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We are following a Chronological Bible plan with 15-minute daily readings. Your options for joining us include: 1. Subscribe to our daily readings emails above. 2. Read online using our daily links to Bible Gateway. 3. Read from your own Bible using your preferred translation. You can print out a listing of our entire year's readings in PDF format at this link. 4. Purchase a Chronological Bible which organizes our daily readings. 5. Email me with any questions at [email protected]
Please note you can find my One Year Bible Blog at this link, New Testament in a Year Blog at this link and Old Testament in a Year Blog at this link.
God bless! Mike
p.s. Keep scrolling down to see our latest daily readings blog post and email content below this welcome post. ⬇️
Proverbs chapter 31 and the preceding chapter 30 are thought to be essentially an "appendix" to the overall book of Proverbs, as they are non-Israelite in origin. Chapter 29 was the final chapter of the Proverbs of Solomon. Proverbs chapter 31 verses 1 through 9 consist of 3 sayings that King Lemuel's mother taught him. The entirety of Proverbs chapter 31 demonstrates the significance and role of wise women in the ancient Near East, where the queen mother was often an influential figure. Who have been some wise women in your life?
Proverbs 31:8-9 today teaches us this powerful lesson: "Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves; ensure justice for those who are perishing. Yes, speak up for the poor and helpless, and see that they get justice." Do you believe that God calling you to speak up in some way for the poor and helpless? Maybe it's somewhere in your city or neighborhood or home that this call is leading you to speak up... Will you speak up? Will we speak up?
Proverbs 31:10-24 is a great reflection upon a godly wife. I read a commentary that said such a wife is almost a personification of wisdom. I like that thought! And certainly it makes sense that a women / wife would be a personification of wisdom rather than a man / husband... :) Just kidding! I'm a guy, so I can make this kind of joke right? In all seriousness, how about that thought for each of our lives - male or female - would it be a godly thing to move toward being a personification of wisdom? Obviously I'd say that Jesus was the only human this side of heaven that will walk this earth as a pure personification of wisdom. But let us seek wisdom in how we live our lives each and every day. Let us seek God's Wisdom that is worth far more than rubies...
Here is a little Proverbs 31 humor... while searching for an image for Proverbs 31 I came across this photo below. The person who took this photo said "we call her the Proverbs 31 Doggie." Cute! :)
Proverbs 31:25-31 are a continued great look at what a godly woman does. I really like verse 30 which seems so opposite of what our culture is often selling us today: "Charm is deceptive, and beauty does not last; but a woman who fears the LORD will be greatly praised." I think this holds so true for women and men - our beauty or good looks or outer appearances do not last. They are not eternal. What matters is what's inside - our relationship with and love of God and other people. So, I think this is a great reminder for us to focus on what's inside - which is what's eternal. And yes, our culture will continue to try to sell us on the latest fads to look better on the outside. Will you refuse to buy into that which will not last? Do you realize that holiness is beautiful? This picture below comes from Memphis, Tennessee:
Worship Video: Today's readings remind me of the Needtobreathe song "Washed by the Water:"
Comments from You: What verses or insights stand out to you in today's readings? Please post up by clicking on the "Comments" link below!
God bless, Mike
p.s. Download our monthly Small Group study notes for our Chronological Bible readings at this link.
p.s. #2 - Download a schedule of our Chronological Bible readings for the year in PDF format at this link.
p.s. #3 - I would greatly appreciate it if you would pray for this Chronological Bible Blog ministry today! Please also consider partnering with us by financially supporting this ministry. Thank you!
Proverbs chapter 25 verses 4 & 5 today are interesting: "Remove the dross from silver, and the sterling will be ready for the silversmith. Remove the wicked from the king's court, and his reign will be made secure by justice." I believe dross is some sort of impurity that is in silver when it is heated up. Actually, I just looked it up in the dictionary and dross means: "impurity: worthless or dangerous material that should be removed; "there were impurities in the water"" or "[n. DRAHSS] Something that is useless or worthless is dross. This noun refers to the less-than-desirable parts of something. Near synonyms include: refuse, rubbish, and impurity. Another more specific use of the word dross describes the scum or slag thrown off from metals in the process of melting them. It traces back to the Old English dros, which corresponds to the Middle Dutch droes and the Germanic dros. All of these are words for dregs (less than desirable parts)." So, this proverb is also saying the wicked in the king's court is an impurity that must be removed for a secure reign with justice. This makes sense in a governmental sense. You don't want crooks on the cabinet. But, I think this also works well in our own personal lives. Sin is a dross - an impurity - in our life that must be removed so that we will be of use to the "silversmith" - Jesus. Do you have dross / sin in your life? Will you allow God to remove the dross - the impurity - from your life through the work of his expert Silversmith, Jesus? Please let Jesus heal you of the dross in your life. Jesus is the only one who truly can!
In proverbs 25:6-7 today we read - "Don't demand an audience with the king or push for a place among the great. It is better to wait for an invitation than to be sent to the end of the line, publicly disgraced!" This reminds me of Jesus' parable of not taking the best seats at the feast, or you may be asked to move down. But take the lowest seats and you may be asked to move on up. This is similar to Jesus' teaching: "those who are first, shall be last. And those who are last, shall be first." Are you comfortable being last? This Proverb today also talks about waiting for an invitation. How are you doing these days on waiting? Are you comfortable with waiting? Are you even comfortable on waiting for God? I'll share with you that when I am in a season of "waiting" I have been incredibly encouraged by Isaiah 40:31 - "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." And I've also been encouraged greatly by the Lincoln Brewster song "Everlasting God" that has the awesome line - "Strength will rise as we wait upon the Lord!" Amen! Do you feel your strength rising as you wait upon the Lord?
Proverbs chapter 25 verses 9 & 10 is a strong teaching - "So discuss the matter with them privately. Don't tell anyone else, or others may accuse you of gossip. Then you will never regain your good reputation." This Proverb stands out to me for when we see someone who perhaps sins. Maybe a brother or sister in Christ has a moral failing. And then the big question is this - will we discuss the matter directly with that person, to correct them. OR - will we discuss the matter with others and be a gossip? Don't get me wrong - there may be a time and a place to discuss the matter with others, such as a pastor, to get advice on how to discuss the matter with the person who stumbled. But, we absolutely should not resort to simply being a gossip about someone else. That's seeing one sin of someone else's and then creating another sin of your own! (note that even though this image below shows two women, men can gossip just as much as anyone else!)
Proverbs 25:14 is spot on: "A person who doesn't give a promised gift is like clouds and wind that don't bring rain." Don't be that person! Make sure you give promised gifts. And how about giving unexpected gifts? Gifts for no particular reason? When is the last time you surprised someone with a gift out of the blue? Below is a great image for Proverbs 25:13 from today's readings:
Proverbs 25 verse 15 is a beautiful meditation in the midst of our hussle-bussle world of today - "Patience can persuade a prince, and soft speech can crush strong opposition." Basically this Proverb tells us that we don't need to be in a hurry or be loud! Are you a patient person? Do you speak softly / humbly? Mind if I close the post out today with an image of a dog demonstrating patience with a cute kitten? Thanks... :) Do you demonstrate patience regularly like this dog is demonstrating below?
Worship Video: The reflection on Jesus healing us of our sins in Proverbs 24:4-5 above reminded me of the Casting Crowns song "East To West." Here's a fantastic live version of this song!
Comments from You: What verses or insights stand out to you in today's readings? Please post up by clicking on the "Comments" link below!
God bless, Mike
p.s. Download our monthly Small Group study notes for our Chronological Bible readings at this link.
p.s. #2 - Download a schedule of our Chronological Bible readings for the year in PDF format at this link.
p.s. #3 - I would greatly appreciate it if you would pray for this Chronological Bible Blog ministry today! Please also consider partnering with us by financially supporting this ministry. Thank you!
We are re-introduced to King Hezekiah of Judah in today's readings! The quantity of the Chronicler's writings about the reign of Hezekiah is second only to the reigns of David & Solomon. We'll be reading about Hezekiah again in the coming days. Reading about Hezekiah today was such a breath of fresh air after the atrocities of King Ahaz in yesterday's readings... Hezekiah is a hero! He re-opens the Temple! He reinstitutes the sacrifices to God! You'll recall from our readings in Second Kings chapter 18 verses 5 through 7 we got an overview of who Hezekiah was - "Hezekiah trusted in the LORD, the God of Israel. There was never another king like him in the land of Judah, either before or after his time. He remained faithful to the LORD in everything, and he carefully obeyed all the commands the LORD had given Moses. So the LORD was with him, and Hezekiah was successful in everything he did." Below is a coloured woodcut from Henry VIII´s Great Bible, from the year 1538, of King Hezekiah burning pagan idols:
We have great readings today in Second Chronicles chapter 30 about King Hezekiah inviting all of Israel and Judah to celebrate the Passover of the Lord! Yeah, sure, they ended up celebrating it a month later than normal because not enough priests had been purified, nor enough folks gathered in Jerusalem at the original time. But, in light of the Passover not being widely celebrated in many years, this was huge. I love Hezekiah's letter that he wrote - and verse 9 in particular: "For if you return to the LORD, your relatives and your children will be treated mercifully by their captors, and they will be able to return to this land. For the LORD your God is gracious and merciful. If you return to him, he will not continue to turn his face from you." Think these words of Hezekiah's could apply to us in our lives today as well? Do you need to return to the Lord in any area of your life? Is there a sin that you are still indulging in that is hampering your relationship with God? Will you confess and repent of that sin? Will you return to the Lord? For the Lord your God is indeed gracious and merciful...
Worship Video: Today's readings in Second Chronicles reminded me of Jars of Clay's song "Two Hands:"
Comments from You: What verses or insights stand out to you in today's readings? Please post up by clicking on the "Comments" link below!
God bless, Mike
p.s. Download our monthly Small Group study notes for our Chronological Bible readings at this link.
p.s. #2 - Download a schedule of our Chronological Bible readings for the year in PDF format at this link.
p.s. #3 - I would greatly appreciate it if you would pray for this Chronological Bible Blog ministry today! Please also consider partnering with us by financially supporting this ministry. Thank you!
HALF-WAY - Big news! We cross the halfway threshold in our Chronological Bible readings today! Whoo-hoo! Yep, June 30th marks the end of our first 6 months of readings and July 1st marks the beginning of our final 6 months of readings. Congratulations!
If by chance you’ve stopped reading the Chronological Bible at some point this past six months, how about starting back up with us again as we embark on our final six months? We’d love to have you on the journey with us once again! Let's go!
In Isaiah chapter 13 we are beginning a new section of the book. Chapters 1 through 12 were primarily chapters of judgment against the southern kingdom of Judah, as well as some mentions of the northern kingdom of Israel. Chapter 13 begins 11 chapters of judgment on other nations, beginning with Babylon. At this time in history (early 700's B.C.) Babylon was still part of the Assyrian empire. So this oracle from Isaiah was incredible in that it spoke of Babylon's destruction even before Babylon became a world power! Babylon brought about the downfall of Judah and Jerusalem later between the years of 605 and 586 B.C. But then Babylon would be conquered by Cyrus the Persian in 539 B.C. Below is a map of the Babylonian empire from the late 7th / early 6th centuries B.C. You'll note in this map below that the actual city of Babylon is located in modern day Iraq, about 90 kilometers south of Baghdad.
An interesting commentary I read on chapter 14 verses 12 through 15 is that some think Isaiah is giving a description of the fall of Satan from heaven in these verses. However, most commentaries seem to say contextually that these verses are about the king of Babylon. I do see how some could think that these 4 verses could apply to the fall of Satan - ""How you are fallen from heaven, O shining star, son of the morning! You have been thrown down to the earth, you who destroyed the nations of the world. For you said to yourself, `I will ascend to heaven and set my throne above God's stars. I will preside on the mountain of the gods far away in the north. I will climb to the highest heavens and be like the Most High.' But instead, you will be brought down to the place of the dead, down to its lowest depths." Below is an engraving titled "Satan Falls" by the artist Gustave Dore:
In Isaiah we will read many prophecies against cities and kingdoms. I realize these can be tough to read in some ways. As you read these prophecies, consider why these prophecies were written. Why were these prophecies proclaimed by Isaiah? Bible.org's excellent commentary on this section of the book of Isaiah titled "The Burdens Upon the Nations" is worth spending a few minutes reading at this link.
Today we read in Isaiah chapter 15 a message against Moab, or the Moabites! Now, the big question for each of us is how many sermons in your life have you ever heard that touch on the Moabites?? I recall I heard a sermon years ago about the Moabites from Numbers 22 through 25, where the Moabites were first fearful of Israel (Num. 22) because of their size, and they realized they could not defeat them in open warfare. So, they tried to get Balaam to curse the Israelites (Num 23 & 24), but Balaam wouldn't do it because God was giving him messages of blessings upon the Israelites! So, finally the Moabites decide to simply seduce the Israelites (Num 25) into worshiping their gods and this strategy worked! To the point where God ended up killing 24,000 Israelites with a plague (Num 25:9) because of their disobedience! A very bright map that shows where Moab is located in comparison to Judah and Israel is below:
Worship Video: Today's readings reminded me of Sidewalk Prophets "You Love Me Anyway:"
Comments from You: What verses or insights stand out to you in today's readings? Please post up by clicking on the "Comments" link below!
God bless, Mike
p.s. Download our monthly Small Group study notes for our Chronological Bible readings at this link.
p.s. #2 - Download a schedule of our Chronological Bible readings for the year in PDF format at this link.
p.s. #3 - I would greatly appreciate it if you would pray for this Chronological Bible Blog ministry today! Please also consider partnering with us by financially supporting this ministry. Thank you!
Powerful readings in Isaiah today... The southern Kingdom of Judah is getting a stern warning from the prophet today! A scary warning to the people of Judah for their disobedience comes at the end of our readings today in chapter 5 verses 26 through 30: "He will send a signal to the nations far away. He will whistle to those at the ends of the earth, and they will come racing toward Jerusalem. They will not get tired or stumble. They will run without stopping for rest or sleep. Not a belt will be loose, not a sandal thong broken. Their arrows will be sharp and their bows ready for battle. Sparks will fly from their horses' hooves as the wheels of their chariots spin like the wind. Roaring like lions, they will pounce on their prey. They will seize my people and carry them off into captivity, and no one will be there to rescue them. The enemy nations will growl over their victims like the roaring of the sea. A cloud of darkness and sorrow will hover over Israel. The clouds will blot out the light." A random side note here, and definitely an indication of how much I'm swimming in our culture... (as we all do to some extent - like fish surrounded by water - though, I think the Lord of the Rings has many redeeming values to it) As I read these verses above, I thought of the orc armies from the Lord of the Rings running amuck over Middle Earth...
This map below gives a good overview of the growth of the Assyrian empire between 824 B.C. and 640 B.C. and how it engulfs Judah during this time period. The prophet Isaiah was preaching his stern warnings right in the middle of this time period!
Isaiah chapter 5 verse 20 was directed at Judah in the 8th century B.C., but I wonder if this verse can have application to our world today? "Destruction is certain for those who say that evil is good and good is evil; that dark is light and light is dark; that bitter is sweet and sweet is bitter." Can you think of any examples in our modern world where evil is portrayed as good and good is portrayed as evil? I can think of far too many examples unfortunately. This twisting of good and evil, light and dark, bitter and sweet did not make God happy back in eighth century B.C. Think God is happy about this twisting of good and evil today?
Worship Video: Today's readings reminds me of the For King and Country song "Joy:"
Comments from You: What verses or insights stand out to you in today's readings? Please post up by clicking on the "Comments" link below!
God bless, Mike
p.s. Download our monthly Small Group study notes for our Chronological Bible readings at this link.
p.s. #2 - Download a schedule of our Chronological Bible readings for the year in PDF format at this link.
p.s. #3 - I would greatly appreciate it if you would pray for this Chronological Bible Blog ministry today! Please also consider partnering with us by financially supporting this ministry. Thank you!
