NL-Day162 2 Samuel 9-10; Psalm 110; Romans 13
Daily Bible Reading Phil Fields
Release Date: 06/10/2024
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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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NL-Day182 1 Kings 13-14; Psalm 119:145-160; John 8:1-30
Daily Bible Reading Phil Fields
1KINGS 13-14:Solomon was the wisest of men. So how could he make such stupid choices?! Part of the answer is the corruption caused when one has too much power. And there is something truly sticky about sexual sin. The Lord’s judgment is evident in what happened with the division of the country, and what happened in the northern kingdom. Note also how the people Judah followed all the bad parts of Solomon’s example, which again will lead to judgment. PSALM 119:145-160:I like the last three verses of yesterday’s reading: Ps. 119:142 Your righteousness will last forever,and your law is...
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NL-Day181 1 Kings 11-12; Psalm 119:129-144; John 7:25-53
Daily Bible Reading Phil Fields
1KINGS 11-12:Yesterday we heard interesting glimpses of Solomon's international relations and commerce. Notably, the queen of Sheba came to listen to Solomon's wisdom and to ask questions of him. PSALM 119:129-144:How precious the Word of God is to us! A favorite verse from yesterday’s portion is verse 127: “I love your commands more than gold, more than the finest gold. JOHN 7b:We left the story in John 7 yesterday with Jesus already having some hot exchanges with the people at the Festival of Shelters. Today we will hear Jesus shouting to the crowds at the festival, “Anyone who is...
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NL-Day180 1 Kings 9-10; Psalm 119:113-128; John 7:1-24
Daily Bible Reading Phil Fields
1KINGS 9-10:The temple was completed! And yesterday we heard Solomon’s very wise prayer asking God to fulfill his promises and help the people of Israel. In his prayer, he recognized that the people of Israel would not be able to remain faithful to the Lord, but that they would sin and then need to repent. Solomon asked God to forgive and to hear the people in situations of sin and desperation because of the Lord's punishment upon them. PSALM 119:113-128:Yesterday we read one of the frequently memorized verses from this psalm: Ps. 119:105 Your word is a lamp to guide my feetand a light for...
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NL-Day179 1 Kings 8; Psalm 119:97-112; John 6:25-71
Daily Bible Reading Phil Fields
1KINGS 8:Yesterday we heard lots and lots of details about the building of the temple. A man from Tyre, Huram, must have been an efficient and artistic technician in working with bronze casting. He corresponds to the two craftsmen who designed and constructed the first tabernacle. PSALM 119:97-112:Again we are focussing on what God’s Word means to us. A favorite verse from yesterday’s portion is verse 89: Ps. 119:89 “Your word, O Lord, will last forever; it is eternal in heaven.” JOHN 6b:There is an important play on words between Jesus and the crowd in Capernaum which does not come...
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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...
info_outline2SAMUEL 9-10:
David realized the incongruity that he was living in a beautiful cedar palace while God's dwelling place was in a tent. Then God gave Nathan the prophet a long message for David. He told him that his dynasty would last forever and that his son would build God’s temple. David’s beautiful prayer of response is recorded for us. Then God gave a string of stunning military victories to David.
PSALM 110:
The first verse of this short psalm is one of the most repeated verses of the New Testament. It certainly was very important for the early Christians. And the 4th verse becomes an important theme of the book of Hebrews.
Re-reading ROMANS 13:
We are now solidly in the middle of the practical part of this letter. Today we hear the part about obeying government authorities and our obligation to love everyone. I especially like the section at the end contrasting light and dark, and taking up our spiritual weapons.
NLT Translation note:
2Sam. 9:8 Mephibosheth bowed respectfully and exclaimed, “Who [am I,//is] your servant, that you should show such kindness to a dead dog like me?”
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Rom. 13:14 Instead, [let us become more and more like the Lord Christ Jesus, so that when people see us, it is like seeing Him.//clothe yourself with the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ.] And don’t let yourself think about ways to indulge your evil desires.
[The literal is ‘put on the Lord Jesus Christ’. And I’m not ‘putting you on’! This is one case where that English idiom could almost get in the way. It is somewhat debatable if NLT is accurate in adding ‘presence’. It does allow them to keep the clothing figure. Our PET translation drops the clothing figure entirely, but probably is closer to the meaning received by the original readers.]
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.