June 21st One Year Bible Readings

2 Kings 1:1-2:25 ~ Acts 13:42-14:7 ~ Psalm 139:1-24 ~ Proverbs 17:19-21
~ Click here to read today's Scripture on BibleGateway.com ~
~ Listen to today's Scripture on DailyAudioBible.com (podcast) or OneYearAudioBible.org ~

Old Testament - Today we begin the book of Second Kings!

Author: Unknown
Date: Sixth century B.C.
Content: Second Kings covers a period of approximately 250 years during which time two national tragedies occurred. In 722 B.C. the northern kingdom of Israel was destroyed by the Assyrians, and in 586 B.C. the southern kingdom of Judah was destroyed by the Babylonians. The reigns of the various kings are described in some detail with care being taken to show the spiritual significance of what they were doing. Throughout this whole time of good and bad kings, war and peace, prosperity and ruin, God is seen to be at work, in particular sending prophets to preach his word and warn of judgment to come.
Theme: God’s control over the affairs of men and nations is constantly seen throughout this book. The rulers of men may think they are in control, but even the enemies of God’s people fit into God’s plan by executing judgment upon the wayward nations of Israel and Judah. It must be stressed that sin invariably brings judgment upon the people and righteousness brings God’s blessing. Second Kings also shows that God never sends his judgment without a warning first; in this instance, the warning came through the prophets who were sent. (Above commentary is from Tyndale Publishers “The One Year Bible Companion” pp. 6-7) More commentary on Second Kings is at these 3 links –
http://bible.org/page.php?page_id=1489
http://bible.org/page.php?page_id=955 
http://bible.org/page.php?page_id=752 (Introduction to Elijah)

2 Kings 1 today...  wow...  Elijah is not to be messed with when he is sitting on top of that hill!  Elijah asks a very poignant question twice in this chapter - "Is there no God in Israel?" This is a question each of us will need to ask in our lives at some point - "Is there or is there no God in my life?"  Hopefully we've already answered this question affirmatively.  It's a sad state of affairs to imagine a country without God.  It is a sad state of affairs to imagine our own lives without God. 

Today in 2 Kings 2 we read about Elijah going up to heaven in the whirlwind!  Elijah was taken to heaven without dying.  He is the 2nd person in scripture to do so - Enoch was the first (see Genesis 5:21-24).  Jesus of course was also taken to heaven in bodily form after His resurrection from the dead (see Acts 1:9).  Below is Italian artist Giovanni Battista's (1683-1754) painting of Elijah's whirlwind scene:

Okay, so 2 Kings 2 verses 23 & 24 are some of the most unique verses in the Bible no doubt...  "Elisha left Jericho and went up to Bethel. As he was walking along the road, a group of boys from the town began mocking and making fun of him. "Go away, you baldhead!" they chanted. "Go away, you baldhead!" Elisha turned around and looked at them, and he cursed them in the name of the LORD. Then two bears came out of the woods and mauled forty-two of them."  Zondervan's NIV Study Bible has some good commentary on these verses as follows: "The youths from Bethel no doubt assumed that Elisha was going up to Samaria to continue Elijah's struggle against royal apostasy.  Some believe that the youths, in their mocking, were telling Elisha to ascend to heaven as Elijah had done.  By calling Elisah "baldhead" the youths from Bethel expressed that city's utter disdain for the Lord's representative, who, they felt, had no power.  Elisha pronounced a curse that gave warning of the judgment that would come on the entire nation of Israel should it persist in disobedience and apostasy."

Bible.org's commentary on today's 2 King's readings titled "Chariots of Fire" is at this link and "Elisha's Accreditation" is at this link and "Elisha and the Two Bears" is at this link.

New Testament - Great readings today about how Paul and Barnabas' ministry to the Gentiles was growing!  Verse 52 is awesome: "And the believers were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit."

Psalms - Today we read Psalm 139! I LOVE this Psalm... and had somehow forgotten about it.  Is this Psalm anyone's favorite Psalm out there?  I would not doubt it if was.  This is just an incredibly beautiful Psalm about how much God loves and cares for us.  And just how well God knows us.  Please read and re-read this Psalm this week if you can.  And rejoice in how much God loves you and how much he knows you. Each of the verses in this Psalm are incredible.  I'll highlight a few.  Verse 3 - "You chart the path ahead of me and tell me where to stop and rest. Every moment you know where I am."  Do you believe that God charts out your path for you?  Do you believe that God gives you true rest?  Do you believe God knows where you are every single moment of your life?

Verses 13 & 14 - "You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother's womb. Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous--and how well I know it."  Do you believe that God was loving and caring and creating you in your mother's womb?  Are you amazed by the complexity and wonder of the human body?  Could it be anything other than the marvelous workmanship of a loving and creative and living God?  (next two images below courtesy of heartlight.org)

And verses 23 & 24 to close out the Psalm: "Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life."  Do you consistently ask God to search your heart and mind?  Do you confess to God what is not right in your heart and mind?  What needs healing?  Do you ask God to even point out to you things that you may not realize are destructive to you and others in your heart and mind?  Do you believe that this process of confessing your sins to God and asking for forgiveness and healing will lead you along the path of everlasting life?

Proverbs - Proverbs 17 verse 20 stood out to me today - "The crooked heart will not prosper."   Do you believe this is true?  What would make a heart crooked?  Whom can heal a crooked heart?  Jesus?  Has Jesus healed your heart yet?  Will you let Him do so?

YouTube: Today's Proverb reminds me of Jars of Clay's song "Flood:"

Is your world a Flood?  Click here for shelter from the storm!

Please join us in memorizing and meditating on a verse of Scripture this week: "Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good. His love endures forever." Psalm 136:1 (NIV)

Comments from You & Questions of the Day:  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

Comments

[Laura]

Psalm 139 13-14
Says it so beautifully. This is indeed a pro-life verse if there ever was one!
God knew us before the beginning in time. He created us. "You created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mothers womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made" How can abortion ever be right? Why would anyone want to destroy what God created?

I spend many years as a counselor at a Woman's Friend Crisis Pregnancy Center. What an awesome ministry it was. I lead many people to the Lord and helped save the lives of countless babies that would of been aborted. I myself am not able to have children. It was a result of my own sin and my past. When I became a Christian, I repented of my sins especially the most horrible sin of all, which allowed the life my unborn baby to be taken from my body 31 years ago. A day doesn't go by that I don't regret that sin.

I know God has forgiven me and has used me in the battle to save the lives of the unborn. I have been a faithful crusader in the pro-life movement. Adoption should be the only option when there is an unplanned pregnacy, and the mother chooses not to parent the baby. It is not up to anyone to take the life of that baby. God's plans could of been foiled somehow. There are many unborn babies somewhere in heaven that God may of had some kind of marvelous plans for.

I can't wait until I get to heaven to see all my children. I had a miscarriage and ectopic pregnancy several years ago. Many woman can relate to the pain this may of caused them. God can bring you comfort in this situation too.

One message that I would like to get across to readers in here is: If you have had an abortion, God can forgive you, he forgives all sin. There is a wonderful bible study called PACE that you can find out about at your local crisis pregancy center. It is the best way to have closure and peace and to be assured of God's love, grace and forgiveness to get past this particular part of your life that may be weighing heavily upon your heart.

Peace..... God loves you, He'll get you through the pain and onto healing. Rest assured..........

[Anka]

Elisha left everything behind to follow Elijah and refused to leave him even at the last moment...God honoured his loyalty.
So many times men of God are treated with disrespect,critised...again and again God shows us his displeasure at such acts...
I was suprised to see in the NT reading that "the Jews incited the God-fearing women of high standing and the leading men of the city. They stirred up persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and expelled them from their region"...God fearing people against God's people...hmmm...guess it was God fearing without disernment..
It's pretty awesome that God knows our hearts,our thoughts and still loves us...this really should make me think twice before judging anyone...
God bless you all

[Romayne]

Yep - Ps 139 does it for me too. I first really connected with it after watching a Michael W Smith concert video (of his Calgary concert I think), where he spoke the entire psalm ad lib (with no cue cards) - now THAT was something awesome for me to hear, and it inspired me to try learning the psalm myself, and although I never quite managed to remember it enough to relate it as he does, I did plant enough of it in my heart, for it to continue to be a huge blessing to me. And interestingly, Tom D's comments (one-year bible audio) for it today were equally heart hitting -and once again, God has used the psalm to hit me hard about some issues I've only now discovered I've stubbornly been ignoring and for some mad reason being fearful of His Will for my future - but He's definitely doing something awesome in my life just now, and each day's readings provides something new he throws at me to keep me in line :).

On another note, while I have never had kids myself, and actually never really connect with them I'm still hugely pro-life, purely because of this psalm as much as the new technology that is now revealing the foetus at its earliest stages moving and acting with intent - late-stage abortions are nothing less than murder in my view regardless of what reasons are put forward for them to be done. Except in the rarest of cases they should be utterly outlawed. And I think the doctors need to step up and state the gruesome facts more often - although we don't want to see a return to backstreet abortions, neither should women be lulled into any sense of security about late-stage ones in particular being 'acceptable' just because it suits them. But yes, I also appreciate that having undergone such an act, many women will never recover from the impact it will have on their lives, and they need to be healed spiritually as well as emotionally/physically. Appreciate your info Laura.