NL-Day066 Leviticus 26-27; Psalm 24; Luke 17:1-21
Daily Bible Reading Phil Fields
Release Date: 03/02/2025
NL-Day194 2 Kings 15-16; Psalm 130; John 14:1-21
Daily Bible Reading Phil Fields
2KINGS 15-16:Readers and listeners are frequently confused by the names of the kings in yesterday’s reading in 2nd Kings. Judah’ king, Joash, died at the end of chapter 12. Then on the Israel (10 tribes) side, we heard of Jehoahaz's reign, and then the reign of his son, Johoash. He was helped by Elisha’s final prophecy. Also in yesterday’s reading we heard about of the reign of Joash’s son, Amaziah, in Judah. Amaziah was very unwise to insist on war with Israel’s king Jehoash. PSALM 130:This Psalm of Ascent is one of the most beautiful of all the psalms, and an...
info_outline
NL-Day192 2 Kings 11-12; Psalm 128; John 13:1-17
Daily Bible Reading Phil Fields
2KINGS 11-12:Yesterday's story was of Jehu, anointed on Elisha's orders, and who executed the Lord's vengeance on Ahab and his whole family, and even his friends and the worshipers of Baal. However, after that, he still didn't follow the Lord, but continued the idolatry of Israel. PSALM 128:Today’s Song of Ascent has a similar theme about the Lord’s blessings for families as yesterday’s psalm. Unlike what I said about translating the Hebrew word ‘sons’ in Psalm 127, the context of today’s psalm seems more inclusive, so we can easily agree with the NET and other versions in...
info_outline
NL-Day191 2 Kings 9-10; Psalm 127; John 12:20-50
Daily Bible Reading Phil Fields
2KINGS 9-10:Yesterday we heard one of my favorite Old Testament stories: The one about the three lepers and the famine in Samaria. Elisha's prophecy was so dramatically fulfilled, and the scoffing officer could be a parable for modern times. Then we heard how the woman from Shunem returned and was blessed a second time. The narrative switched briefly to the kingdom of Judah and Ahaziah's reign. PSALM 127:About ‘children/sons’ in v. 3, NET’s note says this: Some prefer to translate this word with the gender neutral “children,” but “sons” are plainly in view here, as the following...
info_outline
NL-Day190 2 Kings 7-8; Psalm 126; John 12:1-26
Daily Bible Reading Phil Fields
2KINGS 7-8:Yesterday we heard two more chapters containing fascinating miracles performed by Elisha. The story about Gahazi getting the gifts from Naaman, and the vision about the chariots of fire both have interesting spiritual significance to ponder. We come back to the story from chapter 7 where the Aramean army is surrounding Samaria. The famine is severe. The king has sent an executioner to kill Elisha. And then: 2Kings 6:32 NLT Elisha was sitting in his house with the elders of Israel when the king sent a messenger to summon him. But before the messenger arrived, Elisha said to the...
info_outline
NL-Day189 2 Kings 5-6; Psalm 125; John 11:21-57
Daily Bible Reading Phil Fields
2KINGS 5-6:Yesterday we heard of the many miracles done by Elisha, supplying water for three armies on their way to Moab for war, helping the widow of a prophet, blessing the woman from Shunem, purifying Jericho's water, and miraculously transforming food. PSALM 125:The first verse of this psalm is one that our family has sung for years. Gale and I learned this song from a cassette tape that came from a Canadian church called St. Margaret’s, a place we have never been to. At that time (around 1977) we were teachers in Papua New Guinea and our David was two. Those who trust in the Lord are...
info_outline
NL-Day187 2 Kings 1-2; Psalm 123; John 10:11-42
Daily Bible Reading Phil Fields
2KINGS 1-2:Yesterday we heard stories which show that King Ahab indeed “sold himself to evil,” including the story of Naboth's vineyard. And also we heard of Ahab's friendship with King Jehoshaphat of Judah. Finally we heard how the prophecies against Ahab were fulfilled. PSALM 123:This psalm has an important similarity with Ps. 121 which said, Ps. 121:1 NLT I look up to the mountains— does my help come from there?2 My help comes from the LORD,who made heaven and earth! Today’s psalm tells us how to ‘look’. JOHN 10b:In John 9, with the formerly blind man standing there, Jesus said,...
info_outline
NL-Day186 1 Kings 21-22; Psalm 122; John 10:1-21
Daily Bible Reading Phil Fields
1KINGS 21-22:What a cruel surprise it must have been for Elijah to bring about such an irrefutable display of God's power before the people, but then to have to flee for his life because of Queen Jezebel! Note that God deigned to speak twice to King Ahab. And the reason was: God wanted it known to Ahab and to us that He is not a territorial God. God also gave amazing, symbolic revelations of Himself in the story of His appearing to Elijah at Mount Sinai. Finally, in yesterday’s reading, Elijah's successor, Elisha, was introduced. PSALM 122:Consider how exciting it would have been to make a...
info_outline
NL-Day185 1 Kings 19-20; Psalm 121; John 9
Daily Bible Reading Phil Fields
1KINGS 19-20:The story we read yesterday in this book is one of the most dramatic in all of Scripture: The time the prophet Elijah confronted King Ahab. Remember that in the New Testament James used this story to encourage us that we are no different than Elijah and that we should pray fervently like him. PSALM 121:This is another psalm that is frequently sung, even today. Often this whole psalm is set to music. As Olsen says, this psalm lifts the fog from our eyes. Re-reading JOHN 9:Remember that in John 8 there was a tense standoff between Jesus and the religious leaders. The people took up...
info_outline
NL-Day184 1 Kings 17-18; Psalm 120; John 9
Daily Bible Reading Phil Fields
1KINGS 17-18:We've arrived at the narrative of the different kings of Judah (which now includes the smaller tribe of Benjamin) and the kings of Israel (consisting of the 10 other tribes, sometimes called the Northern Kingdom). The kings on Israel’s side changed more rapidly and were 100% bad, while there was a mixed record among the kings of Judah. It will help your understanding to observe the section headings (which I normally do not read), and to try to remember which kingdom is being talked about. Note in yesterday's reading how prophecy was fulfilled again and again. And although Baasha...
info_outline
NL-Day183 1 Kings 15-16; Psalm 119:161-176; John 8:28-59
Daily Bible Reading Phil Fields
1KINGS 15-16:I think yesterday's story of the ‘man of God from Judah’ and the ‘old prophet from Bethel’ to be one of the most fascinating in the Bible. Prophets who lie will certainly be judged harshly by God! And we will see in 2nd Kings that the prophecy of the unnamed man of God from Judah was completely fulfilled. Also in yesterday’s reading, we heard Ahijah's prophecy against Jeroboam. We also heard of the end of the reign of Rehoboam, Solomon's son. And do you think that Shishak took the ark of the covenant to Egypt? PSALM 119:161-176:This our last reading in this Psalm. I...
info_outlineLEVITICUS 26-27:
Yesterday we heard about the Sabbath year and the year of Restoration/Jubilee. Before the Year of Restoration, property could be bought back//redeemed. In the Restoration year property was returned to the original owners and poor people who had become enslaved were set free. I suspect these laws were never done in all of Israel's history. If they were, perhaps only once— fifty years after Israel entered the land of Canaan.
PSALM 24:
This Psalm is one of the most majestic psalms! This ends with the song for welcoming the triumphant Messiah into Jerusalem.
LUKE 17a:
Yesterday in chapter 16 we heard two longer parables— both very insightful: The parable of the shrewd manager, and the one about the rich man and Lazarus. Both of them show this lesson:
Use your worldly resources to benefit others and make friends. Then, when your earthly possessions are gone, they (those friends) will welcome you to an eternal home.
NLT Translation notes:
Luk. 17: 3 So watch yourselves! “If your fellow believer sins, rebuke [him//that person] ; then if [he repents//there is repentance], forgive [him/0].
[I don’t mind some gender sensitivity, but NLT goes overboard here.]
5 The apostles said to the Lord, “Show us how to increase our [our level of believing in God//faith].”
6 The Lord answered, “If your [belief in him is tiny, just as tiny as// had faith even as small] as a mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘May you be uprooted and thrown into the sea,’ and it would obey you!
15 One of them, when he saw that he was healed, came back to Jesus, shouting [over and over again//0], “Praise God!”
19 And Jesus said to the man, “[You may stand//Stand] up and go [now/0]. [It is because you believe fully in Me that you have been healed.//Your faith has healed you.]”
24 For as the lightning flashes and lights up the sky from one end to the other, so it will be on the day when [I—] the Son of Man [come/comes].
26 “When [I return as//0] the Son of Man [0/returns], it will be like it was in Noah’s day.
30 Yes, it will be ‘business as usual’ right up to the day when [I—/0] the Son of Man[, am//is] revealed.
37 “Where will this happen, Lord?”i the disciples asked.
Jesus replied, “Just as the gathering of vultures shows [clearly that//there is] a carcass [is somewhere//0] nearby, so [the signs that indicate the end will be obvious//so these signs indicate that the end is near].”
Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.