Today we read the last of the Psalms by the sons of Korah. The Psalmist has a word for the rich. “Those who trust in their wealth and boast in the multitude of their riches, none of them can by any means redeem his brother, nor give to God a ransom for him – For the redemption of their souls is costly, and it shall cease forever – that he shall continue to live eternally, and not see the Pit.” So there is something money can’t buy and that is a soul. A soul can only be bought through the work of the Lord. The shedding of the blood of the Innocent One, Jesus the Son of God, atones for the sins of the guilty sinner who trusts in Him.

Those whose souls have been redeemed by the blood of Christ will not see the Pit (hell). When Jesus arrives on the scene He will also have a word for the rich. “Truly, I say to you, only with difficulty will a rich person enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.” (Matthew 19:23-24) “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.” (Matthew 6:24-25)

And Paul will say “But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.” (1 Timothy 6:9-10)

The Bible is not saying rich people can’t go to heaven. We have seen examples throughout the Story. Abraham and David are 2 examples of men who are wealthy but they also have a deep love for the Lord. The Scriptures are saying it will be harder for the rich to enter the Kingdom with the distractions that come with wealth. That is why the Psalmist, Agur, said yesterday not to make him rich or poor. He knows the struggles that come with both. We can’t place our hope in anything or anyone in this world, only the Lord!

God has a word for the wicked tomorrow. Keep reading.

(Psalms 47-49, Psalms 84-85, 87)

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Today we read the Psalms written by the sons of Korah who were priests assigned to guard the entrance of the tabernacle and later the temple. They became musicians during the time of King David and King Solomon.

“Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God; For I shall yet praise Him. The help of my countenance and my God.” Praising and worshiping the Lord takes you from being down and depressed to being grateful and hopeful. The Psalmist knows this as he is telling himself not to be down bc his hope is found in the Lord and praising Him will revive his spirit. This sounds similar to the blessing that Aaron gave the Israelites in the wilderness. “The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up His countenance upon you and give you peace.” (Numbers 6:24-26) Our soul finds rest and peace in the Lord so we need to keep our eyes on Jesus Christ at all times.

The Psalmist speaks of the coming Christ. “Oh, send out Your light and Your truth! Let them lead me.” Jesus is the coming light as He declares later in the Story. “Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”” (John 8:12)

Psalm 45 is a beautiful prophecy of the coming Messiah. “You are fairer than the sons of men; grace is poured upon Your lips; therefore God has blessed You forever…And in Your majesty ride prosperously because of truth, humility, and righteousness…Your throne, O God, is forever and ever. A scepter of righteousness is the scepter of Your kingdom. You love righteousness and hate wickedness; Therefore God, Your God, has anointed You…”

We have a King that is coming once to die for us and coming again to put a final end to wickedness and establish His eternal kingdom. At the end of the Story we will read about His second coming: “Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war…and the name by which he is called is The Word of God.” (Rev 19:11-13)

Since God never breaks a promise, we can have hope in the fact that one day our Christ will come back to reign as the mighty King of the earth! Therefore the Psalmist can confidently tell us to “Be still and know that I am God”.

Keep reading.

(Psalms 42-46)

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Included in Hezekiah’s collection of Proverbs were writings by Agur and King Lemuel. “The proverbs of Agur, son of Jakeh, and those of King Lemuel appears to have existed independently before they became part of the biblical book. Most commentators assume they were of Arabian descent, a theory supported by a slight textual variant. Neither Agur nor Lemuel is known outside these biblical references, and their origins remain in doubt.” (Encountering the Old Testament by Arnold and Beyer)

Agur begins by confessing his lack of knowledge and elevating the Word of the Lord. “Every word of God is pure…Do not add to His words, lest He rebuke you, and you be found a liar.” Agur asks the Lord to remove lies from him and not to make him rich or poor bc he knows that these would be stumbling blocks in his life. “Lest I be full and deny you…Or lest I be poor and steal, and profane the name of my God.” Agur does not put his trust in his own knowledge or resources, which will lead to pride, but he trusts in the Lord.

Proverbs 31 (vs 1-9) is wise advice given to King Lemuel from his mom. She says don’t be a womanizer and a drunkard but do judge righteously and protect the poor and needy. Way to go mama! 🤓

The remaining verses of Proverbs 31 (10-31) describe the attributes of a noble wife. She is one who is trustworthy, kind, wise, faithful, hard working, considerate of the poor, good to spouse, respected in the home and outside of the home, resourceful, but most importantly…she fears the Lord. “Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised. Give her of the fruit of her hands, and let her works praise her in the gates.” 🙌

That’s a wrap on the Book of Proverbs. 🎉Tomorrow we begin day 1 of 12 days of reading the remaining Psalms so keep reading!

(Proverbs 30:1-31:31)

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Today we begin reading Solomon’s Proverbs collected by Hezekiah as well as the undated Proverbs and Psalms. The Proverbs are full of advice for wise living which includes being humble, honest, and a hard worker. A wise person also controls their tongue and their emotions.

Solomon says “Whoever has no rule over his own spirit is like a city broken down, without walls”. So someone who does not control his passions, desires, pride, arrogance, and anger is someone exposed to the enemy, Satan.

Solomon goes on to say “Hell and Destruction are never full; So the eyes of man are never satisfied”. Just like hell is never full of lost souls, as Satan loves to devour, the eyes of humans are always wanting more and more and more. The flesh is never satisfied! Our carnal heart is full of pride, lust, deception, ambition, and arrogance. (Jeremiah 17:9) If left to ourselves we would act on every human impulse and never be content.

We need to be transformed by the Spirit of the Lord. Later in the Story, after the resurrection of Christ, Paul will explain this transformation. “For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit…For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.” (Romans 8:3-8) Therefore, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” (Romans 12:2)

Ok. So how do we do that? Well, Paul is quite helpful bc he tells us to ”Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints”. (Ephesians 6:11-18)

We have a real enemy out there whose whole purpose is to steal, kill, and destroy. We, as Christians, have to be alert at all times! So to walk in the Spirit and not the flesh and for the renewal of our minds, we must PRAY, immerse ourselves in the WORD, and surround ourselves with fellow Christ followers who will ENCOURAGE and PRAY for us bc the battle is real and it isn’t easy. But mostly importantly, TRUST HIM to fight for us!

Last of the Proverbs tomorrow so keep reading.

(Proverbs 25:1-29:27)

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Today Hezekiah, king of Judah, brings back worship of the Lord! 🙌 He opens the doors, makes repairs, and has the house of the Lord cleaned by the Levites. Afterwards, he gathers the leaders from the city to bring offerings to the temple for the Levites to sacrifice to the Lord to atone for all of Israel.

While the Levites are giving the offerings to the Lord, the entire assembly worships with songs and music written by King David and Asaph. Hezekiah also brings back the Passover which hasn’t been celebrated in a long time. He sends runners throughout both Israel and Judah with this word: “Children of Israel, return to the Lord God of Abraham, Issac, and Israel; then He will return to the remnant of you who have escaped from the kings of Assyria…For if you return to the Lord, your brethren and your children will be treated with compassion by those who lead them captive, so that they may come back to this land, for the Lord your God is gracious and merciful, and will not turn His face from you if you return to Him.”

Some of the people in Israel laugh at the runners but some humble themselves and go to Jerusalem with all of Judah. “Also the hand of God was on Judah to give them singleness of heart to obey the command of the king and the leaders, at the word of the Lord.” Then all who are in Jerusalem celebrate the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread for double the normal 7 day celebration. “So there was great joy in Jerusalem, for since the time of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel, there had been nothing like this in Jerusalem.” 🎉

In addition, Hezekiah 1) has the land purged from sacred pillars, wooden images, high places and altars, 2) appoints the priests and Levites to tasks according to his service, 3) establishes a tithing system from the people to support the the priests and Levites, and 4) builds a storeroom for all of the offerings, tithes, and dedicated things which are distributed to the priests and Levites and their families.

Hezekiah does what is pleasing to the Lord and so he prospers. Tomorrow we get to read some of Hezekiah’s favorite Proverbs he collected so keep reading.

(2 Chronicles 29:3-31:21)

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Today Isaiah gives warnings to 4 nations, starting with Babylon.

1) Currently Assyria is the most powerful nation but soon the Babylonians will rule the ancient world. God is going to use Babylon to bring judgement against Judah for a set period of time, but then the Lord will restore His people and judge wicked Babylon. Isaiah tells us that the Lord will raise up the Medes to destroy Babylon and compares the destruction to that of Sodom and Gomorrah. “For the Lord will have mercy on Jacob, and will still choose Israel, and settle them in their own land.” God is still working His plan of salvation through His people. Isaiah says when Israel is home and has rest they will sing a taunt against Babylon where Babylon is likened to Lucifer, Satan. They will sing, “Hell from beneath is excited about you, to meet you at your coming”. 😳

2) The Lord uses the Assyrians to bring judgment against Israel but then the Lord will judge the wicked Assyrians to accomplish His purposes. “This is the purpose that is purposed against the whole earth…For the Lord of hosts has purposes…His hand is stretched out, and who would turn it back?” See, God does have the whole world in His hand and He is accomplishing His purposes, even today!

3) The Philistines rejoiced when Ahaz, king of Judah, died but Isaiah says that their destruction is coming and that the Lord is still for His people.

4) Isaiah declares the destruction of Moab, Lot’s descendants, bc “Of his haughtiness and his pride and his wrath”. Isaiah predicts a King to come from the line of King David out of the tribe of Judah. “In mercy the throne will be established; and One will sit on it in truth, in the tabernacle of David, judging and seeking justice and hastening righteousness.“ 🙌

Tomorrow the temple is reopened. Keep reading.

(2 Kings 16:19-20, 2 Chronicles 28:26-27, Isaiah 13:1-16:14)

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The once faithful Judah has become like a harlot. As a result, the Lord will turn His hand against Judah but He says one day He will restore Jerusalem.

Isaiah speaks of the coming kingdom with the Lord’s temple where people from all nations will come to worship Him and there will be peace. Many believe Isaiah is referring to the coming Messiah. It could refer to His first coming or His second coming or both. Regardless, He is coming!

But for now judgement is coming to Judah bc of their pagan worship, wealth, and pride which has corrupted the people. The Lord rebukes the leaders for abusing their power by mistreating the people and using their positions for their own personal gain.

Then Isaiah turns his attention to the rich ladies in Judah who are flaunting their fine clothes, jewelry, and perfume. They are much more concerned about the external than the Lord, so the Lord says He will remove that distraction from them by giving them stinkiness, baldness, ugliness, and a sackcloth to wear. 😱This must be an ongoing problem with women bc later in the Story Paul will say to the church in Corinth, “… women should adorn themselves in respectable apparel, with modesty and self-control, not with… costly attire, but with what is proper for women who profess godliness—with good works”. (1 Timothy 2:9-10)

After the rebukes, Isaiah gives them a word of hope about the Branch of the Lord, Jesus, who will be the final sacrifice to give the people a permanent cleaning from their sin. God refers to His people as a vineyard that He cared for and expected to produce good grapes; instead they produced worthless grapes.

We end the reading with messages against Judah’s people for building their own wealth, being drunkards, testing the Lord with their sin, exalting themselves, and taking justice away from the righteous. The Lord has seen all of their wickedness and He will judge them for it by eventually sending the Babylonians to take them off into captivity.

Tomorrow Isaiah warns the nations so keep reading.

(Isaiah 1:21-5:30)

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Today Isaiah pronounces judgement on the drunk and prideful people of Israel. Even the priests and prophets have erred through intoxicating drink. He mocks them by saying they are like infants just weaned from the breasts who can only be taught as children by learning “precept upon precept, precept upon precept, line upon line, line upon line, here a little, there a little” which is keeping them from spiritual growth.

Later in the Story, Paul says something similar in a letter to the church in Corinth. “And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual people but as to carnal, as to babes in Christ. I fed you with milk and not with solid food; for until now you were not able to receive it, and even now you are still not able.” (1 Cor 3:1-2) God does not want His people to remain on milk as infants but to continue to grow in their walk with Him through the knowledge of His Word and obedience to it. “But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge…For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (2 Peter 1:5-8)

Isaiah illustrates how a person mature in their faith behaves by giving an example of a plowman sowing. The saying “we reap what we sow” means there are consequences for our actions. This plowman is a hearer and a doer of God’s Word which produces the desired outcome of His crops.

As Isaiah prophesied, Assyria besieges Israel while Hoshea is king of Israel and during Hezekiah’s reign in Judah. “Then the king of Assyria carried Israel away captive to Assyria…because they did not obey the voice of the Lord their God…” 😞 Although the Lord sent prophet after prophet to urge Israel and Judah to repent and turn back to the Lord; they did not listen. So the Lord removes His protection over Israel and only Judah remains.

Isaiah also warns Judah who is acting like a rebellious child. He compares Judah to Sodom and Gomorrah, the wicked cities God destroyed earlier in the Story. The Lord says the people of Judah are bringing sacrifices to Him with wrong motives. The Lord does not delight in the blood of animals but the heart of the person bringing the sacrifice, the heart of someone who trusts in Him. Since their motives are wrong, God will no longer accept their offerings or prayers. The Lord calls Judah to repent and if they do, He will cleanse them and restore them. If they don’t, they will be devoured by the sword.

What will they choose? Keep reading because we are well into the meat!🥩💪

(Isaiah 28:1-29, 2 Kings 17:5, 2 Kings 18:9-12, 2 Kings 17:6-41, Isaiah 1:1-20)

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“The days of punishment have come; the days of recompense have come. Israel knows! The prophet is a fool, the spiritual man is insane, because of the greatness of your iniquity and great enmity.” Punishment is quickly approaching but Israel thinks Hosea is foolish and insane for declaring their destruction. Hosea rebukes them and says it is bc of their great sin that they can’t see truth.

Hosea compares Israel to 4 things:

1) Grapes in the wilderness – they had potential, like the firstfruits on a fig tree, but spoiled themselves with their idolatry so they will bear no more fruit.

2) A vine that bears fruit for itself – they lived by their own rules and standards and not the Lord’s.

3) A trained heifer that loves to thresh grain – God will harness it and make it sow righteousness and reap mercy.

4) A child – the Lord brought them out of Egypt, taught them to walk, and fed them but they turned from Him. “And out of Egypt I called My son” is also a future prophesy of Jesus, who as a Child will be taken to Egypt to escape the evil King Herod but will be called back once Herod dies. (Hosea 11:1, Matthew 2:15)

Hosea says the Lord also brings a charge against Judah, descendants of Jacob; who wrestled with his brother, Esau, in the womb. Jacob prevailed in the womb by taking his brother by the heel and later when he wrestled with the Lord and sought favor from Him. Hosea encourages Jacob’s descendants, God’s chosen people, to return to the Lord, “observe mercy and justice, and wait on your God continually”.

Hosea says that it is by the prophet of the Lord (whom they think is foolish and insane) that God helps His people. “By a prophet the Lord brought Israel out of Egypt, and by a prophet he was preserved”. But after they were brought out, “They were filled and their heart was exalted; therefore they forgot Me”. As a result, judgement is now upon them and it isn’t going to be pretty bc “Pity is hidden from My eyes”.

However, Hosea leaves the people with a word of hope! 🙌 “O Israel, return to the Lord your God…I will heal their backsliding, I will love them freely…They shall be revived like grain, and grow like a vine…For the ways of the Lord are right; the righteous walk in them, but transgressors stumble in them”.

Tomorrow the Assyrians invade Israel and Isaiah tells the people to stop acting like babies just weaned from the breasts. Keep reading to see why.

(Hosea 9:1-14:9)

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God promises that one day He will restore Israel and make her holy. “I will betroth you to Me in righteousness and justice…and you shall know the Lord.” To illustrate this, the Lord tells Hosea to go and buy back his cheating wife, Gomer. “Go again, love a woman who is loved by a lover and is committing adultery…just like the love of the Lord for the children of Israel, who look to other gods and love the raisins cakes of the pagans.”

Taking back the cheating wife will be hard and humiliating for Hosea but he is able to obey the Lord for 2 reasons:

1) Hosea loves his relationship with God higher than any other earthly relationship.

2) Hosea knows that it isn’t all about Hosea and that the Lord is doing something way bigger here.

God is using Hosea’s life to warn Israel, His bride, and to further reveal Himself to us by illustrating His love for His people, His grief over their unfaithfulness, and His relentless pursuit of them.

The Lord goes on to basically bring a legal dispute against Israel because they did not live up to their end of the covenant with Him. He points out their sins and says they do not turn back to Him because they “…do not know the Lord.” He rebukes Israel for going to the Assyrians for help and says of the Assyrians, “Yet he cannot cure you, nor heal you of your wounds.” Hosea calls the people to repent and turn from their religious and political rebellion back to the One who can heal and restore them. “Come, and let us return to the Lord; for He has torn, but He will heal us; He has stricken, but He will bond us up.” Then Hosea prophesies of the coming Savior who will die for us and rise 3 days later so that anyone who puts their trust in Him will be cleansed and restored to the Lord. “After two days He will revive us; on the third day He will raise us up, that we may live in His sight.”

You know how it is hard to empathize with someone unless you have a similar experience. That’s what is going on here with God asking Hosea to buy back his cheating wife, Gomer. It’s an illustration of the current situation with the Lord and Israel but it is also an illustration of a future event. Something similar will happen with God and Jesus later in the Story. God will buy us, His undeserving people who are dead in sin, back at the cost of His Son. Jesus will be betrayed, denied, humiliated, mocked, stripped naked, beaten, spat upon, tempted, slandered, hung on a cross and murdered. He will experience everything we will ever experience in this world and then some, so that we know we have a God we can run to during our trails for comfort.

Tomorrow we hear the last from Hosea so keep reading.

(Hosea 2:14-8:14)

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