Bible Reading Plan

Author: Jon Green

  • Isaiah 42

    Isaiah 42

    Read Isaiah 42

    The Servant of the Lord

    42 “Here is my servant, whom I uphold,
        my chosen one in whom I delight;
    I will put my Spirit on him,
        and he will bring justice to the nations.
    2 He will not shout or cry out,
        or raise his voice in the streets.
    3 A bruised reed he will not break,
        and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out.
    In faithfulness he will bring forth justice;
    4     he will not falter or be discouraged
    till he establishes justice on earth.
        In his teaching the islands will put their hope.”

    5 This is what God the Lord says—
    the Creator of the heavens, who stretches them out,
        who spreads out the earth with all that springs from it,
        who gives breath to its people,
        and life to those who walk on it:
    6 “I, the Lord, have called you in righteousness;
        I will take hold of your hand.
    I will keep you and will make you
        to be a covenant for the people
        and a light for the Gentiles,
    7 to open eyes that are blind,
        to free captives from prison
        and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness.

    8 “I am the Lord; that is my name!
        I will not yield my glory to another
        or my praise to idols.
    9 See, the former things have taken place,
        and new things I declare;
    before they spring into being
        I announce them to you.”

    Song of Praise to the Lord

    10 Sing to the Lord a new song,
        his praise from the ends of the earth,
    you who go down to the sea, and all that is in it,
        you islands, and all who live in them.
    11 Let the wilderness and its towns raise their voices;
        let the settlements where Kedar lives rejoice.
    Let the people of Sela sing for joy;
        let them shout from the mountaintops.
    12 Let them give glory to the Lord
        and proclaim his praise in the islands.
    13 The Lord will march out like a champion,
        like a warrior he will stir up his zeal;
    with a shout he will raise the battle cry
        and will triumph over his enemies.

    14 “For a long time I have kept silent,
        I have been quiet and held myself back.
    But now, like a woman in childbirth,
        I cry out, I gasp and pant.
    15 I will lay waste the mountains and hills
        and dry up all their vegetation;
    I will turn rivers into islands
        and dry up the pools.
    16 I will lead the blind by ways they have not known,
        along unfamiliar paths I will guide them;
    I will turn the darkness into light before them
        and make the rough places smooth.
    These are the things I will do;
        I will not forsake them.
    17 But those who trust in idols,
        who say to images, ‘You are our gods,’
        will be turned back in utter shame.

    Israel Blind and Deaf

    18 “Hear, you deaf;
        look, you blind, and see!
    19 Who is blind but my servant,
        and deaf like the messenger I send?
    Who is blind like the one in covenant with me,
        blind like the servant of the Lord?
    20 You have seen many things, but you pay no attention;
        your ears are open, but you do not listen.”
    21 It pleased the Lord
        for the sake of his righteousness
        to make his law great and glorious.
    22 But this is a people plundered and looted,
        all of them trapped in pits
        or hidden away in prisons.
    They have become plunder,
        with no one to rescue them;
    they have been made loot,
        with no one to say, “Send them back.”

    23 Which of you will listen to this
        or pay close attention in time to come?
    24 Who handed Jacob over to become loot,
        and Israel to the plunderers?
    Was it not the Lord,
        against whom we have sinned?
    For they would not follow his ways;
        they did not obey his law.
    25 So he poured out on them his burning anger,
        the violence of war.
    It enveloped them in flames, yet they did not understand;
        it consumed them, but they did not take it to heart.

    Go Deeper

    Isaiah was written long before Jesus’s physical birth, and this book is a foreshadowing with the same message: He’s coming. Jesus is firstly named as the Servant, and He fulfills this role without err. Jesus lived as the Servant by bearing all of humanity’s sins and weaknesses on the cross and resurrecting three days later, so that we (in belief and through faith) could have eternal life with God! On top of that, Jesus still serves those who have accepted the Gospel by interceding for us at the right hand of God continually. What great news! Jesus paid the one-time penalty of death for our sins, AND intercedes for us in heaven? He truly is the Servant. He serves out of the contentment found in knowing that the Father loves Him and He is fulfilling His mission.

    The analogy of the bruised reed and smoking flax highlights Jesus’ tenderness. Reeds are plants that are easily tossed by the wind and often damaged. A smoking flax is the wick of a lamp with dim flame that is soon to go out. When we are weak and vulnerable, Christ Himself sees our needs and cares tenderly for us. Understanding that the Father is tender towards the Son helps us to further comprehend the character of God: He is personal. Yet while being gentle, God is never weak or discouraged. God’s compassion perfectly compliments His power as both the Comforter as well as the Judge. He alone is the LORD, and is worthy of all of our adoration. This chapter continues to bridge God’s greatness with His individualized salvation for us all. 

    Learning more about the character of God–His tenderness yet holiness, His compassion yet judgment, His meekness yet strength–inspires praise in us! Trusting that we have (or can have, for those who have not accepted the Gospel) an everlasting relationship with this God leads us to worship! Yet how often do we forget His character? Similar to the Israelities, we stray quickly and easily from the reality of God’s coming and stumble around without vision or direction. To wake us up from our wandering, God (like a loving Father) disciplines us. From this low place, we are met by our need for a Savior. Oftentimes, it takes being disciplined to be humble enough to see our need for Christ, and then return to Him in repentance and with a softened heart to His commands (which is the good life)! Just as the Old Covenant law was used to expose the Israelites’ sin and point them to their need for Jesus, so too are the specific things that God uses to refine us in our lives. Therefore, just as the law had a purpose, so too does our suffering.  

    Much of what was occurring in the lives of the Israelities is occurring in our lives today: their message of Jesus’s coming, their complacency/comfortability, and their discipline from God. Yet Jesus shows the Father’s tenderness to us through not only His Earthly life, but also His daily intercession for us. God is higher than we are, but He made a way to be near to us forever. God chooses to refine the sin in our lives out of His tender care for us. Christ-followers are given everything that we need to fight the spiritual battle here on Earth– we have God Himself around us and inside of us, and know that He will win the war–but we are often complacent to the battle going on presently, and because of that we are ineffective soldiers in God’s kingdom. Therefore, God uses refinement to wake us up from our laziness while drawing near to us in tender love.

    Questions

    1. How often do you take notice of the ways that God cares for you daily?
    2. How do you think of and treat those who are weak/vulnerable around you?
    3. How is God disciplining you as His beloved child? Are you aware of His heart behind refining your sin?

    Listen Here

    Listen to the modern hymn “How Deep the Father’s Love for Us” to remind yourself of God’s love today!

    Leave a Comment Below

    Did you learn something today? Share it with our Bible Reading Plan community by commenting below.

    Join the Team

    Interested in writing for the Bible Reading Plan? Email [email protected].

  • Isaiah 40

    Isaiah 40

    Read Isaiah 40

    Comfort for God’s People

    40 Comfort, comfort my people,
        says your God.
    2 Speak tenderly to Jerusalem,
        and proclaim to her
    that her hard service has been completed,
        that her sin has been paid for,
    that she has received from the Lord’s hand
        double for all her sins.

    3 A voice of one calling:
    “In the wilderness prepare
        the way for the Lord;
    make straight in the desert
        a highway for our God.
    4 Every valley shall be raised up,
        every mountain and hill made low;
    the rough ground shall become level,
        the rugged places a plain.
    5 And the glory of the Lord will be revealed,
        and all people will see it together.
    For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”

    6 A voice says, “Cry out.”
        And I said, “What shall I cry?”

    “All people are like grass,
        and all their faithfulness is like the flowers of the field.
    7 The grass withers and the flowers fall,
        because the breath of the Lord blows on them.
        Surely the people are grass.
    8 The grass withers and the flowers fall,
        but the word of our God endures forever.”

    9 You who bring good news to Zion,
        go up on a high mountain.
    You who bring good news to Jerusalem,
        lift up your voice with a shout,
    lift it up, do not be afraid;
        say to the towns of Judah,
        “Here is your God!”
    10 See, the Sovereign Lord comes with power,
        and he rules with a mighty arm.
    See, his reward is with him,
        and his recompense accompanies him.
    11 He tends his flock like a shepherd:
        He gathers the lambs in his arms
    and carries them close to his heart;
        he gently leads those that have young.

    12 Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand,
        or with the breadth of his hand marked off the heavens?
    Who has held the dust of the earth in a basket,
        or weighed the mountains on the scales
        and the hills in a balance?
    13 Who can fathom the Spirit of the Lord,
        or instruct the Lord as his counselor?
    14 Whom did the Lord consult to enlighten him,
        and who taught him the right way?
    Who was it that taught him knowledge,
        or showed him the path of understanding?

    15 Surely the nations are like a drop in a bucket;
        they are regarded as dust on the scales;
        he weighs the islands as though they were fine dust.
    16 Lebanon is not sufficient for altar fires,
        nor its animals enough for burnt offerings.
    17 Before him all the nations are as nothing;
        they are regarded by him as worthless
        and less than nothing.

    18 With whom, then, will you compare God?
        To what image will you liken him?
    19 As for an idol, a metalworker casts it,
        and a goldsmith overlays it with gold
        and fashions silver chains for it.
    20 A person too poor to present such an offering
        selects wood that will not rot;
    they look for a skilled worker
        to set up an idol that will not topple.

    21 Do you not know?
        Have you not heard?
    Has it not been told you from the beginning?
        Have you not understood since the earth was founded?
    22 He sits enthroned above the circle of the earth,
        and its people are like grasshoppers.
    He stretches out the heavens like a canopy,
        and spreads them out like a tent to live in.
    23 He brings princes to naught
        and reduces the rulers of this world to nothing.
    24 No sooner are they planted,
        no sooner are they sown,
        no sooner do they take root in the ground,
    than he blows on them and they wither,
        and a whirlwind sweeps them away like chaff.

    25 “To whom will you compare me?
        Or who is my equal?” says the Holy One.
    26 Lift up your eyes and look to the heavens:
        Who created all these?
    He who brings out the starry host one by one
        and calls forth each of them by name.
    Because of his great power and mighty strength,
        not one of them is missing.

    27 Why do you complain, Jacob?
        Why do you say, Israel,
    “My way is hidden from the Lord;
        my cause is disregarded by my God”?
    28 Do you not know?
        Have you not heard?
    The Lord is the everlasting God,
        the Creator of the ends of the earth.
    He will not grow tired or weary,
        and his understanding no one can fathom.
    29 He gives strength to the weary
        and increases the power of the weak.
    30 Even youths grow tired and weary,
        and young men stumble and fall;
    31 but those who hope in the Lord
        will renew their strength.
    They will soar on wings like eagles;
        they will run and not grow weary,
        they will walk and not be faint.

    Go Deeper

    “Comfort, comfort my people, says your God.” The previous 39 chapters of Isaiah have largely consisted of judgment and warning for the rebellion of Israel. Now, however, the tone of this book pivots at chapter 40 to largely consist of hope, comfort, and blessing for Israel. David Guzik in his commentary on Isaiah says, “Isaiah is a book in three sections: Chapters 1-35 are prophetic, with the theme of condemnation. Chapters 36-39 are historic, and the theme is confiscation. Chapters 40-66 are messianic, and the theme is consolation.”

    Isaiah 40 (and on) contains many sentences and phrases that relate and point to Jesus. What a gift it is to read this letter through the lens and understanding of Jesus and the gospel of His grace! We should be on the edge of the chair we are sitting in right now searching for Jesus in the shadows of the Old Testament throughout the rest of our study through Isaiah. Let’s look more closely at verses 10-11 today to see Jesus more clearly in Isaiah 40.

     Two themes are found in Isaiah 40:10-11. The first theme is that of arrival in power. Verse 10 describes the Lord coming to earth with great power, might, and authority, bringing both reward and judgment for man with Him. Revelation 19:11-21 is where this prophecy is fulfilled, and it is fulfilled by Jesus. He is the powerful, conquering King returning to this broken and sin-ridden world with His reward and recompense for all people that Isaiah wrote of!

    The second theme is that of a shepherd. Verse 11 describes God tending to His people as a shepherd tends to his sheep. Jesus says in John 10:11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep,” and in John 10:27 “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish.” Jesus is essentially saying “I am that good shepherd that Isaiah prophesied about!”

    Jesus is both the coming conquering King to judge man of his sin and rule the earth “with a mighty arm,” and the compassionate Shepherd who protects those who belong to Him and “carries them close to His heart.” Jesus both reigns the universe with might and power, and yet gently leads us, His sheep, with compassion and intentionality! How great is our God?

    Questions

    1. How does seeing Jesus as “powerful and conquering King” make you feel? What could change in your life because of this reality that Jesus has victory in the end?
    2. How does seeing Jesus as “gentle and lowly Shepherd” make you feel? What could change in your life because of this reality that Jesus tends to you as His sheep here and now?
    3. Is it easier for you to see Jesus as “powerful and conquering King” or as “gentle and lowly Shepherd?” Why is a healthy view of both important for our faith?

    Watch This

    Watch this video from The Bible Project that captures the grand narrative of The Messiah that the Bible (and especially Isaiah) is flooded with!

    Leave a Comment Below

    Did you learn something today? Share it with our Bible Reading Plan community by commenting below.

    Join the Team

    Interested in writing for the Bible Reading Plan? Email [email protected].

  • Isaiah 39

    Isaiah 39

    Editor’s Note

    We had a technical difficulty with WordPress not automatically posting today’s entry. Sorry you’re receiving it later than you normally would! 

    Read Isaiah 39

    Envoys From Babylon

    39 At that time Marduk-Baladan son of Baladan king of Babylon sent Hezekiah letters and a gift, because he had heard of his illness and recovery.2 Hezekiah received the envoys gladly and showed them what was in his storehouses—the silver, the gold, the spices, the fine olive oil—his entire armory and everything found among his treasures. There was nothing in his palace or in all his kingdom that Hezekiah did not show them.

    3 Then Isaiah the prophet went to King Hezekiah and asked, “What did those men say, and where did they come from?”

    “From a distant land,” Hezekiah replied. “They came to me from Babylon.”

    4 The prophet asked, “What did they see in your palace?”

    “They saw everything in my palace,” Hezekiah said. “There is nothing among my treasures that I did not show them.”

    5 Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, “Hear the word of the Lord Almighty: 6 The time will surely come when everything in your palace, and all that your predecessors have stored up until this day, will be carried off to Babylon.Nothing will be left, says the Lord. 7 And some of your descendants, your own flesh and blood who will be born to you, will be taken away, and they will become eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.”

    8 “The word of the Lord you have spoken is good,” Hezekiah replied. For he thought, “There will be peace and security in my lifetime.”

    Go Deeper

    This brief chapter serves as a transitional bridge to the second half of the book of Isaiah. In the first 38 chapters Isaiah describes the threat of the Assyrian empire, but the rest of the book warns against the Babylonians. This context is an important lens when reading today’s verses.

    Merodach-Baladan’s envoy was not just coming to wish Hezekiah well on his miraculous recovery. This was a Babylonian leader trying to sway the allegiance of Hezekiah from Assyria to Babylon through flattery–and Hezekiah fell for it hook, link, and sinker. Hezekiah threw open the doors and showed them everything in his storehouses, the bounty of which had been given to him by God. But Hezekiah did so without consulting God or Isaiah. Not only did he show them all of his supplies and wealth, it says that he did so “gladly.” 

    Merodach-Baladan found Hezekiah’s blind spot–his pride. As the smaller, less powerful Judah, it made Hezekiah feel important to puff his chest and show off everything in his possession in order to impress the visitors. Rather than remember the divine intervention of God in restoring him to health, in this decision Hezekiah lived for the praises of man. It seems as if he had no clue that he had acted unwisely, because in verse 4 he proudly describes what he has done to Isaiah. Merodach-Baladan attacked Hezekiah in his blind spot, and it made Hezekiah blind to his own prideful, foolish decisions. We can see Isaiah’s prophecies about these decisions leading to Babylon’s triumph are fulfilled in 2 Kings 24-25. Even sadder still is Hezekiah’s response to the awful news he receives from Isaiah: “Well, at least everything will be ok for my lifetime!” 

    Even though Hezekiah started out as a godly king, he did not finish well. He was given an extra fifteen years of life, but chose to waste it. What are we doing with our time here on Earth? James 4:14 tells us that our life is but a vapor, so how are we going to spend it? Hezekiah shows us that it doesn’t matter how much time we get, it’s how we use the time we have that matters. 

    Questions

    1. What blind spots do you have that the enemy could use to distract you? If you don’t know, ask your community to help you be aware of what those might be.
    2. How are you using your time? Is it wisely or wastefully?
    3. How can you make sure you finish well? Are you concerned only about your lifetime or do you have an eternal focus?

    By the Way

    For more on this story read 2 Chronicles 32:31 which also describes this visit by Merodach-Baladan’s envoy, wherein we learn that God left Hezekiah to test him and “know everything that was in his heart.”

    Leave a Comment Below

    Did you learn something today? Share it with our Bible Reading Plan community by commenting below.

    Join the Team

    Interested in writing for the Bible Reading Plan? Email [email protected].

  • Isaiah 30

    Isaiah 30

    Read Isaiah 30

    Woe to the Obstinate Nation

    30 “Woe to the obstinate children,”
        declares the Lord,
    “to those who carry out plans that are not mine,
        forming an alliance, but not by my Spirit,
        heaping sin upon sin;
    2 who go down to Egypt
        without consulting me;
    who look for help to Pharaoh’s protection,
        to Egypt’s shade for refuge.
    3 But Pharaoh’s protection will be to your shame,
        Egypt’s shade will bring you disgrace.
    4 Though they have officials in Zoan
        and their envoys have arrived in Hanes,
    5 everyone will be put to shame
        because of a people useless to them,
    who bring neither help nor advantage,
        but only shame and disgrace.”

    6 A prophecy concerning the animals of the Negev:

    Through a land of hardship and distress,
        of lions and lionesses,
        of adders and darting snakes,
    the envoys carry their riches on donkeys’ backs,
        their treasures on the humps of camels,
    to that unprofitable nation,
    7     to Egypt, whose help is utterly useless.
    Therefore I call her
        Rahab the Do-Nothing.

    8 Go now, write it on a tablet for them,
        inscribe it on a scroll,
    that for the days to come
        it may be an everlasting witness.
    9 For these are rebellious people, deceitful children,
        children unwilling to listen to the Lord’s instruction.
    10 They say to the seers,
        “See no more visions!”
    and to the prophets,
        “Give us no more visions of what is right!
    Tell us pleasant things,
        prophesy illusions.
    11 Leave this way,
        get off this path,
    and stop confronting us
        with the Holy One of Israel!”

    12 Therefore this is what the Holy One of Israel says:

    “Because you have rejected this message,
        relied on oppression
        and depended on deceit,
    13 this sin will become for you
        like a high wall, cracked and bulging,
        that collapses suddenly, in an instant.
    14 It will break in pieces like pottery,
        shattered so mercilessly
    that among its pieces not a fragment will be found
        for taking coals from a hearth
        or scooping water out of a cistern.”

    15 This is what the Sovereign Lord, the Holy One of Israel, says:

    “In repentance and rest is your salvation,
        in quietness and trust is your strength,
        but you would have none of it.
    16 You said, ‘No, we will flee on horses.’
        Therefore you will flee!
    You said, ‘We will ride off on swift horses.’
        Therefore your pursuers will be swift!
    17 A thousand will flee
        at the threat of one;
    at the threat of five
        you will all flee away,
    till you are left
        like a flagstaff on a mountaintop,
        like a banner on a hill.”

    18 Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you;
        therefore he will rise up to show you compassion.
    For the Lord is a God of justice.
        Blessed are all who wait for him!

    19 People of Zion, who live in Jerusalem, you will weep no more. How gracious he will be when you cry for help! As soon as he hears, he will answer you. 20 Although the Lord gives you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, your teachers will be hidden no more; with your own eyes you will see them. 21 Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.” 22 Then you will desecrate your idols overlaid with silver and your images covered with gold; you will throw them away like a menstrual cloth and say to them, “Away with you!”

    23 He will also send you rain for the seed you sow in the ground, and the food that comes from the land will be rich and plentiful. In that day your cattle will graze in broad meadows. 24 The oxen and donkeys that work the soil will eat fodder and mash, spread out with fork and shovel. 25 In the day of great slaughter, when the towers fall, streams of water will flow on every high mountain and every lofty hill. 26 The moon will shine like the sun, and the sunlight will be seven times brighter, like the light of seven full days, when the Lord binds up the bruises of his people and heals the wounds he inflicted.

    27 See, the Name of the Lord comes from afar,
        with burning anger and dense clouds of smoke;
    his lips are full of wrath,
        and his tongue is a consuming fire.
    28 His breath is like a rushing torrent,
        rising up to the neck.
    He shakes the nations in the sieve of destruction;
        he places in the jaws of the peoples
        a bit that leads them astray.
    29 And you will sing
        as on the night you celebrate a holy festival;
    your hearts will rejoice
        as when people playing pipes go up
    to the mountain of the Lord,
        to the Rock of Israel.
    30 The Lord will cause people to hear his majestic voice
        and will make them see his arm coming down
    with raging anger and consuming fire,
        with cloudburst, thunderstorm and hail.
    31 The voice of the Lord will shatter Assyria;
        with his rod he will strike them down.
    32 Every stroke the Lord lays on them
        with his punishing club
    will be to the music of timbrels and harps,
        as he fights them in battle with the blows of his arm.
    33 Topheth has long been prepared;
        it has been made ready for the king.
    Its fire pit has been made deep and wide,
        with an abundance of fire and wood;
    the breath of the Lord,
        like a stream of burning sulfur,
        sets it ablaze.

    Go Deeper

    This chapter speaks to what happens when we seek out shelter through our own understanding. God’s people sought protection from Egypt and sent them money and resources. God, through Isaiah, told His people that seeking this help would be their shame. This serves as a reminder to us that is how it always ends with us when we seek help and shelter from anything but God. The things of this world will always end up bringing us shame and keep asking more of us. When we can’t give anymore to whatever we were seeking help from it will either abandon or enslave us. We can have this happen with unhealthy relationships with family and friends or dependencies on anything that we think might help us feel control. Isaiah is speaking directly to us today about what happens when we choose things of this world over things from God.

    “Rahab the Do-Nothing” is a phrase Isaiah uses to describe (and make fun of) Egypt. It points out their own powerlessness and how they can’t actually help at all. Egypt is not in a position of power and in only a few years they also fall to the same threats facing God’s people. It’s hard to say for certain why they wanted to seek help from Egypt, but the same can be said of us when we rely on things of this world. How often do we look back at our life and wonder why we did certain things? Wouldn’t it be great to have hindsight in the moment rather than after the moment?

    Punishment and destruction is promised in this chapter, and it’s said in a way that God is giving them exactly what they wanted. Verses 15-17 talk about how they wanted nothing to do with God’s peace and wanted to flee on horses. So, God let them flee on horses and do what they wanted. God will let us have our free will to do what we choose to do (even when it is not the best thing for us). He will even let us walk directly into destruction. However, we are not left without hope. Verse 18 is perhaps one of the most comforting verses in all of scripture. The first part of that verse (“Yet, the LORD longs to be gracious to you”) sums up God very nicely. He longs to be gracious to us. He wants to restore us to Him, and He dearly misses walking in the garden with His creation and getting to enjoy us. Rest in the fact today (and every day moving forward) that God desires to be gracious to you.  

     

    Questions

    1. What does this chapter teach you about God? What does it teach you about humanity?
    2. Where have you tried to seek out comfort or satisfaction from the world? How did that play out in your own life?
    3. How have you seen and experienced God’s graciousness towards you?  

    Did You KNow?

    Verse 29 is a reference to Psalms 120-134, which are known as the “Psalms of Ascent” or “Pilgrim Songs”. Every year as the Jews traveled uphill towards the city of Jerusalem to participate in one of the three Jewish festivals, these are the songs they would sing. They became a staple of the pilgrimage to Jerusalem back then and now they serve as a helpful template for us as we worship today.

    Leave a Comment Below

    Did you learn something today? Share it with our Bible Reading Plan community by commenting below.

    Join the Team

    Interested in writing for the Bible Reading Plan? Email [email protected].

  • Isaiah 29

    Isaiah 29

    Read Isaiah 29

    Woe to David’s City

    29 Woe to you, Ariel, Ariel,
        the city where David settled!
    Add year to year
        and let your cycle of festivals go on.
    2 Yet I will besiege Ariel;
        she will mourn and lament,
        she will be to me like an altar hearth.[a]
    3 I will encamp against you on all sides;
        I will encircle you with towers
        and set up my siege works against you.
    4 Brought low, you will speak from the ground;
        your speech will mumble out of the dust.
    Your voice will come ghostlike from the earth;
        out of the dust your speech will whisper.

    5 But your many enemies will become like fine dust,
        the ruthless hordes like blown chaff.
    Suddenly, in an instant,
    6     the Lord Almighty will come
    with thunder and earthquake and great noise,
        with windstorm and tempest and flames of a devouring fire.
    7 Then the hordes of all the nations that fight against Ariel,
        that attack her and her fortress and besiege her,
    will be as it is with a dream,
        with a vision in the night—
    8 as when a hungry person dreams of eating,
        but awakens hungry still;
    as when a thirsty person dreams of drinking,
        but awakens faint and thirsty still.
    So will it be with the hordes of all the nations
        that fight against Mount Zion.

    9 Be stunned and amazed,
        blind yourselves and be sightless;
    be drunk, but not from wine,
        stagger, but not from beer.
    10 The Lord has brought over you a deep sleep:
        He has sealed your eyes (the prophets);
        he has covered your heads (the seers).

    11 For you this whole vision is nothing but words sealed in a scroll. And if you give the scroll to someone who can read, and say, “Read this, please,” they will answer, “I can’t; it is sealed.” 12 Or if you give the scroll to someone who cannot read, and say, “Read this, please,” they will answer, “I don’t know how to read.”

    13 The Lord says:

    “These people come near to me with their mouth
        and honor me with their lips,
        but their hearts are far from me.
    Their worship of me
        is based on merely human rules they have been taught.[b]
    14 Therefore once more I will astound these people
        with wonder upon wonder;
    the wisdom of the wise will perish,
        the intelligence of the intelligent will vanish.”
    15 Woe to those who go to great depths
        to hide their plans from the Lord,
    who do their work in darkness and think,
        “Who sees us? Who will know?”
    16 You turn things upside down,
        as if the potter were thought to be like the clay!
    Shall what is formed say to the one who formed it,
        “You did not make me”?
    Can the pot say to the potter,
        “You know nothing”?

    17 In a very short time, will not Lebanon be turned into a fertile field
        and the fertile field seem like a forest?
    18 In that day the deaf will hear the words of the scroll,
        and out of gloom and darkness
        the eyes of the blind will see.
    19 Once more the humble will rejoice in the Lord;
        the needy will rejoice in the Holy One of Israel.
    20 The ruthless will vanish,
        the mockers will disappear,
        and all who have an eye for evil will be cut down—
    21 those who with a word make someone out to be guilty,
        who ensnare the defender in court
        and with false testimony deprive the innocent of justice.

    22 Therefore this is what the Lord, who redeemed Abraham, says to the descendants of Jacob:

    “No longer will Jacob be ashamed;
        no longer will their faces grow pale.
    23 When they see among them their children,
        the work of my hands,
    they will keep my name holy;
        they will acknowledge the holiness of the Holy One of Jacob,
        and will stand in awe of the God of Israel.
    24 Those who are wayward in spirit will gain understanding;
        those who complain will accept instruction.”

    Go Deeper

    The woes or warnings prophesied by Isaiah continue now with a focus on Ariel (which is a reference to Jerusalem, the city of David). In his warnings, Isaiah describes Jerusalem as presumptuous, living in denial of danger. While an attack on Jerusalem will occur, the Lord will mercifully deliver them from their attackers. Despite God’s powerful deliverance, Isaiah reveals that the people of Jerusalem are blind to God’s Word and deaf to His voice, even as they offer meaningless and mechanical worship. Their hearts are far from God.

    As Isaiah continues to pronounce woes, he also reveals God’s compassionate heart toward His people in spite of their refusal to recognize God as their Creator and their tendency to try to hide their plans from Him. They repeatedly challenge God as if they were the potter and God the clay. Yet God graciously responds to these rebellious actions and arrogant attitudes with a promise of hope. Isaiah tells us that there will come a day when blind eyes see, the humble rejoice in the Holy One of Israel, and His people stand in awe of the God of Israel.

    These woes are corrective in purpose and interlaced with God’s plan of hope and restoration. Isaiah’s words to Jerusalem are also words for us – you might call them wake-up calls. God uses His Word and wake-up calls in our lives to drive us to turn wholeheartedly to Him in complete dependence. Paul reminds us in Romans 15:4 of the value of examining Old Testament passages: “For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures, we might have hope.” As we continue to study Isaiah, let’s ask God to wake us up from our empty worship and arrogant approach to our Maker. May He turn our hearts in repentance to trust and hope in Him alone.

    Questions

    1. How does your worship reflect your heart toward God?
    2. When have you slipped into thinking you are the potter rather than God?
    3. What wake-up call has God used in your life to draw you to wholehearted trust in Him? Share this in your Life Group to encourage others.

    By the Way

    Want to know how Isaiah’s prophecy regarding the attack and deliverance of Jerusalem was fulfilled? Read 2 Kings 19:32-36.

    Leave a Comment Below

    Did you learn something today? Share it with our Bible Reading Plan community by commenting below.

    Join the Team

    Interested in writing for the Bible Reading Plan? Email [email protected].

  • Isaiah 5

    Isaiah 5

    Read Isaiah 5

    The Song of the Vineyard

    5 I will sing for the one I love
        a song about his vineyard:
    My loved one had a vineyard
        on a fertile hillside.
    2 He dug it up and cleared it of stones
        and planted it with the choicest vines.
    He built a watchtower in it
        and cut out a winepress as well.
    Then he looked for a crop of good grapes,
        but it yielded only bad fruit.

    3 “Now you dwellers in Jerusalem and people of Judah,
        judge between me and my vineyard.
    4 What more could have been done for my vineyard
        than I have done for it?
    When I looked for good grapes,
        why did it yield only bad?
    5 Now I will tell you
        what I am going to do to my vineyard:
    I will take away its hedge,
        and it will be destroyed;
    I will break down its wall,
        and it will be trampled.
    6 I will make it a wasteland,
        neither pruned nor cultivated,
        and briers and thorns will grow there.
    I will command the clouds
        not to rain on it.”

    7 The vineyard of the Lord Almighty
        is the nation of Israel,
    and the people of Judah
        are the vines he delighted in.
    And he looked for justice, but saw bloodshed;
        for righteousness, but heard cries of distress.

    Woes and Judgments

    8 Woe to you who add house to house
        and join field to field
    till no space is left
        and you live alone in the land.

    9 The Lord Almighty has declared in my hearing:

    “Surely the great houses will become desolate,
        the fine mansions left without occupants.
    10 A ten-acre vineyard will produce only a bath[a] of wine;
        a homer[b] of seed will yield only an ephah[c] of grain.”

    11 Woe to those who rise early in the morning
        to run after their drinks,
    who stay up late at night
        till they are inflamed with wine.
    12 They have harps and lyres at their banquets,
        pipes and timbrels and wine,
    but they have no regard for the deeds of the Lord,
        no respect for the work of his hands.
    13 Therefore my people will go into exile
        for lack of understanding;
    those of high rank will die of hunger
        and the common people will be parched with thirst.
    14 Therefore Death expands its jaws,
        opening wide its mouth;
    into it will descend their nobles and masses
        with all their brawlers and revelers.
    15 So people will be brought low
        and everyone humbled,
        the eyes of the arrogant humbled.
    16 But the Lord Almighty will be exalted by his justice,
        and the holy God will be proved holy by his righteous acts.
    17 Then sheep will graze as in their own pasture;
        lambs will feed[d] among the ruins of the rich.

    18 Woe to those who draw sin along with cords of deceit,
        and wickedness as with cart ropes,
    19 to those who say, “Let God hurry;
        let him hasten his work
        so we may see it.
    The plan of the Holy One of Israel—
        let it approach, let it come into view,
        so we may know it.”

    20 Woe to those who call evil good
        and good evil,
    who put darkness for light
        and light for darkness,
    who put bitter for sweet
        and sweet for bitter.

    21 Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes
        and clever in their own sight.

    22 Woe to those who are heroes at drinking wine
        and champions at mixing drinks,
    23 who acquit the guilty for a bribe,
        but deny justice to the innocent.
    24 Therefore, as tongues of fire lick up straw
        and as dry grass sinks down in the flames,
    so their roots will decay
        and their flowers blow away like dust;
    for they have rejected the law of the Lord Almighty
        and spurned the word of the Holy One of Israel.
    25 Therefore the Lord’s anger burns against his people;
        his hand is raised and he strikes them down.
    The mountains shake,
        and the dead bodies are like refuse in the streets.

    Yet for all this, his anger is not turned away,
        his hand is still upraised.

    26 He lifts up a banner for the distant nations,
        he whistles for those at the ends of the earth.
    Here they come,
        swiftly and speedily!
    27 Not one of them grows tired or stumbles,
        not one slumbers or sleeps;
    not a belt is loosened at the waist,
        not a sandal strap is broken.
    28 Their arrows are sharp,
        all their bows are strung;
    their horses’ hooves seem like flint,
        their chariot wheels like a whirlwind.
    29 Their roar is like that of the lion,
        they roar like young lions;
    they growl as they seize their prey
        and carry it off with no one to rescue.
    30 In that day they will roar over it
        like the roaring of the sea.
    And if one looks at the land,
        there is only darkness and distress;
        even the sun will be darkened by clouds.

     

    Go Deeper

    The New English Translation of the Bible subdivides this chapter with the headings of “A Love Song Gone Sour” (v. 1-7) and “Disaster is Coming” (v. 8-30). These befitting titles nicely outline the chapter. Isaiah 5:1-7 describes a metaphorical love song. The prophet, Isaiah, taking on the role as best man, composes a love song for his friend on the occasion of his wedding. The vineyard is Israel (the bride), and the owner/lover/bridegroom of the vineyard is God. Israel is expected to bear good fruit and uphold justice, but instead produces “bad fruit” (v. 2). Specifically, God, through Isaiah, condemns the Israelites for exploiting others (v. 8-10), drunkenness (v. 11-12, 22), taking pride in sin (v. 18-19), mocking moral standards (v. 20), pride/conceit (v. 21), and perverting justice (v. 22-24). Isaiah prophesizes that judgment, in the form of destruction by one of Israel’s enemies, is coming. No longer would God protect Israel from its adversaries. In 587 B.C, over 150 years after Isaiah’s prophecy, Babylon invades Jerusalem, and destroys Solomon’s temple. Tradition holds that because of his harsh prophecy, Isaiah was eventually martyred.  

    The Israelites in the day of Isaiah neither glorified nor enjoyed God. Instead, God accuses them of many things, including exploitation of the poor by the unjust accumulation of land (v. 8). God does not condemn real estate endeavors per se, but he does condemn the way in which the rich bureaucrats accumulated property. The Israelites forgot that the land belongs to God.  As punishment, their palatial vineyards would eventually be destroyed, and farm animals allowed to graze amongst the ruins. The nation would be transformed from an affluent agricultural society into a thoroughly pastoral one.  

    In verses 11-12, we see God condemning drunkenness. God does not categorically condemn the consumption of alcohol (after all, in John 2:1-11, Jesus turns water into wine), but the depravity of Israel is evident by early morning drinking, a mark of debauchery. Later in the text, Isaiah states, “Woe to those who are heroes at drinking wine and champions at mixing drinks.” (v. 22). Further evidence of Israel’s depravity is evidenced when they mock the Holy One of Israel (v. 19), “call evil good and good evil” (v. 20), and equate darkness to light and light to darkness (v. 20). In Ecclesiastes 1:9, we read that “there is nothing new under the sun.” Although the book of Isaiah was written over 2,500 years ago, the warnings of Isaiah are as relevant today as they were to the people to whom the book was first written.  

    Isaiah promises that “the grave” (v. 14) would be the end result of God’s judgment. The Hebrew word translated “grave” is Sheol and is the place of the dead, or more precisely, the place of the unrighteous dead. The word has the sense of a serious engagement with the reality of death, mortality, and the way one’s life impacts one’s destiny.  

    Questions

    1. What wickedness do you see playing out still today that Isaiah warned against? 
    2. What does it mean to glorify and enjoy God? 
    3. What does this passage teach you about the character of God? What does it teach you about humanity? 

    By the Way

    The concept of bearing fruit appears multiple times throughout scripture. Jesus said in Matthew 7:19-20 that the way to identify a tree or a person is by the kind of fruit that is produced. Galatians 5:22-23 discusses “fruits of the Spirit”.

    Leave a Comment Below

    Did you learn something today? Share it with our Bible Reading Plan community by commenting below.

    Join the Team

    Interested in writing for the Bible Reading Plan? Email [email protected].

  • Isaiah 1

    Isaiah 1

    Isaiah Introduction

    The book of Isaiah is named after the prophet Isaiah, the author of this book, who prophesied from 739–681 B.C. under the reign of several different kings. The nation of Judah (and the city of Jerusalem) had begun going through the religious motions and offering up meaningless sacrifices instead of humbly following and serving God as they had been instructed to do. That left Isaiah, as a mouthpiece for God amongst the people, to do two things throughout these 66 chapters: warn them of impending judgment and point them to a future hope. 

    Isaiah (along with Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel, and Daniel) is considered to be one of the major prophet books in the Old Testament. Why is this book so important? Of all of the prophetic books in the Old Testament, Isaiah gives the most full picture of the Messiah that was going to come and reconcile the world back to God. Isaiah points to the future birth, ministry, death, and return of the Messiah throughout these pages. Even in the midst of chaos and brokenness around them, Isaiah pointed them towards a future hope. 

    As we read through the book of Isaiah for the rest of this year, let’s think about our own lives and the ways we have wandered and strayed from who God has called us to be and what He has called us to do. So often, like Judah, we can find ourselves going through the routines and rituals of what it means to be a Christian, all while missing the importance of the posture of our heart as we live out the Christian life. On top of that, look for connections to the hope that we have in Jesus. Our need for a savior is no different than Isaiah’s original audience. Isaiah (behind Psalms and Deuteronomy) is one of Jesus’s most quoted books during his earthly ministry, so as we read these ancient words, look to draw connections to the New Testament.

    Each day, ask God to reveal His truth to you as we journey through Isaiah together.

    Read Isaiah 1

    1 The vision concerning Judah and Jerusalem that Isaiah son of Amoz sawduring the reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah, kings of Judah.

    A Rebellious Nation

    2 Hear me, you heavens! Listen, earth!
        For the Lord has spoken:
    “I reared children and brought them up,
        but they have rebelled against me.
    3 The ox knows its master,
        the donkey its owner’s manger,
    but Israel does not know,
        my people do not understand.”

    4 Woe to the sinful nation,
        a people whose guilt is great,
    a brood of evildoers,
        children given to corruption!
    They have forsaken the Lord;
        they have spurned the Holy One of Israel
        and turned their backs on him.

    5 Why should you be beaten anymore?
        Why do you persist in rebellion?
    Your whole head is injured,
        your whole heart afflicted.
    6 From the sole of your foot to the top of your head
        there is no soundness—
    only wounds and welts
        and open sores,
    not cleansed or bandaged
        or soothed with olive oil.

    7 Your country is desolate,
        your cities burned with fire;
    your fields are being stripped by foreigners
        right before you,
        laid waste as when overthrown by strangers.
    8 Daughter Zion is left
        like a shelter in a vineyard,
    like a hut in a cucumber field,
        like a city under siege.
    9 Unless the Lord Almighty
        had left us some survivors,
    we would have become like Sodom,
        we would have been like Gomorrah.

    10 Hear the word of the Lord,
        you rulers of Sodom;
    listen to the instruction of our God,
        you people of Gomorrah!
    11 “The multitude of your sacrifices—
        what are they to me?” says the Lord.
    “I have more than enough of burnt offerings,
        of rams and the fat of fattened animals;
    I have no pleasure
        in the blood of bulls and lambs and goats.
    12 When you come to appear before me,
        who has asked this of you,
        this trampling of my courts?
    13 Stop bringing meaningless offerings!
        Your incense is detestable to me.
    New Moons, Sabbaths and convocations—
        I cannot bear your worthless assemblies.
    14 Your New Moon feasts and your appointed festivals
        I hate with all my being.
    They have become a burden to me;
        I am weary of bearing them.
    15 When you spread out your hands in prayer,
        I hide my eyes from you;
    even when you offer many prayers,
        I am not listening.

    Your hands are full of blood!

    16 Wash and make yourselves clean.
        Take your evil deeds out of my sight;
        stop doing wrong.
    17 Learn to do right; seek justice.
        Defend the oppressed.
    Take up the cause of the fatherless;
        plead the case of the widow.

    18 “Come now, let us settle the matter,”
        says the Lord.
    “Though your sins are like scarlet,
        they shall be as white as snow;
    though they are red as crimson,
        they shall be like wool.
    19 If you are willing and obedient,
        you will eat the good things of the land;
    20 but if you resist and rebel,
        you will be devoured by the sword.”
    For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.

    21 See how the faithful city
        has become a prostitute!
    She once was full of justice;
        righteousness used to dwell in her—
        but now murderers!
    22 Your silver has become dross,
        your choice wine is diluted with water.
    23 Your rulers are rebels,
        partners with thieves;
    they all love bribes
        and chase after gifts.
    They do not defend the cause of the fatherless;
        the widow’s case does not come before them.

    24 Therefore the Lord, the Lord Almighty,
        the Mighty One of Israel, declares:
    “Ah! I will vent my wrath on my foes
        and avenge myself on my enemies.
    25 I will turn my hand against you;
        I will thoroughly purge away your dross
        and remove all your impurities.
    26 I will restore your leaders as in days of old,
        your rulers as at the beginning.
    Afterward you will be called
        the City of Righteousness,
        the Faithful City.”

    27 Zion will be delivered with justice,
        her penitent ones with righteousness.
    28 But rebels and sinners will both be broken,
        and those who forsake the Lord will perish.

    29 “You will be ashamed because of the sacred oaks
        in which you have delighted;
    you will be disgraced because of the gardens
        that you have chosen.
    30 You will be like an oak with fading leaves,
        like a garden without water.
    31 The mighty man will become tinder
        and his work a spark;
    both will burn together,
        with no one to quench the fire.”

    Go Deeper

    “You are not who you are supposed to be” is the opening call in the book of Isaiah. Here, the prophet Isaiah shares the vision regarding the people of God that he has received from Heaven. While Israel was reared by their Heavenly Father, they have since rebelled from Him. They have become thieves, materialistic, murderers, and downright unjust. However, in spite of all of these things they have continued to have their festivals and sacrifices to God. It’s like they are saying, “We want to live as if God doesn’t exist but still have God in our corner”. In response to their festivals and offerings God says, “I hate with all my being. They have become a burden to me; I am weary of bearing them. When you spread out your hands in prayer, I hide my eyes from you; even when you offer many prayers, I am not listening.” (v. 14-15). God is tired of watching this two-faced game take place. He knows that their hearts are not with Him. So are the people of God too far gone to be redeemed?

    The chapter shifts in verse 17, “’Come now, let us settle the matter,’ says the Lord. ‘Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.’” What a relief! God is willing to forgive Israel of all of their unrighteous living. But this verse is followed with an important qualifier in verse 18, “If you are willing and obedient”.

    The problems of God’s people in Isaiah’s day are similar to God’s people today. It’s easy to live for the world, but still want God on our side. He will not be played by our fickle ways. He is looking for men and women with hearts that are fully devoted to Him. No matter what you have done, God is ready, willing, and eager to forgive. But He will only forgive if you are coming to Him for His’ own sake. If He is just a pawn in your game to get more for yourself, Isaiah 1 is a sober reminder that He will not be listening.

    Questions

    1. What was most surprising to you about this passage?
    2. What similarities do you see in God’s people in Isaiah’s day compared to today? Do you think God would have a similar message?
    3. Where do you need to repent from where you have rebelled from God’s path?

    Watch This

    For a deeper dive into what’s going on in Isaiah 1, check out the sermon “The Cost of Thoughtless Gifts” from Harris Creek.

    Leave a Comment Below

    Did you learn something today? Share it with our Bible Reading Plan community by commenting below.

    Join the Team

    Interested in writing for the Bible Reading Plan? Email [email protected].

  • Matthew 24

    Matthew 24

    Read Matthew 24

    The Destruction of the Temple and Signs of the End Times

    24 Jesus left the temple and was walking away when his disciples came up to him to call his attention to its buildings. 2 “Do you see all these things?” he asked. “Truly I tell you, not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down.”

    3 As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately. “Tell us,” they said, “when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?”

    4 Jesus answered: “Watch out that no one deceives you. 5 For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and will deceive many. 6 You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. 7 Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. 8 All these are the beginning of birth pains.

    9 “Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. 10 At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, 11 and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. 12 Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, 13 but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved. 14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.

    15 “So when you see standing in the holy place ‘the abomination that causes desolation,’ spoken of through the prophet Daniel—let the reader understand— 16 then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. 17 Let no one on the housetop go down to take anything out of the house. 18 Let no one in the field go back to get their cloak. 19 How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers! 20 Pray that your flight will not take place in winter or on the Sabbath. 21 For then there will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now—and never to be equaled again.

    22 “If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened. 23 At that time if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Messiah!’ or, ‘There he is!’ do not believe it. 24 For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. 25 See, I have told you ahead of time.

    26 “So if anyone tells you, ‘There he is, out in the wilderness,’ do not go out; or, ‘Here he is, in the inner rooms,’ do not believe it. 27 For as lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 28 Wherever there is a carcass, there the vultures will gather.

    29 “Immediately after the distress of those days

    “‘the sun will be darkened,
        and the moon will not give its light;
    the stars will fall from the sky,
        and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.’
     
    30 “Then will appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven. And then all the peoples of the earth will mourn when they see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory. 31 And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.32 “Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. 33 Even so, when you see all these things, you know that it is near, right at the door. 34 Truly I tell you, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened. 35 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.


    The Day and Hour Unknown

    36 “But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 37 As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. 38 For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; 39 and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. 40 Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. 41 Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left.42 “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. 43 But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. 44 So you also must be ready,because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.45 “Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of the servants in his household to give them their food at the proper time? 46 It will be good for that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns. 47 Truly I tell you, he will put him in charge of all his possessions. 48 But suppose that servant is wicked and says to himself, ‘My master is staying away a long time,’ 49 and he then begins to beat his fellow servants and to eat and drink with drunkards. 50 The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of. 51 He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

    Go Deeper

    In Matthew 23, Jesus left the temple in Jerusalem crying out, “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem…” (v. 37). Sadly, He knew the majority of His own people had rejected Him as Messiah. His public teaching is finished, and now here He is telling His disciples many prophecies of what’s to come in the future.

    The first prophecies concerned the total destruction of Jerusalem and the temple, which ultimately occurred in 70 AD. He then taught the disciples earthly signs of his return including false teachers, wars, world strife, famines, earthquakes, flagrant evil, and brutal persecution of Christ followers. The disciples were told to notice these “birth pains” and remain “ready” in their faith. In verse 21, Jesus said, “There will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now—and never to be equaled again.” Verses 29-30 vividly described what His return will look like. We as believers, now, must take all these signs and descriptions to heart. Christ is telling the disciples and us to stand ready in faith in Him alone. He reminds his followers of Noah and those who did not take heed to the judgment that was coming. Unrepentant people laughed and ridiculed Noah (and God, too) over his faith and obedience. We all know how the story ended.

    While there is now way for us to know the exact time or date of Jesus’s future return (v. 42), we do know we should diligently do all that we can to further the Kingdom here on earth while we wait with hopeful anticipation of what’s to come. The joyous answer to all this is in this summary of verses 45-46:

    45 “Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of the servants in his household to give them their food at the proper time? 46 It will be good for that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns.”

    Shall we be afraid that we won’t measure up when Christ returns? No! By faith in Christ alone, we are His forever and receive our inheritance of eternal life with Him. Ephesians 2:8-9 says, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.” When Christ returns (and He will because He said so), may all of us be found with hearts that are sincere, pure, and joyous seeing Christ face to face! 

    Questions

    1. Are you prepared to meet Him? If not, what must you do to be prepared?
    2. What is your standing today before Jesus?  
    3. Depending on your answer above, write a prayer of repentance or rededication to Christ. It will bring joy and peace to your soul!

    A Quote

    Matthew Henry wrote, “The Lord’s return will be happy to those ready! A repenting sinner looks and sees Christ. Impenitent sinners shall see who they pierced, though laughing now, will mourn and weep.”

    Leave a Comment Below

    Did you learn something today? Share it with our Bible Reading Plan community by commenting below.

    Join the Team

    Interested in writing for the Bible Reading Plan? Email [email protected].

  • Matthew 1

    Matthew 1

    Matthew Introduction

    The Gospel of Matthew was written by Matthew, one of the original twelve disciples (also referred to as “Levi” by Mark and Luke). Matthew was originally a tax collector, but he left his life and career behind to go follow Jesus (as recorded in Matthew 9:9). This gospel account of Jesus’s life is the most Jewish-centric, full of Old Testament references that Matthew’s Jewish readers would have picked up on. 

    After 400 years of silence in between the book of Malachi and the birth of Jesus, this account of Jesus’s life serves as a reminder that God had not forgotten His people. Quite the opposite in fact! Through these 28 chapters describing Jesus’s life, ministry, death, and resurrection, we are able to see both the humanity and divinity of Jesus. We’ll read some of the most famous words Jesus said, as well as the stories of some of the miracles he performed during his ministry. The book ends with The Great Commission: That we are to go and make disciples of all nations. That instruction is no less for us today than it was to the original audience that Jesus spoke those powerful words to. 

    This book is an eyewitness account of the most impactful person in human history–and we get to read it! As you read each chapter, try to immerse yourself in the story. That’s what makes these narrative accounts of the life of Jesus so compelling! Close your eyes and picture what each one of these scenes might have looked like. Ask God to reveal Himself to you in a new way as you experience Jesus through these ancient, sacred words.

    Watch This

    For a preview of what’s to come as we read through Matthew together, check out this overview of the first half of the book from The Bible Project. 

    Read Matthew 1

    The Genealogy of Jesus the Messiah

    1 This is the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah the son of David, the son of Abraham:

    2 Abraham was the father of Isaac,

    Isaac the father of Jacob,

    Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers,

    3 Judah the father of Perez and Zerah, whose mother was Tamar,

    Perez the father of Hezron,

    Hezron the father of Ram,

    4 Ram the father of Amminadab,

    Amminadab the father of Nahshon,

    Nahshon the father of Salmon,

    5 Salmon the father of Boaz, whose mother was Rahab,

    Boaz the father of Obed, whose mother was Ruth,

    Obed the father of Jesse,

    6 and Jesse the father of King David.

    David was the father of Solomon, whose mother had been Uriah’s wife,

    7 Solomon the father of Rehoboam,

    Rehoboam the father of Abijah,

    Abijah the father of Asa,

    8 Asa the father of Jehoshaphat,

    Jehoshaphat the father of Jehoram,

    Jehoram the father of Uzziah,

    9 Uzziah the father of Jotham,

    Jotham the father of Ahaz,

    Ahaz the father of Hezekiah,

    10 Hezekiah the father of Manasseh,

    Manasseh the father of Amon,

    Amon the father of Josiah,

    11 and Josiah the father of Jeconiah and his brothers at the time of the exile to Babylon.

    12 After the exile to Babylon:

    Jeconiah was the father of Shealtiel,

    Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel,

    13 Zerubbabel the father of Abihud,

    Abihud the father of Eliakim,

    Eliakim the father of Azor,

    14 Azor the father of Zadok,

    Zadok the father of Akim,

    Akim the father of Elihud,

    15 Elihud the father of Eleazar,

    Eleazar the father of Matthan,

    Matthan the father of Jacob,

    16 and Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary, and Mary was the mother of Jesus who is called the Messiah.

    17 Thus there were fourteen generations in all from Abraham to David, fourteen from David to the exile to Babylon, and fourteen from the exile to the Messiah.

    Joseph Accepts Jesus as His Son

    18 This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. 19 Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.

    20 But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”

    22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet:23 “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”).

    24 When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. 25 But he did not consummate their marriage until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.

    Go Deeper

    This chapter starts with the genealogy of Jesus and describes how Jesus is linked to familiar characters from the Old Testament: He descends from the Messianic line of David and Abraham. These key points are meant to provide evidence that Jesus is the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecies and will bring God’s blessing to all the nations, just as God promised to Abraham. In 2 Samuel it was also foretold and explained that the Messiah would come from King David’s line, and in the very first sentence of this book, Matthew points to Jesus as the fulfillment of those promises.

    But let’s not miss that Matthew also includes some interesting characters that didn’t fulfill prophecies, but rather were meant to provide us with hope all throughout Jesus’s geneology. His mention of prostitutes and murderers and adulterers along the way, because it identifies the sinners in Jesus’s–people just like us. As the theologian Charles Spurgeon put it, Jesus “is akin to the fallen and to the lowly, and he will show his love even to the poorest and most obscure.”

    What a gift that God made sure to intentionally include the lowly in this list. It’s tangible evidence of His grace and love for us all–one more assurance that we would never have to feel that we fall outside of His forgiveness. In fact, not only does it provide assurance of forgiveness, it exhibits a picture of Ephesians 1:11 which says that we have obtained an inheritance in Jesus. Absolutely none of us are so bad that we cannot be included in the genealogy of Christ the King! 

    Today as we go about our day, let’s focus on and give thanks for a God who cared so much about us that He inspired those writing Scripture to include names like Tamar, Rahab, and David with the wife of Uriah. Names that did not have to be included, but as 2 Timothy 3:16 tells us were “God-breathed” for our benefit. What a reminder of God’s love for every single one of us, no matter our story.

    Questions

    1. Why do you think God intentionally included certain names in this list of genealogy?
    2. What can you thank God for as a result of your answer to question one?
    3. Is there anyone that you feel is beyond God’s forgiveness? Ask God to change your heart and provide you with reminders that even the “lowly” deserve Christ’s inheritance. 

    By the Way

    Romans 8:16-17 explains more about our inheritance in Christ.

    16 The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.17 Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.

    Leave a Comment Below

    Did you learn something today? Share it with our Bible Reading Plan community by commenting below.

    Join the Team

    Interested in writing for the Bible Reading Plan? Email [email protected].

  • Micah 1

    Micah 1

    Micah Preview

    The book of Micah tells the story of another minor prophet, Micah, from a town called Moresheth Gath (an agricultural area about 25 miles from Jerusalem). Micah, similar to the prophet Amos, was concerned with those on the margins and outside of the power structures that were in existence. His prophecies were aimed towards the political and religious leaders of Samaria and Jerusalem.

    This book is significant on multiple fronts. First, it is another warning to Israel and Judah about how they treated the lowly in society. They were unfair and unethical. They treated women poorly. They didn’t care about injustice. They were content to exploit others for the sake of their own gain. And this was contrary to what God wanted from them, so Micah (like so many other prophets along the way) called on them to repent.

    This book also foretells a future where God’s kingdom will be restored and His people will live with hope. Micah speaks of a future ruler who will come from a little town called Bethlehem that will rule over Israel and, while the world will face judgment, there is a compassionate God who delights in showing mercy to His people. Micah points to the hope that is to come. As we read it, we can be reminded of that same hope!

    While we read through another minor prophet, let’s dig into each chapter and verse. Grab a journal, a pen, and a highlighter. Take note of the important words and phrases that stick out. Look out for repetition. What was God trying to teach this original audience and what is He trying to teach us now? These are the questions we should be asking ourselves as we study the book of Micah together!

    Read Micah 1

    1 The word of the Lord that came to Micah of Moresheth during the reigns of Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah, kings of Judah—the vision he saw concerning Samaria and Jerusalem.

    2 Hear, you peoples, all of you,
        listen, earth and all who live in it,
    that the Sovereign Lord may bear witness against you,
        the Lord from his holy temple.

    Judgment Against Samaria and Jerusalem

    3 Look! The Lord is coming from his dwelling place;
        he comes down and treads on the heights of the earth.
    4 The mountains melt beneath him
        and the valleys split apart,
    like wax before the fire,
        like water rushing down a slope.
    5 All this is because of Jacob’s transgression,
        because of the sins of the people of Israel.
    What is Jacob’s transgression?
        Is it not Samaria?
    What is Judah’s high place?
        Is it not Jerusalem?

    6 “Therefore I will make Samaria a heap of rubble,
        a place for planting vineyards.
    I will pour her stones into the valley
        and lay bare her foundations.
    7 All her idols will be broken to pieces;
        all her temple gifts will be burned with fire;
        I will destroy all her images.
    Since she gathered her gifts from the wages of prostitutes,
        as the wages of prostitutes they will again be used.”

    Weeping and Mourning

    8 Because of this I will weep and wail;
        I will go about barefoot and naked.
    I will howl like a jackal
        and moan like an owl.
    9 For Samaria’s plague is incurable;
        it has spread to Judah.
    It has reached the very gate of my people,
        even to Jerusalem itself.
    10 Tell it not in Gath;
        weep not at all.
    In Beth Ophrah
        roll in the dust.
    11 Pass by naked and in shame,
        you who live in Shaphir.
    Those who live in Zaanan
        will not come out.
    Beth Ezel is in mourning;
        it no longer protects you.
    12 Those who live in Maroth writhe in pain,
        waiting for relief,
    because disaster has come from the Lord,
        even to the gate of Jerusalem.
    13 You who live in Lachish,
        harness fast horses to the chariot.
    You are where the sin of Daughter Zion began,
        for the transgressions of Israel were found in you.
    14 Therefore you will give parting gifts
        to Moresheth Gath.
    The town of Akzib will prove deceptive
        to the kings of Israel.
    15 I will bring a conqueror against you
        who live in Mareshah.
    The nobles of Israel
        will flee to Adullam.
    16 Shave your head in mourning
        for the children in whom you delight;
    make yourself as bald as the vulture,
        for they will go from you into exile.

    Go Deeper

    The essence of the book of Micah’s first chapter is that God is pronouncing judgment on the entirety of Israel, both the northern kingdom of Israel and the southern kingdom of Judah, and this judgment is bad news. We could stop there, because that’s basically the point, but there has to be more here, doesn’t there?

    In verses 10-15, we read a list of cities and what will happen to the inhabitants of said cities. Most of us likely skimmed over this part, noting that it doesn’t sound good but wondering what this has to do with the point. Is this section a bunch of specifics we don’t need? Could we do without this part? These are understandable questions, to be sure, but, as many of us well know, this part wouldn’t be in Scripture if it weren’t important.

    Look back at where Micah is from in verse 1, where he is introduced as “Micah of Moresheth.” This is interesting because Micah is the only one of the prophets who is introduced by his city. Why? It is possible that this is to set up a key literary and rhetorical device used in the section mentioned earlier (v. 10-15). Read verse 14 again. Many believe that “Moresheth Gath” in verse 14 is the same as Moresheth in verse 1, Micah’s hometown. Why does this matter? Of the cities listed in verses 10-15, ancient maps indicate all are neighboring cities to Moresheth. Micah would’ve known these cities, and, more importantly, their names. God allows someone familiar with these places and people to explain why they face “disaster” (v. 12). 

    In these verses, Micah masterfully uses the rhetorical device of wordplay, which many prophets use. For example, in verse 13, we read, “You who live in Lachish, harness fast horses to the chariot.” The city name “Lachish” sounds like the Hebrew word for “steed,” which makes it ironic that Micah is calling for them to saddle up the horses and run from the coming judgment.

    Why does all of this matter? The rhetorical device of wordplay (used in both Old and New Testaments) emphasizes a point. Each word is significant and carries weight. Wordplay helps bring attention to the message. What did we already say the point of this chapter is? God is pronouncing judgment on the entirety of the Israelite people. It’s a jarring reminder of how seriously God takes sin. We can even dare to say He considers it punishable by death. 

    If only there was someone who could intercede on behalf of the guilty…

    Questions

    1. Have you taken time recently to grieve your sin? If so, keep it up! If not, take this as an opportunity to put some of your sin struggles on paper and prayerfully take them before God.
    2. Who in your life are you regularly confessing your sin to? If you’re not regularly in a rhythm of doing that, schedule time to do that sometime in the next week. You can do this in the power of the Holy Spirit!
    3. It’s important for us to remember that God hates sin, but also that God is not mad at you. Continue to take this before Him in prayer. What is one sinful habit you can work on changing today?

    By the Way

    Read Romans 5:6-11 and Romans 6:23. These may help with some questions from today.

    Leave a Comment Below

    Did you learn something today? Share it with our Bible Reading Plan community by commenting below.

    Join the Team

    Interested in writing for the Bible Reading Plan? Email [email protected].