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Day 116 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 116 of Reading the Bible Cover to Cover in 365 Days!
Let us Pray!
O Lord, thank You for Your Word. Impart more wisdom in our hearts today. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Let’s see what’s happening in Matthew Chapter 27!
The chief priests and elders consulted to put Jesus to death, and they brought Him to Pilate.
Meanwhile, Judas is remorseful for his sin of giving up Jesus for the thirty pieces of silver. There is significance in this sum of money. Thirty pieces of silver was the amount of money paid to a master if their slave was accidentally killed. It was not a large sum of money for Judas to be paid, and he went and threw it into the Holy place of the sanctuary. This same act was done by Zechariah in Zechariah 11:12 and 13 when he was paid to shepherd a flock of sheep that was to be slaughtered. The Lord told Zechariah to throw the coins in the same way which was prophetic for this time we read about now.
Pilate asked Jesus if He was the king of the Jews, and Jesus answered him one time as He said, “You have stated [the fact].” But He didn’t answer or refute any of the charges the chief priests made against Him.
Verse 18 tells us Pilate knew that envy was at the heart of all the charges the chief priests brought against Jesus.
Pilate’s wife sent him news of a painful dream she had about Jesus and pleaded with him to not harm him. But the yelling and screaming of all the people persuaded Pilate otherwise.
Then the torture began. After the torture, Jesus was nailed to the cross where He suffered their verbal abuse. There was darkness for three hours before Jesus breathed His last breath. We read about the curtain that was torn in two which we know could have only been done by God, for it was too large to be torn by mere men. There was an earthquake. Many of the saints who had died were raised and went into town and talked to the people. The centurion and those watching over Jesus became frightened as they recognized He was, in fact, the Messiah.
Joseph of Arimathea took a big risk and asked Pilate for Jesus’ body. He was given permission, so he cared for Jesus’ body when everyone else had scattered. We see God had a plan for every detail – even the body of His Son to be cared for after His death. Joseph of Arimathea is only mentioned in the Bible for this selfless act. We don’t read about him any other time. But his part is awesomely important. We all have a role to play in God’s perfect plan. Let us do it in all reverence to the Lord. There is nothing that goes without notice to God. May we serve Him as He desires us to serve Him.
We start another new book today – the book of Hebrews. We don’t know who the author of Hebrews is, but he is known to be a second-generation Christian who probably wrote this in about 60 AD. I love this book because the author writes so many wonderful Truths about Christ.
In verse 3 he writes, “He is the sole expression of the glory of God [the Light-being, the out-raying or radiance of the divine], and He is the perfect imprint and very image of [God’s] nature, upholding and maintaining and guiding and propelling the universe by His mighty word of power. When He had by offering Himself accomplished our cleansing of sins and riddance of guilt, He sat down at the right hand of the divine Majesty on high.” This passage beautifully describes Who Jesus, the Messiah, the Christ is. He is the version of God we can see. The Light of the universe made into a Man. A Man of perfection. A Man Who showed us God’s mercy, love, strength, power, sovereignty, healing, and grace. Jesus is glory all wrapped up into one Human Being. Our passage tells us “He is the perfect imprint and very image of [God’s] nature.” Unafraid of living as a mortal human in the humblest of circumstances, Jesus came down to be with us. He showed us God’s nature in all He did. He showed us God’s heart when He healed the sick, blind, and deaf. He showed us God’s love when He held and blessed the children. He showed us God’s Wisdom when He picked His twelve disciples. He showed us God’s commitment when He prayed all night instead of taking His sleep. He showed us God’s abundance and miraculous nature when He blessed the two fish and five loaves which fed thousands. He showed us God’s mercy when He voluntarily walked toward His captors to give Himself as the final sacrifice for us. Our verse says that in doing so, He not only saved us from our sins but also removed our guilt. All this was done for us. Done so we can live in freedom and not be laden with the burden of our faults, failures, and short comings. And if all that isn’t enough our verse says He maintains, guides, and propels the universe by His word. He is Power and Might. Sometimes I forget just how powerful He is until I am reminded in His Word. Jesus is powerful yet merciful. He is King yet humble. He is miraculous yet simple. He is Messiah, Prince of Peace, and our Savior. He is all we need for today and for forever. And all of this is captured in the book of Hebrews. Let us enjoy the journey through this book.
We read a new book in the Old Testament called Ruth. This is a beautiful story of a woman who shows great integrity and character as she follows her destitute mother-in-law back to her homeland – Bethlehem – after her husband and two sons died. Ruth was married to one of those sons. Naomi is the mother-in-law.
We read that Naomi, her husband, and her 2 sons went to reside within the Moabites during a famine. Both sons married Moabite women – one who was named Ruth – the main character in this book. Moabites were considered Gentiles and were not normally accepted by the Israelites. When all the men in Naomi’s family died, she decided to go back to her homeland in Bethlehem. She told her daughters-in-law to go back to their parent’s homes and to their gods. But Ruth was determined to stay with her. In verse 16 she said, “Urge me not to leave you or to turn back from following you, for where you go I will go, and where you lodge I will lodge. Your people shall be my people and your God my God.” Ruth was blessed for her tenacity and allegiance to Naomi. Naomi had a wealthy relative who redeemed them by purchasing Naomi’s land and marrying Ruth. When they were married, Ruth had a son named Obed who was the father of Jesse. Jesse was the father of King David. The destitute young widow was treated with great care by Boaz and was essentially grafted into the tribe of Judah as she bore a son who was an ancestor to the Messiah. The Lord shows His love and compassion here in this story.
Psalm 116 has some of my favorite verses in it. The psalmist comes from a place of sorrow and trouble. But then the Lord delivered him. Verse 5 says the Lord is gracious and merciful. Verse 6 says,”The Lord preserves the simple; I was brought low, and He helped and saved me.” This is a common theme in the Bible. The Lord reaches down to the simple and lifts them up to high places. The psalmist tells his soul to rest because God has dealt bountifully with him. Verse 9 is underlined in my Bible and says, “I will walk before the Lord in the land of the living.” This is one of the most profound statements for me that we read in the Bible. We have the ability to walk with God now because His Son made it possible. We don’t have to wait until we are in heaven. He is here with us now. Verse 17 says, “I will offer to You the sacrifice of thanksgiving and will call on the name of the Lord.” Yes, sometimes thanksgiving is offered as a sacrifice instead out of an abundantly blessed heart. Sometimes we have difficulty offering up thanksgiving when life is difficult. However, the Lord made our hearts to be thankful and worship Him. We are not truly satisfied unless we are worshiping Him. He can put gratitude and thanksgiving in our hearts even when we cannot find it within ourselves. We just need to ask Him for it. Our true joy comes in worshiping Him.
Let us pray:
O Lord, thank You for saving us through Your Son’s sacrifice. Thank You for making us clean before You. May our hearts be soft toward You, Father. May we offer up thanksgiving and praise to You because You are almighty God. Thank You for all You do and all You are. In Jesus’ name, amen.