NL-Day177 1 Kings 4-5; Psalm 119:65-80; John 5:24-47
Daily Bible Reading Phil Fields
Release Date: 06/22/2025
Daily Bible Reading Phil Fields
DEUTERONOMY 31-32:Yesterday in Deuteronomy Moses reviewed the covenant and again stressed that the choice is between life and death, and between experiencing blessings or curses. Be aware that in the poem dictated to Moses by the Lord, the Lord speaks of things that were in Israel’s future as if they had already taken place. This is called propleptic past tense, and is a feature of prophetic writings. PSALM 66:Our glorious God deserves glorious praise. Note that this psalm shows the importance of confessing our sins to God. ACTS 18:In Acts 17, opposition hounded the steps of Paul, Silas and...
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DEUTERONOMY 29-30:Yesterday in Deuteronomy Moses ratcheted up the fear index to the red level. And the scary thing about the threats he used to motivate the people to obedience is that they later all came true, as we will see in books like Judges and 2 Kings. PSALM 65:Today’s Psalm is a hymn of joy and mighty praise. ACTS 17:Yesterday we heard of how Paul and Silas were beaten and put in jail. This was as a result of freeing a slave girl from demonic bondage. Their overnight in jail led to the jailer and his family becoming followers of Christ. But the next day, as requested, Paul and Silas...
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DEUTERONOMY 28:Yesterday we read of the ceremony that Moses commanded the people to perform when they entered the promised land. The Levites were to loudly proclaim curses from Mount Ebal over anyone who violates the laws. PSALM 64:If you feel that people are looking for opportunities to slander you, this psalm is for you. ACTS 16b:Yesterday in in this chapter— via the change of pronouns, we understood that Luke joined with Paul as one of his traveling companions. Also note that the Holy Spirit can also be called the Spirit of Jesus. These are one and the same Spirit of God. NLT Translation...
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DEUTERONOMY 27:Yesterday in Deuteronomy, Moses continued with miscellaneous regulations. One repeated in the New Testament is to not muzzle an ox to keep it from eating when it is treading out grain. Paul used that as a metaphor for something else. PSALM 63:This is another poem of David, including beautiful imagery. Pray like David, if you want to be blessed like David or need protection as David did. ACTS 16a:Yesterday in Acts we heard how Barnabas and Paul with Silas and Judas/Justus delivered the letter from the leaders in Jerusalem. And afterward, Paul and Barnabas had their falling out...
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DEUTERONOMY 25-26:Yesterday we read some laws for what kind of people could not enter into the congregation of Israel, and how long before their descendants could enter into the congregation of Israel. And we heard laws about cleanliness based on the fact that God was living with the Israelites. And, God wanted his people to be kind, fair, and thoughtful of the needs of the poor. PSALM 62:Here is a psalm to pray and an example to follow when you feel the world is against you. ACTS 15b:Yesterday in the first half of this chapter we heard how the controversy over circumcision started and we...
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DEUTERONOMY 23-24:Yesterday we read an odd collection of regulations: Cleansing the land from unsolved murder, marrying a captive woman after a war, rights of a first-born son when a man has more than one wife, the responsibility of helping neighbors, and various problems concerning adultery.PSALM 61:This is one I love to sing.ACTS 15a:In Acts 14, we heard of the incredible turn of events for Paul and Barnabas. At one moment they were hailed as gods, but after a very short time Paul was stoned. As they tell the believers, “We have to go through many hardships before we enter God's kingdom in...
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DEUTERONOMY 21-22:Yesterday we heard an explanation of why cities of refuge were needed. And we heard interesting rules concerning war. In the war and conquest of Canaan that we will read about in Joshua, I urge us to remember that God spoke repeatedly about the wickedness of the Canaanite nations that Israel would conquer (beginning with what He said to Jacob way back in Genesis 15:16). Included in the detestable customs of the nations mentioned, is that they sacrificed human babies, burning them alive, plus all of the other sins Moses told the people not to imitate. PSALM 60:This poem is...
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DEUTERONOMY 19-20:In yesterday’s reading we heard that the duties of the king included having a copy of the Law made, or perhaps making it himself (the Hebrew is unclear on that point). This is something we never hear of happening. (I don’t think what was given to King Josiah at his inauguration qualifies.) Then Deuteronomy 18 is very import in its prohibition against all kinds of witchcraft and fortune telling. Then there is one of the most important prophecies regarding Jesus: God was going to send a prophet like Moses and the people must listen to him. Another important point about this...
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DEUTERONOMY 17-18:In yesterday's reading we heard about the release of debts and slaves in the Jubilee Year (also called the year of restoration), and a reminder about 100% participation for the males in three festivals. PSALM 58:This poem celebrates that God will indeed give justice to His people, even though many times it seems to us that there is no justice on earth. ACTS 13a:In yesterday’s reading, we heard how Herod decided to go after the top apostles, killing James. But Peter escaped. As a result, 16 soldiers died. Then Herod met his richly deserved end. NLT Translation notes:Deut....
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DEUTERONOMY 15-16:Yesterday's reading included Moses' warning about being led astray by anyone, including false prophets or even close family members. No one who proposed idolatry was to be allowed to live. Then we heard a repetition of the laws about which animals were to be treated as clean/edible and those unclean/detestable. Psalm 57:This Psalm is beautiful and often quoted. It again is from David's experiences. ACTS 12:In Acts 11 we heard how Peter needed to defend what he did in sharing the Gospel with Gentiles. The result was that the church leaders joyfully accepted that God was giving...
info_outline1KINGS 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 been sick for 38 years. Persecution ramped up because this healing was done on the Sabbath. Jesus replied to his critics, “My Father is always working, and so am I.”
NLT Translation notes:
1Kings 4:9 Ben-deker, in Makaz, [including] Shaalbim, Beth-shemesh, and Elon-bethhanan.
12 Baana son of Ahilud, in Taanach and Megiddo, [including] all of Beth-shan near Zarethan below Jezreel, and all the territory from Beth-shan to Abel-meholah and over to Jokmeam.
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John 5:19 So Jesus explained, “I tell you the truth, [I, as the Son//the Son] can do nothing by [myself//himself]. [I only do what I see//He does only what he sees] the Father doing. Whatever [my//the] Father does, [I also do//the Son also does].
[It is very unnatural in almost every language to have someone talking about himself using ‘he/him’ instead of ‘I/me/my’. In some languages this is flat out ungrammatical. This is why a Bible translator is justified in changing the pronouns and footnoting the fact that he has made these changes. We should observe that there were special reasons why Jesus was both concealing and revealing his identity when talking of himself as the Son of Man. It is, however, impossible to duplicate this in the minds of the modern translation’s readers. ]
20 For [my//the] Father loves [Me//the Son] and shows [Me//him] everything he is doing. In fact, the Father will [involve Me in doing//show him how to do] even greater works than healing this man. Then you will truly be astonished.
21 For just as [my//the] Father gives life to those he raises from the dead, so [I, his Son give//the Son gives] life to anyone [I want//he wants].
22 In addition, [my//the] Father judges no one. Instead, he has given [Me//the Son] absolute authority to judge,
23 so that everyone will honor [Me as his//the] Son, just as they honor [my/the] Father. Anyone who does not honor [Me as his//the] Son is certainly not honoring the Father who sent [Me/him].
25 “And I assure you that the time is coming, indeed it’s here now, when the dead will hear my voice—the voice of the Son of God. And those who listen will live.
26 The Father has life in himself, and he has granted that same life-giving power to [Me,] his Son.
27 And he has given [Me/him] authority to judge everyone because [I am//he is] the Son of Man.
28 Don’t be so surprised! Indeed, the time is coming when all the dead in their graves will hear [my voice,] the voice of God’s Son,
29 and they will rise again. Those who have done good will rise to experience eternal life, and those who have continued in evil will rise to experience judgment.
30 I can do nothing on my own. I judge as God tells me. Therefore, my judgment is just, because I carry out the will of the one who sent me, not my own will.
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.