Category: Daily Encouragement

TODAY’S BIBLE READING CHALLENGE:
  Ezekiel 7:1-9:11
  Hebrews 5:1-14
  Psalm 105:1-15
  Proverbs 26:28

Ezekiel 7:19 — ”Their silver and their gold shall not be able to deliver them in the day of the wrath of the LORD.” Money can buy many things, but it can’t buy protection from God’s wrath!

Ezekiel 7:24 — I talked to someone who said, “I’m okay with God judging me. He’s God after all. But Him using others to judge me, that’s harder to swallow.” But as we see in Ezekiel, that’s exactly what God uses: “the worst of the heathen” to judge us!

Ezekiel 8:14 — Tammuz wasn’t a suffering sister but an ancient Mesopotamian god of shepherds. Responsible for fertility and crops growing, Tammuz death was mourned every year, marking the rotation of seasons. On the Arabic calendar, Tammuz is the name of the month of July. During the month, his death and resurrection were celebrated. His consort was the “Queen of Heaven,” Ishtar (Jeremiah 7:18, Jeremiah 44:17-25), who was worshiped with cake offerings. The cult of Tammuz survived until the 1700’s AD.

Marriage of Inanna and Dumuzi

Ezekiel 8:16 — Inside the house of the LORD, at the very altar of the LORD, twenty-five men have turned their backs on the Temple and are worshiping the sunrise and not the Creator of the sun.

Ezekiel 9:4 — God marks His people throughout different times:

• Past – Exodus 12:13
• Present – 2 Corinthians 1:22
• Future – Revelation 7:3

Ezekiel 9:10 — This is the 5th time we see the expression, “no pity.” Judgment time is coming and fake repentance will not get you out of Judgement Day.

Hebrews 5:6 — The mystery of Psalm 110:4 is solved! Who was the LORD talking to that is a “priest forever?” Who is the coming King (Psalm 110:1)? The Son of God, Jesus the Messiah!

Hebrews 5:8 — God learned from suffering. The omnipotent Creator of the World learned obedience from suffering. My mind struggles to grasp that. And before we can go on to more incredible truths, we are reminded that we should be further down the road (Hebrews 5:12).

Psalm 105:5 — In this psalm, we see not an emphasis on the Word of God (Psalm 119), but on the works of God. The works are proof that He remembered His covenant (Psalm 105:8).

Psalm 105:8 — How long is a thousand generations? By some estimates, we’re only 150 generations from Adam and Eve. God’s faithfulness extends farther and wider than we can imagine!

Proverbs 26:28 — Be careful with your tongue!

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: TangLung (talk · contribs), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

TODAY’S BIBLE READING CHALLENGE:
  Ezekiel 3:16-6:14
  Hebrews 4:1-16
  Psalm 104:24-35
  Proverbs 26:27

Ezekiel 3:18 — The scariest words in the Old Testament: “… his blood will I require at thine hand.” God has given us a message to warn the wicked that they shall die in their sins (Romans 6:23). If we do not warn him, he will die for his sins; he will receive the just punishment of his deeds, but God will hold us accountable.

Ezekiel 3:20 — When we see a Christian falling into temptation, we have the same responsibility!

Ezekiel 3:26-27 — May this be our prayer: “LORD, keep my mouth shut when I need to keep it shut, and keep it open when I need to keep it open!”

Ezekiel 4:1 — BibleBlender.com has some interesting visual depictions of what this scene may have looked like.

Ezekiel 4:5 — Over a year Ezekiel lay on his left side, and for over a month he lay on his right side.

Ezekiel 4:15 — Ezekiel the priest was revulsed by what was coming and asked God, “Are you sure?” God was not instituting a new dispensation here (Acts 10:15), just illustrating how desperate the country would get. Thus, He allowed Ezekiel to prepare his bread with cow dung rather than human dung.

Ezekiel 5:3 — God’s pictures were very graphic. The preaching hadn’t made a difference, so God tried another technique to teach His people.

Ezekiel 6:7 — God is judging sin harshly so that His people “shall know that I am the LORD.” Four times in this chapter we read this purpose for God’s actions. He will not abandon His bride that has gone “a whoring after their idols.” (Ezekiel 6:9)

Ezekiel 6:10 — “I have not said in vain.” Deuteronomy 27 contained the curses of Mount Ebal. They were not in vain. God doesn’t say, “Try harder next time!”

Hebrews 4:12 — How can we keep our hearts from hardening? How can we know we can enter the rest? How can we not fall victim to unbelief?

• Through the Scripture of God … our powerful Hope!
• Through the Sight of God … our omniscient Creator!
• Through the Son of God … our empathetic Priest!

Hebrews 4:14-16 — Here’s another great doctrinal insight:

• Hebrews 4:14 – Jesus is transcendent – He has the ability – He CAN help us
• Hebrews 4:15 – Jesus is immanent – He has the experience – He WILL help us
• Hebrews 4:16 – Let’s GO to God. His throne of grace is accessible. Compare this to the inaccessible Tree of Life (Genesis 3:24).

Psalm 104:34 — Take time to enjoy the sweetness of our LORD. Don’t let the cares of the world drag you down.

Proverbs 26:27 — As Patch the Pirate shares with us, “You Reap What You Sow.”

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:
  Ezekiel 1:1-3:15
  Hebrews 3:1-19
  Psalm 104:1-23
  Proverbs 26:24-26

We’re just two months from the end of the year! Hang in there!

Ezekiel 1:1-3 — Ezekiel is an Exilic Prophet. Jeremiah wrote about the coming Exile, but Ezekiel is the first prophet we’ll be reading from within the Exile. The year is 592 BC, and we’re a little northwest of Babylon. In this passage we find out why he was part of the second group to be deported – he was a priest and an influential leader.

Book of Ezekiel Chapter 1¹

Ezekiel 1:16 — Yes, this is the “wheel in a wheel” passage that inspired the spiritual, “Ezekiel Saw The Wheel.”

Illustration of the “Chariot Vision” by Matthaeus (Matthäus) Merian²

Ezekiel 1:27 — In Revelation 1:15-16, John describes seeing Jesus: “… his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace …” and “… his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength …”

Ezekiel 1:28 — What to do when you see things unexplainable and indescribable? Fall on your face in humility!

Ezekiel 2:2 — Notice that when Ezekiel didn’t have the strength to stand, the Spirit set him on his feet! When we’ve exhausted our store of endurance, “He giveth more grace!”

Ezekiel 2:5 — Ezekiel must have felt like a Christian school teacher. Out of strength and can’t get up after lying face down on the ground (Ezekiel 1:28)! He’s speaking to “impudent children and stiffhearted.” God says, “… whether they will hear or whether they will forbear … [they] shall know that there hath been a prophet among them.” Pray for the Christian school teachers that you know – they ain’t getting rich, they are exhausted, and they are prophets to their “impudent children!”

Ezekiel 3:5 — Home missions may not be as rewarding, but God calls people to reach their Judea first! Yes, the monthly updates to supporting churches may be discouraging, but faithfulness … not results … is what the Master calls for (2 Timothy 2:2).

Ezekiel 3:15 — Ezekiel was astonished seven days at the vision he saw. Don’t worry if you are still scratching your head about the incredible vision of Ezekiel 1.

Hebrews 3:1 — Yes, Ezekiel was a priest, but he struggled to explain the things that God showed him. We have a greater priest (Hebrews 3:3), One that is greater than Moses (Hebrews 3:3) and greater than creation (Hebrews 3:4).

Hebrews 3:7 — We start the second warning passage. Hebrews 2:1-4 began the first warning passage (“How shall we escape?”). Now we begin the “Harden not your hearts” warnings.

Hebrews 3:12 — Here’s a scary concept. Paul is writing to his brethren and warning them about an evil heart of unbelief that will cause them to depart from the living God. You can always find “atheist activists” like Dan Barker who were pastors at one time but now have turned their backs on God.

Hebrews 3:15 — How do we avoid being shipwrecked and denied entry into the rest (Hebrews 3:11, Hebrews 3:18)? Hear His voice and open your heart.

Psalm 104:4 — Interesting that this description matches Ezekiel’s references to fire (Ezekiel 1:4, 1:13). This whole psalm echoes Hebrews 3:4 – “… he that built all things …” As the Psalmist inventories creation, God made it all!

Proverbs 26:25 — A great admonition for election season!

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: Matthaeus (Matthäus) Merian (1593-1650), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

TODAY’S BIBLE READING CHALLENGE:
  Lamentations 4:1-5:22
  Hebrews 2:1-18
  Psalm 103:1-22
  Proverbs 26:23

Lamentations 4:13 — God judges a nation’s religious leaders first. Look how they are described in Lamentations 4:14-15.

Lamentations 5:21 — Jeremiah ends his lament with a plea for God to return, yet he realizes that for Israel it is too late.

Hebrews 2:2 — Almost every time a human encounters an angel, the first angelic words are “Fear not!” If we fear an angel, shall we not fear the maker of the angel? We have not the word of an angelic encounter but the Word of God!

Hebrews 2:4 — What was the purpose of the signs and wonders? To confirm His revelation to man.

Hebrews 2:7 — The back and forth between humans and angels is emphasized here: created lower than the angels but crowned with glory and honor!

Hebrews 2:16-17 — Jesus took not the nature of angels but was “made like unto his brethren.” He chose to be like us!

Psalm 103:11 — How great is God’s mercy! In just a few verses (Psalm 103:17), we’ll see how long is His mercy!

Proverbs 26:23 — We talked about this a while back. A potsherd is a broken piece of pottery. Jesus had a similar thought in Matthew 23:27 when He called the scribes and Pharisees “whited sepulchers.”

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 51:54-52:34
  Titus 3:1-15
  Psalm 100:1-5
  Proverbs 26:18-19

Jeremiah 51:58 — From Ancient History Encyclopedia:

Nebuchadnezzar II (634-562 BCE) built three walls around Babylon at heights of forty feet and so broad at the top that chariots could race around them. The Ishtar Gate in the wall of Nebuchadnezzar II’s Babylon was claimed by some to be greater than any of the listed Wonders of the Ancient World.

Jeremiah 51:59 — Seraiah is the son of Neriah, son of Maaseiah. Who else is a son of Neriah, son of Maaseiah? Baruch! Yes, Baruch’s brother is the “quiet prince” (KJV). Commentaries suggest alternatives but the best guess is that he was an “advance man” for the king. Jeremiah was not without connections, and this helps understand Baruch’s concern (Jeremiah 45:5). Baruch was a man of influence, and he had been identified with the apparently treasonous Jeremiah.

Jeremiah 52:30 — So, 4,600 people were taken away in three different captivities. The number is not excessively large, but this was the ruling class, the political elite, the “one-percenters” of Judaea.

Jeremiah 52:34 — This chapter provides a recap of the historical events, and this particular recap is also documented in 2 Kings 25:27-30. It is also recorded in the “Jehoiachin Ration Tablet.”

Jehoiachin’s Ration Tablet

Titus 3:1-2 — Paul continues with his exhortations on relationships; he now addresses our relationship with authority.

Titus 3:4 — Paul identifies Jesus, our Savior, as God.

Titus 3:7 — Paul never got over what the kindness, love, mercy, and grace of Jesus did to him. The chief of sinners (1 Timothy 1:15), less than the least of all saints (Ephesians 3:8), is made an heir of God!

Titus 3:14 — Paul wanted Titus to be fruitful. How can we be fruitful? Through good works. Be careful to maintain good works (Titus 3:8).

Psalm 100:1 — Sing with Patch the Pirate this psalm!

Proverbs 26:19 — The one who attacks others and claims “just joking” is not to be trusted.

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: Scallaham, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons