July 4, 2019. “For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.” Galatians 5:1 July 4th is a day that we as Americans typically hold in high regard as we reflect on who we are as a nation and the quintessential American value of…
Tag: righteousness
Deuteronomy 26-28: Blessings and Curses.
January 4, 2016. Reading: Deuteronomy 26-28. Background: Deuteronomy 23-25. Concepts and Connections. Chapter 26 The offering of first fruits and tithes: This chapter focuses on the offerings that would be made by the people when they entered into the land that the Lord was giving them. They would come into the land and offer these…
Psalm 139-141: God and man.
December 23, 2015. Daily Reading: Psalm 139-141. Background: Psalm 136-138. Concepts and Connections. Chapter 139 God’s intimate knowledge of man: This psalm, attributed to David, is one that is fairly popular. It is a beautiful psalm that speaks to the knowledge of God and his intimate relationship with man. If anyone ever wondered if the…
Zephaniah 1-3: Judgment and restoration.
November 27, 2015. Daily Reading: Zephaniah 1-3. Background: Zephaniah’s ministry was during the reign of King Josiah in Jerusalem which lasted from 641-610 B.C. This date would make Zephaniah a contemporary of Jeremiah and probably a very influential prophet for King Josiah’s religious reform. Zephaniah’s message is a oracle of judgment against Judah and the…
Deuteronomy 7-9: The Lord’s chosen people.
November 23, 2015. Daily Reading: Deuteronomy 7-9. Background: Deuteronomy 4-6. Concepts and Connections. Chapter 7 Set apart from the world: In this chapter, Moses addresses the children of Israel to teach them what kind of people that are and ought to be. The children of Israel were a holy people, not because of their own…
Habakkuk 1-3: What the Lord is doing.
November 20, 2015. Daily Reading: Habakkuk 1-3. Background: Very little is known about the prophet Habakkuk, as we are not given his family linage, hometown or who was in power when he carried out his ministry from the text. His name even is not a common Hebrew name and it is only found twice in…
Nahum 1-3: The oracle against Nineveh.
November 13, 2015. Daily Reading: Nahum 1-3. Background: Nineveh, the capitol city of Assyria, was a particularly cruel enemy to the children of Israel. Nahum is given an oracle from God against Nineveh here that foretells of their destruction and devastation, which would be at the hands of the Medes and Babylonians in 612 B.C….
Proverbs 28-29: The final proverbs of Solomon.
October 15, 2015. Daily Reading: Proverbs 28-29. Background: Proverbs 26-27. Concepts and Connections. Chapter 28 Couplets of wisdom: As we enter the final two chapters that record the proverbs of Solomon, we find that the writing style has gone back to couplets that give much wisdom in few words which span a range of topics…
Proverbs 19: Words of wisdom.
September 3, 2015. Daily Reading: Proverbs 19. Background: Proverbs 17-18. Concepts and Connections. Chapter 19 Continuing proverbs: The list of proverbs in couples of wisdom continues here with a focus on righteousness and and pursuing wisdom. There is a variety of topics that are found here, including the foolishness of lying, implications and pitfalls of…
I Timothy 4-6: Instructions for the church.
August 28, 2015. Note: I am switching Friday and Sunday’s reading, so today’s reading will be I Timothy 4-5, and Sunday’s will be Ezekiel 43-48. Thank you for understanding. ___________________________________________________________ Daily Reading: I Timothy 4-6. Background: I Timothy 1-3. Concepts and Connections. Chapter 4 1. The Apostasy: Paul begins this chapter talking about the apostasy…
Proverbs 16: Plans.
August 20, 2015. Daily Reading: Proverbs 16. Background: Proverbs 14-15. Concepts and Connections. Chapter 16 Righteousness and the plans of God: As with the last chapters, chapter 16 continues with couplets of wisdom that may or may not fall same category of concept as the immediate verses. There is, however, a larger number of couplets…
Proverbs 13: More proverbs.
July 16, 2015. Daily Reading: Proverbs 13 Background: Proverbs 11-12. Concepts and Connections. Chapter 13 Proverbs: Chapter 13 continues in like fashion of the previous few chapters, laying out wisdom in proverbs of couplets. Here we find some themes that are beginning to reoccur throughout the proverbs. These themes include listening to a father’s wisdom,…
Twenty Eight Eighteen 