The Bible Reading Challenge Presented by VCY

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

TODAY’S BIBLE READING CHALLENGE:
  Lamentations 3:1-66
  Hebrews 1:1-14
  Psalm 102:1-28
  Proverbs 26:21-22

Hebrew Alphabet¹

Lamentations 3:1 — A little bit of “technical analysis” is in order. Lamentations 1, 2, and 4 are a Hebrew Acrostic – each verse starts with a different Hebrew letter (Aleph/A, Beit/B, Gimel, Daleth, He, etc.), so each chapter is 22 verses long since there are 22 letters in the Hebrew alphabet.

Lamentations 3 is 66 verses – the first 3 verses all start with Aleph, the next three verses start with Beit, the next three verses start with Gimel. Remember that Hebrew is written from right to left. In other words, this is clearly poetic writing and not narrative (I did this, then he did that). Narratives can explain battles, but poetry can explain pain.

Lamentations 3 in Hebrew²

Lamentations 3:21-23 — Three chapters in and it seems there is no hope. Ah, but there is – there’s always hope in the Lord’s mercy, compassion, and faithfulness! Great is Thy Faithfulness!

Lamentations 3:24 — I saw a statistic on the internet the other day. One in three people who touch alcohol end up becoming drunk. One in 300,000,000 win the lottery, and we think that the next time it could be me! Hope is not “wishin’ and hopin’ and thinkin’ and prayin'” as a pop singer sang. Biblical hope is “confidence in a future event.”

Hope is the theme of the mid-section of Lamentations 3:

• “my hope is perished” (vs. 18)
• “have I hope” (vs. 21)
• “will I hope in him” (vs. 24)
• “man should … hope” (vs. 26)
• “there may be hope” (vs. 29)

Our confidence is that grief is followed by compassion (Lamentations 3:32). Anger is followed by favor (Psalm 30:5). We must, however, acknowledge our sins, accept the punishment (Lamentations 3:39), and radically adjust our ways (Lamentations 3:40).

Lamentations 3:53 — Jeremiah isn’t speaking in hyperbole. He actually knew what a dungeon was like (Jeremiah 38:6).

Lamentations 3:54 — Near drowning is a horrifying experience. Vic Eliason shared how his brother saved him from drowning as a young boy, and Vic never forgot the experience. Let’s look at biblical references to near drowning:

• Jeremiah – “waters flowed over mine head (Lamentations 3:54)
• Jonah – “waters compassed me about, even to the soul” (Jonah 2:5)
• Psalmist – “the waters are come in unto my soul” (Psalm 69:1)

Lamentations 3:66 — Jeremiah gave to God his right to vengeance.  Like David, Jeremiah knew he was a sinful man, but God has mercy and will forgive. Even though we grievously offend our God, He still answers prayers such as David’s prayer that God would turn the counsel of Ahithophel into foolishness (2 Samuel 15:31).

Hebrews 1:1 — From E. Schuyler English:

Why Study Hebrews?³

Hebrews 1:3 — Who is this Son? The Agent of Creation (Hebrews 1:2), the Brightness of His glory, the Image of His person, the One Who upholds all things. “Upholding” is the same idea as “by him all things consist” (Colossians 1:17). He holds the universe together! Oh, and He’s so much better than the angels (Hebrews 1:4). This is not the mere brother of Lucifer. This is not the mere spirit creature named Michael. This is not a mere good teacher. Enjoy reading about the greatness of our Savior – the only Son of God!

Hebrews 1:14 — Angels are ministers to the heirs of salvation. Who are the heirs? We are (Galatians 3:29, Romans 8:17, Titus 3:7, 1 Peter 3:7)! Yes, angels are serving us!

Psalm 102:2 — When life is easy, we don’t need to call upon God. And if we do accidentally say grace over a meal, we don’t need a speedy answer. We don’t need to bother the Almighty with our insignificant needs. But He wants to hear from His children! He has made us heirs of salvation. Fanny Crosby developed this theme – reminding us of our “Blessed Assurance!”

Proverbs 26:22 — Sometimes it’s better not to know.

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: Wikipedia contributors. File: Hebrew alphabet.png – Wikipedia. 6 Sept. 2008, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Hebrew_alphabet.png.
Image² Credit: Lamentations 3 / Hebrew – English Bible / Mechon-Mamre. mechon-mamre.org/p/pt/pt3203.htm.
Image³ Credit: Bible, Thru. Why Study Hebrews? 27 Dec. 2024, ttb.org/resources/articles-news/features/2024/12/27/why-study-hebrews.

TODAY’S BIBLE READING CHALLENGE:
  Lamentations 1:1-2:22
  Philemon 1:1-25
  Psalm 101:1-8
  Proverbs 26:20

Lamentations 1:1 — From Through the Bible (TTB):

Dr. Alexander Whyte, one of the great expositors of the Word of God of days gone by, has said: “There is nothing like the Lamentations of Jeremiah in the whole world. There has been plenty of sorrow in every age, and in every land, but such another preacher and author, with such a heart for sorrow, has never again been born. Dante comes next to Jeremiah, and we know that Jeremiah was the great exile’s favorite prophet.

Lamentations 1:12 — From Spurgeon:

I, too, share the sympathetic avarice of Jeremiah’s pity. Do you ask what grief I have and for whose woes I am a mourner? I point you to the cross and to the Man of Sorrows there.

Lamentations 2:7 — The LORD, who so detailed the instructions for the altar in Exodus 30, now has cast it off. “He hath fulfilled his word” (Lamentations 2:17).

Philemon 8-9 — Paul begs for love’s sake rather than declaring by his authority as an apostle.

Philemon 12 — Paul continues to put relationships above rights: requesting not ordering (Philemon 8-9), relinquishing his friend (Philemon 13), and demonstrating by presumably begging Onesimus to give up his freedom to build a relationship with a brother. This is what Paul had taught previously in 1 Timothy 6:2, specifically about believing masters.

Philemon 21 — According to tradition, Onesimus later became bishop of Ephesus and was martyred by stoning.

Onesimus of Byzantium
Miniature from the Menology of Basil II

Psalm 101:3 — God wants purity in behavior (Psalm 101:2), in heart (Psalm 101:2), in sight (Psalm 101:3), in friends (Psalm 101:4), in speech (Psalm 101:5), and in attitude (Psalm 101:5).

Proverbs 26:20 — Let’s cut the fire out!

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: Unknown author, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons