NL-Day125 Judges 2-3; Psalm 79; Galatians 1
Daily Bible Reading Phil Fields
Release Date: 05/04/2024
NL-Day178 1 Kings 6-7; Psalm 119:81-96; John 6:1-40
Daily Bible Reading Phil Fields
1KINGS 6-7:Yesterday we heard of the incredible size and wealth of Solomon's dominion. His wisdom in organization is evident. During his reign, Israel was prosperous as never before or afterward. Solomon contracted with King Hiram of Sidon to get the materials needed for the construction of the temple. PSALM 119.81-96:God is telling us how important His Word is! Here are two favorite verses from yesterday’s reading: Ps. 119:72 The law that you gave means more to me than all the money in the world.78 May the proud be ashamed for falsely accusing me; as for me, I will meditate on your...
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NL-Day177 1 Kings 4-5; Psalm 119:65-80; John 5:24-47
Daily Bible Reading Phil Fields
1KINGS 4-5:Yesterday we heard David's final instructions to Solomon. They contained a few messy details, and Solomon managed to finish all of those issues. David noted Solomon's wisdom as he gave him those instructions, and later Solomon (at his finest hour) asked God for wisdom to rule the nation of Israel well, and God gave it to him. PSALM 119:65-80:God is telling us how important His Word is! I highlight this verse (62) from yesterday’s portion, “In the middle of the night I wake up to praise you for your righteous judgments.” JOHN 5b:Yesterday we heard of Jesus healing a man who had...
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NL-Day176 1 Kings 2-3; Psalm 119:49-64; John 5:1-30
Daily Bible Reading Phil Fields
1KINGS 2-3:Yesterday we heard of Adonijah’s almost successful bid to become the next king. The prophet Nathan’s intervention saved the day. PSALM 119:49-64:God is telling us how important His Word is! In yesterday’s reading I find NLT’s rendering of this verse interesting: Ps. 119:45 I will walk in freedom,for I have devoted myself to your commandments. Note that following God’s commandments does not violate freedom. JOHN 5a:In John 4:36, about the spiritual harvest, Jesus said, “The harvesters are paid good wages, and the fruit they harvest is people brought to eternal life. What...
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NL-Day175 1 Kings 1; Psalm 119:33-48; John 4:25-54
Daily Bible Reading Phil Fields
1KINGS 1:Like 1 & 2 Samuel, 1 & 2 Kings and 1 & 2 Chronicles were originally each one book instead of two. The books of Kings and Chronicles have many similarities. One difference is that the books of Kings seem a bit more secular in their outlook, whereas Chronicles seems to have been written by a priest. Henrietta Mears says that both sets have these things in common: 1. They begin with King David and end with the king of Babylon. 2. They open with the building of the Temple and end with the burning of the Temple. 3. They open with David’s first successor to the throne,...
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NL-Day174 2 Samuel 24; Psalm 119:17-32; John 4:1-26
Daily Bible Reading Phil Fields
2SAMUEL 24:Yesterday we heard David’s final words and the listing of the 38 mighty warriors who loyally helped David in his victories. Note that Uriah the Hittite was so poignantly included at the end of the list. And this 24th chapter seems like a postscript. PSALM 119:17-32:Yesterday’s reading included two of the most famous verses from this psalm: 9 NLT How can a young person stay pure?By obeying your word.11 I have hidden your word in my heart,that I might not sin against you. JOHN 4:Yesterday in John 3 we heard the words of John the Baptist at what I consider his finest hour. That was...
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NL-Day173 2 Samuel 23; Psalm 119:1-16; John 3
Daily Bible Reading Phil Fields
2SAMUEL 23:Yesterday we read David’s long poem of praise for God giving him victory and deliverance from his enemies. PSALM 119a:This psalm is famous for being the longest chapter in the Bible, and it is an acrostic psalm with a difference. In this psalm, every line of each stanza starts with the same letter of the alphabet, instead of every line with a different letter. The psalm has 22 stanzas, one for each letter of the Hebrew alphabet. And this psalm has a clear theme: God’s Word— or a synonym for it, is mentioned in almost every verse. Re-reading JOHN 3:One of the features of John's...
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NL-Day172 2 Samuel 22; John 3
Daily Bible Reading Phil Fields
2SAMUEL 22:We near the end of David’s story. God gave him victory over Sheba and the house of Saul. The killing of seven of the descendants of Saul seems harsh and past the ‘statute of limitations’ to us. But God arranged that revenge in response to untold injustices that were wreaked by Saul against the Gibeonites. Note: God takes notice of covenants made and wants us to do what we promise in His name. David’s song of praise in chapter 22 closely follows Psalm 18. Because of this long poetic section today, we skip a day reading from the Psalms. JOHN 3:John’s Gospel is unique in...
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NL-Day171 2 Samuel 21; Psalm 118:14-29; John 2
Daily Bible Reading Phil Fields
2SAMUEL 21:The story of David being welcomed back ended poorly with arguments. Sheba attempted to mount a revolt. He died even though surrounded by his clan members because there was a wise woman in the town where he had taken refuge. Before that, David had decided to promote national reconciliation by appointing Amasa as military commander. But Joab, who had grown too powerful, shamefully put an end to Amasa's career. Re-reading PSALM 118:This is an antiphonal psalm. Imagine a leader and a chorus of voices saying a series of refrains. Today we will hear verse 22, which is the Old Testament...
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NL-Day170 2 Samuel 20; Psalm 118:1-16; John 2
Daily Bible Reading Phil Fields
2SAMUEL 20:Yesterday we heard the story of how David sent out his army under three commanders, Joab, Abishai, and Ittai. He gave them orders to deal gently with Absalom. Joab— who was always pragmatic, didn't do this. Along with Absalom, 20,000 men died in the civil war. Joab stopped David’s mourning for his son and ordered him to go out to encourage his troops. And finally the people decided to bring David back as their king. PSALM 118a:This is one of the antiphonal psalms. Imagine a leader and all the congregation saying the refrain. One of the most often quoted verses about the Messiah...
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NL-Day169 2 Samuel 18-19; Psalm 117; John 1:24-51
Daily Bible Reading Phil Fields
2SAMUEL 18-19:Civil war might have been avoided, but Absalom didn’t choose wisely. And I observe that my being bald has advantages in some situations! But seriously, all of the terrible things that happened here are the consequences of David’s sin. PSALM 117:This is a doxology that one day the whole world will sing. JOHN 1b:John consciously made an original account, and very consciously left out things that are included in the three Synoptic Gospels. Where he does include things the others wrote about, he includes details that the others didn’t mention. Those stories are made to fit his...
info_outlineJUDGES 2-3:
Yesterday we heard how the tribe of Judah was more successful in driving out the Canaanites than the other tribes. Several of the tribes just moved in with their enemies.
PSALM 79:
This lament by Asaph is like Ps 74, talking about Jerusalem and the Temple conquered by enemies. There is a strong comparison with what we see starting to happen in Judges.
GALATIANS 1:
We heard the controversy over circumcision in Acts 15. This letter to the Galatian believers is on a similar theme, and it shows how Paul would have argued with the Jews of the circumcision party. Paul stays very much on this theme in this book— which in some ways foreshadows some arguments in the book of Romans. Important sections for memorizing include the ‘crucified with Christ’ passages in chapter 2 and 6, and the works of the flesh and fruits of the Holy Spirit in chapter 5. This book makes it perfectly clear that we are not saved by religion.
We are saved by ‘faith’— which means ‘fully believing in Christ’. Do not fall into the trap of choosing between what James says about being saved by works and what Paul says. The two teachings are compatible. The saying taught to me by one of my spiritual fathers (Glen Zumwalt) is this: We are saved by ‘faith alone’; but saving faith will never be ‘alone’.
Paul’s introduction in the first chapter is unique among his letters. He normally starts with praise for the congregation he is writing to. Not in this case! After he expresses his shock at the Galatian church, he goes on to remind them that the Good News they had so quickly abandoned was revealed directly to him by the Lord.
NLT Translation notes:
|Jdg. 3:12 Once again the Israelites did evil in the Lord ’s sight, and the Lord gave King Eglon of Moab control over Israel because of their evil.
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Gal. 1:1This letter is from Paul, an apostle. I was not appointed by any group of people or any human authority, but by [Christ Jesus//Jesus Christ] himself and by God the Father, who raised Jesus from the dead.
6 [But] I am shocked that you are turning away so soon from God, who called you to himself through the loving mercy of Christ. You are following a different way that pretends to be the Good News
15 But even before I was born, God chose me and called me by his marvelous [kindness/grace]. Then it pleased him
16 to reveal his Son to me so that I would proclaim the Good News about Jesus to the Gentiles.
23 All they knew was that people were saying, “The one who used to persecute us is now preaching the very [beliefs//faith] he tried to destroy!”
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.