Bible in 90 Days - Day 70 (Matthew 16:1-26:56)

O God, open our hearts and minds

by the power of your Holy Spirit,

that as the Scriptures are read

and your Word is proclaimed,

we may hear what you are saying to us today. Amen.

Early in the reading we see back to back scenes with Peter and Jesus: one where Peter is praised and another where he is rebuked strongly. Following Christ means acknowledging him for who he is (the Christ, the Son of the living God – 16:16) and also understanding the necessity of bearing our cross (16:24-26). Between these two scenes we get 16:21 – Jesus beginning to explain that he will go to Jerusalem and be crucified and then be raised. This is a turning point in Matthew’s Gospel. Right after this comes the transfiguration, in part to prepare the disciples for what is coming.

There are certainly quite a few parables that deal with rejecting Jesus here.

There is a real sense that something earthshaking is coming, and indeed it is. We have been talking so much about covenants for the last 70 days, and now the new covenant is being established in Jesus’ own blood. This is a covenant we live daily and remember specifically the fourth Sunday of every month. Amazing!

Bible in 90 Days - Day 69 (Matthew 5-15)

Almighty God, you have spoken to us through your Son.

Let your written Word now be spoken and heard by each of us.

Give us ears to hear and hearts to understand,

that we may not refuse your calling or ignore your voice.

May we all be taught by you through your powerful Word.

Bring our every thought captive to obeying Christ,

to the glory of your holy name. Amen.

We begin with the Sermon on the Mount. There are a lot of instructions here, but the sermon starts with blessings. We find that is Gods’ pattern – blessings before commands (look at the beginning of the 10 commandments for another example. “I am the LORD your God who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. You shall have…). If life in the kingdom of God is described by this sermon, I want it!

As we read the Gospels, keep in mind that the kingdom of God (kingdom of Heaven) has two parts: it has been established already here on earth, but it will not come to its completion until Christ returns.

Twice in today’s reading (9:13 and 12:7) Jesus quotes Hosea 6:6 – “I desire mercy, not sacrifice.” He tells his listeners to find out what that means. Good advice for us as well!

The kingdom of heaven is such an important theme that it is the entire content of what he sends his disciples out to preach in 10:6.

I always marvel that John the Baptist from prison questioned Jesus’ identity. In Matthew 11:4-6 Jesus tells John’s disciples to watch the signs he is doing and report back. That list is much like the one in Luke 4:18-19 that Jesus uses at the beginning of his ministry, but one action is conspicuously absent – freedom for the captives. Is that what John is looking for? Is Jesus explaining that the kingdom of God is powerful but that is doesn’t give everyone what they want when they want it?

Bible in 90 Days - Day 68 (Zechariah 11-Matthew 4)

Blessed are you, God of all creation.

You spoke in the beginning, and all things came to be.

You spoke, and your Word came to live with us,

full of grace and truth.

Bless this place where we would hear your voice.

Bless this place where we would hear your story.

As we listen, may our ears be attuned to you.

As the Word is spoken, may you speak to us.

May all we hear lead us to you.

Through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

Zechariah finishes out with references to Christ, but also to the final coming of Christ. Many of these passages are echoed in the book of Revelation.

There are no specific events in Malachi that lead us to undisputed dates, but it is most likely that Malachi was a contemporary of Ezra and Nehemiah, about 100 years after the end of the Babylonian captivity. From the accusation-question-response format (“I have this against you…” “What do you mean? When did we do that?” “You do this when…”) we can hear that the Israelites were worshiping God, but that there worship was not a whole-hearted commitment to their covenant God. God both warns them to turn to him and gives them a vision for the coming of the Messiah. The last few verses say that Elijah will come to usher in the Messiah, and both Matthew 11:14 (Jesus speaking) and Luke 1:17 (an angel speaking) connect John the Baptist with this prophecy, identifying Jesus as the Messiah.

500 years pass, and Jesus is born. Sometime after his death the Gospels are written, and each writer has a point of view and an audience. Matthew seems to be writing to a Jewish audience. He has a lot of Old Testament references (look how many times even in today’s reading Matthew references OT prophecies), and his opening genealogy specifically links Jesus both to Abraham and to David. Three women are mentioned by name (and a fourth, Bathsheba, through reference), and we have read about each of them this summer. Even though he has a Jewish audience, the references to Rahab and Ruth, as well as the inclusion of the Magi, show that Matthew emphasizes Jesus as the hope for the world.

Matthew 4:23 says Jesus went out teaching in the synagogues, preaching the Good News of the kingdom, and healing. We will keep an eye out for these three, especially the Good News of the kingdom. The kingdom of God, or as Matthew frequently calls it the kingdom of Heaven, is the major theme of Jesus’ preaching.

Bible in 90 Days - Day 67 (Habakkuk-Zechariah 10)

Shine within our hearts, loving Lord,

with the true light of your divine knowledge,

and open the eyes of our minds,

that we may comprehend the message of your Word,

through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

In the beginning of Habakkuk, the prophet sees evil among his own people – the leaders of Judah (although some argue that it is Assyria that he is talking about). By now you should sense the weight of 1:4 – the law, justice and righteousness are all at risk. God’s response is to send Babylon to do his work of punishment. That doesn’t sit well with Habakkuk either! But Habakkuk waits for the LORD to carry out his justice with Babylon, too. The final verses (3:17-19) are a huge statement of faith and trust.

Zephaniah prophesies during the reign of King Josiah (a good king) of Judah. Israel is already exiled to Assyria, so the references to Israel here are meant for the whole of God’s people (here mainly Judah). A main theme is the Day of the LORD which will bring blessing for those who keep covenant and disaster for the rest. I am noticing another theme in some of these prophets that comes up here in 3:3-5. The ones in charge of making sure the people keep covenant are the officials (kings and others), the prophets, and the priests. Repeatedly all three fail. Repeatedly God says he himself will step in to change that. One of our foundations for understanding the work of Jesus is that he is prophet, priest, and king. Jesus is God stepping in to change everything. Because of the promise of God, the work of Jesus, and the power of the Holy Spirit, ALL Christians now have what we call the “threefold office” of prophet, priest, and king. Not that we replace Christ, but we are indeed his heart and hands in this world. Read Zephaniah 3:15-17 as a message to us (to you). I love verse 17 – we used to sing a song that began, “Sing, Lord sing over your people…” What an amazing and true image! God rejoices over his people!

Haggai prophesies after the Babylonian captivity (the year is 520 B.C.). The temple is still the manifestation of God’s presence among the people. The people have returned to Jerusalem, but they have not given thought to God’s presence, so they are experiencing little blessing. On Sunday morning we talked about these temple prophesies that don’t seem to literally come true. In 2:9 God says the glory of this house will be greater than the former. We know that this particular temple building was not more glorious than Solomon’s temple, but from this and other prophecies we know that God’s presence (symbolized by the temple) will be a blessing to all nations. We see this verse most fully fulfilled in Christ.

Zechariah was a priest who also prophesied after the Babylonian captivity.  Chapter 2 is a vision for the gathering of the nations as God’s people. The city (Jerusalem) will be so full that it will not even be surrounded by walls! I won’t comment on all the visions (this message is getting long enough), but my study notes say that 4:14 is probably referring to Zerubbabel the governor (like a king) and Joshua the priest. Beginning in chapter 9 we find a lot of passages that are either quoted or at least referenced in the New Testament, many in regards to Jesus.

Bible in 90 Days - Day 66 (Obadiah-Nahum)

Lord God,

you have declared that your kingdom is among us.

Open our eyes to see it,

our ears to hear it,

our hearts to hold it,

our hands to serve it.

This we pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Obadiah is like Joel in that we really don’t know much about him. We also can’t pinpoint the timing of this book. Edom is the descendants of Esau, Jacob’s brother. “Jacob” stands for all Israel in this book. Edom (and all the nations that oppose Israel) will receive God’s judgment, but Israel will be restored.

Jonah is mentioned in 2 Kings 14:23-28. Here he prophesies (correctly) good things for an evil king. Jonah has seen God’s grace to his own wayward people firsthand, and now he is commanded to prophesy to a foreign wayward people (and he rebels). Nineveh is the capital of Assyria. Assyria is powerful, but is not yet the superpower that will defeat Israel. The prophets are meant to shine God’s light on specific people and nations. Although they receive attention, they are conduits of God’s Word. Jonah is not just the conduit, but also the recipient of God’s Word. God is working in Jonah’s life as well. We see God’s grace for outsiders (sailors and Ninevites) in this book, and they praise God before Jonah does. When you think about Nineveh and Tarshish, think about being called to New York but getting on a ship bound for Hawaii. Jonah 3:4 is very telling. Think of how many words the prophets usually use to bring God’s message. We read entire books that contain long and poetic prophecies. Here Jonah only says, “40 more days and Nineveh will be overturned.” What a lame prophecy! It doesn’t even call the people to repent. Jonah’s heart is not in this, which is clear by the end. The ending of the book of Jonah is rarely reflected in children’s Bibles and stories.

Micah is a contemporary of Isaiah and Hosea, and he prophesied to both Israel and Judah. This is a book about judgment and forgiveness. Chapter 4 begins with a word of hope for the nations. Think how this might sound to Judah and Israel as they struggle against the nations. The nations will be recipients of God’s favor one day. As you read chapter 6, picture a giant courtroom that encompasses the world. God is the prosecuting attorney. All of the natural world is the jury. God’s people are the defendants. Verses 6 and 7 are the people’s words. Note the emphasis on relationship in this passage – “My people” and “your God.”

I don’t think I’ve ever read Jonah and Nahum in one day before. Both prophesy against Nineveh, but Nahum is over 100 years later. There is no great repentance as in Jonah.

Bible in 90 Days - Day 65 (Hosea 13:7-Amos 9)

O Lord, you have given us your Word

for a light to shine upon our path.

Grant us so to meditate on that Word,

and to follow its teaching

that we may find in it the light

that shines more and more

until the perfect day.

Through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

The last verse of Hosea is not only a great way to end this particular book, but it is a way to look at all of the minor prophets. Together they are referred to as “the book of the 12,” and this verse is a commentary on reading this book of the 12.

There is a lot of discussion about when Joel was written. Some scholars put him as a contemporary of Elisha early in the period of the kings, and some put him as the last prophet after the exile. Likewise, some scholars consider this infestation of locusts to be literal, and others think it is a metaphor for a military invasion. Either way, Joel’s message regarding the “day of the LORD” is powerful.

Peter quotes Joel 2:28-32 in Acts 2 at Pentecost to describe to the people what is going on among them.

Amos is prophesying to the northern kingdom of Israel before the exile to Assyria, and a key theme of his message is the universal justice of God that will be exercised not only on Israel’s enemies, but also on Israel itself. The opening judgments in chapters 1 and 2 tell the names of the people surrounding Israel and Judah. It is like God is circling in to his target.

2:11-12 is very interesting. God specifically sent Nazirites and prophets to warn his people, but Israel “undid” them by commanding them to change. Nazirites didn’t drink wine or cut their hair, and prophets had to prophesy. Israel could have simply ignored them, but they added to their sin by undoing them.

In Amos 4:4-5 the people are going to their holy places to meet with God, but they do it in a way that God detests. In the next 6 verses God tells the people that he is trying to get their attention, but they are ignoring him. Finally in verse 12 God says, “You wanted to meet with me, and now you will. It will not be the meeting you expected, though.”

Amos finishes with a vision of restoration in which the harvest is so abundant and the ground so fertile that those working on the harvest will still be working when the plowmen and planters are ready to dig in. Rhythms of highs and lows are gone, and there is always a paycheck. Of course this is the metaphor for spiritual blessing, but I’m taking time to remember living among farmers in California and thinking of my farming family in Minnesota, and I’m just letting my mind wander over the blessing of constant abundance. It is like the city of God in Revelation where there is no night because the LORD is there.

Bible in 90 Days - Day 64 (Daniel 9-Hosea 13:6)

God, the Bible is a very special book.

It is so big and so old.

What do these old words mean for our lives today?

Please send your Spirit,

so that we can understand your Word. Amen.

Hosea is prophesying before the fall of the northern kingdom of Israel to Assyria. This time period is one of the most unsettled for the northern kingdom, and Hosea commonly refers to this kingdom as Ephraim.

Hosea 2:16 is a play on words. The word for “master” here is baal, like the name of the god Baal. In context this is a common term for husband, but God is going to turn his people back to him to such an extent that they will not even use common words like this anymore – nothing that would be confusing God with any other gods. More than being “politically correct,” God will make even their language “theologically correct.”

2:19-20 contains the list of nouns that describe both God and what he expects from his people: righteousness, justice, love, compassion, and faithfulness. When God reaches his people this way and they respond, “then they will know the LORD.” (NIV says “acknowledge,” but “know” strikes me as more intimate and correct – it is the literal translation. Remember, when Adam “knew” Eve, children were born. God’s desire is that we know him, not just that we know about him.)

In chapter 3 Hosea buys his wife back. He has to do more than simply accept her; he has to go get her at cost to himself. What a fitting image for how God has redeemed us.

Jesus quotes the words of Hosea 6:6 (For I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings) in Matthew 9:13 and 12:7. Jesus says we should learn what these words mean. Mercy and knowing God are the key terms here in 6:6.

Yesterday morning when we met we talked about how serious sin is to God. Hosea 7:2 is God’s testimony that he remembers sin. When God forgives us, he vows not to remember our sin (Isaiah 43:25 – “I, even I, am he who blots out your transgressions, for my own sake, and remembers your sins no more”). It would be dangerous to think of God as one who simply forgets all sin, though. God forgets the sin of those he has redeemed; the rest he remembers.