Episodes
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EXODUS 32-33:
Yesterday in Exodus, we heard about the plans for the incense altar, and about the making of incense and anointing oil. We heard also of God's choosing and giving the ability to Bezalel and Oholiab for making everything required in the worship of God. And God emphasized the importance of keeping the Sabbath as a covenant responsibility.PSALM 5:
Psalm 5 is a song for early morning (when arising from a night of sleep). Erling Olsen comments that this Psalm says that God hates or detests evildoers. Olsen observes correctly that this stands in stark contrast to pictures of God that make him only capable of the sentiment of love. We as God's created beings have no right to criticize Him or remake him in an image we find more acceptable. God who created us has all emotions. And thankfully, He is completely just. He possesses the right to judge his created beings.LUKE 5:
Yesterday in Luke 4, we read of Jesus being rejected in his hometown, of healings, and casting out demons. He refused to have his identity proclaimed by demons and silenced them. And He refused to stay in one town but went around preaching in the whole area.The verses we will hear today in Luke 5:22-23 were very difficult for us to translate into both languages in which I have worked as a Bible translator. The NLT translated this way: “Why do you question this in your hearts? 23 Is it easier to say ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or ‘Stand up and walk’?
For one thing, it is not physically ‘difficult’ to pronounce either statement. As to the answer to the rhetorical question ‘which is easier to say’, I do NOT buy the interpretation found in some translations that it was easier for Jesus to forgive the man’s sins because it was something that could not be physically seen. It was hard for Jesus to say both statements— hard in the sense that both statements require the power of God. Remember, Jesus knows that He will go to the cross in order to purchase forgiveness for this man— and for us. Jesus chose the order of his statements— not based on apparent difficulty, but to prove an important point to everyone, and especially his critics. As you listen today, be sure to catch the point!
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EXODUS 30-31:
In yesterday’s reading in Exodus, we heard the instructions for consecrating the priests for their special work.PSALM 4:
Psalm 4 is an evening hymn expressing our trust in God.LUKE 4b:
Yesterday we heard about Jesus being tested by the devil, and today we will revisit the story of how Jesus was rejected in his hometown. When Jesus had finished reading from that special place in Isaiah 61, he sat down. In our culture, we are likely to assume that sitting down was without the expectation of teaching. But in Jewish practice of this time, teachers sat down to teach. Frequently in the Gospels, we find Jesus taking a sitting position when teaching.In verse 38, Luke uses Peter’s given name, Simon, not the name Jesus gave him in John 1, which was Cephas in Aramaic, and which is Petrus/Peter in Greek. Many readers of this gospel today won’t make the connection of Simon to Peter. Some people wonder if there is a rhyme or reason for where the gospel writers used one name or another, and most of the time I think the writers simply were using the name they normally called him. But in John 21, I think that Jesus calling him ‘Simon son of John’ is significant. On that day, Jesus did not use the name He had given to him.
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Missing episodes?
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EXODUS 29:
In our reading in Exodus yesterday, we heard about the design of the altar for burnt offerings and the plans for the courtyard. The dimensions we heard the day before were for the sacred tent that was enclosed by the courtyard that we heard about yesterday. And we read about the fabulous garments for the priests, Aaron, and his sons.PSALM 3:
As the title for today’s Psalm says, this is “A Psalm of David, regarding the time David fled from his son Absalom.” The ancient titles in the Psalms were written by the rabbis at a time much later than David’s, so we need not consider the titles as part of the sacred text.Found at various strategic points in the Psalms is the word ‘Selah’. This has been variously translated. The truth is, we don’t know what it means! But people conjecture that it is a musical term, and it likely could have signaled an interlude. I suspect it could be a repetition mark. Whatever it is, it likely would have had the effect of allowing the listener to pause and reflect on what was just performed or communicated.
Luke 4a:
Yesterday we heard of John the Baptist's ministry and imprisonment, and the genealogy of Jesus.The genealogy in Luke starts a bit differently, with the words, “He was the son (as was supposed) of Joseph.” These words alone are not enough to substantiate the claim that this genealogy is that of Mary. One thing we can say, only Mary could have supplied the information we heard in the first two chapters of Luke.
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EXODUS 27-28:
Yesterday in Exodus, we heard the beginning plans given by God for the Tabernacle (or sacred tent) and the Arc of the Covenant, that was to become the focal point for the worship of God under the Covenant. The whole Tabernacle— and particularly the atonement cover on top of the Arc of the Covenant (called the Mercy Seat), symbolized that God was living among them. (Ex. 25:8) The whole Tabernacle was to be made exquisitely, as appropriate for God's own dwelling.PSALM 2:
In Psalm 1, the author (probably David) mentioned obeying and studying ‘the Law’. In much of the Old Testament and even in the New, the word ‘Law’ came to mean more than the Mosaic Law or just the first 5 books of the Old Testament. We are within bounds to say that the author intended meditation and study of all of God’s Word.Today we have our first prophetic Psalm.
LUKE 3:
Yesterday in Luke we heard of Jesus' childhood, and today we will hear of John the Baptist's ministry. -
EXODUS 25-26:
Yesterday we read the commands for the Israelites to be good neighbors and to practice justice. And we heard the requirement for all Israelites to celebrate three festivals, and God gave promises of how He would bring them into the land. Then we read the story of how Moses led the people in accepting the covenant. Note how important the sacrificial blood was in this ceremony. The Israelites promised to obey the covenant. Moses told them to wait for him, then followed God's call to go up to the summit of the mountain, where he stayed for 40 days and nights.PSALMS 1:
Job— as I said before, is a book of sophisticated poetry, one that uses literary devices and makes reference to a well-developed mythology. And we find a book that defies simple analysis. At the conclusion of Job, some of you may be feeling that some basic questions were not really answered. Some of you may be saying, “But I have suffered injustice, and God has not responded to me the way he responded to Job at the end of the book.” To those of you, I say that we can learn several things from Job, and one would be that there are many things God takes into account that we do not know about. And secondly, we can be sure that God is just and fair, and in the final analysis— when we reach heaven, all issues of justice will be resolved. And I also say this: I hope you continue to read the Bible with us this year, because we will find more answers about God’s sovereignty and justice as we go on.The book of Psalms was the nation of Israel's hymnbook. The poems were compiled over time, with most of the first half by King David. The Psalms fall into these categories:
Instruction, Praise, Thanksgiving,
Penitence, Trust, Distress,
Aspiration, History, and Prophecy.
Under the prophecy category, the Psalms talk of Jesus' prophetic office, his priestly office, his kingly office, his sufferings, and his resurrection. (For details, see HC Mears.)
LUKE 2b:
Yesterday we read of Jesus' birth, of the angels announcement to the shepherds, and of Jesus being presented in the temple— which is where we pick up the story today.GNT Translation note:
Luk. 2:34 Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, [the child’s//his] mother, “This child is chosen by God for the destruction and the salvation of many in Israel. He will be a sign from God which many people will speak against 35 and so reveal their secret thoughts. And sorrow, like a sharp sword, will break your own heart.”
NLT Translation notes:
Luk. 2:30 [For I have now//I have] seen your salvation,
31 which you have prepared for all people.
32 He is a light to reveal [You/God] to the nations,
and he is the glory of your people Israel!” -
EXODUS 23-24:
Yesterday in Exodus we heard laws regarding the treatment of slaves, cases of personal injury, protection of private property, and social responsibility.Job 42:
As we turn to the final chapter of Job, we have heard three chapters of God confronting Job. Today Job gives his final response, and we hear of God’s blessings to him.Luke 2a:
Yesterday in Luke, Mary visited Elizabeth, and we read Mary's famous song of praise, and later John's father Zechariah prayed an inspired and fully-believing prophetic prayer. -
In our reading in Exodus yesterday, we read about the awesome and fearful way the Lord revealed himself at Mount Sinai to the Israelites. (Remember that for when we come to Hebrews 13.) And God gave the 10 Commandments.
JOB 41:
In Job today, God continues to confront and challenge Job, asking questions revealing God's power compared to human weakness.A note about Leviathan in this chapter. Leviathan can be compared to a sea crocodile. The identification of Leviathan is disputed, ranging from an earthly creature to a mythical sea monster in ancient literature.
LUKE 1b:
As we started Luke’s gospel yesterday, we read Luke’s prologue, in which he formally stated his purpose in writing this account. Then we read of Zechariah's unbelief, and how Mary accepted the role God had given to her. She said:1:38 NIV “ I am the Lord’s servant. May your word to me be fulfilled.”
It is very interesting to me that Zechariah receives a punishment for not believing, according to Gabriel’s words. But there is not that much difference in the first reaction of Zechariah and Mary’s first reaction to Gabriel’s messages. Zechariah said, “How can I be sure this will happen?” And then he gave his and Elizabeth’s ages as the reason for his question. Mary responded very similarly, “But how can this happen? I am a virgin.” I conclude that the differing responses from Gabriel are not based on the wording of Zechariah’s and Mary’s responses. Gabriel is simply relaying God’s messages, and God sees into the heart of each person. And this is something for us to remember— whether or not we are visited by an angel!
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EXODUS 19-20:
Yesterday in Exodus, we heard of God satisfying the thirst of the Israelites by commanding Moses to hit a rock. Israel defeated the Amalekites. And Jethro brought Moses’ wife and sons to him and stayed around long enough to give him good advice.Note that in Hebrew, God often talks of _Himself_ in what we might term the royal fashion— as ‘The Lord’, and as ‘He’ or ‘His’ (instead of ‘Me’ and ‘My’). Many translations into other languages must use ‘I, the Lord’ and ‘Me/My’, as to speak of oneself in the third person is ungrammatical. To speak that way is highly unusual in English. An example of this happens in today’s reading in Exodus 20:7, in the commandment about not taking the Lord’s name in vain.
JOB 40:
Yesterday in the book of Job, God continued to challenge Job with questions too hard for humans to answer. In today’s chapter, starting at verse 15, we read about the Behemoth. The GNT footnote tells that some identify this as a hippopotamus. But the description of Behemoth's tail in verse 17 doesn't fit with a hippopotamus. Maybe a sea crocodile would be a better choice, but they don’t eat grass. It is perhaps better to simply say that the Behemoth and Leviathan are legendary or mythical sea creatures.LUKE 1:
Yesterday we finished 2nd Peter with his advising us to get ready for the Lord's return.Luke— as we will find out in other NT books, was the physician who was a traveling companion of Paul. His goal was to write a well-researched and ordered account of Jesus' life— as he says in his formal prologue.
Robert Maddox states:
“[Luke] writes to reassure the Christians of his day that their faith in Jesus is no aberration, but the authentic goal towards which God’s ancient dealings with Israel were driving.” More Muslims have become followers of Christ through reading Luke’s Gospel than from reading the other three, because of its emphases.
Luke is the longest book of the NT, and if we put Luke’s two books together, they form 27% of the NT.
Luke wrote to Theophilus, who may have been a Roman dignitary, but since the name means “Lover of God” Luke may have intended his book for all of us who love God. Luke's explanations show that he was writing to the Greeks, and so he appropriately brings out that Christ came for all mankind— Jews, and Gentiles. Luke also highlights the roles played by women. A major example of this is the material in this gospel that clearly from Luke’s interviews with Mary, the mother of Jesus. Luke includes more poetry than the other Gospels, tells more about Jesus praying, and chronicles Jesus' parables and teaching.
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EXODUS 17-18:
Yesterday in Exodus we heard the wonderful victory song of Moses. Then we heard how the people of Israel grumbled against Moses, Aaron, and most importantly, the Lord. Even about a simple command like the one about gathering manna, the people of Israel disobey repeatedly. They are not called stubborn for nothing.
JOB 39:
Job 39 is the continuation of God’s harsh challenges to Job.2PETER 3:
I observe about 2Peter chapter 2, that sadly, even in Peter's day, there were greedy false teachers. Peter's descriptions of the false teachers are some of the most colorful in the Bible. -
EXODUS 15-16:
Yesterday in our reading in Exodus, we heard that because of the Passover plague which killed Egypt's firstborn, God claimed the firstborn of Israel for all time to come. Then we heard of Pharaoh's final hardening of his heart, and the parting of the red sea.JOB 38:
In the 6 chapters before this, Elihu has said that God uses multiple means of communication with humans. He maintained that God is just, and said that Job— in his despair, had gone too far in saying it doesn't make any difference if one tries to serve God. He said that God is amazing in His power, and God does notice and punish the wicked. Then it so happened that as Elihu was speaking, a storm was blowing up that showed God's awesome majesty. Then— in today’s chapter, the Lord answers Job, not the last speaker, Elihu.2PETER 2:
Yesterday in 2nd Peter we heard that we can employ God's promises to supply power for godly living. This power can even enable us to share in God's own nature, thereby escaping the world's corruption. For many years I was disappointed in Peter because he did not tell us WHICH promises we need to claim to escape worldly corruption and evil desires. I have concluded that everyone is different, and what works for me may not work for you. But if you are interested in what works for me, I recommend a seven day YouVersion reading plan I made called Buckling the Belt of Truth.There is a stark contrast between chapter 2 of 2nd Peter and the end of chapter 1. So before we start our readings for today, let me remind you what we read at the end of chapter 1.
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EXODUS 13-14:
Yesterday In Exodus we heard of the final plague— the death of the firstborn, which happened at the first Passover. And we heard the rules for the Passover celebrations. Note how Christ is foreshadowed in the Passover lamb, including the detail that not a bone was to be broken.JOB 37:
Today we read chapter 37 of Job, which is the conclusion of Elihu's speech.2nd PETER 1:
Yesterday in the last chapter of his letter, James railed against the rich to encourage the poor. He also told us how to be patient in our suffering. The last section teaches about prayer for the sick and finally about repentance. I add a little footnote here. So often I hear the part about praying for the sick quoted by people who do not bother to fulfill all the instructions that James gives. If we are going to claim promises in Scriptures, we need to fulfill the conditions given!The 2nd letter of Peter's was probably written not long before he was martyred in AD 68. Or it could have been written as early as AD 65. A different person with a very different vocabulary served as Peter’s secretary to write this. One of the things that tell me that Peter really was the author is his consistent humility. In 1Peter 5, he spoke of himself as a fellow elder and a fellow in looking forward to the glory that will be revealed to us. And he starts this letter in a similar vein, calling his listeners those ‘who share the same precious [faith/way of believing] we [apostles] have.’
Constable quotes Vernon McGee:
“Second Peter is the swan song of Peter, just as 2 Timothy is the swan song of Paul. There are striking similarities between the two books. Both epistles put up a warning sign along the pilgrim pathway the church is traveling to identify the awful apostasy that was on the way at the time and which in our time has now arrived. What was then like a cloud the size of a man’s hand today envelops the sky and produces a storm of hurricane proportions. Peter warns of heresy among teachers; Paul warns of heresy among the laity.”
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EXODUS 11-12:
Yesterday we heard of the plague against the livestock, the plague of boils, and the plague of hail. We are not told how much time there was in between each plague. It seems there was enough time for many Egyptians to buy more livestock before they were again decimated by the hail. Then we heard about the plague of locusts followed by the plague of darkness.I hope you noticed Who is doing the hardening of hearts and causing the stubbornness. Paul talks about that in Romans 9.
JOB 36:
Job chapter 36 is Elihu's 5th chapter preaching to Job.JAMES 5:
In the 4th chapter of his letter, James preached against the way the world had infiltrated the church— and we could say, still infiltrates the church. He gave an important clue about why God doesn't answer our prayers. And he taught that we need to purify our hearts from pride and having divided loyalty between God and the world. He gave a big clue on how to be rid of Satan's influence. Finally, James taught us how prideful it is to judge others, and warned about prideful planning.Note that in verses 1-6 of today’s reading, James is using the rhetorical device called ‘apostrophe’— where he harshly rebukes rich people who are NOT actually in his audience. He is doing this to give comfort to his actual audience, which includes many who are poor. It is almost certainly the case that any rich people who were actually part of James’ audience had not done the crimes James mentions.
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EXODUS 9-10:
The two chapters of Exodus we read yesterday included the story of Aaron's staff becoming a serpent, and the plagues of blood, frogs, gnats, and flies.Note verse that in our reading today:
9:19 GNT Now give orders for your livestock and everything else you have in the open to be put under shelter. Hail will fall on the people and animals left outside unprotected, and they will all die.’ ”
Evidently, enough time had passed between the plague against the livestock so that the Egyptians were able to again purchase livestock, and I am sure the people of Israel profited in many of those transactions!
JOB 35:
Chapter 35 of Job is Elihu's 4th chapter preaching to Job.JAMES 4:
Yesterday James preached about controlling the tongue, then he taught about the qualities of wisdom from God. -
EXODUS 7-8:
In yesterday’s reading in Exodus, we heard of Moses and Aaron's first disastrous meeting with Pharaoh, and Pharaoh's retaliation against the Israelite people. God spoke with Moses again, reaffirming his promises and his covenant with the people of Israel.JOB 34:
Today in chapter 34 of Job, we hear the third chapter of Elihu's six-chapter monologue.JAMES 3:
Yesterday James warned that showing favoritism breaks the Law of Love that our King Jesus taught. And he talked about dead religion, which consists of easy believism with no acting out of what we believe. There is no contradiction between what Paul and James wrote. Here is a famous statement that sums up the complementary nature of Paul and James on this topic: “We are saved by faith alone (= fully believing), but saving faith will never be ‘alone’.” In other words, saving faith will always produce some proof.I have mentioned before that the Greek words for ‘faith’ and ‘believe’ share the same root. Faith is simply the noun form of the verb believe. I mentioned how cohesion in the discourse is damaged for us English speakers when in close proximity the two dissimilar looking words are used for the same concept. This happens in James 2, verses 19-24. To show you what I mean, I will list the two words in the order of their occurrence in the NLT: have faith, believe, believe, faith, faith, faith, believed, faith. The reader may be tempted to look for some deep shade-of-meaning reason for this variation, but no such reason exists. Now listen to that passage when I read it using various forms of the verb ‘believe’ in a consistent manner:
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EXODUS 5-6:
In Exodus so far we have heard that Moses accepted God's call, returned to Egypt with Aaron, and had a successful meeting with the leaders of the Israelite people.JOB 33:
Today’s chapter in Job is Elihu's second chapter of six in his speech.JAMES 2:
Yesterday James told us to consider it a great joy when troubles come our way. Don't miss the reasoning he gives for this seeming contradiction. Then he spoke very strongly about not just being people who merely listen to God's Word. We must do it.I would like to remind you of some of those frequently quoted verses from chapter 1 which express the theme of this letter, verses 22-24. I also share my slight tweak to
James 1:22-25 NLT 22 But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves.
23 For if you listen to the word and don’t obey, it is like glancing at your face in a mirror.
24 You see [that you have dirt on your face, and then just//yourself,] walk away, and forget what you [looked/look] like.
25 But if you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free, and if you do what it says and don’t forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it. -
EXODUS 3-4:
In yesterday's beginning to Exodus, we heard of Moses' birth and his young adulthood in Egypt. He murdered a man and had to flee for his life, going to Midian. We also read of his helping the seven daughters of Reuel, a scene that I can't read without thinking of the Cecil B. DeMill movie.JOB 32:
Job having finished his defense, Elihu takes the stage. HC Mears says,Eliphaz basically said, “God never makes a mistake. What have you done to bring this on yourself?” Bildad essentially said, “God is just. Confess your sin.” Zophar suggested, “God is all-wise. He knows man.” Elihu’s name means, ‘My God is He’ or ‘He is my God.’ So Elihu is God's man, and he said the wisest thing: “God is good; look up, and trust Him.”
Note that at the end of the book, Elihu is not mentioned as having misrepresented God— unlike Job’s three friends. He does seem to speak wisely, but we can fault him for his arrogance.
JAMES 1:
Yesterday in 1Peter 5, Peter gave a very stern warning to rich people, and also important encouragement to elders within the church. And among other things, he gave an important word about spiritual battle with Satan. I summarize his commands as Stay alert, Stand firm, and Remember.The letter of James is similar to 1 Peter in several ways. In the first verse of both letters, both mention that their audience is dispersed throughout the world. Both describe their audience using Jewish catchphrases. James’ style is also similar to Peter’s in the way he sets out several themes and keeps returning to them. Moyer says of this book, “As soon as we read through the letter of James we say to ourselves, ‘This man was a preacher before he was a writer.’”
James is probably the oldest book of the New Testament, written perhaps only 15 years after Jesus' death and before the first council of Jerusalem in AD 50. This was written, not by the disciple named James, but by James the half-brother of Jesus. While Jesus was alive, his brother James was not a believer. But he came to believe when Jesus appeared to him shortly after His resurrection. Sometime after this and before his martyrdom in AD 62, James was the leader of the church in Jerusalem.
James does not call himself ‘the brother of Jesus’ but His slave!
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EXODUS 1:
Yesterday we wrapped up Genesis with Jacob's very prophetic blessings for each of his sons. Then we heard of the conclusion after Jacob was buried, including the account of Joseph’s death and his instruction about what to do with his bones.Exodus is clearly a continuation of the story of Genesis since the first word in the Hebrew text is ‘And’. Tradition holds that Moses is the author. The name Exodus derives from the name that was given by the Septuagint translators— which is the translation of the OT into classical Greek made during the period from three hundred to one hundred and thirty-two years before Christ.
Here are two perceptive summary statements about Exodus— quotes by Durham (from Constable’s Notes):
“No other biblical book surfaces elsewhere in the OT as frequently as the Book of Exodus does; in the NT only the Books of Psalms and Isaiah are cited more, and that for the fairly obvious reasons of liturgy and messianism.”
“The story of the first half of Exodus, in broad summary, is Rescue. The story of the second half, in equally broad summary, is Response, both immediate response and continuing response. And binding together and undergirding both Rescue and Response is Presence— the Presence of Yahweh from whom both Rescue and Response ultimately derive.”
Here is a quote by J. Daniel Hays:
“The deliverance of Israel out of Egypt by Yahweh in the Old Testament is parallel in importance to the resurrection of Christ in the New Testament. The historicity of these events is a critical foundation for a proper understanding of the rest of the Bible.”
And finally, Henrietta Mears in her handbook says this:
“Exodus is connected to Genesis in much the same way that the New Testament is connected to the Old Testament. Genesis tells of humanity’s failure under every test and in every condition. Exodus is the thrilling epic of God rushing to the rescue. It tells of the redeeming work of a sovereign God.”
JOB 31:
No matter how you divide the discourse in the book of Job, today’s reading of chapter 31 is the final one in Job’s long speech. In today’s reading Job makes his final protest that he is innocent. After this, Elihu struts his stuff.1PETER 5:
Peter finished chapter 4 talking about proudly bearing the name of ‘Christ’— which is part of the word ‘Christian’, and being patient under suffering— if that is included in God's will for you. -
GENESIS 49-50:
In yesterday's reading in Genesis, Jacob blessed Pharaoh, Joseph led powerfully during the worst of the famine, and Jacob blessed Ephraim and Manasseh— putting the younger Ephraim above his older brother. (And if you remember Jacob's story, you'll know how he got that idea.)JOB 30:
In the book of Job today, if you are following the GNT, this is the 2nd of Job’s three chapters stating his complaints. In the NLT, this is the 5th chapter of his monologue. Yesterday Job spoke of his previous blessed life and high position. In this chapter, he tells of his anguish.1PETER 4:
Yesterday in 1st Peter chapter 3 he gave instructions to wives, husbands, and all Christians— particularly when we suffer. NOTE: The final verses of chapter 3 having to do with Noah's day and spirits in prison have caused much debate. I agree with the maxim that states that in interpretation “Context is king.” It is, therefore, best to let the ending verses of chapter 3 be interpreted for us by what Peter says in chapter 4, verse 6. When we get to the NT portion for today, we’ll begin by re-reading 1PETER 3:17-22. -
Welcome back for Day 29 in our reading plan.
GENESIS 47-48:
In yesterday's reading, Jacob arrived in Egypt with his family. Excluding more extended family, the whole group numbered 70 people at that time.JOB 29:
Yesterday in Job 28, we heard the chapter in praise of God’s wisdom. I think NLT is right attributing this to Job rather than to Zophar. Today Job speaks of his former blessings, in the first of three chapters which are the final statement of his case.1PETER 3:
In his first two chapters, Peter packed each sentence with meaning. I encourage you to take time to re-read those chapters slowly and think about Peter’s descriptive words. Yesterday, for instance, we read the wonderful “Living Stones” passage— which pictures deep meaning about our spiritual identity because of our being built upon (or, joined as one with) Christ, the Cornerstone.At the end of chapter 2, Peter taught about submitting to governmental leaders, and slaves submitting to their masters.
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GENESIS 46:
In yesterday’s two chapters of Genesis, Joseph's brothers went back to Egypt with Joseph's younger brother, Benjamin. Joseph contrived a creative way to reveal his identity. When Pharaoh heard about Joseph's brothers, he helped provide for Jacob's family to come to Egypt.JOB 28:
Today’s chapter in Job and part of the previous chapter are assigned to Zophar in the GNT. NLT goes strictly with the assignments of speakers as in the Hebrew, where all of this is assigned to Job. Starting in 27:13, NLT, therefore, makes it clear that Job’s words— which sound mighty like what his opponents have said, are Job sarcastically repeating their arguments.1PETER 1:22—2:
Peter addressed his letter to “To God's chosen people who live as [refugees/foreigners] scattered throughout” various provinces. But it is clear that Peter also has a spiritual meaning in mind. As the song says, “This world is not my home.” In chapter 2, Peter again comforts us and gives wonderful descriptions of our identity because of being joined to Christ. The first verse of chapter 2 starts with ‘then/So’, so let’s start out by reviewing the last verses of chapter 1, starting at v22.In my prayers in these audio devotionals, you will notice that I do not finish with an Amen. I do this intentionally because I hope that some of you will pause the playback and continue to pray. And I also hope that we can continue in a spirit of prayer as we listen to God’s Word.
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