Dear saints in the Lord, Congratulations!  You made it.  We have been through much turmoil in the last year ('20-'21).  But God is faithful to His promises.  I trust that you have been blessed in your reading and have drawn closer to God.   Since we didn't get the blog up and running at the beginning of the challenge, I am going to go back and post entries to cover that first month or so.   Blessings, Jeff Nothing accursed in the city of God, the new Jerusalem.  The presence of sin will be gone.  I am working on memorizing Westminster Shorter Catechism and currently on question 82.  Is any man able perfectly to keep the commandments of God? No mere man since the fall is able in this life perfectly to keep the commandments of God but does daily break them in thought, word and deed. I think our passage today points to the truth of this question.  Do you notice how this answer is not exactly the same as the question. "Any man" bec...

Good morning fellow exiles and pilgrims, One more day of devotions.  We are indeed exiles and pilgrims in this world as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen.  The 20th anniversary of 9/11 attacks can serve as a reminder that this world is not our home. Blessings, Jeff The lamentations for Josiah written by Jeremiah.  However, the book of Lamentations does not include any reference to Josiah as they are focused on the fall of Jerusalem.  While these lost lamentations were "made the rule" there are only 4 more kings and none of them were good like Josiah and none died in Jerusalem.  The phrase "to this day" generally refers to the time of the author (post exile).  Taken together, it may be that these laments were for the last good king and during the exile the people were longing for the next good king. Zerubbabel in a way was the next good king as temple and Jerusalem were rebuilt. But Jesus truly was the next king and He...

Good afternoon friends, As we draw to the end of the Old Testament, we see that Judah has rebuilt the temple and the walls of Jerusalem, but they are following in the footsteps of faithless fathers and not in the footsteps of Abraham and ultimately God.  The exile was a low point, but now a new low is about to happen.  The prophetic voice has once again become warning and not encouraging. Faithful reading and preaching of the word is all that keeps us from losing our way.  May we be faithful in our generation. Blessings, Jeff I am sure I have mentioned this before, but it bears repeating.  The section summary, chapter and verse are not in the original language.  They are all rather modern inventions to help us.  For example, the section title here is "Judah profaned the Covenant".  That is OK as far as it goes, but which Covenant?  So let's take a look. Observations Starts with 3 questions but who is asking the questions and to whom are they addre...

Good morning faithful readers, The finish line is in sight!!!  One of the themes of scripture is that God is a covenant keeping God.  There are many between God and man. Adam, Noah, David are examples.  Covenants are more than promises.  They are made between a superior and inferior with conditions for each side and blessing and penalties based on keeping the conditions.  These are covenants of works which fallen man was unable to keep.  Thanks be to God that the Father made a covenant of grace with Christ, the second Adam, which he fully kept. Blessings, Jeff The promise in v8 was made to David when he had planned to build the temple and God promised to build him a house forever. (2 Sam 7:10).  Seems like there are only two possibilities about Manasseh's disobedience.  Either he knew of this covenant that God had made with his 13th great grandfather and chose to disregard it, or he didn't know of it and was unaware of the penalty.  Let's con...

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...