Author: biblereadingchallenge

TODAY’S BIBLE READING CHALLENGE:
  Jeremiah 44:24-47:7
  2 Timothy 2:22-3:17
  Psalm 94:1-23
  Proverbs 26:6-8

Goddess Tanit¹

Jeremiah 44:27 — As we read in Isaiah 42:8, the LORD (not just a generic god, but Yahweh [“I AM THAT I AM”]) will not share His glory with another. There is no other Savior (Isaiah 43:11). There are no other gods allowed (Exodus 20:3), and no other worship allowed (Exodus 34:14). If His people will forsake Him for the “queen of heaven,” He will punish them with the sword and famine.

Jeremiah 45:3 — This chapter was written before the final conquest. Baruch had been a faithful assistant to the unpopular prophet. Note that Baruch is given the same blessing as Ebedmelech – protection of his life. No, Baruch would not be able to time the Judaean stock market and profit off of his connection with the prophet. Baruch’s noble family and friends would lose their position and power and they would be carried away in chains to Babylon. No, the political message of Jeremiah/Baruch in 602 BC was not “Make Israel Great Again.” Their political message was “Too Late.” May we repent in our nation and seek God before it is too late!

Bulla of Berachyahu ben Neriah the Scribe²

Does this seal of “Baruch” contain the actual thumbprint of Jeremiah’s friend? Or is it a fake?

Jeremiah 46:27 — In spite of all this judgment, God is still not done with Israel!

Jeremiah 47:2 — We are in the “judgment” section of Jeremiah. Instead of skimming through these passages because “God isn’t talking to me,” or “this doesn’t seem relevant,” let’s look at how God speaks.

As we discussed in the Psalms, the language is more poetical (notice the “thought rhyme” or parallelism) – the author uses two different ways of saying the same thing to create a 3D view of the issue.

• “waters rise up” / “overflowing flood”
• “the land and all that is therein” / “the city and them that dwell therein”
• “men shall cry” / “inhabitants shall howl”

Sometimes God gives just an 8-word message of judgment (Jonah 3:4), and at other times He uses 196 words to describe His judgment on the Philistines.

2 Timothy 2:25 — Meekness is one of the most underutilized characteristics of a godly pastor. How many pastors have seen their counseling unsuccessful because they came not in a spirit of meekness but appeared self-righteous? How many churches have been split in two because of a pastor that could no longer be described as meek? How many pastors have ended up in jail after they departed far from meekness? Pray for your pastor that he can continue in meekness. Pray that you can minister in meekness and not hinder the Gospel.

2 Timothy 3:1-5 — Are we in the last days? Looks like a pretty good description of today’s society.

2 Timothy 3:10 — Paul keeps emphasizing doctrine, sound words (2 Timothy 1:13), “the things” (2 Timothy 2:2, 2 Timothy 3:14), “profitable for doctrine” (2 Timothy 3:16); in contrast to “foolish and unlearned questions” (2 Timothy 2:23), “words to no profit” (2 Timothy 2:14), and “profane and vain babblings” (2 Timothy 2:16).

2 Timothy 3:12 — When’s the last time you suffered persecution?

2 Timothy 3:17 — The Anglican spelling of this verse is “throughly furnished,” emphasizing the idea that you are built inside and outside by God.

Proverbs 26:6 — More contrasts of the failings of a fool.

On September 13th, 1862, Union soldiers found a copy of Confederate General Robert E. Lee’s orders detailing the Confederates’ plan for the Antietam campaign near Frederick, Maryland. But Union General George B. McClellan was slow to act, and the advantage the intelligence provided was lost.” McClellan was fired less than two months later, and replaced with Ambrose Burnside.

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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Image¹ Credit: Hanay, CC BY-SA 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Image² Credit: Berachyahu ben Neriah, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

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!

Tiny Tablet Provides Proof for the Old Testament

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.

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Image Credit: By Nigel Reynolds, Arts Correspondent, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

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

Book of Jeremiah Chapter 38¹

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!

“Apparently, You Can Take It with You!” Said Marti Lawrence

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.

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Image¹ Credit: Distant Shores Media/Sweet Publishing, CC BY-SA 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Image² Credit: “Marti Lawrence (@marti-l.bsky.social).” Bluesky Social, bsky.app/profile/marti-l.bsky.social/post/3lmfbqvfsfk2q.

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)

Book of Jeremiah Chapter 36

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.

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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