Week #42 | The Beginning of Jesus' Ministry

LOOK | WHAT DOES IT SAY?

(286) Matthew 1:1-17; Luke 3:23b-38; John 1-18; Luke 1:1-25

(287) Luke 1:26-80; Matthew 1:18-25

(288) Luke 2:1-38; Matthew 2:1-23; Luke 2:39-52

(289) Matthew 3:1-17; Mark 1:1-11; Luke 3:1-23a

(290) Matthew 4:1-11; Mark 1:12-13; Luke 4:1-13; John 1:19-2:25

(291) John 3:1-36; Matthew 4:12-17; Mark 1:14-15; Luke 4:14-30; John 4:1-54

(292) Matthew 4:18-22; Mark 1:16-28; Luke 5:1-11; 4:31-37 | Matthew 8:14-17; Mark 1:29-34; Luke 4:38-41 | Matthew 4:23-25; Mark 1:35-39; Luke 4:42-44

THINK | WHAT DOES IT MEAN?

Reading #286: The Genealogies of Jesus, His Beginnings, and His History. Jesus is more than just a man, and John 1 opens by revealing who he really is--the Word, God, the only begotten Son (Greek: monogenes), who became flesh and dwelt among us for our sakes to reveal the grace of God. That is his divine origin. As for his earthly origin, Matthew gives a highly stylized genealogy of the legal succession of rulership of Israel--through Abraham and David and Joseph to Jesus. At the same time, Luke likely gives the physical descent of David's line through his son Nathan, all the way to Heli, and through Mary to Jesus. There are a lot of ins and outs about how this works, but the long and short of it is that Jesus is physically and legally the descendant of David and the rightful heir to his throne. The final section of Reading #286 shows the care that Luke gave to provide historical places, names, rulers, and events in his writing of his Gospel--this is no non-historical account, and so Luke works hard to verify: this is when these things happened; here is where these things occurred; these are the names of the rulers and the years of their reigns at the time. This is what really happened.

Reading #287: The Scandalous Birth of the Messiah. According to the readings above, this section covers the appearance of the angel to Mary, Mary's trip to Judah to spend three months with her relative Elizabeth, and her return to Nazareth where -now visibly pregnant- she is nearly divorced by Joseph before he is told in a dream to take Mary as his wife. The chronological reading really adds to our trip through the Gospels here, as we're given a sense of the anticipation and anxiety and danger that Mary and Joseph experienced, which is not clear in any one of the Gospels but which becomes immediately clear when they are put together.

Reading #288: The Birth and Childhood of Jesus. Again, the two accounts of Jesus' birth and childhood in Matthew and Luke fit together perfectly, even though in important ways they show no knowledge of each other. Putting them together, we see that Jesus' parents were from Nazareth originally, that they traveled to Bethlehem because of the census, and that Mary gave birth to Jesus there in order to fulfill the prophecy of Micah 5. While there, they dedicated Jesus at the Temple. Evidently they must have concluded that they were supposed to stay in Bethlehem, because by the time the Wise Men in Matthew's Gospel arrive, they are now living in their own house in the area. But they are forced to flee from Herod's wrath -Herod had been given kingship over Israel by Rome, and was paranoid about threats to his throne- and flee to Egypt, and then return to their previous home in small-town Nazareth in Galilee. By the time he is 13, though, Jesus' parents are making trips down to Jerusalem for feast days, and the boy Jesus is found debating the law with teachers in the temple and calling God his own father--something that he will pick up on again 20 years later.

Reading #289: The Baptism of John and Arrival of Jesus. All these Gospels start the ministry of Jesus with the ministry of John the Baptist. John is the one who comes in the spirit and power of Elijah to announce the arrival of God--and then Jesus shows up. Jesus, though sinless, is baptized by John, marking both the beginning and the end of Jesus' ministry with Jesus putting himself in the place of sinners. We see the Trinity in picture at this point, as the Spirit descends on the Son, and the voice of the Father glorifies him as the one in whom he delights.

Reading #290: Jesus' Temptation in the Wilderness and Return to John the Baptist. I had never realized, before I first started reading a harmony of the Gospels, that Jesus returned to John the Baptist after his time in the wilderness. Here, Matthew and Luke recount Jesus' temptation, and while they follow Mark by not acknowledging any of Jesus' ministry in Judea after this point, John fills in the details by describing all that Jesus did in the area during his earthly ministry. The result is that we have the details on Jesus' return to the area around the Jordan in John 1:19, his first interactions with his disciples (and now, it makes sense why they will later drop their nets to follow him, because they already knew him), his first miracle, and his first cleansing of the Temple.

Reading #291: Jesus Moves to Galilee. This section, combined together, shows that Jesus initially had a vibrant ministry in and around Jerusalem, before the persecution of John the Baptist by a different Herod led to Jesus going back to Galilee--there's a certain symmetry there with his birth account. According to John, while passing through Judea to go to Galilee, he encounters the Samaritan Woman, and announces to her that he is the Messiah, and all the inhabitants of the town of Samaria subsequently believe in him. Then he goes to Capernaum, does something there, goes back to Cana, and is then rejected at Nazareth -because no prophet is honored in his home town- and makes his new home in Capernaum. This begins a complicated narrative of Jesus, the Messiah of Israel, being accepted by the least likely while simultaneously being rejected by those who would be the most likely to receive him.

Reading #292: Jesus' Call of the Disciples and Ministry at Capernaum. This reading details Jesus' initial ministry in and around Capernaum, as people come to him as soon as the Sabbath is over and he begins healing and doing miracles. Afterwards he prays during the night and is called to go to the other towns of Galilee--and his followers are called to leave their nets, where they could have previously practiced their profession while following Jesus in Capernaum and on the rare occasion outside of town, but now they will leave those nets behind in order to follow Jesus throughout Galilee full-time.

DO | HOW DO WE RESPOND?

How can we respond in our worship, attitude, and actions? I won't lay out exact responses in this space because the possibilities are often endless. But it is worth it to think about application in the categories of worship, attitude, and actions. Does this reading direct me to God in worship and thanksgiving and praise, or does it direct me towards a change that I need to make here and now? If it's about a change that I need to make, is this something inward in my attitude, or outward in my actions? This helps to rescue application from just being a series of how-to tips, or one-size-fits-all instructions that go beyond what the Bible actually states. Sometimes, the most helpful application we can make is to get a different perspective on what's the most important thing, or about how we should respond inwardly to the things going on around us.

PRAY | HOW DOES THIS BRING US TO GOD?

Whether in response to anything pointed out here, or to something else in your Bible reading time, take a few moments before you close up your Bible to pray in response to God. If you need a format for prayer, both the ACTS (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication), CALL (Confess, Ask, Love, Listen), and PRAY (Praise, Repent, Ask, Yield) methods are helpful ways to stay consistent.

-Sean

Week #41 | The Old Testament: "To Be Continued..."

LOOK | WHAT DOES IT SAY?

Read Ezra 9-10; Nehemiah 1-13

THINK | WHAT DOES IT MEAN?

A Cliffhanger in Every Way. The Old Testament has a sense of incompleteness about it. If you end the way the Christian Bible does, with the Prophets, then you are left with predictions of a coming Messiah followed by a period of silence which will last for another 400 years. If you end chronologically, you end with a less-than-ideal description of the people of Israel in the Book of Nehemiah, and a frustrated leader's wish that God would at least remember him for the trouble that he's had to put up with. Then, once again, hundreds of years of silence. A greater rescue is needed, and the return from exile has not brought about the restoration that the prophets have predicted--the fulfillment of those promises must be further in the future. If you end the way that the Jewish Bible -the Tanakh- does, you would actually go back to 1-2 Chronicles after reading Ezra and Nehemiah, and end with the capture and burning of Jerusalem, and a small note on Cyrus' decree allowing Israel to return to the land. Either way you end, reading the Old Testament on its own has the frustrating incompleteness of a book series or TV show that was really good, only to be stopped suddenly and never added on to. Getting to the end, you have a sense of thinking, "What? That can't be the end. I want to know how this ends!" And that's where, after a 400 year silence between Malachi and Matthew, the New Testament picks things up.

Behind the Scenes of the Old Testament. The story of Nehemiah is actually fascinating for many of the details that it doesn't share. The Samaritan Temple was being built at the same time that Nehemiah was building his wall, and Sanballat was attempting to set up a rival center of worship to God which had references to Jerusalem and to David's throne -and thus to all of the Old Testament aside from the first five books of the Bible- cut out, as that would have taken away from his own center of power which was at Samaria. Nehemiah's struggle was to preserve the revelation given to Judah through David and the Histories and the Prophets against a collection of false versions of Yahweh-worship led by Sanballat's coalition. Eventually, Sanballat's innovations turned into the Samaritan religion, which still lasts up to today as a tiny remnant (though in Nehemiah's day, it would have been by far the bigger group). In addition, Nehemiah's Wall is still visible through archaeology, which shows that it was constructed hastily and in sections, with some sections being put together more roughly, and others having a little more care put into them. The Elephantine Letters in Egypt also act as a sort of follow-up to the Book of Nehemiah 20 years later, and they reveal that by that time Jerusalem had been sending teachers out to the exiles to instruct them in Jewish law, meanwhile at home Jehohanan had become the High Priest and Sanballat was still governor of Samaria alongside his two sons (Nehemiah, by then, is no longer present in Jerusalem). Nehemiah's Reforms became vitally important for preserving the witness of the Histories and the Prophets, which testify to the hope of the Messiah, though he likely did not understand how important his role would be during his lifetime.

The Next 400 Years. Over the next 400 years, Israel would pass from the Persians to the Greeks during the time of Alexander the Great. After Alexander died, his kingdom was split four ways to his generals, and Israel kept changing hands from the Ptolemies centered in Egypt, to the Seleucids centered in Syria. One of the Seleucid kings, Antiochus Epiphanes IV, was particularly despicable, and violently persecuted the Jews in an attempt to wipe out their religion and turn them into Greeks. This didn't work, and as the apocryphal -but still valuable- book of 1 Maccabees recounts, the Jewish people were miraculously able to drive out the Seleucid Syrian Greeks, and win back not only Jerusalem and the Temple, but also their own independent kingdom of Israel. To celebrate this event they brought in a new Feast of Dedication, known today as Hannukah (the Hebrew word for "dedication"), which Jesus himself celebrated in John 10:22-23. This kingdom of Israel enjoyed its own independence for over 100 years, eventually gaining more territory than the kingdom had even under David and Solomon, until the Romans under Julius Caesar subjugated it again in 63 BC. The Jewish people, at the time when the New Testament opens, are therefore resentful of the Romans and still harboring visions of rebelling against them as they did against the Syrian Greeks, to get their kingdom back. They are hoping that the promised Messiah will be the one to drive out the Romans and bring the kingdom back to Israel. That audience is going to be highly interested, then, when Jesus arrives doing signs and miracles, and speaking about the Kingdom of God. But his kingdom is not an earthly kingdom. And his purpose will be more than just the restoration of one nation...

DO | HOW DO WE RESPOND?

How can we respond in our worship, attitude, and actions? I won't lay out exact responses in this space because the possibilities are often endless. But it is worth it to think about application in the categories of worship, attitude, and actions. Does this reading direct me to God in worship and thanksgiving and praise, or does it direct me towards a change that I need to make here and now? If it's about a change that I need to make, is this something inward in my attitude, or outward in my actions? This helps to rescue application from just being a series of how-to tips, or one-size-fits-all instructions that go beyond what the Bible actually states. Sometimes, the most helpful application we can make is to get a different perspective on what's the most important thing, or about how we should respond inwardly to the things going on around us.

PRAY | HOW DOES THIS BRING US TO GOD?

Whether in response to anything pointed out here, or to something else in your Bible reading time, take a few moments before you close up your Bible to pray in response to God. If you need a format for prayer, both the ACTS (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication), CALL (Confess, Ask, Love, Listen), and PRAY (Praise, Repent, Ask, Yield) methods are helpful ways to stay consistent.

-Sean

Week #40 | The Gospel in Psalms, Malachi, Esther, and Ezra

LOOK | WHAT DOES IT SAY?

Read Psalms 136-137, 146-150; Malachi 1-4; Esther 1-10; Ezra 7-8

THINK | WHAT DOES IT MEAN?

From Sorrow to Joy (Psalms 136-137 and 146-150). The Book of Psalms needs to be read, properly, as a narrative. In that narrative, the returning voice of the true and better David in Psalms 108-111 leads us into psalms of celebration in 112-119, and then songs of ascent to bring God's people up to Jerusalem in 120-134. Once there, the history of God's faithfulness is recounted in two historical psalms in 135-136. But then there is a sudden break. We are transported, all of a sudden, back to the darkest point of Israel's history, back to the beginning of the Babylonian captivity when Jerusalem was taken. Psalm 137 portrays in vivid detail the weeping and sorrow and anger of that moment in time. If you don't understand the flow of the narrative of the Book of Psalms, you will struggle with what to do with lines in Psalm 137 like "blessed shall he be who repays you... Blessed shall he be who takes your little ones and dashes them against the rock!" (Psalm 137:8-9). In its proper context, it captures the despair of those who lived through the Babylonian captivity of Jerusalem. But then, after this sudden dark turn, we are all of a sudden greeted by the returned, strong, sustained voice of the new and better David -the Messiah- again, who leads us all the way from Psalms 139-145. Because of this new kingly figure in the line of David, the sorrow of Psalm 137 is turned into the joy of Psalms 146-150. Jesus, the true and better David, has arrived. He is our reason for celebration, and he is the one who brings joy out of sorrow. Praise the Lord!

The Gospel in Malachi. Malachi is a good choice to close off the Old Testament in the Christian canon, as it promises a messenger -Elijah- who will come to prepare the people for the arrival of God himself (Malachi 3 and 4). What would not have been clear to the Jews of the Old Testament was that this promise was the same as the Messianic predictions of the other prophets, and of the Psalms, throughout the rest of the Old Testament. When the Messiah comes, God will also come, because it turns out that the Messiah will be God in human flesh. The arrival of the Messiah is the arrival of God. This is just barely visible in other texts like Micah 5, or Isaiah 7-12, but here Malachi closes off the Old Testament by saying: "a messenger is coming who will prepare the way for the arrival of God." Nearly 400 years later, John the Baptist came--and prepared the way for the arrival of Jesus.

Esther is all about God, but it doesn't name him. The Book of Esther is a curious case. It is about the faithfulness of God and his providential protection. But, one of its literary features is that it doesn't ever refer to God directly. (This literary feature is ruined in Catholic Bibles, which include a number of additions to Esther that try to "help" by including extra sections where God is referred to directly.) The point is, we may not always see God at work, but even in the darkest times, he is active and guiding all things together.

The Arrival of Ezra in Ezra 7-8. Ezra 7 fast-forwards nearly 60 years from the previous chapter. Although the temple has been rebuilt, sort of, there is still opposition and things are not progressing on the ground as they should be. But from Ezra 7 on, Jerusalem will now have continuous government with both local semi-autonomous rulers, and local laws of its own based on God's law (Ezra 7:14, 25-26). This  took place in 457 B.C., and with Persian approval for Israel to operate by God's law and to set up local government according to that law, the clock starts running at this point for Daniel's prophecy of 490 years until the Messiah (Daniel 9)--a clock that will eventually run out in 33 A.D., when Jesus died and rose again, "to finish transgression, to put an end to sin, and to atone for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal both vision and prophet, and to anoint a most holy one" (Daniel 9:24).

DO | HOW DO WE RESPOND?

How can we respond in our worship, attitude, and actions? I won't lay out exact responses in this space because the possibilities are often endless. But it is worth it to think about application in the categories of worship, attitude, and actions. Does this reading direct me to God in worship and thanksgiving and praise, or does it direct me towards a change that I need to make here and now? If it's about a change that I need to make, is this something inward in my attitude, or outward in my actions? This helps to rescue application from just being a series of how-to tips, or one-size-fits-all instructions that go beyond what the Bible actually states. Sometimes, the most helpful application we can make is to get a different perspective on what's the most important thing, or about how we should respond inwardly to the things going on around us.

PRAY | HOW DOES THIS BRING US TO GOD?

Whether in response to anything pointed out here, or to something else in your Bible reading time, take a few moments before you close up your Bible to pray in response to God. If you need a format for prayer, both the ACTS (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication), CALL (Confess, Ask, Love, Listen), and PRAY (Praise, Repent, Ask, Yield) methods are helpful ways to stay consistent.

-Sean

Week #39 | The Gospel in the Five Books of Psalms

LOOK | WHAT DOES IT SAY?

Read Psalms 113-121, 123, 125-126, 128-130, 132, 134-135

THINK | WHAT DOES IT MEAN?

The Gospel in the Five Books of Psalms. The whole book of Psalms is, and has been as far back in history as we can tell, divided into five smaller "books." The first, Psalms 1-41,  begins with two chapters of introduction before immediately providing us with a problem: David, the king, is a broken mess who is hemmed in by enemies and troubles on every side. Then in the second book, Psalms 42-72, there is silence from King David until Psalm 51, where we see that he has morally fallen and committed adultery with Bathsheba. And then in Psalms 71-72, he dies.  The third book, Psalms 73-89 is the darkest of the group, reflecting the disappointment of the kings after David and the exile of Israel and Judah, and ends with a plea that God would show his faithfulness by raising up a true, righteous, delivering king from David's line. The fourth book, Psalms 90-106, is likely the most positive group within in the Psalms. It answers the pessimism and doubting of the third book by going back to Moses (Psalm 90) and ending with two historical Psalms (Psalms 105-106) to show that God has been faithful to Israel in the past, and so he will indeed be faithful to Israel by bringing a true king from David's line in the future. This makes the way for the fifth book, Psalms 107-150, where we witness the return of the king. After Psalm 107, the next three Psalms see the voice of David return for the first time consistently, since all the way back in Book 2. The Psalms after this are mostly celebratory, including the Psalms of Ascent (Psalms 120-134). The one exception is Psalm 137, which reflects the suffering of Israel in exile, and that is answered by the return, again, of David's voice -although, a new David, one unlike the man we met in Books 1 and 2- who is marked by faithfulness and righteousness and humility (Psalms 138-145) and whose reign leads all who have breath to praise the Lord (Psalms 146-150), capping off the book in celebratory fireworks of praise. The structure of the Psalms leads us to long for, and expect, a Messiah from David's line who will do what David could not do, because this Messiah will be the true and better David.

Reflections from Book Five of the Psalms. The passages that are given to us for Week #39 are all from the fifth and final book of the Psalms. We have the celebratory songs leading up to Psalm 119 (more on that in a second), and then the Psalms of Ascent after, and then two historical Psalms (135-136, though Psalm 136 isn't in this week's reading). The arrival of the good and true king is a worthy source of celebration. Because Jesus, the true and better David, has arrived (Psalms 108-110), we can celebrate (Psalms 111-118), and approach God (Psalms 120-134), and recount the good that he has done for the sake of his people (Psalms 135-136). The arrival of the kingdom depends on the arrival of the king, and when the king arrives, there is cause for celebration!

The longest of the Psalms--Psalm 119. Psalm 119 is a beautiful acrostic poem, working its way through every letter of the Hebrew alphabet in order, to highlight the importance and preciousness of God's law. His laws, and statutes, and precepts, are a gift to us. They are a light to our path, and a sign of God's closeness to us in that he has revealed himself through their testimony. Every part of an Old Testament Jew's life, from what he planted in his field, to the clothing that he wore, to the way that he cut his hair and beard and what he ate, reminded him that he belonged to and was precious to God. Following God's laws was not a burden. It was a blessing. And through God's Word, he reveals to us his promises as well. There is life to be found here.

DO | HOW DO WE RESPOND?

How can we respond in our worship, attitude, and actions? I won't lay out exact responses in this space because the possibilities are often endless. But it is worth it to think about application in the categories of worship, attitude, and actions. Does this reading direct me to God in worship and thanksgiving and praise, or does it direct me towards a change that I need to make here and now? If it's about a change that I need to make, is this something inward in my attitude, or outward in my actions? This helps to rescue application from just being a series of how-to tips, or one-size-fits-all instructions that go beyond what the Bible actually states. Sometimes, the most helpful application we can make is to get a different perspective on what's the most important thing, or about how we should respond inwardly to the things going on around us.

PRAY | HOW DOES THIS BRING US TO GOD?

Whether in response to anything pointed out here, or to something else in your Bible reading time, take a few moments before you close up your Bible to pray in response to God. If you need a format for prayer, both the ACTS (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication), CALL (Confess, Ask, Love, Listen), and PRAY (Praise, Repent, Ask, Yield) methods are helpful ways to stay consistent.

-Sean

Week #38 | The Gospel in Zechariah and Joel

 LOOK | WHAT DOES IT SAY?

Read Zechariah 4-14; Ezra 5-6; Joel 1-3; Psalms 107, 111, 112

THINK | WHAT DOES IT MEAN?

(1) The Gospel in Zechariah. Zechariah is a really interesting book, and it is absolutely full of references to the Messiah. 

To start, the Angel of the Lord (who is both with God, and appears to be God) appears for the first time in quite a long time in Zechariah 3. We see here the same blurring of identities that happens whenever the Angel of the LORD has shown up in the Old Testament in the past--for instance the strange language of the LORD invoking the LORD to rebuke Satan ("the LORD said to Satan, 'The LORD rebuke you, O Satan!" in 3:2) as Joshua and Satan stand before the Angel for judgment. Matt Foreman and Doug Van Dorn interpret this to mean that the Angel of the LORD is being identified as the LORD, and then in passing judgment the Angel then says "the LORD rebuke you" to Satan. So the Angel is here a pre-incarnate appearance of God the Son; distinct as a person so that he can refer to the LORD in third person, and yet of one substance with God the Father so that he can be identified as the LORD himself. Then, we see that the Angel of the LORD has the ability to forgive sins: the Angel declares "I have taken your iniquity away from you" to Joshua in Zechariah 3:4. 

In the rest of Zechariah 3, the Angel declares that God will bring the Branch forth (remember this title for the Messiah from Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel), with whose arrival God declares "I will remove the iniquity of this land in a single day" (Zechariah 3:10). This is precisely what Jesus, the Branch -the "root" and "shoot" of Jesse described as far back as Isaiah 11- did when he gave himself up to death on a cross. 

Strangely, symbols of the Messiah from David's line are placed on Joshua in Zechariah 6, including a crown and the title of "the Branch," as well as "royal honor." This is strange because Joshua is not an heir of the line of David. This should make us stop and wonder why this is happening. Why the break in the pattern, by recognizing someone who is not from David's line this way? It might be as simple as a name and a function. As the high priest, Joshua intercedes before God for the people. And as for his name, he won't be the last person with the name "Joshua" to bear a crown of glory and messianic names: this Joshua prefigures a greater Joshua -whose name, though the same, is more commonly rendered in English as Jesus- whom this particular Joshua points forward to. 

In Zechariah 9, the people (who have no king, as they are waiting for a descendant of David) are told "your king is coming to you, righteous and having salvation is he, humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey" (Zechariah 9:9). 

And then, towards the end of the book, we have an incredible passage where the LORD identifies himself as the one who will be pierced to cleanse his people from sin and uncleanness: 

“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... On that day there shall be a fountain opened for the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, to cleanse them from sin and uncleanness." -Zechariah 12:10, 13:1

(2) The Gospel in Joel. This prophetic book speaks clearly about the Day of the LORD, and is a favorite book for end-times enthusiasts. But Joel is primarily a book that points to Jesus. The difficulty is that many of our translations obscure this in a key verse in Joel 2:23, where it should read "the teacher of righteousness" instead of "the early rain." Not that my Hebrew is great or anything (it's not), but various recognized experts in the book have pointed this out, and I believe them. Michael Rydelnik has written a dedicated chapter on this issue; the notes for the NET Bible acknowledge the source of the difference in translation (though it ultimately it takes a different stance); and the CSB translation includes "the teacher of righteousness" as an alternate translation for Joel 2:23 in a footnote.

With that one verse rendered differently the center of the book reads:

"Be glad, O children of Zion, and rejoice in the LORD your God, for he has given the Teacher of Righteousness; he has poured down for you abundant rain, the early and the latter rain, as before... You shall know that I am in the midst of Israel, and that I am the LORD your God and there is none else. And my people shall never again be put to shame... And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions. Even on the male and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit... And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved." -Joel 2:23, 27-29, 32a

If you see the prediction of the Teacher of Righteousness -a messianic title- leading into a prediction of the pouring out of the Spirit in Joel chapter 2, then it all of a sudden becomes much clearer why Peter makes this same connection in his sermon in Acts 2.

DO | HOW DO WE RESPOND?

How can we respond in our worship, attitude, and actions? I won't lay out exact responses in this space because the possibilities are often endless. But it is worth it to think about application in the categories of worship, attitude, and actions. Does this reading direct me to God in worship and thanksgiving and praise, or does it direct me towards a change that I need to make here and now? If it's about a change that I need to make, is this something inward in my attitude, or outward in my actions? This helps to rescue application from just being a series of how-to tips, or one-size-fits-all instructions that go beyond what the Bible actually states. Sometimes, the most helpful application we can make is to get a different perspective on what's the most important thing, or about how we should respond inwardly to the things going on around us.

PRAY | HOW DOES THIS BRING US TO GOD?

Whether in response to anything pointed out here, or to something else in your Bible reading time, take a few moments before you close up your Bible to pray in response to God. If you need a format for prayer, both the ACTS (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication), CALL (Confess, Ask, Love, Listen), and PRAY (Praise, Repent, Ask, Yield) methods are helpful ways to stay consistent.

-Sean

Week #37 | "Citizens of the Coming King"

LOOK | WHAT DOES IT SAY?

Read Ezekiel 29-30, 40-48; Daniel 4, 7, 8-10; Jeremiah 52; Haggai 1-2; Zechariah 1-3; 1 Chronicles 3, 9; 2 Kings 25:27-30; 2 Chronicles 36:22-23; Ezra 1:1-5:2

THINK | WHAT DOES IT MEAN?

There's quite a variety of readings this week, as Steinmann's chronological plan takes us into the books of five biblical prophets and four historical books. We can't possibly cover everything in this space, but we can take a look at a few highlights.

Ezekiel's Temple (Ezekiel 40-48). The following notes come from the ESV Study Bible: "With the last date formula in the book appearing at 40:1, Ezekiel arrives at the beginning of the end. The post-destruction oracles of chs. 33-37 concluded with a promise of divine presence that anticipates the final words of the book (cf. 37:26–28; 48:35). The oracle against Gog in chs. 38-39 appeared to interrupt the movement toward realizing that presence. That interpretation, however, assumes a reading of the book that focuses on the human plane, which is not Ezekiel’s perspective. The most important thing is not human hope but divine glory. The Gog oracle established God’s absolute supremacy among the nations. The book’s final vision accomplishes this same purpose, but within the community of God’s own people. Understood this way, the details of Ezekiel’s vision (which may strike the modern reader as mundane or obscure) take on their proper vitality and significance. The vision of chs. 40-48 is a direct counterpart to the pre-destruction vision in chs. 8-11, in which the abominations practiced in Jerusalem drove the holy God from his temple. In chs. 40-42, Ezekiel is again taken on a tour, this time of the new temple, which culminates with the return of the glory of God (43:1–5). The voice of the Lord now instructs Ezekiel in the regulations for Israel’s renewed worship life (43:6-46:24). When the “tour” resumes, Ezekiel witnesses the river flowing from the temple, which brings life to the world (46:19-47:12). The book concludes with the division of the land among the tribes with the new city and new temple at its heart, with equal access for all (47:13-48:35). 

     With regard to the meaning of this passage as a whole: (1) Some interpreters understand this vision as a prophecy that will be fulfilled literally, with a rebuilt temple and Israel dwelling in the land according to its tribes–a future millennial kingdom on the earth (see notes on Rev. 20:1–6). Many who hold this position believe that literal animal sacrifices will be offered, but that in the future millennial kingdom they will function as reminders of the complete and sufficient death of Christ, a function different from what they had in the OT. (2) Other interpreters see this vision of a new temple and a renewal of the land of Israel as an extended, detailed metaphor predicting the presence of God among his people in the new covenant age (that is, his presence in the church). (3) Another view is that the vision predicts God’s presence among his people in the new heavens and new earth (cf. Isa. 66:17; 2 Pet. 3:13; Rev. 21:1), not as physical details that will be literally fulfilled but as symbolic indications of the great blessings of that future age. In this interpretation, the details about worship and sacrifices are symbols of the centrality of worship of God: the temple represents the orderliness and beauty of God’s heavenly dwelling place; the priests and their sacrifices represent the service and worship of all God’s people; the division of the land represents the allocation of places to live for all God’s people; and the river represents the outward flow of God’s blessings to his people forever. (4) Finally, it is possible that there are both literal and symbolic elements in this vision, and that, as with the visions in Ezekiel 1, this vision describes future realities that cannot be fully expressed in terms of Ezekiel’s present realities.

     Almost all interpreters agree that Ezekiel 40-48 is one of the most difficult passages in the entire Bible. No matter which interpretation one adopts, certain primary emphases are quite clear. The whole vision may be understood as describing the actual presence of God within the temple of the new community: chs. 40-42 prepare for it; ch. 43 realizes it; chs. 44-46 provide the rules for it; ch. 47 describes its effects; and ch. 48 lays out access to it. The vision thus also presupposes threads and themes of earlier oracles: the supremacy of God; the requirements necessitated by his holiness; revitalization by the Spirit of God; honoring God by living in accord with his holiness; and ensuring the sanctity of the community by maintaining divine justice." -ESV Study Bible

The Gospel According to Daniel. The Book of Daniel has an interesting structure that, rightly understood, shows Jesus (or, at least, the divine "son of man" figure that we will later find out is Jesus) as the main figure and central theme of the book. It's written in two languages. Chapters 1 and 8-12 are written in Hebrew, while chapters 2-7 are written in Aramaic. The transitions are intentional, which shows that this is meant to be written in two languages--it's a clue to the intentional structure of the book. It's written in two genres. Chapters 1-6 of Daniel are written as a third person narrative, while chapters 7-12 are written as first-person visions. The Aramaic chapters, 2-7, clearly mirror each other. Chapters 2 and 7 are about visions of four human kingdoms that are then overthrown by God's kingdom; chapter 3 and 6 are about God's miraculous rescue of his faithful servants from the hands of violent government persecution (the fiery furnace and the lion's den); and finally, chapters 4 and 5 are about God's miraculous humbling of two separate kings of Babylon. What do you get when you tie it all together? There is one specific chapter, Daniel 7, which acts as a hinge chapter for the whole book. It clearly kicks off the first-person visions that will carry on throughout the rest of the book, and it introduces themes that continue on through that section. But it also clearly belongs to the previous section as well--it's written in Aramaic, not Hebrew, and it fits neatly into the parallel structure of chapters 2-7.  All of this makes us put specific attention on Daniel 7 as a focal point of the book. And in that chapter, the central figure is one "like" a son of man (appearing to be a man, but in reality there's more to him), who comes "with the clouds of heaven" (something that only God does in the Old Testament), and receives a kingdom, glory, honor, and worship. Though modern Jewish interpretation judges this figure to be the people of Israel, the interpretation shows that it is speaking of a specific figure: "his kingdom shall be an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him" (Daniel 7:27).

The Gospel According to Haggai. This comes from Michael Barrett's commentary on Haggai, focusing on the very last verse of the book: "After announcing the fall of earthly kingdoms, Haggai pointed to the certainty of the coming Messiah. The reign of Christ was the guarantee of the fall of every other kingdom. This certitude is heightened because it comes from the Lord of Hosts, the Commander of all armies who has all of creation at his disposal to accomplish his will. There could be no doubt: Messiah was coming. Haggai makes the point, however, by referring to Zerubbabel whom God designates as a type or picture prophecy of David’s greater Son, the Messiah. In his capacity as God’s servant in the role of leadership, Zerubbabel pictured the Ideal Servant to come. The signet was a symbol of authority and privilege belonging to the royal office. When God removed the signet from Jehoiachin (Jer 22:24), it appeared that hope for a Davidic kingdom was gone. God stripped Jehoiachin of honor and excluded any of his descendants from inheriting the throne (Jer 22:30). Since Zerubbabel was a descendant of Jehoiachin (1Chr 3:17–19), he could never himself sit on the throne. But the Lord’s making him a signet was the guarantee of the unconditional certainty of God’s covenant promise that David’s greater Son would rule. Kingship was transferred to another line of David, vouchsafing the promise that was realized in Jesus. There could be no better way for Haggai to end his series of sermons than with the assurance that Christ was coming. Over 500 years remained before he would come, but he was coming, and the best was yet to be."

The Return From Exile (Ezra 1-5). Ezra is a very hopeful book--the people of God have returned to their home! But, since this is not yet the time when God returns to bring all of history to its culminating point, there is an air of disappointment in these passages. The work is hard. There is opposition. The list of exiles who actually travel back to Jerusalem are few. There are political barriers. Importantly, Judah is not its own kingdom anymore, but one territory in a much bigger foreign kingdom. The people may be home, but they are still arguably a people in exile; they are simultaneously returned to Jerusalem, but the king that rules over them is the king of Persia. In the way that the Old Testament is organized in Jewish Bibles, this is the note that things leave off with. There is a clear sign of incompleteness, and a calling out that God would overthrow the nations, provide a king of his own from the line of David, and bring his own kingdom about on earth as it is in heaven. In that sense, even if there were no messianic prophecies in the Bible -and there are many- we would still be left expecting someone very much like Jesus; the open ending of the Old Testament anticipates him at a deep, visceral level. And, on the other end of Jesus' life, crucifixion, and resurrection, so are we. And so we, like the people in Ezra's day, are called to be a people of hope and patient anticipation.

DO | HOW DO WE RESPOND?

How can we respond in our worship, attitude, and actions? I won't lay out exact responses in this space because the possibilities are often endless. But it is worth it to think about application in the categories of worship, attitude, and actions. Does this reading direct me to God in worship and thanksgiving and praise, or does it direct me towards a change that I need to make here and now? If it's about a change that I need to make, is this something inward in my attitude, or outward in my actions? This helps to rescue application from just being a series of how-to tips, or one-size-fits-all instructions that go beyond what the Bible actually states. Sometimes, the most helpful application we can make is to get a different perspective on what's the most important thing, or about how we should respond inwardly to the things going on around us.

PRAY | HOW DOES THIS BRING US TO GOD?

Whether in response to anything pointed out here, or to something else in your Bible reading time, take a few moments before you close up your Bible to pray in response to God. If you need a format for prayer, both the ACTS (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication), CALL (Confess, Ask, Love, Listen), and PRAY (Praise, Repent, Ask, Yield) methods are helpful ways to stay consistent.

-Sean

Week #36 | "A Better Way Than Ours"

LOOK | WHAT DOES IT SAY?

Read Ezekiel 26-28, 32-39; Jeremiah 39-44; Lamentations 1-5; Obadiah 1

THINK | WHAT DOES IT MEAN?

The limits of summarizing things. The readings for Week #36 are so rich, that there is no way for me to even begin to summarize them. I feel like, by highlighting some things, I might be giving the impression that other parts of the reading are somehow less amazing or important. That's not the case! So, while I will summarize a few bits and pieces here and there, this is a good reminder to us that there is more to understand and to process in Scripture than one reading could ever accomplish.

The Great Chapters of Ezekiel 33-39. This part of the book serves to re-state many of the major themes of Ezekiel's prophesies before we get into the great vision of restoration (Ezekiel 40-48). We are again told about Ezekiel's role as a watchman for Israel (33:1-9), and about the responsibility that each person has for their life before the LORD (33:10-20).  We are then told about the historical Fall of Jerusalem from Ezekiel's perspective, as an exile living in Babylon, and his words to both the homelanders and the exiles after that event occurred (33:21-33). In the midst of the devastation, and his summary of the spiritual problems amongst the people of Judah, Ezekiel also extends an incredible vision of hope. The hope that Ezekiel shares is of God doing the impossible, and bringing new life from death in the famous passage about God raising up dry bones (Ezekiel 37), and his promise to put a new spirit in his people (Ezekiel 36:22-32). But this hope is centered around the one on whom all of the hopes and promises of the Old Testament rest: on the Promised Deliverer, descended from the line of David, who will shepherd his people. God says through Ezekiel: "I will rescue my flock; they shall no longer be a prey... And I will set up over them one shepherd, my servant David, and he shall feed them... you are my sheep, human sheep of my pasture, and I am your God, declares the Lord GOD" (Ezekiel 34:20-31).

A post-apocalyptic tragedy in the book of Jeremiah (Jeremiah 39-44). In these chapters, Jeremiah tells us his on-the-ground perspective of life in Jerusalem after it fell. There is something cinematic to the book of Jeremiah that keeps causing me to compare it to movies, and that holds true for these chapters as well. Earlier the book was an unchronological, artistic movie like something Christopher Nolan would direct. But now the narrative becomes linear, and it turns into a post-apocalyptic survivor's tale, in a barren wasteland ruled over by divided factions who are attempting to build a new life after everything's been blown to rubble. And of course, it doesn't go well. Jeremiah's prophesies about the future dominance of Babylon over the nations have come to Nebuchadnezzar's attention and earned him favor, so he gains the freedom to go wherever he would like (Jeremiah 40:1-6). He chooses to remain in the land, and to rebuild a life with the little stand-in government that has assembled at Mizpah (40:6-12). Unfortunately another faction chooses to assassinate the leaders of this promising new group (40:13-41:3). We quickly find out that the assassins are men who are ruthless and self-seeking, and who slaughter innocent worshippers (41:1-10). This causes a third group to assemble to fight them, who seem intent on abandoning the land and returning to Egypt (41:11-18). Although they promise to listen to the word of the Lord through Jeremiah, ultimately they reject his warning against leaving to go to Egypt--taking him along forcibly (Jeremiah 41:19-43:13). Jeremiah gives his last chronological prophesy from the midst of the land of Egypt (Jeremiah 44), and although this is not the end of the book, that's the last time that we ever hear from him historically.

One more word. All summed up, we see the best that human ingenuity and reason can do for us in terms of bringing hope, and it isn't much (Jeremiah 39-44). That's not to say that these things are bad or something to be discouraged--but they're kind of like a short ladder against the wall: they'll help us a little, but they're not going to take us all the way to where we need to go. If we are willing to acknowledge that, then we also see that God himself has a plan that is better than our plan. He has a vision for how history is going to play out. And his vision is to accomplish all of the amazing things that we could not do through his power alone (Ezekiel 34-37), accomplished in the person of Jesus Christ (Ezekiel 34:20-31).

DO | HOW DO WE RESPOND?

How can we respond in our worship, attitude, and actions? I won't lay out exact responses in this space because the possibilities are often endless. But it is worth it to think about application in the categories of worship, attitude, and actions. Does this reading direct me to God in worship and thanksgiving and praise, or does it direct me towards a change that I need to make here and now? If it's about a change that I need to make, is this something inward in my attitude, or outward in my actions? This helps to rescue application from just being a series of how-to tips, or one-size-fits-all instructions that go beyond what the Bible actually states. Sometimes, the most helpful application we can make is to get a different perspective on what's the most important thing, or about how we should respond inwardly to the things going on around us.

PRAY | HOW DOES THIS BRING US TO GOD?

Whether in response to anything pointed out here, or to something else in your Bible reading time, take a few moments before you close up your Bible to pray in response to God. If you need a format for prayer, both the ACTS (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication), CALL (Confess, Ask, Love, Listen), and PRAY (Praise, Repent, Ask, Yield) methods are helpful ways to stay consistent.

-Sean

Week #35 | "A How-To Lesson in Impropriety, and the Hope of a Better King"

LOOK | WHAT DOES IT SAY?

Read Ezekiel 22-25, 29-31; Jeremiah 21-23, 33-34, 37-38, 48-52; 2 Kings 25; 2 Chronicles 36

THINK | WHAT DOES IT MEAN?

If Christopher Nolan directed a movie about the promise of the Messiah (Jeremiah 21-23). One thing that we have discovered since January about reading the Bible in different orders (straight through, or chronologically, or back-and-forth between the Old and New Testaments) is that each method has something to show us that we would miss otherwise. Chronological reading has already shown us a lot about the links between the history of Israel and the different prophesies made during this time which help to shed light on each other. We would miss this by reading straight through. But right when we start to think that this might be a better way to read the Bible, we see a book like Jeremiah which is intentionally unchronological, in ways that remind me a little bit of Quentin Tarantino's Pulp Fiction, or Christopher Nolan's--well, actually, most of Christopher Nolan's movies. In Jeremiah 22-25, we see a number of back-to-back words of God given through Jeremiah to the various kings of Judah throughout his time: Jehoahaz, Jehoiakim, Jeconiah, and to Zedekiah. But they're all grouped in one place here, because they size up the various offerings from David's line, and then lead up to the true, better, prophesied Promised Deliverer who will come from the line of David: "Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture!... Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land... And this is the name by which he will be called: 'The LORD our righteousness'" (Jeremiah 23:1-6). This promise is reiterated again, in the same language and the same terms, in Jeremiah 33:14-22. There are many kings from the line of David, but only one who will fulfill the role of the Promised Deliverer whose arrival we have been told about since almost the beginning of the book of Genesis.

The imprisonment of Jeremiah for disloyalty to this fading world (Jeremiah 37-38). Jeremiah's reward for his faithfulness to God is, eventually, imprisonment and persecution for disloyalty to this passing world. He is locked up and treated harshly because of his prophesies which foretell that Judah will go into exile as a result of its spiritual waywardness. It's worth it to read about Jeremiah's experiences again and about the Fall of Jerusalem so soon after, and to ask ourselves--was it worth it? Can you imagine what would have happened if Jeremiah had tried to go along to get along, and tried to fit into the current thought of society in Jerusalem, knowing that it was all soon going to come to an end anyway? He might have had a more pleasant life. But would it have been worth it? I don't think so. It's worth it to ask in our own day, who we are living to be in harmony with, and whose approval are we chasing? Jeremiah was the greatest man of his generation; but no one, probably not even him, knew it at the time, while he was being beaten and imprisoned in jail (Jeremiah 37:15-16), and cast into a cistern (Jeremiah 38:6).

Lessons from the Fall of Jerusalem (Jeremiah 48-52; 2 Kings 25; 2 Chronicles 36). The Fall of Jerusalem came slowly, and not all at once. It came in stages. Unfortunately the same graciousness of God that gives us the opportunity to see judgment come slowly so that we can change our ways, sometimes also lulls us into a false sense of security: sometimes it is so long in coming, or comes in so many stages, that we convince ourselves that there's nothing to worry about. But the fall of Jerusalem shows us that it will come. I think the lesson for us is to maintain a sensitive heart that causes us to continually examine ourselves: to ask, how can we continually grow in our walk with God? Is there anything that we need to repent of or change? Is there anything in our lives that might be an example of God warning us that something isn't right? We can learn from the fate of Jerusalem in this way--by avoiding it.

A Lesson in Impropriety (Ezekiel 23). This chapter alone might be the main reason why you do not see many sermon series go through the book of Ezekiel (which is a shame--it's a great book). And the reason is that it is highly graphic, and explicit, and contains a lot of impropriety in its description of the idolatry of Judah and Israel--and that's exactly the point. I once heard of a speaker who came to a Christian college campus who listed many examples of the brokenness and injustice present in North America, and then he said something like "I'm so sick of this ----. And most of you are probably more offended that I just said ---- than you are that this kind of thing is going on all around us and that no one is doing anything about it." It was a highly effective speech, because for a moment, they were more offended that he said an improper thing than they were about the things that he was describing. And his use of that word made that point for him. People who were there still remember what he said today, and it has continued to make an impression on them more than 20 years later. Ezekiel is almost doing the same thing. He is using explicit language to describe a heart-breaking reality, and it's almost like he's daring us: "What offends you more--that I'm saying it this way, or that this is what's actually happening?" Sometimes we avoid dealing with necessary truths by hiding them behind a wall of propriety, and then we create an impenetrable barrier of conditions which must be met before someone can tell us about what's behind the wall. Ezekiel tears that barrier down, and gives us a (how-to!) lesson in impropriety, by exposing the things that the genteel class of noble Judeans would prefer not to discuss in polite circles. I wonder what he would expose and confront in our country, our province, our city, and our churches today?

DO | HOW DO WE RESPOND?

How can we respond in our worship, attitude, and actions? I won't lay out exact responses in this space because the possibilities are often endless. But it is worth it to think about application in the categories of worship, attitude, and actions. Does this reading direct me to God in worship and thanksgiving and praise, or does it direct me towards a change that I need to make here and now? If it's about a change that I need to make, is this something inward in my attitude, or outward in my actions? This helps to rescue application from just being a series of how-to tips, or one-size-fits-all instructions that go beyond what the Bible actually states. Sometimes, the most helpful application we can make is to get a different perspective on what's the most important thing, or about how we should respond inwardly to the things going on around us.

PRAY | HOW DOES THIS BRING US TO GOD?

Whether in response to anything pointed out here, or to something else in your Bible reading time, take a few moments before you close up your Bible to pray in response to God. If you need a format for prayer, both the ACTS (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication), CALL (Confess, Ask, Love, Listen), and PRAY (Praise, Repent, Ask, Yield) methods are helpful ways to stay consistent.

-Sean

Week #34 | "The Gospel in Ezekiel 1-21"

LOOK | WHAT DOES IT SAY?

Read Ezekiel 1-21

THINK | WHAT DOES IT MEAN?

Jesus and the Mark of the Cross (Ezekiel 9). The beginning section of Ezekiel says a lot about judgment. This may seem harsh, but this is an appropriate response of a loving God towards that which harms and destroys what he loves. The problem is that we are that which harms and destroys what he loves--we harm ourselves, each other, and the world that he created. However, these chapters also have a hard-to-see solution to this difficulty built in. In Ezekiel 9:4, in the Hebrew God literally tells Ezekiel to mark a "taw" on the foreheads of all of those who care for the things of the Lord. Today this letter looks kind of like an "n" with an extra little squiggle at the bottom--but in Ezekiel's day, this letter was more like an "x" but with one of the lines of that letter noticeably longer than the other: in other words, God told Ezekiel to mark them with the shape of a cross on their foreheads. Now, I don't actually know of a single English translation that shows this. So you are well within your rights to say that I'm reaching. But here's a little bit of support for my case: The NET Bible (Full Notes Version) says in its footnotes for Ezekiel 9:4, "The word translated 'mark' is in Hebrew the letter ת (tav)... In ancient Hebrew script this letter was written like the letter X." And in his major academic commentary on Ezekiel for the respected NICOT series, Daniel I. Block writes on Ezekiel 9:4, "Those who exhibit this [God-honoring] response are to be marked with a tāw on the forehead. Taw is the last letter of the Hebrew alphabet. In the archaic cursive script it had the shape of an X or a cross, a form that remained essentially unchanged from the early stages of the evolution of the alphabet until the adoption of the square Aramaic script. It is preserved to this day in Western scripts as T. This taw, placed on the foreheads, the most visible part of the body, was to serve as a distinguishing mark to separate the righteous from the wicked. Like the blood on the doorposts of the Israelites’ houses on the night of the Passover (Exod. 12) and the scarlet cord in Rahab’s window (Josh. 2:18–21; 6:22–25), it was a sign (cf. LXX τος σημεῖον) of hope. However, since in ancient custom the taw also served as a mark of ownership, the possibility that this mark represented Yahweh’s signature, his claim on those who were citizens of the true kingdom of God, deserves consideration." Daniel I. Block goes on in a footnote to mention that by Ezekiel's day, the mark of ownership was a lamed ("L") instead of a taw ("T"). This means that reverting back to the cross-shaped letter would have been somewhat of an unusual choice given current usage. Given the unusual choice of letter here given usage in his own day, this brings up a question. Why did God direct Ezekiel to mark those who belonged to God, who would be passed over in judgment, with the mark of a cross? For Christians, it's hard not to see a clear foreshadowing to Jesus' work on the cross.

Jesus, the Tender Sprig In Whose Branches All Shall Dwell (Ezekiel 17). In this chapter, God tells Ezekiel the parable of a fresh twig that was removed from a mighty cedar, and carried off by an eagle to a faraway land. Its position of prominence was then given to a low-spreading vine "of the seed of the land" who then rebelled against the eagle (17:5-9). In the explanation of this parable, we are told that the twig is the king from David's line who was taken to Babylon--which was Jehoiachin (Ezekiel 17:12). The eagle is the king of Babylon (same verse). And the low-spreading vine is Zedekiah, who rebelled against Babylon and attempted to ally himself with Egypt (Ezekiel 17:13-15). God goes on to proclaim that he will bring Zedekiah's scheme down into failure (Ezekiel 17:16-21). Then God says what he will do with the mighty cedar, which in context is the kingly line of David from which the young twigs sprout. He says in Ezekiel 17:22-24 that he will break off "from the topmost of its [the cedar's] young twigs a tender one, and I myself will plant it on a high and lofty mountain, on the mountain heigh of Israel, that it may bear branches and produce fruit... and under it will dwell every kind of bird, in the share of its branches birds of every sort will nest... And all the trees of the field shall know that I am the LORD" (Ezekiel 17:22-24). This is a future figure who is both from the line of David, and yet is distinguished, being taken from the pinnacle of that line and highly exalted to a mountain height over Israel where he grows in stature and majesty, and provides a home for birds (people? nations?) "of every kind."  This figure will go on to be developed throughout the prophesies of both Ezekiel and Jeremiah, where he will be called The Branch.

Jesus, the One to Whom Judgment Belongs (Ezekiel 21). Space and time limit me here, but there is a long line of interpretation which connects Ezekiel 21:27 ("until he comes, the one to whom judgment belongs, and I will give it to him") with Genesis 49:10 ("The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler's staff from between his feet, until ['shiloh' - the one to whom it belongs] comes"). This is a reference back to the whole line of Messianic prophesy which began all the way in Genesis, and which Ezekiel has predicted is still to come. In that figure, those who belong to God will be marked by his sign and have their sins passed over (Ezekiel 7). This figure will be descended from the line of David, be exalted, and all people or nations will find their rest in him (Ezekiel 17). And, in Ezekiel's reference to the Promised Deliverer of Genesis, we see that this figure will also do everything spoken of him there--he will solve the problem of human sin, and answer the question of how the Serpent (Satan) can be defeated once and for all, and humanity can be returned to its original position that it had in the Garden of Eden, and under him humanity can be united under the single banner of leadership of a righteous king, and the earth itself can be restored to its proper state (Ezekiel 21). That is what Jesus will do, and what he has already begun to do through his incarnation, death, and resurrection.

DO | HOW DO WE RESPOND?

How can we respond in our worship, attitude, and actions? I won't lay out exact responses in this space because the possibilities are often endless. But it is worth it to think about application in the categories of worship, attitude, and actions. Does this reading direct me to God in worship and thanksgiving and praise, or does it direct me towards a change that I need to make here and now? If it's about a change that I need to make, is this something inward in my attitude, or outward in my actions? This helps to rescue application from just being a series of how-to tips, or one-size-fits-all instructions that go beyond what the Bible actually states. Sometimes, the most helpful application we can make is to get a different perspective on what's the most important thing, or about how we should respond inwardly to the things going on around us.

PRAY | HOW DOES THIS BRING US TO GOD?

Whether in response to anything pointed out here, or to something else in your Bible reading time, take a few moments before you close up your Bible to pray in response to God. If you need a format for prayer, both the ACTS (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication), CALL (Confess, Ask, Love, Listen), and PRAY (Praise, Repent, Ask, Yield) methods are helpful ways to stay consistent.

-Sean

Week #33 | "Three Men, Three Missions, One Message"

LOOK | WHAT DOES IT SAY?

Read 2 Kings 24; 2 Chronicles 36; Jeremiah 7-20, 24, 27-31, 52; Daniel 3

THINK | WHAT DOES IT MEAN?

Jeremiah's letter to the exiles (Jeremiah 29). Do you ever wonder how Jeremiah got an open letter sent to the Jewish community in Babylon, from Jerusalem, during the exile (Jeremiah 29:1-3)? The answer comes from last week where we saw the story of Daniel in the court of King Nebuchadnezzar: subsequent groups of Jews arrived in Babylon only to be surprised to find that the most trusted advisor in the court of Nebuchadnezzar was also an exile, named Daniel, from the tribe of Judah. Not only that, but after the events of Daniel 3, we know that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego also became senior officials in the area where the Jews were relocated. We know of at least two Jewish settlements in Babylon, from a contemporary group of records called the Al-Yahudu Tablets. One was a settlement called "Judahtown," and the other was the "Kebar River Village"--which was the place where Ezekiel received his first visions. (1) This letter tells the Judeans to make themselves comfortable in Babylon. In a passage that has become important for Christians in much of the post-Christian West, Jeremiah exhorts the exiles to "seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the LORD on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare" (Jeremiah 29:7). This passage still calls us to seek the good of the place to where he has called us, to be engaged in the improvement of the cities and towns where God has placed us, so that we can be a good influence on those areas. (2) This letter provides a timeline for the end of the exile. In Daniel 9:2, we see Daniel explicitly refer to the promise of Jeremiah's letter in Jeremiah 29:10 where Jeremiah wrote that the exile would come to an end after 70 years. This happened, historically, later that same year when Daniel gained the ear of King Cyrus of Persia (Daniel 10:1) who then decreed the return of Judah from exile (Ezra 1:1).

Jeremiah on the New Covenant (Jeremiah 31). As incredible as the return from exile was, it was not Israel's ultimate hope. The problem of sin still remained, and without a lasting solution, things were not likely to be any better once the exiles returned (and sure enough, if you read the book of Nehemiah, there were still a lot of problems once the people returned to the land). A brand new kind of covenant -the agreement that a relationship is based on- needed to be made between God and his people. According to Jeremiah 31, God was preparing to make a new covenant which was not like the covenant that was made with the Israelites at the foot of Mount Sinai all the way back in Exodus. No, this new covenant would involve God inwardly renewing the people by putting his law on their hearts, and by promising to remember their sin no more. So this New Covenant is (1) Different, or not like, the already existing covenant between God and the people of Israel; (2) Involves God providing spiritual renewal and knowledge of him; and (3) has to do with forgiveness of sins. These things are all true of the fundamental message of Christianity, and are the basis for Jesus being able to refer meaningfully to the "new covenant in my blood" (1 Cor. 11:25). Now, there are still disagreements over the ways in which the Old and New Covenants are different, but Jeremiah shows us indisputably that there is basis for a New Covenant which has at least some points of discontinuity with the Old Covenant.

The Ministry of Daniel, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel. Like I pointed out above, the ministries of Jeremiah, Daniel, and Ezekiel are all highly intertwined. (1) Jeremiah and Ezekiel wrote about many of the same events and prophesied about some of the same things, occasionally offering different but complementary predictions of things about to take place in their own day. (2) Ezekiel also refers to Daniel, his contemporary, in Ezekiel 14:14, 14:20, and 28:3. (3) Daniel references the prophesies of Jeremiah, which he had access to and read, in Daniel 10:1-3. (4) It's clear that they each had different locations and roles within God's plan: Jeremiah was God's messenger in Jerusalem -and then, unwillingly, Egypt- who witnessed to the downfall of the Kingdom of Judah. Daniel had a more careful ministry among the high officials in the court of Nebuchadnezzar, and then of Belshazzar, and then Darius the Mede and King Cyrus of Persia. Meanwhile, Ezekiel had a much more outspoken street-level ministry in the same area that Daniel oversaw, saying the kinds of things that Daniel couldn't in his position, and having more of an influence at ground level. From Jerusalem, to the high court of the King of Babylon, to the streets and settlements below, God provided multiple witnesses working together to assure the people that he was still at work in their midst. This also gives us a good reason to read these books in light of each other, as they each prophesied a unified message where all of their words were meant to be read in light of each other.

DO | HOW DO WE RESPOND?

How can we respond in our worship, attitude, and actions? I won't lay out exact responses in this space because the possibilities are often endless. But it is worth it to think about application in the categories of worship, attitude, and actions. Does this reading direct me to God in worship and thanksgiving and praise, or does it direct me towards a change that I need to make here and now? If it's about a change that I need to make, is this something inward in my attitude, or outward in my actions? This helps to rescue application from just being a series of how-to tips, or one-size-fits-all instructions that go beyond what the Bible actually states. Sometimes, the most helpful application we can make is to get a different perspective on what's the most important thing, or about how we should respond inwardly to the things going on around us.

PRAY | HOW DOES THIS BRING US TO GOD?

Whether in response to anything pointed out here, or to something else in your Bible reading time, take a few moments before you close up your Bible to pray in response to God. If you need a format for prayer, both the ACTS (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication), CALL (Confess, Ask, Love, Listen), and PRAY (Praise, Repent, Ask, Yield) methods are helpful ways to stay consistent.

-Sean

Week #32 | "Reading the Prophets for Fun and (Spiritual) Profit"

 LOOK | WHAT DOES IT SAY?

Read Nahum 1-3; Jeremiah 1-6, 25-26, 35-36, 45-47; Daniel 1-2; Habakkuk 1-3; 2 Kings 23-24; 2 Chronicles 36

THINK | WHAT DOES IT MEAN?

Jeremiah, and the Temple, and time. You might have noticed that in the readings for Week #32, the Jeremiah chapters had you bouncing back and forth: first through Jeremiah 1-6, then off to chapters 46-47, then back to Jeremiah 25-26, and then shooting way forward in the book to five verses of Jeremiah 45. What is going on here? The book of Jeremiah unfolds sort of like a Christopher Nolan film, with the chronology all split up and rearranged, in order to make a bigger point. Some messages or events are even related multiple times. So, for example, we first see Jeremiah's Temple Sermon, sequentially, in Jeremiah 7:1-8:3. Then we see it referred to again in Jeremiah 19:14-20:18 where we are told about the resulting capture and beating -and inexplicable release- of Jeremiah by Pashhur the Priest as the result of his preaching that message in the Temple. Finally, in Jeremiah 26:1-24 we see the decision of the officials of Judah, telling the prophets and the priests (like Pashhur) to let Jeremiah go free. This helps to explain why Jeremiah was released. We are also told that this happened at the beginning of the reign of King Jehoiakim. Put together, this all helps to make sense of why, in Jeremiah 36:1-6, during the fourth year of King Jehoiakim, Jeremiah has to send his assistant Baruch to preach in the Temple, because he says "I am banned from going to the house of the LORD" (Jer. 36:5). Now, confusingly, these passages weren't all added together in this week's reading--we only covered Jeremiah 26. But they do all relate the same event, and highlighting that helps us to see an interesting bit about how the book of Jeremiah is organized: it's disorganized, but in an intentional way, clearly highlighting the ministry of Jeremiah as a man on the run, the weeping prophet whose message was despised and rejected by men, and yet whose stature before God was greater than any man of his generation. It makes me wonder whose approval I am living for the most--how about you?

Jesus in the Book of Nahum. The book of Nahum most clearly points to Jesus in its use of material from previous books of the Bible. This is interesting, because many books of the New Testament will go on to do use this same way of writing to assert Jesus' divinity. So for example, (1) we see Nahum 1:3 quote Exodus 34:5-8, where the fuller quote lays out the tension of God's character in relation to sin: God is both "forgiving iniquity" and "will by no means clear the guilty" (Ex. 36:7). How can God do both of these--to forgive iniquity, without clearing the guilty? (2) The answer comes in the next passage that Nahum quotes, where Nahum 1:15 quotes Isaiah 52:7 by saying, "Behold, upon the mountains, the feet of him who brings good news, who publishes peace!" This second reference is almost word-for-word to the point in Scripture where God clearly reveals the solution to the tension seen all the way back in the book of Exodus. Because, in Isaiah 52:7, God begins to reveal the plan for how he will resolve this problem through the Suffering Servant of Isaiah 52-53 who will bear the sin of his people and suffer the penalty of guilt on their behalf. The wording here is so exact that Nahum cannot be doing anything except quoting Isaiah 52:7 in his own book. It is subtle, but Nahum's prophesy of judgment lays a sub-text of Gospel hope in its use of material from earlier books of Scripture. It's almost like on the surface it's saying, the time for judgment is at hand--but just under the surface, by the way it uses quotations, it points to God's plan to deal with the problem of sin in a much more significant way: through Jesus.

DO | HOW DO WE RESPOND?

How can we respond in our worship, attitude, and actions? I won't lay out exact responses in this space because the possibilities are often endless. But it is worth it to think about application in the categories of worship, attitude, and actions. Does this reading direct me to God in worship and thanksgiving and praise, or does it direct me towards a change that I need to make here and now? If it's about a change that I need to make, is this something inward in my attitude, or outward in my actions? This helps to rescue application from just being a series of how-to tips, or one-size-fits-all instructions that go beyond what the Bible actually states. Sometimes, the most helpful application we can make is to get a different perspective on what's the most important thing, or about how we should respond inwardly to the things going on around us.

PRAY | HOW DOES THIS BRING US TO GOD?

Whether in response to anything pointed out here, or to something else in your Bible reading time, take a few moments before you close up your Bible to pray in response to God. If you need a format for prayer, both the ACTS (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication), CALL (Confess, Ask, Love, Listen), and PRAY (Praise, Repent, Ask, Yield) methods are helpful ways to stay consistent.

-Sean

Week #31 | "It's (Still) All About Jesus"

 LOOK | WHAT DOES IT SAY?

Read Isaiah 58-66, 2 Kings 21-23, 2 Chronicles 33-34, Zephaniah 1-3, Psalms 102 and 105, Proverbs 25-31

THINK | WHAT DOES IT MEAN?

Jesus is the Anointed (Isaiah 56-66). In this last section of Isaiah, Jesus is revealed as "the Anointed." Isaiah 56-66 has a very unique kind of structure called a chiasm, where instead of working up to a conclusion at the end, the conclusion is actually in the middle with Isaiah working up to that conclusion from both sides. Here's what that looks like, below:

A. The Nations are Welcomed In (56:3-8)

     B. The Peoples Inability to Do Righteousness (56:9-59:15a)

          C. God Works Salvation With His Own Arm (59:15b-21)

               D. A Light Will Dawn in Zion (60:1-22)

                    E. Anointed Servant Song: "The Spirit of the LORD God is upon me..." (60:1-22)

               D. A Light Will Dawn in Zion (61:4-62:12)

          C. God Works Salvation With His Own Arm (63:1-6)

     B. The Peoples Inability to Do Righteousness (63:7-65:16)

A. The Nations are Welcomed In (65:17-66:24)

So we see the plan of God and the way that he carries it out. His desire is to bless all nations through Israel (A), but Israel is unable to be the servant that can carry out this work (B). Therefore, God announces that he will work salvation with his own arm, intervening personally (C). He will bring the light of salvation to, and through, Zion (D), through his Anointed Servant who announces "The Spirit of the LORD God is upon me, because the LORD has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; to proclaim the year of the LORD's favor" (E). This is how Jesus announces his own mission in Luke 4:16-22, by saying that this is who he is.

The Kings Manasseh, Amon, and Josiah (2 Kings 21-23, 2 Chronicles 33-34). After Hezekiah, we see two very bad kings followed by a very good king. Josiah becomes a sort of picture of Jesus, who prophets like Micah and Isaiah have already been pointing to: a child who will be born and will rule on the throne of David as King in righteousness. Ultimately Josiah is not the one, but he gives a glimpse of the one who will truly fulfill these hopes.

Jesus in the Book of Zephaniah (Zephaniah 1-3). Unlike many of the other prophets, the Book of Zephaniah does not have any direct predictive prophesy about the future Messiah; however the Messiah is still central to its core message. How is that possible? The book is a straightforward denunciation and proclamation of judgment (Zephaniah 1:1-3:8), but it ends with a picture of God drawing his people from all nations to be blessed through Israel, in a place where there is no strife, and no one is an outcast, and the lame (infirm) will be "saved" -healed from their condition?- and it will be said "The LORD your God is among you, a warrior who saves. He will rejoice over you with gladness. He will be quiet in his love. He will delight in you with singing" (Zephaniah 3:17). The big question is how all of this can be accomplished, and how the problem of sin will at last be resolved so that this can happen: and the answer is, through Jesus. Zephaniah and Isaiah's visions of what God wants to do in human history are one and the same; the only difference is that Isaiah explains the how, and Zephaniah only hints towards the answer--but it's there also.

DO | HOW DO WE RESPOND?

How can we respond in our worship, attitude, and actions? I won't lay out exact responses in this space because the possibilities are often endless. But it is worth it to think about application in the categories of worship, attitude, and actions. Does this reading direct me to God in worship and thanksgiving and praise, or does it direct me towards a change that I need to make here and now? If it's about a change that I need to make, is this something inward in my attitude, or outward in my actions? This helps to rescue application from just being a series of how-to tips, or one-size-fits-all instructions that go beyond what the Bible actually states. Sometimes, the most helpful application we can make is to get a different perspective on what's the most important thing, or about how we should respond inwardly to the things going on around us.

PRAY | HOW DOES THIS BRING US TO GOD?

Whether in response to anything pointed out here, or to something else in your Bible reading time, take a few moments before you close up your Bible to pray in response to God. If you need a format for prayer, both the ACTS (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication), CALL (Confess, Ask, Love, Listen), and PRAY (Praise, Repent, Ask, Yield) methods are helpful ways to stay consistent.

-Sean