Daily Bible Reading Phil Fields
JEREMIAH 13-14:In yesterday’s reading, Jeremiah complained to the Lord, 12:1 “Lord, if I argued my case with you,you would [be shown//prove] to be right.Yet I must question you about matters of justice.Why are the wicked so prosperous?Why do dishonest people succeed? And the Lord replied in an answer that bears reading in context and needs some thinking about, “Jeremiah, if you get tired racing against people,how can you race against horses?If you can't even stand up in open country,how will you manage in the jungle by the Jordan? PSALM 144:This poem is quite a contrast with what we have...
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JEREMIAH 11-12:Yesterday we heard important verses in chapter 9:23-24, verses that Paul quotes more than once: “Don’t let the wise boast in their wisdom,or the powerful boast in their power,or the rich boast in their riches.But those who wish to boastshould boast in this alone:that they truly know me and understand that I am the LORD … PSALM 143:It seems that prayer is very neglected these days. Oh yes, we might hear something vague about praying for victims right after some tragedy strikes. But it seems that every church has trouble keeping a prayer meeting going. I myself have...
info_outlineDaily Bible Reading Phil Fields
JEREMIAH 9-10:Being a prophet is not exactly an easy job. In 7:27 God told him, “Tell them all this, but do not expect them to listen. Shout out your warnings, but do not expect them to respond.” We’ll find that God told the same thing to more than one prophet around this same time. PSALM 142:When you are discouraged, here is a psalm to pray! JOHN 20:There are so many fulfillments of Scripture that happen in the crucifixion chapters in the Gospels that many times the authors didn’t take the time to highlight each one of them. The Jewish readers would have picked up on them without the...
info_outlineDaily Bible Reading Phil Fields
JEREMIAH 7-8:In this and several other prophetic books, it is important to observe where quotes begin and end, and who is speaking. The section headings are also very helpful to our understanding. Modern translators and editors use the heading to help modern readers understand such things as ancient poetic imagery. Yesterday's reading had this ironic statement spoken by the Lord: 5:19 When they ask why I did all these things, tell them, Jeremiah, that just as they turned away from me and served foreign gods in their own land, so they will serve strangers in a land that is not theirs.”...
info_outlineDaily Bible Reading Phil Fields
JEREMIAH 5-6:God, speaking through the prophets, frequently says how he feels about idolatry. He considers it just like the faithlessness of a wayward wife. It is moving that Jeremiah could so clearly see what would happen— the anguish of the people when his prophecies are fulfilled and they will be attacked by armies from the north. PSALM 140:This is a prayer for anyone who fears the imminent attack of wicked enemies. JOHN 19a:The chapter break here interrupts the story of Jesus’ trial before Pilate. Jesus has already told Pilate that he is a king, but his kingdom is not of...
info_outlineDaily Bible Reading Phil Fields
JEREMIAH 3-4:In yesterday’s reading there was a play on words in Jer. 1:11-12, where the Hebrew word for ‘almond tree’ sounds like the word for ‘watching’: 11 Then the Lord said to me, “Look, Jeremiah! What do you see?” And I replied, “I see a branch from an almond tree.” 12 And the Lord said, “That’s right, and it means that I am watching,* and I will certainly carry out all my plans.” *footnote: The Hebrew word for “watching” (shoqed) sounds like the word for “almond tree” (shaqed). Yesterday we also read Jeremiah 2:13, which is one of the most frequently...
info_outlineDaily Bible Reading Phil Fields
JEREMIAH 1-2:The book of Jeremiah was written between 627 and 580 BC. Counting the number of verses, Jeremiah is longer than all other books of the Old Testament except Genesis and Psalms. Jeremiah is often called the weeping prophet, and his other book is Lamentations. It is possible that he is the son of the high priest Hilkiah who brought the book of the Law to the attention of king Josiah. Having just heard in 2 Kings an overview of what happened during the last days of the kingdom of Judah, we now will hear the poems and sermons of a sensitive man living through it all. Mears says,...
info_outlineDaily Bible Reading Phil Fields
JONAH 3-4:Running from God didn’t work for Jonah. When saved from the ocean, Jonah grudgingly obeys God. For most of my life I have been fooled by Jonah's prayer in chapter 2, and I am not alone, because others have called it, “One of the great prayers in the Bible.” For most of the prayer, Jonah simply borrowed verses from the Psalms. And there is nothing wrong with that! However, if you look closer, Jonah prayed a me-centered and self-righteous prayer. The worst thing about it is there is no hint of repentance or asking forgiveness. PSALM 137:As a musician, I can imagine what the...
info_outlineDaily Bible Reading Phil Fields
JONAH 1-2:For quite a few years when I was just reading the Bible without a set reading plan, I enjoyed a break from reading the books of history after Second Kings, moving to the prophets. And our first is Jonah, who was mentioned back in 2 Kings 14. Note that the little story of Jonah is masterfully written. Little details poke out everywhere. Jonah has a downward journey. He goes down from Jerusalem to Joppa, then down again into the hold of the boat, and then down into the underworld of the ocean. He wasn't just being disobedient. He was saying, “I'm turning in my prophet's...
info_outlineDaily Bible Reading Phil Fields
2KINGS 24-25:In yesterday’s reading, we heard of Josiah’s reforms, leading the people to renew the covenant with God. That chapter had this telling comment about the Passover: 2Kings 23:22 There had not been a Passover celebration like that since the time when the judges ruled in Israel, nor throughout all the years of the kings of Israel and Judah. Many times I think people make the naive assumption that the people of Israel customarily performed all sorts of difficult commands in the Law— like the one about the Year of Jubilee. In my opinion, no way! PSALM 135:Olsen’s book gives the...
info_outline1KINGS 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 fulfilled the murderous prophecy against the house of Jeroboam, in chapter 16 verse 7, in God’s view the murders he committed were still counted against Baasha as sin. God’s sovereignty and omniscience does not conflict with our own personal responsibility for sin.
PSALM 120:
Psalm 120 is the first of the Songs of Ascent. The HCSB Study Bible says this about the Songs of Ascent:
These psalms were designed for pilgrimage processions to celebrate seasonal feasts in Jerusalem. The hymns contain numerous references to Jerusalem or Zion, the temple, Israel, peace, and adversity. The 15 songs, adapted from ancient hymns heralding the blessings and salvation of Zion, may have been sung on the 15 steps leading up to the temple.
JOHN 9:
Ever since I was in high school this has been my favorite chapter of the Bible. This dates from the time that I found a tract from the American Bible Society in the rack in the foyer of our church. So in Indonesia also, I have made this chapter into a little book containing our translation. I like giving this chapter out to people I meet. Why? It is not because it answers people’s questions. It is because this chapter makes people ask the most important questions.
NLT Translation notes:
John 9:22 His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders, who had announced that anyone saying Jesus was the Messiah would be expelled from [all] the synagogue[s].
23 That’s why they said, “He is old enough. Ask him.”
26 “But what did he do [to you]?” they asked. “How did he heal you?”
28 Then they [hurled insults at//cursed] him and said, “You are his disciple, but we are disciples of Moses!
33 If this man were not from God, he couldn’t [do anything like this!//have done it.]”
34 “You were born a total sinner!” they answered. “[And now you think you are smart enough to teach us!//Are you trying to teach us?]” And they threw him out of the synagogue.
37 “You have seen him,” Jesus said, “and he is speaking to you [now]!”
39 Then Jesus told him, “I entered this world to render judgment— [to cause the blind to see, and to cause those who think that they can see to become blind.”//to give sight to the blind and to show those who think they see that they are blind.”]
[The word ‘show’ is not in the Greek, and I do not agree with adding it. Unfortunately, on earth at least, only a percentage are shown that they are spiritually blind. The blind often take their blindness to the grave. That is the danger that Jesus is warning the Pharisees about.]
40 Some Pharisees who were standing nearby heard him and [replied/asked], “Are you saying we’re blind?”
41 “If you were blind, you wouldn’t be guilty,” Jesus replied. “But you remain guilty because you claim you can see.
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.