July 27th One Year Bible Readings

2 Chronicles 19:1-20:37 ~ Romans 10:14-11:12 ~ Psalm 21:1-13 ~ Proverbs 20:4-6
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Old Testament - Today in Second Chronicles chapter 19 verse 7 we read: “Now let the fear of the Lord be upon you.” It is important to realize that this verse was said not as a curse upon someone, but really as a blessing and perhaps a warning. Jehoshaphat says these words to judges he is appointing. Why would Jehoshaphat say these words to judges? Why should judges have the fear of the Lord upon them? What is the fear of the Lord? I believe it is a healthy and strong sense of God’s presence – a sense so strong that it would prevent these judges from administering any injustices. Because they know God is in the room. How about for you and me in our lives today? What if I were to say to you right now – “Now let the fear of the Lord be upon you.”?  Would you accept this as a blessing? Or would you think of this as some sort of curse? Do you want the fear of the Lord to be upon you? Why or why not? Right now in your life – is the fear of the Lord upon you? Will you consider praying for the fear of the Lord to be upon you?

New Testament - Romans 10 verses 14 & 15 are a powerful call to share the Gospel with a world that so desperately needs it! "But how can they call on him to save them unless they believe in him? And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them? And how will anyone go and tell them without being sent? That is what the Scriptures mean when they say, "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!""  Are you bringing good news to people in your life?  Do you realize that you do not necessarily need to go abroad to share the Gospel with people who really have probably never heard it before?  Yeah, sure, maybe in our hometowns people have heard the name Jesus.  But have they really heard about the love and life and forgiveness and healing that Jesus offers?  Do they really know who Jesus truly is?  How will they know unless you tell them? Will you utilize the gift of your beautiful feet?

Bible.org's commentary on today's readings in Romans titled "Without Excuse" is at this link and "Man's Failures Do Not Frustrate the Purposes of God" is at this link.

Psalms - Psalm 21 today follows up Psalm 20 from yesterday - yesterday's being a prayer for victory for the king as he goes out to battle - and today's being a psalm of praise for victories granted to the king.  I like the credit given to God in verse 1: "How the king rejoices in your strength, O LORD! He shouts with joy because of your victory."  The king is not rejoicing in his own strength.  He is not claiming victory as his.  He is giving credit to God!  How about you in your life today?  Do you give credit to God for the blessings and gifts he has given you?  Do you shout for joy and rejoice simply because God is in your life?

Proverbs - Proverbs 20 verse 6 definitely gives me something to think about: "Many will say they are loyal friends, but who can find one who is really faithful?"  This is a challenging Proverb for me because I feel like I have many good friends.  Many who are loyal.  And some who even seem faithful.  But... yet.... there are still times on occasion when these friends do let me down.  Or I know for a fact I let them down on occasion.  It's our human nature.  Fortunately for us, long after this Proverb was written, we were given the most faithful friend we could ever dream up or imagine in Jesus.  Jesus really should be our best friend.  I had a friend kind of shock me with this thought by continually referring to Jesus as his best friend at a lunch we had a few years ago.  For some reason I was very comfortable with Jesus being my savior.  But my friend?  My best friend?  Well, it was a new concept to me.  And maybe this is a new concept to you.  I do honestly believe Jesus wants to be our best friend.  And he will undoubtedly be the one true and loyal and faithful friend we all can have - now and forever.  So, is Jesus your best friend?

Worship God:  Speaking of Jesus being our friend forever - are you familiar with the Delirious song called "What A Friend I've Found"?  It's beautiful.  The chorus repeats the name of Jesus 3 times and then says "friend forever".  Below is a YouTube video of Delirious performing this song live with Darlene Zschech, with Slovak language subtitles:

Do you know our savior God?  Click here for your Savior!

Please join us in memorizing and meditating on a verse of Scripture this week: "May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer." Psalm 19:14 (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

[Ramona]

II Chronicles 19-20:37

Johoshaphat, I believe, is the first king, besides David, that accepts a rebuke form God, albeit by way of Hanani, a prophet. He doesn’t become angry or sullen but gets himself up, brushes himself off and continues to use God’s Law as a standard in how he rules the people but requires the judges he appoints to do the same.

It seems to me when a person follows “hard” after God the means and methods used to make decisions or carry out their responsibilities do not fit into normal methods of operations nor do they seem to fit into any standard of common sense by man’s point of view. If I had been one of those appointed singers to stand in front of the Army while the enemy advanced, I don’t know what I would have done. Would I have had enough faith not to second-guess God and the king? Would I be thinking and saying, “Feets don’t fail me now!” as I rushed off in the opposite direction away from the battle lines?

Or would the words of Jahaziel have pierced my heart and empowered me to do what in the natural didn’t make sense? I’m not sure but it is clear that God chose to fight this battle differently then what man would do.
Romans 10:14-11:12

18 But what about the Jews? Have they actually heard the message? Yes, they have:
"The message of God's creation has gone out to everyone,
and its words to all the world."
19 But did the people of Israel really understand? Yes, they did, for even in the time of Moses, God had said,
"I will rouse your jealousy by blessing other nations.
I will make you angry by blessing the foolish Gentiles

What has captured my attention is the last line of verse 19 (Tenth Chapter), I will make you (Israel) angry by blessing the foolish Gentiles. I am a Gentile and is my life lived in such a way, can the blessings of God be seen upon me in such a way that I make the Jews, the natural Israel, angry? If I honestly answer to that, I would have to say, no.

Psalm 21:1-13

I know that it is recorded by scholars that David wrote this Psalm about himself. However, I see in each and every one of the lines something pointing to Jesus. For example:

3 You welcomed him back with success and prosperity.
You placed a crown of finest gold on his head

I see this as also speaking to Jesus’ triumph over the grave. To welcome someone back they must have already been there, went some place else and are now returning. Jesus was always with the Father since before the world began. There are riches with the Father that Jesus gave up when he took on the form of man and came to earth. After his triumph over death, He went back to sit at the Right Hand of the Father (Acts 2:33). Jesus being the King of kings, I think would have a crown made of the finest gold because by Him and through Him there was nothing made that did not have His creative touch and that he did not own.
Proverbs 20:4-6

4If you are too lazy to plow in the right season, you will have no food at the harvest.

I have always read this as if it is the person who doesn’t plow who will have no food, but it says the one who does not plow in the RIGHT SEASON. Have I plowed in the wrong season then wondered why there was not food. This Proverb implies one can be very busy plowing away, yet not produce any harvest because I plowed and sowed in the winter instead of the spring.

[John A.]

Romans 10:14-11:12

God has a Plan

Israel may be set aside for the moment, but God has a plan. How do we know God has a plan? Uniquely, Paul shows God has a plan by presenting it backwards in verses 14-15.

Messengers (preachers) are sent, so people (including Israel) can hear, so that they can believe. God's plan is in action.
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In Romans 10 - Israel is lost. Israel is set aside. Israel is excluded from salvation as a nation, though individual Jews in all ages have believed and been God's remnant. And God has gone beyond to touch the church made up of all peoples, tongues and nations.

Why was Israel lost? Because they were ignorant of God's person, because they were ignorant of the provision of Christ, they were ignorant of the place of faith, they were ignorant of the proportions of salvation, they didn't want to get into something that wasn't exclusively for them, and they were ignorant of the predictions of Scripture.[paraphrase of John MacArthur]

The last two reasons are of interest in today's reason: First, Israel does not have knowledge and understanding of predictions.

Paul uses Moses and Isaiah as examples from The Law and The Prophets. God would go out to those who were not of Israel and be received by them. God will have a relationship with the Gentiles. Why? Because "All day long I have held out my hands
to a disobedient and obstinate people."

Israel was offered the gospel first and rejected God - which has been an off and on pattern of Israel for centuries before Paul. A knowledgeable thinking observant Jew should have seen the growth of the Church and connected it to what Moses and Isaiah said in these verses. Some individuals did, the nation of Israel did not.
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Back in Paul's time the Jews considered Gentiles as if they were "dogs". There was nothing good about a Gentile compared with God's people, the Jew. Hence, a big stumbling block for a Jew is they simply could not believe Yahweh - the God of Israel would have anything to do with Gentiles. Christianity and Christ could not be the Way, because they could not fathom it being the way - especially if Gentiles are involved.

Today, the devout orthodox Jew may feel the same way, but most secular Jews do not (IMO). However, the foundation of the idea that Christianity could not be the correct way was laid down 2,000 years ago by Israel. [For all the reasons MacArthur lists from Romans 10.]

[John A.]

Romans 10:14-11:12
[Continued]

Romans 11
Israel's future

Will they be permanently shut out. Nope. Paul and the apostles and all other believing Jews show that individual Jews would come to Christ (believe). Just as God told Elijah back in the day, and it is true today - there is a rmnant. We can see all through the OT the working of God through remnants - groups of believers. There will be a remnant in the future for Israel - the 144,000 and the last of the nation caught in Tribulation at Petra.

Why can't the nation of Israel see the truth now? Christ said it in the Gospels and Paul uses Moses, Isaiah, and David here to point out:
"God gave them a spirit of stupor,
eyes so that they could not see
and ears so that they could not hear,
to this very day....."
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Romans 11:11b-12
"...Rather, because of their transgression, salvation has come to the Gentiles to make Israel envious. 12But if their transgression means riches for the world, and their loss means riches for the Gentiles, how much greater riches will their fullness bring!"

While the Gentiles prosper now, when the tribulation comes and the 144,000 Jews are sealed, and the remnant is saved at Petra, the kingdom that will be ruled by Christ from Israel will be even richer than what exists today - literally and spiritually.

[John A.]

II CHRONICLES 20

VERSE 1

1. "Now we see 3 nations rise up against the Southern Kingdom of Judah. The Moabites, the Ammonites and the Edomites, who were all blood relatives of Israel. The Moabites and the Ammonites were the children of an incestuous relationship between Lot and his two daughters. It was right after the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah that his daughters thought they were the only ones left, thus, they got their father drunk and had sex with him bringing forth Moab and Ben-Ammi, the fathers of these two nations. And Esau, the son of Isaac and the brother of Jacob, was the father of the Edomites dwelling in the area of Mount Seir, as we see in verse 10."

VERSE 12

1. "Again, a proper perspective of the situation - we have no strength, we can't do it on our own, and so our eyes are upon you Lord! It speaks of a total dependence upon God. Psalm 46:1-2 says "God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble.

VERSE 13

1. Now, after the prayer they waited for God's answer - they stood still before the Lord. It is during those times we are strengthened and refreshed as Isaiah 40:31 says. "But those who wait on the LORD Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint."

VERSES 14-15

1. God puts things in proper perspective, its His battle. Because of that, we need to bring our requests before Him and ask for guidance, for direction in the situations we find ourselves in."
http://www.ccmanitowoc.org/Library/Guglielmo-Joe/Studies/TH/14-2CH/TH1062.HTM

[John A.]

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