Good afternoon fellow disciples, God's word really is sharper than a two edged sword.  Not that I have ever touched a two edged sword, but I have cut myself with a pocket knife.  Well this devotional took me be surprise.  I have about 8 years worth notes in my Quiet Time folder in my electronic Bible.  But not one on these 3 verses. And when I pondering "I have manifested your name" I was amazed. So finish well my friends. Blessings, Jeff Just as Paul's prayers are reminders of what is important and should not be forgotten, how much more is the High Priestly prayer what Jesus wants His disciples and us to remember. Each believer was given to the Son by the Father. - The foundation of assurance.   1) The Son repeating truth to the Father.  How then can I ignore this and pretend that it was my choice that saved me?  How can I not go looking for others who have been given to the Son but have not yet come into the kingdom? 2) This is really not petiti...

 Good evening friends, We continue to look at this difficult section of Zechariah.  I am generally a proponent of inductive study (going from specifics of what does it say to general or how does it apply0.  However, my late friend Martyn Lloyd Jones highlights the value of deductive study.  In this case, his view is more helpful.  Once we understand the purpose of whole Bible, it helps us to understand what the individual portions mean.  While we may not come up with an absolute correct understanding, if we try to see how it points to Christ, we can't be far off. Blessings, Jeff  That day" - And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and pleas for mercy, so that, when they look on me, on him whom they have pierced, they shall mourn for him, as one mourns for an only child, and weep bitterly over him, as one weeps over a firstborn. Zechariah 12:10 So this is a very messianic day - Jesus is the one whom t...

Good morning fellow members of the household of God, After writing the devotional, I am thinking about the Passover as a household event.  In ancient Israel, the physical household of man was covered by the blood of the lamb.  Now, it is the spiritual household of God that is covered by the blood of the Lamb. Blessings, Jeff The account of the greatest celebration of Passover since time of Solomon (v 26).   Observations: One of the things that made this one great is participation of some of the tribes from the northern kingdom.  Israel was a united kingdom and Solomon and now toward the end of the northern kingdom, there is at least a semblance of being united. God allows some exemptions: Who offers the sacrifice:  The original Passover was a family by family sacrifice of a lamb.  However in  Deuteronomy 16:5-6 this changed to a centralized location once they entered the promised land.  (You may not offer the Passover sacrifice within any of ...

Good morning friends, I can't imagine how Zechariah responded to this message from the Lord.  How would I respond to being told to shepherd a flock doomed to slaughter?  As you will see, this is not an easy passage. Blessings,  Jeff I think I have mentioned that the post exile prophets generally have an encouraging message to the people with focus on rebuilding the temple.  So this chapter seems to be an exception.  Looking at a timeline, I found out that that the temple was completed during Zechariah's time.   From ESV Study Bible note: Zechariah's focus turns from the flock back to the shepherds. The fable of vv. 1–3 conveys impending destruction, but of what or whom? Interpreters differ on this question and on several details in the rest of this difficult section. I take comfort in knowing that I am not alone in struggling with this passage.   It is sad to think that after all Judah and Israel have been through in exile and dispersion, tha...

Good afternoon faithful readers, Writing this the morning after "rains of biblical proportions" from Ida last night  (Originally 9/2/21).  Of course, these rains were a drop in the bucket to Noah's day.  But they do make man look very small and helpless.  For those who believe in scientism, this must be very depressing.  The natural world has very little concern for man.  Thanks be to God who knows the hairs on our head. Blessings, Jeff  Between the 7 trumpets and the 7 bowls. From ESV study Bible notes: Harvests of Earth and Vine. Two reapers appear in heaven, sharp sickles in hand. Angels emerge from the temple with God's directive, “Put in your sickle, and reap.” First “one like a son of man” gathers the grain of the earth, then an angel gathers grapes from the earth's vine, to be crushed in the “winepress of the wrath of God.” Although both harvests could signify either God's judgment on the wicked or Christ's gathering of his saints, probably the ...

Good morning friends, As I am in the "mature" stage of life, I pay special attention to examples from scripture of people who don't finish well.  It is sad that this continues to this day.  So if you ever see me doing something foolish, please tell me and remind me Don't be like Uzziah!!! Blessings, Jeff I think I see a pattern here. Another bad end for a good king.   There are many questions and not many answers in this story: Where did Uzziah get the idea that the king could perform priestly duties? God clearly established the Levites and the Aaronic priesthood as the only men who could minister to God.  Saul was condemned for sacrificing instead of waiting for Samuel.  Apparently Uzziah was not paying attention in school the day that these things were taught and he never read them for himself.  One of the reformation principles is that the Word preached and read is a means of our sanctification.  Any believer who ignores the Word puts himself i...

Good afternoon fellow saints, Since we now have a complete and orderly collection of readings for each day on the church's website, I am not sure what about how to continue the blog for next year.  Blessings, Jeff Let your hands be strong... that the temple might be built.  The fact that the exiles (remnant) need to be encouraged to build the temple implies that they have become slothful in the task they had been given.  Ezra and Nehemiah tell of the various challenges that discouraged the people.  Makes me reflect on the balance between God working in us and the need for perseverance on our part.  Whatever task God gives to His people, He also gives strength to perform it.  Yet the people physically do the task.  God tests our faith to approve us, not to make us fall.  For example, He puts us in situations to mortify the flesh, and we are called to put to death the deeds of the body.  We would not put the deeds to death on our own. The bless...

Good afternoon faithful readers, Today we see another example of what happens to a nation with the best moral foundation (The Ten Commandments) when they stray from the Lord. It is worth pondering how the gospel is the only hope for peace with God and restoration of peace between individuals and nations. Blessings, Jeff A Moabite and an Ammonite are the servants who assassinate a good king gone bad. What does this say about the Jews? These two conspired because of the blood of Zechariah, the son of Jehoiada the priest who had established Joash as king.  Why are these two foreigners offended by the bold of the priest who prophesied against Joash?  I am not a lawyer, but I have heard of the concept that a person has to have "standing" in order to sue.  Essentially, unless you actually suffered damages you cannot sue somebody.  So how were these two guys harmed by the fact that the king had murdered Zechariah?  It seems that the Jews were the offended party, but th...

 Good afternoon friends, It is hard to add anything to what Jonathan has said in his sermons in John.  The healing of this man born blind is the back drop for 2 chapters.  Really can't minimize its importance. Blessings, Jeff The man born blind seems to catch the Pharisees in a denial of reality.  The Pharisees did know where Jesus was from.  The gospels are full of accounts of Pharisees following him around.  They knew enough about Jesus to threaten anyone who confessed that he was the Christ to be put out of the synagogue.  Seems like they didn't want to admit the he had been born in Bethlehem.  They knew that God had spoken to Moses but apparently forgot that Moses said 15 “The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your brothers—it is to him you shall listen— Deuteronomy 18:15 Isn't it interesting that this man is not named and neither he nor Pharisees name Jesus as the person who healed him.  He may ha...

Good afternoon fellow readers and doers of the Word, In the final two weeks of devotions.  You are doing a great job persevering to the end. I hope this devotional encourages you as we seek to understand some secrets of the kingdom. Blessings, Jeff This short chapter makes me wonder why God just doesn't come out and say what He means.  Instead He gives these visions that are memorable but not all that clear as to meaning.  But as I write this, I remember Jesus' explanation to the disciples about why he spoke in parables.   Then the disciples came and said to him, “Why do you speak to them in parables?” 11 And he answered them, “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. Matthew 13:10-11 Of course, God does come right out and say what he means in the moral law.  Can't get much clearer than the 10 commandments.  So these are not "the secrets".  Everyone can read and clearly understand Go...

Good morning brothers and sisters, We have an interesting study in how kings respond to correction.  I think we can all learn from them. Blessings, Jeff Some kings go astray and then double down when their sins are unmasked.  But other kings are like Jehoshaphat. His cooperation with Ahab was almost fatal.  When he returns home, Jehu, the seer, confronts him.  In response, Jehoshaphat takes action to "bring the people back to the Lord".   He recognizes that his unfaithfulness has been a bad example to Judah.  He is responsible for the people being unfaithful. So he sends out judges throughout Judah to correct their behavior. Of course the better course would have been not to get involved with Ahab.  But God is gracious and provides opportunity to repent.  Perhaps he learned from his father Asa who did not repent.  In both cases God graciously provided a messenger to challenge the king.  We should be thankful that God is not a "one s...

Good morning fellow exiles and sojourners, As we near the finish line for this year's challenge, I am reminded that this world is not our home.  We should live as exiles and sojourners, just passing through.  The returning exiles to Judah were probably thinking of permanent residence in the Promised Land.  Let us look to heaven as our permanent dwelling. Blessings, Jeff Joshua, the high priest, is subject of Zechariah's vision.  Another one of the many ways at many times Hebrews 1 Zechariah sees the angel addressing Joshua.  Zechariah is the one who writes it down and then tells Joshua what he saw. The angel is the one who says "Thus says the Lord...", not Zechariah. The post exile prophets generally have a positive or encouraging message.  If you will walk in my ways and keep my charge...  God is giving the same conditions to Joshua as He had given to the nation of Israel.  I think this is encouraging in that the failures of Israel and Judah are ...

Good afternoon fellow saints, Our first look at the last book.  One of the things that I appreciated about Salem church is the We Believe statement in the bulletin.  And one of the items in particular. We believe in the Second Coming of Christ according to the Scriptures.  There is much wisdom here.  There are many ways of understanding "the end times" but we are not going to divide over these understandings.  Jesus will return bodily and everyone will see it.  We long for that day.  That is what keeps us together. Blessings, Jeff The sixth of seven seals that only the Lamb is able to open. Ushers in the great day of the wrath of the Lamb. Sun goes dark, moon becomes like blood, stars fall to earth and the sky vanishes like a scroll being rolled up.  But there are still people on earth trying to hide from the Lamb. And there is one more seal and seven trumpets and bowls to go. So what is going on here? ESV study bible notes point out that the answ...

Good afternoon brothers and sisters, One of the verses I have memorized in 2 Chron 16:9 under the topic Presence of God.  The context puts this truth in a little different light.  God uses a lack of trust by King Asa to illustrate this truth.  While Prov 15:3 is similar and Asa should have know it, his lack of trust shows it has to be in the heart, not just in the head. Blessings, Jeff   The poor sad finish of a king who started so well. Thirty five good years ended by six bad years. The author wants to use each king's story as an example to the returning exiles. We are told in  1 Corinthians 10:6  Now these things took place as examples for us, that we might not desire evil as they did. While Paul was using the Exodus story, the principle applies to the whole Old Testament. The author of Chronicles is doing the same thing for the Jews returning from exile.  So what are the lessons to be learned from King Asa? God can and does use disease as disci...

Good evening friends, Seems that God is always asking if we will be encouraged today by things that are far in the future.  The exiles were trying to rebuild Jerusalem and were looking for hope "right now".  If they put all their trust in immediate restoration of kingdom, they would be disappointed. Blessings, Jeff Zerubbabel - "sown or born in Babylon".  The Messianic line of David continues through Zerubbabel.  He is in Matthew's genealogy of Joseph.  But the line from Zerubbabel is only there.  The 400 year inter-testament period is silent.  So the record of the line of David was apparently documented but was not recorded in Scripture until Matthew. Certainly seems that God's promise is imminent. I am about to shake... I am about to destroy... and specific to him I will take you Zerubbabel.  The intent seems to be to encourage the exiles.  The fact that the signs and the Messiah were still centuries in the future would not be a comfort to ...

A difficult subject in many ways.  Divisions with God's chosen people of the OT are written as examples for us so that we don't make same mistakes.  While the division between the kingdoms was God's correction for Solomon's turning away, each nation retained moral responsibility for their actions.  When divisions in the Church occur over truth and error, the same accountability still exists. Blessings, Jeff Part of King Abijah's speech to Jeroboam and the army of Israel.  Outnumbered 2 to 1, Abijah warns Israel not to fight against the Lord, the God of their fathers.  True to form, Israel doesn't listen and is soundly defeated not be the army of Judah but by God himself.  The first part of his speech had been a denigration of the apostasy of Israel since the division.  This part claims the ceremonial purity of Judah.  Makes me wonder about the division between Israel and Judah in light of NT passages such as And no creature is hidden from his sigh...

I thought of today's passage as a parallel with yesterday"s passage. David was willing to take in men who were ethnic and social outsiders like the Cherethites.  Today, Nathanael is certain that nothing good can come from Galilee at the cost of rejecting Jesus. But then Jesus takes in this man who has made himself an outsider.  Nathanael shows that he is mistaken and he repents. Another similarity that might be a bit of a stretch.  David surrounded himself with a physical bodyguard to protect him.  Jesus (the better David) surrounds himself with disciples to protect them.   When I chose these two passages about two weeks ago, I had not really thought about them being similar in any way.  Writing the devotional on the same day brought things out that I had not thought of before.  Just another example of what I like about the MCheyne reading plan.  Linkage between OT and NT passages.

Good rainy windy morning beloved, This passage illustrates the principle that nothing in scripture is inconsequential.  It is there for a reason. Blessings Jeff This passage made me wonder about the Cherethites.  The prophet is pronouncing woe upon them just before Judah goes into exile, but they had been a group of foreign mercenary soldiers serving as a bodyguard for king David; also executioners.  How did David come to have mercenaries as bodyguards? How did they go from the inner circle to just another bunch of pagans condemned by God? Obviously, there is no clear explanation in Scripture, so it not really necessary to understand the how and why.  However, David did seem to collect to himself men who were not natural allies.  1 Chronicles 12 lists the 30 mighty men that came to him.  They were Benjaminites who should have been loyal to Saul their kinsmen.  Later Uriah the Hittite is listed as one of the 30.  So perhaps some of the Cherethites ...

Good afternoon friends, Queen of Sheba comes to visit.  Have you ever gone some place and had that "I wouldn't believe it unless I had seen it" response.  Sometimes it is natural splendor like the Grand Canyon.  Sometimes it is man made like Versailles or the Pyramids.  You can read about it and see pictures, but until you see it for yourself, you really don't appreciate it.  While the queen is impressed by the physical aspects, it is the wisdom of Solomon that  has this effect on her.   Makes me wonder if there are any truly wise men in our day?  We might be awed by the surroundings of powerful people, is anyone awed by their wisdom?  The queen calls his servants blessed because they get to listen to his wisdom all the time.  Everything he says is wise.   For example, it has been said that Jonathan Edwards was the most intelligent man or colonial times and possibly in all American history.  What was it like to be in ...

Good morning fellow saints in Christ, Good old Habukkuk!  He goes from "how long O Lord" in chapter 1 to a prayer full of confidence in an answer in "the midst of years".  Encourages me to be faithful in prayer. Blessings, Jeff A prayer for God to revive His work in the midst of the years. A prayer for God to do what He has promised to do. A prayer for God to remember mercy In His wrath.  In other words, it is God's work and only He can revive it. The work that needs to be revived is Israel. Israel cannot revive itself.  God is rightfully full of wrath toward His work which has rejected Him and died. That wrath cannot be ignored or forgotten. God must have mercy if Israel is to be revived. Habakkuk doesn't know how or when it is going to happen, but he knows that wrath is not going away on its own. He then describes the works that he has heard about in terms of seeing them. Telling God what He has done is a wonderful act of worship. The creature acknowledges...

Good morning those whom I love in truth Just as we have the "minor prophets" in the OT, we have these short letters at the end of the NT.  But there is nothing minor in what they have to say.   Blessings, Jeff Just wondering how a letter like this gets delivered?  Certainly not like modern mail. The elect lady is pretty vague. Seems like the courier would have to have specific verbal directions and provide additional personal news.  Thinking about how letter writing has gone out of style. Cell phone makes a letter obsolete.  I remember getting my parents getting letters from relatives in New York and California.  As a little kid, I thought it was pretty special to get a multi-page letter from so far away.  Now we just text. How much more significant are the letters recorded in the Bible.  We get to listen in on a one way conversation to someone who was very important to apostle John.  So close that names are not necessary. We get to see ...

Good morning friends, I am so thankful for the prayers recorded in the Old Testament.  As I have been wrestling with the many facets of the "Lord's prayer" over the last year, seeing the evolution of prayer has been helpful.  WSC Q 100 says that the whole of scripture is of use for our direction in prayer but that rule of prayer that Christ taught his disciples is the "special rule". Blessings, Jeff Part of Solomon's prayer of dedication for the temple. Addresses plagues, pestilence and other calamities associated with not walking in all of God's ways.  Deuteronomy 28:22 The LORD will strike you with wasting disease and with fever, inflammation and fiery heat, and with drought and with blight and with mildew. They shall pursue you until you perish. thoughts/observations: Prayer toward the temple wIth knowledge of guilt or at least  their afflictions is required.  Solomon seems to recognize that the curses in Deut 28 will eventually show up because of ind...

Good morning fellow sheep of His pasture, Its probably been awhile since you were greeted as a sheep.  But writing this devotional this morning made me thankful for our Good Shepherd above and beyond the world political stage. Blessings, Jeff Interesting that Israel and Judah are not the only ones who were afflicted with bad shepherds.  Jonathan's look at John 10 and the Good Shepherd is the background for thoughts today. Nahum's pronouncement of woes to Nineveh are really shocking to me.  Assyria had destroyed northern kingdom. Judah was on the decline. Yet here is a prophet telling the king of Assyria, the most powerful empire of the day, that the men looking out for the empire are asleep at their posts.  The curse of perceived invincibility - when a nation has been successful in conquering others, leaders can become convinced that they can do no wrong. That whatever they do will preserve the empire. They stop being attentive to the true condition of their people. ...

Good afternoon fellow workers for Christ, Well how about that for coincidence?  The place where Abraham was to offer Isaac and where David encountered the angel about to destroy Jerusalem following the unauthorized census are the same. The place where God provides.  Its almost like God planned to have them in the same place.  Of course, this is not coincidence and God did plan these events.   Indeed, Jesus dies on another hill in the same area.  I remember Dr Sproul talking about this. God intervenes to stop Abraham from offering his son. Likewise, David's sacrifice appeases God's judgment.  However, the death of God's Son is not prevented.  Brings me back to Genesis 3:15 promise. God is always carrying out the promise to provide a seed of the woman who will crush the head of Satan. Man may not see His hand when the events occur, but they are evident in the pages of Scripture.  Praise the covenant keeping God revealed in the Bible.

Good evening friends, Recovering from a busy day in the CCC kitchen for Cruise for a Cause (originally written 8/14/21).  Great teamwork to serve others.  But it is physically exhausting.  Maybe I'm just not as young as I used to be.  Jesus probes the thoughts and intents of my heart with these verses about His return. Blessings, Jeff This has section has always been confusing to me. The examples of Lot and Noah are clear.  Lot and immediate family get out but his wife turn back.  Noah and his immediate family are only survivors.  So this seems to indicate that few will be saved.  But the people Jesus talks about are individuals or just two women grinding or two people in a bed.  There is nothing about the multitudes of wicked around them who are judged.  Nobody drinking, buying and selling, oblivious to impending destruction.  There is nothing explicit about faith in Christ being the determining factor.  Why would one sleeping...

Good afternoon fellow strangers and exiles, As we finish another one of the minor prophets, we must never think of them as insignificant.  I hope you are encouraged to use reference material in your reading, especially in the prophets. Blessings, Jeff From Reformation Study Bible notes: 7:8-20. This concluding hymn consists of four stanzas: (a) Lady Jerusalem in her fallen status confesses her sin and her faith in the Lord (vv. 8-10); (b) the prophet promises that she will become a sheepfold offering salvation to the world under judgment (vv. 11-13); (c) Micah prays that the Lord will again miraculously shepherd His people (v. 14), which the Lord promises to do (v. 15), and Micah then prophesies that the unbelieving enemy will be conquered (vv. 16, 17); and (d) the people celebrate God’s forgiveness and faithfulness with a hymn of praise (vv. 18-20).  I think I have mentioned that one of the challenges of reading prophetic literature is that it is sometime hard to tell who is ...

Good afternoon friends, Well here we are at the end of 1 Chronicles.  David is passing from the scene and Solomon is entering.  2 Chronicles takes us through the rest of the kings of Judah. Author seems to put a lot of value into David and not so much on the line that follows.   Since I am behind in writing, it is worth noting that we have 30 more days in the reading plan.  You are in the home stretch.  Keep going. Blessings, Jeff A talent weighed approximately 75 lbs according to Complete Word Study Bible dictionary and ESV notes.  That's 187.5 tons of gold, 375 tons of silver that the tribal leaders gave.  Well you get the picture. Presumably, they didn't give all that they had.  As close as I can figure there are 5,100 tons of gold in Fort Knox.  All that gold just sits there for financial security  The Israelites put theirs inside the temple to honor the God who provided it to them. This is beyond extravagant.  This is just...

Good morning saints in the Lord, The word is still is a two edged sword.  This chapter is famous for the prophecy that Bethlehem would be the birthplace of one to be ruler in Israel.  When the wise men show up, this is the answer to their question.  But the promise of a restored remnant is another wonderful promise. Blessings, Jeff Before either kingdom is destroyed, the Lord speaks through Micah to promise a restoration.  However, the restored remnant will not be allowed to be like Israel and Judah before the exile. The prophet is forced to use the language and images that are meaningful to his audience.  Not have horses and chariots doesn't really have much meaning to us modern readers.  But it would to ancient Israel and Judah.  Horses and chariots were the symbol of military might and protection from enemies.  However, Israel was supposed to trust in the name of the Lord.  Looking back at their history, they could not deny that they had p...

Good morning fellow sojourners, It is remarkable how the letters in the New Testament can be different in style and format, but convey the same message.  Paul wrote to specific churches or individuals.  Peter writes "To those who have obtained a faith of equal standing with ours by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ 2 Peter 1:1.  Imagine getting a letter from one of the twelve and he tells you that you have a faith of equal standing as his.  You haven't experienced any of the things Peter did, but he considers every one who has been born again to have equal standing.  And the basis for this is the righteousness of God and Savior Jesus Christ.  Blessings, Jeff This is the proof text for the concept I picked up from an Alistair Begg sermon.  Or rather, it is the proof text Alistair Begg used for the principle that sermons should remind us of what we should not forget, not teach us something new.  Of course the underlying assumption...

Good morning friends, Good foundations are important.  Our author turns to the religious life of the returning exiles. Blessings, Jeff We have seen the emphasis on the Davidic line in the  political life of Israel.  The other area of emphasis is the Aaronic priesthood and Levitical workers. In this passage we have a quick review of the somewhat sanitized picture of the start of Aaron's line.  The returning exiles would have known that Nadab and Abihu did not just "die before their father without children".  They rebelled against God by offering unauthorized fire and were themselves consumed by fire from the Lord. Leviticus 10.  The case of Abiathar  son of Ahitub son of Ahimelech, who was faithful to David, but later rebelled with Adonijah is also not mentioned. But the passage points to the importance of the Aaronic line to the rebuilding of the temple by the exiles.  The history of the northern kingdom which was without the Levites from the begi...

The graphic language of what James would later call being lured and enticed by passions and desires. The intro to Micah in ESV study bible points out that Micah wrote in a time of prosperity in Judah.  So this chapter with theme of "Woe to the Oppressors", probably didn't make him very popular.  But I guess popularity was never one of the goals of a prophet. So this is a warning to the people of Judah, not to a bunch of heathens.  These people have taken breaking the 8th (stealing) and 10th commandments to an art form.  Lie awake at night thinking about ways to steal, oppress or covet and before they even have breakfast, they go out and do it.  In theory, they should have learned the commandments as children.  In theory, they should have learned that the God of Israel knows the thoughts and intents of the heart.  In theory, they should know that what they were doing may be hidden from others, but it is not hidden from God.  And God being just woul...