Bible in 90 Days -- day 56 (Jeremiah 23:9-33:22)

God, our helper,

by your Holy Spirit open our minds

and lead us into your truth

for the sake of Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

In Jeremiah 23:22 God says about the prophets, “But if they had stood in my council, they would have proclaimed my words to my people and would have turned them from their evil ways and from their evil deeds.” That is the primary job of a prophet – apply God’s word to God’s people. Lamentably, this is not what was happening. This is still a good warning for those who speak God’s Word.

In 27:6 God refers to King Nebuchadnezzar as“my servant.” This would have been complete news to Nebuchadnezzar! He did not acknowledge the LORD or have any type of covenant with him. There is a real sense in which God considers everyone his servant, and in this case God brings Nebuchadnezzar to carry out his plan against Judah and the surrounding nations.

Jeremiah 29:11 is probably the most famous verse in the whole book: “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” This is often used as a blanket blessing, but I think we would be wise to look closely at the context. This is word of hope given during a time of discipline. For 70 years the people will be exiles, and life will not be good for those who stay behind. This promise in no way spares the people from the coming pain. However, considering the dark tone of the first 28 chapters, this verse is incredibly uplifting. God will not forget to bless! I look at this blessing also in light of 31:28, where the LORD says, “Just as I watched over them to uproot and tear down, and to overthrow, destroy and bring disaster, so I will watch over them to build and to plant.” God accomplishes both in Judah and Israel, but grace prevails in the end.

KNOW THIS: The most famous verses in the whole book probably should be 31:31-34. This is the new covenant. This is our reality.

We have seen God command Jeremiah to do some very specific acts to enact God’s word to the people. The command to buy the land in chapter 32 is an enactment of hope based on God’s promise. I love this picture!

Bible in 90 Days - day 55 (Jeremiah 10:14-23:8)

Gracious God,
we do not live by bread alone,
but by every word that comes from your mouth.
Make us hungry for this your Word,
that it may nourish us today
in the ways of eternal life.
Through Jesus Christ, the bread of heaven. Amen.

I used to run every morning and spend part of the run praying. Every day Jeremiah 10:23-24 was part of that prayer.

Chapter 11 clearly explains the cause of this devastation: God’s people have broken covenant. The results are horrifying. It really sounds like judgment will be the last word. God even tells Jeremiah not to pray for the people. The old blessing was that Israel’s descendants would be as numerous as the sands of the seashore, but now God promises to “make their widows more numerous than the sand of the sea” (15:8). When it seems there is no possible hope, God makes a promise in 16:14-15. There will be a deliverance so great it will compare to the exodus from Egypt. The promise sneaks in there, but it is a big promise of grace! (see also 17:24-26)

21:5 is another example of blessings turned to curses. God’s mighty hand and outstretched arm were always good news for Israel, and here they are the worst possible news. God’s strength is turned against his people.

Chapter 22 is a call to return to God. The call is to the covenant people and the king who reigns on David’s throne according to the covenant God made with David. The body of the call begins in verse 3 with these words: “Thus says the LORD: do justice and righteousness.” Covenant, justice and righteousness – these not too subtle themes keep coming up. (See 22:12 for the big contrast.) Chapter 22 ends with God saying, “None will sit on the throne of David or rule in Judah anymore.” No matter how bad things have been in the past with the Davidic kings, God has never said anything like this!

I am so glad that the first few verses of chapter 23 are included in today’s reading!

Bible in 90 Days - Day 54 (Jeremiah 1:1-10:13)

Guide us, O God,

by your Word and Spirit,

that in your light we may see light,

in your truth find freedom,

and in your will discover your peace,

through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

Jeremiah was a prophet to the southern kingdom of Judah. He began to prophesy in the 13^th year of Josiah. Remember that Josiah reigned 31 years, and he was the last faithful king of Judah. Jeremiah prophesied through the fall of Jerusalem, so he saw all of the rest of Judah’s unfaithful kings and the Babylonian exile. (Babylon conquered Assyria during this time as well.)

Jeremiah 2:13 is such a vivid image of forsaking God. Living water is fresh, flowing water. It is what you want in water. A cistern merely gathers and stores water, so it is not fresh. To forsake living water for a cistern is crazy, and to forsake living water for a broken cistern is self-destructive. 2:25 makes the people’s love of false gods sound like an addiction.

Although judgment is a big them, judgment is never the final word with the prophets. The prophets, Jeremiah included, call the people to repent. The ESV study notes say there are over 100 calls to repent in the book of Jeremiah. Jeremiah 3 is a good example. There is judgment, but the chapter ends with a call to repent. Chapter 4 begins with God’s promise of forgiveness.

Jeremiah 4:23 is the only verse in the Bible that repeats the “formless and empty” wording exactly from Genesis 1:23. There is an undoing of creation here. Light disappears, the land is unstable, the birds, plants and people are gone. God’s people have rejected his plan. In 5:30-31 even the social order of godly rule is gone. The three groups in charge of representing God as leaders are prophets, priests, and kings. Here 2 of the 3 are implicated.

By the time I got to 8:18-22 I was ready to feel with the prophet. “Since my people are crushed, I am crushed; I mourn, and horror grips me.” I could use some of those blessings that are interspersed in Isaiah!

There is hope because God is who he is. There is even a hint of it in 9:7. God will refine and test his people.

Bible in 90 Days - Day 53 (Isaiah 52:12-66:24)

Prepare our hearts, O God,

to hear your Word

and obey your will.

Through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

Last week I was studying with Fredrick Dale Bruner in Michigan. One day we  were studying Matthew 27 and Jesus on the cross. Bruner said we should always view the work of Jesus through a pair of glasses where one lens is Psalm 22 and the other lens is Isaiah 53. Do you understand the heart and hands of Jesus better as you read today’s passage?

There is so much hope throughout today’s reading. I love how Isaiah 55 handles the mystery of following God. Following God is the best path, but we don’t always understand what is happening. God says, “That’s right – you can’t. My thoughts are not even in the same category as your thoughts. Trust me.”

In 56:7 God says his house “will be called a house of prayer for all nations.” Remember that in Isaiah’s day Israel and Judah were being pounded by “all nations.” This is an earth-shaking promise! Judah may be one nation under God, but God is one God over all the nations.

Often during Lent we think about giving up things. What would Lent look like for a congregation that adopted Isaiah 58 for 40 days?

In Luke 4 Jesus reads from Isaiah 61 in the synagogue, rolled up the scroll, gave it back, and said, “Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.” Wow! What a sermon.

Bible in 90 Days - Day 52 (Isaiah 42:19-52:12)

Lord, open our hearts and minds

by the power of your Holy Spirit,

that we may hear your Word with joy. Amen.

In the beginning the earth was “formless and empty” (Gen 1:2). That Hebrew word for “formless” is tohu (like “tofu” with an h), and it appears in 18 verses in the Old Testament. 11 of those are in Isaiah. One of those is 41:29, and it is translated “confusion” here. Idols aren’t just worthless; they lead people in the direction of primordial chaos. Chapter 42 is the counter to that. It is a passage that shows who Jesus is. Notice the contrast in 42:5 between God the creator and the idols in 41:29. A big theme I see in today’s reading is God as creator and redeemer. Everything belongs to God because he created it, and God in love also redeemed his people (bought them back). (Tohu is also the “nothing” in 44:9, the “empty” in 45:18, and “in vain” in 45:19 and 49:4.)

Many people have trouble with the idea that God chooses us before we choose him. I think this happens particularly in those places where personal freedom is stressed. I’m not simply trying to hammer in Reformed doctrine here, but today’s passage is a great example of how God does not sit and wait to see what people will do. God proactively works in salvation and redemption. God gives; we receive. It is all God, and that is grace. (46:10 sounds like God saying, “believe it!”)

Back in Deuteronomy I pointed out a passage that stood out grammatically from everything around it. Isaiah 46:4 is similar. 5 times the emphasis is on the “I.” God is emphasizing the fact that he alone is the one who makes these things happen.

Paul quotes Isaiah 49:8 in 2 Corinthians 6:2 and adds, “I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation.” Amen! It is one thing to read good news, but it is another thing completely to know that it is our Good News! These good promises and words of hope are promises and words that God gives to us.

Bible in 90 Days - Day 51 (Isaiah 29-42:18)

God of Jesus Christ,

give us a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Christ,

so that the eyes of our hearts might be enlightened.

Help us to know the hope to which you have called us,

the riches of the glorious inheritance in the saints,

and the immeasurable greatness of your power at work in us.

Through Christ, our Lord. Amen.

—based on Ephesians 1:17-19, NRSV

29 begins with the name “Ariel.” This is the only place I can find this name for Jerusalem. It is the same word as “altar hearth” at the end of verse 2. Verses 9-16 are a horrifying vision of what happens when people’s hearts are hardened to God’s Word. Jesus quotes from this passage in Matthew 15:8-9. May this not be us as we read God’s Word! And then comes hope again in verses 17-24. Isaiah alternates between judgment and hope very quickly!

I periodically quote Psalm 33:17, “A horse is a vain hope for deliverance.” That is my abbreviated way for reminding myself (and others) that our own little fixes amount to nothing if we don’t keep our lives turned to God (see the rest of Psalm 33). Isaiah 31 is another example of the same thing, and the horse imagery appears in the same context.

I love the story of Sennacherib, which is a real life example of the “horse is a vain hope for deliverance” principle. This must be a key story for us, since this is the third time we are reading it (also 2 Kings 18, 2 Chronicles 32)!

Isaiah 40 marks a big jump in time. In 39:5-7 Isaiah prophesies the Babylonian captivity, and in chapter 40 he speaks words that are meant to comfort those captives. We see at least three words of comfort: one for the Babylonian exiles, one in reference to Jesus’ birth, and another as we look forward to Jesus’ return.

I absolutely love the grace that is found in Isaiah. God acts on behalf of his people. God saves. Isaiah 40 is yet another vivid picture of that.

Bible in 90 Days - Day 50 (Isaiah 14-28)

Lord God, we wish to see Jesus.

By your Spirit’s power, give us eyes to see his glory.

Through Christ we pray. Amen.

—based on John 12:21

Right out of the gate today our reading is peppered with grace. God will not only restore Judah (and the remnant of Israel), but also open the gates wider to accept the foreigner. Here we see the prophecies for the two big captors: Babylon the captor of Judah and Assyria the captor of Israel. This is followed by prophecies against most of the rest of their enemies.

Chapter 18 opens the doors again for foreigners to be in God’s presence (especially verses 3 and 7). It is a strong god who can defeat enemies, but only our God turns their hearts to him so he can call them his own. That is our story! (Can you even imagine how 19:25 would have sounded in Isaiah’s day?)

Isaiah 20 presents an interesting story. God tells Isaiah to walk around naked for 3 years to represent the shame of Egypt and Cush when they are exiled by the Assyrians. This is a stark reminder to the Israelites to not put their trust in Egypt and Cush. I would have been tempted to say, “God, can I just tell them the message? Maybe put up a few posters?” Frequently God has the prophets act out the prophecy.

Our reading today ends with judgment against the sin of the whole earth in chapter 24. Psalm 24 says, “The earth is the LORD’s, and everything in it, the world and all who live in it.” There is not a corner of the earth that can say, “That system may work for you and your God, but not here.” God’s “justice and righteousness,” his judgment and grace, are universal. 

Yesterday I knew we had to read through chapter 28, but somehow I stopped at chapter 24. I just want to add one thing to yesterday's notes. I've always been intrigued by the repetitions in Isaiah 28:9-13. In looking a little deeper, I found some interesting variations.

The NIV says, “Do and do, do and do, rule on rule, rule on rule; a little here, a little there.” There is a lot of debate over whether these words in Hebrew actually mean something or if they are simply gibberish to reflect how the word of the LORD will sound foreign to the people. Here are a few other translations of 28:13 –

NET: “So the Lord’s word to them will sound like

meaningless gibberish,

senseless babbling,

a syllable here, a syllable there.

As a result, they will fall on their backsides when they try to walk,

and be injured, ensnared, and captured.”

NLT: “So the Lord will spell out his message for them again,

one line at a time, one line at a time,

a little here, and a little there,

so that they will stumble and fall.

They will be injured, trapped, and captured.”

In The Message, Eugene Peterson paraphrases verse 13,

“So God will start over with the simple basics

and address them in baby talk, one syllable at a time—

‘Da, da, da, da, blah, blah, blah, blah.

That’s a good little girl, that’s a good little boy.’

And like toddlers, they will get up and fall down,

get bruised and confused and lost.”

The newest NIV (recently released) has this translation:

“So then, the word of the Lord to them will become:
Do this, do that, a rule for this, a rule for that;
a little here, a little there—
so that as they go they will fall backward;
they will be injured and snared and captured.”

May the Holy Spirit allow Gods' Word to sound neither like empty rules nor like gibberish to us!

Bible in 90 Days - Day 49 (Isaiah 1-13)

Lord, to whom shall we go?

You have the words of eternal life!

Help us now to hear and obey what you say to us today.

Through Christ, our Lord. Amen.

—based on John 6:68

The ESV Study Bible notes say this regarding the opening of Isaiah: “A microcosm of the book’s message appears in 1:2–2:5. The Lord announces his basic charge against the people: they have received so much privilege from God and ought to be grateful children, but “they have despised the Holy One of Israel” (1:2–4). He describes the purpose of the various judgments they face, namely, to bring them to repentance, or at least to preserve a remnant who will repent (1:5–9). Judah is very diligent to observe the divinely appointed sacrifices, but the people’s hearts are far from God, as their unwillingness to protect their own weakest members exhibits (1:10–20). The Lord called his people to be the embodiment of faithfulness in this world, and yet they are now filled with rampant unfaithfulness at every level (personal, religious, and social); but God intends to purge Zion of its sinful members and set her up as a beacon of light for the whole world. In view of this glorious future, Isaiah’s contemporaries should commit themselves afresh to walking “in the light of the Lord” (1:21–2:5)."

The first few verses of chapter 3 talk about what God is going to do to Judah and Jerusalem. We have just read these histories. Isaiah is talking to the southern kingdom of Judah, the more faithful of the two kingdoms. We can picture what it looks like when God removes everything good and useful from them. Even Judah will lose what power it has as it faces exile.

5:7 is a particularly masterfully written verse. Justice and righteousness are pillars of who God is and what he expects. The words for justice and bloodshed sound very similar in Hebrew, as do righteousness and cries. Judah has actually taken beautiful things (justice and righteousness) and had substituted abominations (bloodshed and cries) for them. (The NIV is a great translation for finding references to the pair “justice and righteousness.” Keep an eye out for it.)

One of the most striking things in Isaiah is the contrast between the depths of what Judah does in breaking covenant and the glorious heights of God’s grace. Chapters 4, 9 and 11 are beautiful pictures of what God himself will do to restore his people. Even those who (unknowingly) are God’s instruments of discipline, like Assyria in this case, will be punished for their own pride and destructive heart (10:12ff).

I am reminded of the proverb we just read: “In his heart a man plans his course,but the Lord determines his steps” (Prov 16:9). Maybe better yet for Isaiah is Proverbs 19:21, “Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.”

Bible in 90 Days - Day 48 (Ecclesiastes 3-Song of Solomon)

Lord Christ,

we believe in you.

Help our unbelief. Amen.

—based on Mark 9:24

If you are old enough, you’ll find yourself singing along to the beginning of today’s reading (turn, turn, turn…).

I think I really get hung up on the translation “meaningless.” It seems too empty. The Hebrew word “hebel” is broader than just that. “Vanity” may help somewhat. The NET Bible uses a variety of translations depending on the context, and one of the main ones is “fleeting.” In 8:14 it uses “enigma” – I can grasp that! At the end of 11:8 it uses “obscure.”

Ecclesiastes 12 is a very poetic way to describe the aging process (keepers of the house = hands, grinders = teeth, etc).

Song of Solomon – I really wish I had watched the video speaker for this one! Three of the main interpretations of this book have been that it represents God and Israel, Christ and the Church, or a man and a woman. However we read it, it is very evident that in the proper context God fully intends for men and women to delight physically in each other. I hope you enjoy this book.

Bible in 90 Days - Day 47 (Proverbs 20:22-Ecclesiastes 2)

Lord God,

may your Word be a lamp to our feet

and a light to our path

through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

—based on Psalm 119:105

Proverbs 26:4-5 is a great example of how wisdom is not simply a formula that we apply:

Do not answer a fool according to his folly,

or you will be like him yourself.

Answer a fool according to his folly,

or he will be wise in his own eyes.

It looks like these contradict, but they actually give us wisdom that must be applied prudently. In some cases, we are in danger of becoming like fools when we enter into their arguments, but at other times we are called to correct them.

Today I was thinking about the Belhar Confession as I read. The Belhar is a confession that our denomination is considering adopting alongside the Heidelberg Catechism, the Belgic Confession, and the Canons of Dort as a church confession. One of the controversial lines in it is “We believe… that God, in a world full of injustice and enmity, is in a special way the God of the destitute, the poor and the wronged.” There are a lot of proverbs that show God’s concern for the poor. As we finish Proverbs and head toward the Prophets, let’s consider whether God’s concern for the destitute, the poor and the wronged is greater than his concern for the others, or whether the Bible shows God to be impartial. Great minds fall on both sides of the question!

The ESV Study Bible notes that Ecclesiastes is written in such a way that it inspires emotion as well as ideas. One of its goals is that we will be drawn into the experience of all of these dead-end paths. The question isn’t simply, “What is this experience?” but “What would this experience feel like?”

The NIV “meaningless” is often translated “vanity.” The Hebrew word also can mean “vapor” or something that is fleeting. We look for meaning in permanence, and Ecclesiastes pokes holes in that desire.

Bible in 90 Days - Day 46 (Proverbs 7:1-20:21)

Lord God,

help us turn our hearts to you

and hear what you will speak,

for you speak peace to your people

through Christ, our Lord. Amen.

—based on Psalm 85:8

One of the joys of reading a lot of Proverbs in one sitting is that it helps to get the big picture. Many of the proverbs are only understood properly in light of other proverbs. Overall they give wisdom for godly living. The ESV Study Bible notes say this: “A key term in Proverbs is of course “wisdom.” The word (Hb. khokmah) can have the nuance of “skill” (as it does in Ex. 28:3), particularly the skill of choosing the right course of action for the desired result. In the covenantal framework of Proverbs, it denotes “skill in the art of godly living.”

One of the big themes is the eternal nature of wisdom. 8:22 says, “The Lord brought me forth as the first of his works,^, before his deeds of old; I was appointed from eternity, from the beginning, before the world began.” Some have even compared wisdom to Christ. I’m not necessarily going this way, but the big connections come in the first chapter of the Gospel of John. There Jesus is called the Word, and the Word in Greek culture was the personification of wisdom. We also here echoes of Jon 1:1-3 in Proverbs 8:30 “Then I was the craftsman at his side. I was filled with delight day after day, rejoicing always in his presence.”

One of the places where reading the proverbs in in their broader context helps is in the area of wealth. On the one hand, wealth seems to be the reward for doing what is right (i.e. I’m wealthy, I must be doing what is right - 10:4 “Lazy hands make a man poor, but diligent hands bring wealth.”). But in the broader context, wisdom is worth far more than wealth itself. 8:9-10 “Choose my instruction instead of silver, knowledge rather than choice gold, for wisdom is more precious than rubies, and nothing you desire can compare with her.” 16:16 “How much better to get wisdom than gold, to choose understanding rather than silver.” Sometimes wealth appears to be a goal as in 18:11 (“The wealth of the rich is their fortified city; they imagine it an unscalable wall.”), but in the context of 18:10 we see the folly of wealth (“The name of the Lord is a strong tower;

the righteous run to it and are safe.”)

There are other proverbs that sound good, but we can easily think of counter examples. One of these is 19:23 “The fear of the Lord leads to life: Then one rests content, untouched by trouble.” We know plenty of people who fear the Lord and experience trouble. Wisdom gives us general guidelines on the way of godly living, not hard and fast cause and effect.

In closing today I’d like to make a comment on a commonly quoted proverb. 13:24 states, “He who spares the rod hates his on, but he who loves him is careful to discipline him.” This verse has been used to justify some harsh discipline. A few years ago a godly man pointed out to me that this rod comes up again in Psalm 23:4, “Even though I walk

through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.” The rod that disciplines in a way that lacks the comfort and grace of the Shepherd is probably wielded inappropriately.