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Day 115 of Reading the Bible Cover to Cover in 365 days commentary, insights and thoughts. If you would like to follow along with the book offered exclusively on Amazon, please refer to https://www.amazon.com/Reading-Bible-Cover-365Days/dp/B0B6XSNMY6/ref=mp_s_a_1_90
This is a podcast sharing thoughts and insights for the accompanying the daily reading schedule for the book, Reading the Bible Cover to Cover in 365 Days.
Welcome to Day 115 of Reading the Bible Cover to Cover in 365 Days!
Let us Pray!
O Lord, thank You for teaching us more of Your ways in Your Word. Help us receive the message You have for us today. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Let’s see what’s happening in Matthew Chapter 26!
We read about the woman who poured expensive perfume over Jesus’ head in preparation for His burial. Of course, controversy arose, but Jesus quieted it down.
Then we see Judas approaching the chief priests. In verse 15 he said, “What are you willing to give me if I hand Him over to you? And they weighted out for and paid him thirty pieces of silver [about twenty-one dollars and sixty cents]. And from that moment he sought a fitting opportunity to betray Him.” This is an interesting story that shows us how sin works. First, there is the temptation, and the question arises, what will the benefits be? The decision is made, and then the sinner cannot quit thinking of the sin. Jesus taught us to pray against temptation in the Lord’s prayer. Let us actively pray against it as well and lean into the Lord Who can help us avoid it.
We read about the First Communion and how Jesus told His disciples someone would betray Him. Judas denied he was the one, but Jesus told him it was him. Yes, the Lord knows our sins before we commit them. All the more reason to stay highly connected to Him and pray to avoid it.
As Jesus knew His time was coming to an end in a horrible death, He took time to praise God and offer His body to His disciples as the bread of Life to be eaten in remembrance of Him. He did the same with the wine being symbolic of His blood that was about to be shed. Yes, even though His painful fate was arriving soon, He still praised God and gave Him thanks. When our lives become desperate, let us follow Jesus’ example of praise and thanksgiving. I have found the only way I am able to do this through God’s power. I pray He gives me thanksgiving and praise in my heart where there may be none. He will supply even this as we ask of Him.
After they partook of communion with Jesus, they sang a hymn. I have missed this over the years in my reading, so point it out for you.
And then they go to the Garden of Gethsemane. Jesus said to His top three men: Peter, James, and John, “My soul is very sad and deeply grieved, so that I am almost dying of sorrow. Stay here and keep awake and keep watch with Me.” I believe Jesus was feeling the burden of all the sins of the people from past, present, and future. The sins He would soon bear on the cross, and it was almost unbearable for Him. This was His mission to take on the sins of the world and be the final sacrifice for all sins.
In verse 41, He tells the three disciples to, “keep awake (give strict attention, be cautious and active) and watch and pray, that you may not come into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” Again, let us do the same, my friend.
Jesus walks toward His accusers – toward the painful torture and death that awaits Him. Most of us would have run as did the disciples, but He walked toward the mission that was given Him. He knew God would send legions of angels to protect Him if that was His wish, but He held fast so the Scriptures would be fulfilled through Him.
We read another letter by Paul today. A letter to a man named Philemon. Paul writes this letter from prison.
Philemon had a servant named Onesimus. Onesimus had run away – escaped from his servitude. He had also stolen some things from Philemon most likely to provide him with funds to live on his own.
Onesimus became a believer through Paul, and now Paul was writing to Philemon to ask him to receive Onesimus back without harm but with gladness because he was now a believer. In this new state he would be so much more prized. Paul even tells Philemon to charge whatever was taken to his account. He tells Philemon that he’d rather keep Onesimus with him to tend to his needs, but send him back to him, nonetheless. Paul pleads his case with his friend and for his new friend.
Let’s see what’s happening in Judges chapter 19!
Well, these next few chapters reveal the wickedness of the Israelites. These events probably occurred shortly after the death of Joshua. It is very reminiscent of the tales of Sodom and Gomorrah.
There was a Levitical priest who took a concubine for himself, but initially she was unfaithful to him and went back to her father’s house. The priest went after her and was reunited with her. Her father was more than pleased with the priest and entertained him for a number of days. In fact, every day the priest wanted to leave, he was talked into staying another day. But the day finally came when he left with his servant and the daughter.
They were traveling when it was getting dark. The servant wanted to stop but the priest had them go on until they were back in Israelite territory – the land of the Benjamites. However, no one would take them in for the evening even though they had their own provisions. A man saw them in the town square and invited them into his home. Here is where things turn badly. Some men came and wanted to have their way with the priest and even possibly kill him, but the owner of the home wouldn’t let them have him. Instead, he let them do what they wanted with the man’s concubine. She died from this abusive evening. They were most horrible with her. When the priest found her dead on the porch in the morning, he took her body home and then proceeded to cut her up and send pieces of her to the Israelites tribes. Nothing like this had been done before and the tribes were appalled.
In chapter 20, they heard the reasoning from the priest and decided to wage war on the people of Gibeah. They had to go through the tribe of Benjamin who would not give up the few men who had committed the heinous crimes against the priest’s concubine. So, war was waged against Benjamin and Gibeah. There were far more Israelites going against this one tribe, but for their first 2 attempts, they lost the battles and many men. 22,000 the first time and 18,000 the next time. They went to seek the Lord to ask the Him if they should go up against them, and each time the Lord said yes. They used a different tactic the third time and destroyed 25,000 men of war from the tribe of Benjamin. This is a tragic story here within the Israelite nation.
In chapter 21, the Israelites lamented about the almost lost tribe of Benjamin. There were 600 men who survived the battles but there were no women for them to take for their wives. The rest of the tribes had made a vow that none of their women would be given as wives to the Benjamites even though this meant the end of the tribe. So, they came up with a plan.
First, the Israelites went to destroy the people of Jabesh-gilead because they had not come up to an assembly of where they offered burnt and peace offerings. Before they smote them, they found and saved all the virgins for the Benjamite men, however, there were still not enough. The next part of the plan was sending the Benjamites to a dance to catch a wife from the daughters of Shiloh. If their fathers or brothers came to complain, they were to ask for them. These plans were carried out and the tribe of Benjamin remained.
Psalm 115 is a psalm of praise to the Lord. It also identifies idols and mocks them. Verse 4 says, “The idols of the nations are silver and gold, the work of men’s hands.” And then it goes on to say that these materials cannot speak, or see, or hear, or smell. They cannot do anything or walk or make any sound. And yet, they have mouths, eyes, ears, noses, hands, and feet. This describes statutes and inanimate objects they made to worship. Let us not put our hope in silver or gold. Let us not measure our worth by it or any shiny objects. Let us, instead, worship the Lord and pursue relationship with Him.
The psalm goes on to tell us the same. It also tells us that those of us who trust in the Lord will find the Lord is our Help and our Shield. He will bless us. The last sentence tells us to, “Praise the Lord!” Let us praise Him today!
Let us pray:
O Lord, You are great and mighty and greatly to be praised! You are the God of the universe and God of our hearts. May we always praise You, Father. Keep our hearts seeking You above all else. In Jesus’ name, amen.