June 16, 2015. Daily Reading: Philippians 1-2. Background: This letter is a letter of Paul written to the church at Philippi, which was one of the earliest churches in Europe. Paul, along with Timothy and Silas, had visited Philippi on his second missionary journey after being called to the region in a vision at night,…
Luke 9-10: Proclaiming the gospel.
June 13, 2015. Daily Reading: Luke 9-10. Background: Luke 7-8. Concepts and Connections. Chapter 9 1. The proclamation of Jesus: Several of the stories spread throughout this chapter are related to the proclamation of Jesus and the kingdom of God. First, Jesus sends out His 12 apostles to preach the gospel of the kingdom of…
Lamentations 1-5: Hope in the midst of lament.
June 12, 2015. Daily Reading: Lamentations 1-5. Background: The book of Lamentations is a collection of five poems (corresponding to the five chapters) that are traditionally ascribed to Jeremiah, though there is no textual evidence that states this claim outright. The first four poems are acrostics, with each verse beginning with a successive letter of…
Proverbs 5-6: Adultery and practical wisdom.
June 11, 2015. Daily Reading: Proverbs 5-6. Background: Proverbs 4. Concepts and Connections. Chapter 5 Warning against adultery: It is very interesting that one of Solomon’s main concerns, at least at the beginning of this book, is to warn his sons against adultery. Perhaps he had learned from his father, as it was an affair…
Psalm 66-68: Blessings and Triumph.
June 10, 2015. Daily Reading: Psalm 66-68. Background: Psalm 63-65. Concepts and Connections. Chapter 66 Blessed be God: This psalm is a song of praise to our God for His awesome deeds that He has done throughout the earth. All the earth is called into a glorious chorus of praise to the Creator of the…
I Kings 5-9: The house of the Lord.
June 9, 2015. Daily Reading: I Kings 5-9. Background: I Kings 1-4. Concepts and Connections. Chapter 5 Preparing to build the temple: Since David was not allowed to build a house for the Lord due to the bloodshed and fighting that he had seen in his days (see II Samuel 7 and I Chronicles 22:6-10),…
Exodus 37-40: Preparing and building the tabernacle.
June 8, 2015. Daily Reading: Exodus 37-40. Background: Exodus 32-36. Concepts and Connections. Chapter 37 The ark, table, lamp stand and altar of incense: The last few chapters of Exodus are records of creating the structures and materials for the tabernacle, as well as the tabernacle itself, just as the Lord had commanded Moses to…
Ephesians 4-6: Unity and roles.
June 7, 2015. Daily Reading: Ephesians 4-6. Background: Ephesians 1-3. Chapter 4 1. Unity of the body of Christ: The first section of this chapter might be considered the penultimate point of the discussion on unity, as Paul draws it all together here to make an explicit statement about unity. Before he gets to that…
Luke 7-8: Stories of Jesus.
June 6, 2015. Daily Reading: Luke 7-8. Background: Luke 5-6. Concepts and Connections. Chapter 7 1. The centurion’s servant and the widow’s son: There are two stories of Jesus’ healing in this chapter. The story of the centurion’s servant is very unique and interesting in different regards. What might be surprising from the beginning of…
Jeremiah 47-52: Oracles to the nations.
June 5, 2015. Daily Reading: Jeremiah 47-52. Background: Jeremiah 42-46. Concepts and Connections. Chapter 47 Oracle against the Philistines: The previous chapter started the last section of the book of Jeremiah, which is a collection of oracles of judgment against various nations outside of Israel. It was not only Israel that was to be punished…
Proverbs 4: A father’s plea.
June 4, 2015. Daily Reading: Proverbs 4. Background: Proverbs 2-3. Concepts and Connections. Chapter 4 A father’s wisdom: Solomon reveals the purpose of his instruction in this chapter, emphasizing the importance of gaining wisdom and insight to his sons, just as his father and mother had taught him as a child. It is interesting to…
Psalm 63-65: Praise and prayers to the Lord.
June 3, 2015. Daily Reading: Psalm 63-65. Background: Psalm 60-62. Concepts and Connections. Chapter 63 Longing for the Lord: In this Psalm, David vividly expresses his longing and desire for the Lord, as one would thirst for water in a dry and weary land. David put the Lord as his top priority in this psalm,…
Twenty Eight Eighteen 