hurting people throughout the book. But some promises are conditional (e.g. if He is at my right hand, then I shall not be moved [Psalm 16:8]). God promises deliverance, but we must obey.

Proverbs 3:27 — Solomon is giving the wisdom that Jacob and his descendants needed earlier. Verse 27 is a simple command and a variation of the Golden Rule (Matthew 7:12) – if you can be a help to someone, be a help to someone. Sometimes I’d be afraid to do something because it wasn’t my place, but it was always appreciated when I would tell someone “I think you need help – can I help you?”

Proverbs 3:28 — If you’ve had a friend on Facebook who’s a multi-level marketing distributor, I’m sure they’ve shared with you how they’ve been paid early, and how wonderful it is to receive their money.

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

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Image Credit: Distant Shores Media/Sweet Publishing, CC BY-SA 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

TODAY’S BIBLE READING CHALLENGE:
  Genesis 35:1-36:43
  Matthew 12:1-21
  Psalm 15:1-5
  Proverbs 3:21-26

Thanks to Dexter Penwell for pointing this out:

One thing that I should add for help in understanding Genesis is that it is not chronological. For instance, Jacob and Esau were 15 years old when Abraham died. So, they probably learned first hand from Abraham about God’s promise to him. Isaac was alive for several years after Joseph was sold into Egypt. So, he also would have mourned the loss of Joseph … I also added things up one year, and Shem was still alive when Abraham moved to the land of Canaan. But, without going through the calculations again, I do not remember how old Abraham was when Shem died.

Genesis 35:1-3 — Yesterday, Jacob was in deep trouble. His kids murdered an entire town seeking revenge. This is one of the few times we see the correct pattern of how to handle problems (we’ll see many examples of the wrong way). Jacob listened. Jacob repented. Jacob obeyed. God blessed.

Genesis 35:20 — Rachel dies and is buried in Bethlehem Ephratah (Genesis 48:7). Jeremiah 31:15 talks about her weeping for the children. Micah 5:2 mentions this place (Bethlehem Ephratah) and says something big will happen there! Note especially Genesis 35:21 where it talks about the “tower of Edar” – this is the Migdal Eder of Micah 4:8! If you’ve seen Quentin Road Baptist Church’s 2018 Christmas Program – they talk about it at the 23 minute mark!

Rachel’s Tomb

The Jewish group “Friends of Rachel’s Tomb” has some interesting history and many ancient photos of the structure referred to today as Rachel’s Tomb. Unfortunately, this site’s history prior to the Byzantines is unknown (compare the history of the Cave of the Patriarchs), so we don’t know if it is the actual site, but we know that Rachel was buried in this region.

Genesis 36 — J. Vernon McGee discusses this chapter as God’s pointing out the “rejected line” and then dismisses it – similar to the line of Cain vs. the line of Seth that we read earlier this month.

Matthew 12:6 — If you’re looking for a journal topic through the Gospels, read what Jesus said about Himself. Sometimes people think of Jesus as just a good teacher, or sometimes they write songs that Jesus is like a “boyfriend.” While Jesus was an amazing teacher and loves us more than anyone else can, He is great, greater than the temple (vs. 6), greater than the Sabbath (vs. 8), and greater than the curse (vs. 13).

Psalm 15 — God expects a change in His people! God lives in a holy heaven (vs. 1) and cannot tolerate sin. The good news is that all we have to do to go to heaven is be perfect. The bad news is that nobody is perfect.

Proverbs 3:21-26 — I enjoy leading tour groups – most of the time on a tour I’m not telling people something “hidden;” I’m just making sure they don’t miss something in plain sight! Solomon shared yesterday the creationary power of wisdom, and he has to remind his son, “Don’t let it go!” Can you count today the blessings of wisdom? God’s way is always better than our way! Like Jacob: listen to God, repent, obey, and be blessed.

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

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TODAY’S BIBLE READING CHALLENGE:
  Genesis 32:13-34:31
  Matthew 11:7-30
  Psalm 14:1-7
  Proverbs 3:19-20

We’re in the second half of the first month of this journey!

Genesis 32:14-19 — We’re in the middle of a dramatic scene. Jacob had lied to his father and cheated his brother Esau out of the blessing of his father. Earlier this month we saw the liar Jacob being “out-lied” by his uncle Laban. He’s learned his lesson. Now he’s seeking reconciliation. This is an expensive reconciliation, but God is blessing his self-sacrificial reconciliation with a new name.

Genesis 32:26 — The Pulpit Commentary says Jacob “sought to obtain from him the blessing which he had previously stolen from his aged father by craft.”

Genesis 33:30 — Jacob realized in yesterday’s passage that his family is far from devout (stealing idols), but now he’s determined to change his family’s theology by committing himself publicly. Just as Grandpa Abraham did (Genesis 12:7), Jacob built an altar to El-Elohe-Israel. God – not just any god but the Creator God (Genesis 1:1 uses the word Elohim) of Israel – He is my God now! By the way, Bodie Hodge of Answers in Genesis (AiG) has a great article on the names for God. But in the next chapter (Genesis 34), we see Jacob’s kids inherited his sin nature and are practicing it more than their father’s newly exemplified faith.

Rape of Dinah

Matthew 11 — Yesterday we read about doubting John, but Jesus’ compassion rings out – “there hath not risen a greater than John!” But the least of the Kingdom will be greater than John!

Matthew 11:23 — I’m glad you’re reading God’s Word in its entirety this year, but this verse is a sober warning for you. If you have more exposure to God, you have more responsibility. God rained down fire and brimstone on Sodom, but says it will be worse for those who don’t know Jesus personally. Jesus alternates from warning of eternal judgment to offering rest for your soul. There’s no middle way with Him.

Psalm 14:1 — Ray Comfort says April 1 is National Atheists’ Day.

Psalm 14:3 sounds a theme we will see in Romans 3.

Proverbs 3:19-20 — This wisdom seems pretty powerful. Let’s keep seeking it as we continue reading!

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

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Image Credit: Giuliano Bugiardini, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons