Hosea 1-3

The word of the Lord that came to Hosea son of Beeri during the reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, and during the reign of Jeroboam son of Jehoash [Joash] king of Israel... (Hosea 1:1)

The opening phrase helps to orient the reader. While the story of Daniel ended in 539/538 B.C., Hosea's prophetic ministry took place during the eighth century B.C., and possibly part of the seventh century B.C. Two Hebrew monarchs ruled the Holy Land during this period, one in the North and one in the South. God's people were divided politically. As Hosea 1:4-5 shows, the prophet is particularly critical of the northern kingdom, Israel. He announces that God intends to end it. 

It is generally agreed that Hosea's prophecy concerning the end was fulfilled in 722/721 B.C., when the military forces of the Assyrian Empire defeated Israel (Recall 2 Kings 17) and took Israelite captives to other regions of the empire.

Daniel 10-12, Psalms 119:49-72

There are at least two schools of thought regarding this section of the Bible’s book of Daniel. One maintains, due to the historical accuracy of chapter 11, verses 2 through 32, describing the conflicts between the Seleucid King of the North and the Ptolemaic King of the South, that Daniel must have been written, or at least edited, during the period of their conflict, that is, during the second century, B.C., in the area of the Holy Land. Many who take this view equate the King of the North with one Antiochus Epiphanes IV (c. 215 B.C. - 164 B.C.) who persecuted the Jews and defiled the Jerusalem Temple. One problem with this view is that the fate of the King of the North, described in Daniel 11:36-45, doesn't seem to match the historical record concerning Antiochus Epiphanes IV.

Another school of thought maintains that the Bible's book of Daniel was written during the Babylonian Exile of the Jewish people, that is, 587/586 B.C. - 539 B.C., the period in which Daniel the Prophet is reported to have lived and ministered. This view shares a similar problem with the view described above, namely the difficulty of identifying the King of the North and what is meant by "the time of the end." Some identify the King of the North with Caesar. Others identify the King of the North with the Pope. Several other possibilities have been put forward, too. Some identify the time of the end with the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. Others identify the time of the end with some distant future resurrection and judgment (See Daniel 12:2). The possibilities seem endless to me.

I feel we humans have little need to know such details. The meaning of Daniel's vision was hidden from the prophet himself (See Daniel 12:4). Why should it be revealed to others?

Daniel 7-9

The two-horned ram that you saw represents the kings of Media and Persia. The shaggy goat is the king of Greece, and the large horn between its eyes is the first king. (Daniel‬ ‭8:20-21‬)

I am grateful that this one vision, at least, is interpreted WITHIN THE BIBLICAL TEXT, because so much prophetic material is subject to a variety of interpretations. It is comforting to know this much about this one vision of Daniel. Likewise, it is reassuring to me that there seems to be some historical accuracy to the biblical claim that Babylon was to be supplanted by Medes, Persians, and Greeks.

The four horns that replaced the one that was broken off represent four kingdoms that will emerge from his nation but will not have the same power. (Daniel‬ ‭8:22‬)

This verse of scripture seems to point to the division of the empire of Alexander the Great among his four immediate successors: Lysimachus, Cassander, Ptolemy, and Seleucus. Upon his death Alexander’s empire was so partitioned, as confirmed by ancient records.

But, lest we become too certain of ourselves, Daniel admits to his own befuddlement:

I, Daniel, was worn out. I lay exhausted for several days. Then I got up and went about the king’s business. I was appalled by the vision; it was beyond understanding. (Daniel‬ ‭8:27‬)

If we are to be true to the scriptures, then it seems to me we must be as willing as Daniel was willing to live with some degree of mystery where the things of God are concerned.

Daniel 4-6

The stories in these three chapters of the Bible’s book of Daniel illustrate the saying, “Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.” (Proverbs‬ ‭16:18‬) Two Babylonian kings and one Median king elevate themselves, while neglecting to glorify God. In each story God humbles the king. In each story Daniel delivers a God-inspired message, foretelling the king’s impending humiliation.

I sense invitations here. One is an invitation to hold to a realistic view of myself, but not to slip into self-abasement. Another invitation is to give glory to God.

God is great. God is good. Praise, praise to God!

Daniel 1-3, Psalm 119:25-48

Then King Nebuchadnezzar leaped to his feet in amazement and asked his advisers, “Weren’t there three men that we tied up and threw into the fire?”

They replied, “Certainly, Your Majesty.”

He said, “Look! I see four men walking around in the fire, unbound and unharmed, and the fourth looks like a son of the gods.” (Daniel 3:24-25)

The story told in the Bible's book of Daniel, chapter 3, is well-known. The Babylonian king sets up a golden idol and orders all of his subjects to worship it on command under penalty of death. Three Jewish protagonists refuse, claiming both that God is able to save them and that whether they are rescued or not, they will not worship an idol. The king orders their execution by fire.

Then a miracle takes place. The men carrying out the execution are burned alive, while the three Jewish resisters are not, PLUS (See the two verses of scripture above.) the king sees a fourth figure together with the others walking around in the fire!

What does that mean?

Some Christians are quick to identify the fourth figure amidst the flames as the Christ, God the Son, the second person of the Holy Trinity, especially since the king says he looks like a "son of the gods." Perhaps the fourth man is an angel of protection, sent by the LORD. Clearly the figure represents the presence of someone who is able to preserve the lives of the three Jewish wise men, as they are imperiled by fire.

That the three Jewish men are miraculously defended is not what I admire most in this story, rather it is their resolve never to worship any idol, even if they should be put to death, because of their conviction. 

Ezekiel 46-48

Fruit trees of all kinds will grow on both banks of the river. Their leaves will not wither, nor will their fruit fail. Every month they will bear fruit, because the water from the sanctuary flows to them. Their fruit will serve for food and their leaves for healing. (Ezekiel 47:12)

The verse of scripture above reminds me of the verses below, taken from the Bible's book of Revelation.

Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. (Revelation 22:1-2)

Maybe the author of the latter took his inspiration from the former. It's clear to me that a "river of water" is a metaphor for God's life, providence, and healing, both in the Old Testament and in the New Testament. 

So how and where do you see divine life, providence, and healing today, reader?

Ezekiel 43-45

In these chapters of the Bible's book of Ezekiel the prophet describes the restoration of sacrifices and priestly offices associated with the temple he envisioned. He also envisions the glory of the LORD entering the temple in a manner reminiscent of what had happened in Solomon's temple (Second Chronicles, chapter 5, verse 14). Clearly, he has high hopes for the full restoration of God's people.

How do you imagine God's glory filling the temple of your heart, reader? How would that feel? What differences would it make in your living, your words, your actions, and your loves?

Ezekiel 40-42

I imagine one may profit by careful comparison of the temple Ezekiel described in chapters 40 and 41 and the temple described in the Bible's book of First Kings, chapters 6 and 7, often designated as Solomon's Temple. I have not done such a comparison, but others have done so. Perhaps I will follow suit someday...

Ezekiel 38-39, Psalms 118, 119:1-24

When hard pressed, I cried to the LORD;
   he brought me into a spacious place. (Psalm 118:5)

Who or what "puts the squeeze" on you, reader? Occasionally, I allow the calendar to "fence me in." I confess: I press myself with frightening regularity. "Do this. Do that. Go here. Go there. Hurry up! Don't dawdle!" 

Then an angel calls me to prayer: "Take a deep breath and exhale slowly. Release any tension held in the body. Be thankful." So I breathe. I roll my shoulders and exercise my neck. I let gratitude rise up from deep within, and I speak it aloud: "Thank You, Jesus."

Then I notice. God is delivering me into sacred space.  

Ezekiel 35-37

[Speaking for the LORD, Ezekiel says,] "...I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws..." (Ezekiel 36:26-27)

Do God's people have "hearts of stone" today? Do human beings have need of a new spirit now? The Bible's book of Ezekiel discloses the view that thousands of years ago God's people had a "heart of stone." They would follow God's decrees and keep God's laws after God made them tenderhearted, after God put God's own Spirit within.

I believe a process of tenderizing has begun in me. God has planted Spirit within. I am being moved toward true fidelity. I am on my way to God's homeland, and I am thankful.

Ezekiel 33-34, Psalm 117

[The prophet says,] "'You are my sheep, the sheep of my pasture, and I am your God,' declares the Sovereign LORD." (Ezekiel 34:31)

Ezekiel 29-32

[Ezekiel, speaking for the LORD, says,] "So I will inflict punishment on Egypt,
   and they will know that I am the LORD." (Ezekiel 30:19)

Throughout this section of the Bible's book of Ezekiel, the prophet condemns first one neighboring nation, then another and another. This is his frequent refrain, "...they will know that I am the LORD." It's almost as if the wrongdoing of those nations and their subsequent punishments are incidental to God's primary purpose of self-disclosure, namely, making God's self known. What more can God do? God has signed all of the natural world with God's beauty, making God known. God has given the people of all nations gifts of life, food, clothing, and shelter, revealing God's providence. God has called, wooed, healed, and forgiven human beings many, many times, uncovering God's love, mercy, and grace. So God repeats these and other messages over and over in order to drive home the point that God is God. The LORD wants humanity to know and know deeply.

Ezekiel 26-28

The word of the Lord came to me: "Son of man, say to the ruler of Tyre, 'This is what the Sovereign Lord says:

"'In the pride of your heart
you say, "I am a god;
I sit on the throne of a god
in the heart of the seas."
But you are a mere mortal and not a god,
though you think you are as wise as a god...'" (Ezekiel 28:1-2)

Although the quote goes on to inquire if the ruler of Tyre has wisdom comparable to "Daniel" or "Danel," one might wonder if his wisdom compares with that of Solomon. 

Solomon said, “Now, Lord my God, you have made your servant king in place of my father David. But I am only a little child and do not know how to carry out my duties. Your servant is here among the people you have chosen, a great people, too numerous to count or number. So give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong. For who is able to govern this great people of yours?” (1 Kings 3:7-9)

Not a god, not wise as a god--this seems to be the human attitude God prefers to see in us.

Ezekiel 23-25

The Bible’s book of Ezekiel, chapter 23, employs graphic sexual imagery. I wonder why. I get the analogies of lust, prostitution, and adultery, as applied to the northern and southern regions of the Holy Land. The Hebrew people had broken fidelity to their God in both the religious and political spheres. They had preferred entanglements with the gods and governments of nearby nations, Egypt, Assyria, and Babylon, over faithfulness with their own God.. Rather than serve their One True God, rather than mustering forces to ally with their God-given kings, they had worshiped various idols and had switched alliances from one nearby nation to another to another, depending on their perceptions of the political advantages to be gained.

But why employ sexual imagery in order to communicate God’s disapproval? I don’t know with certainty, but I imagine the ancient Hebrews professed a powerful sexual ethic, whether they practiced one or not. I imagine a people possessed by disgust and shame when confronted with sexual impropriety. If this is so, then it follows that speaking the analogies of lust, prostitution, and adultery would have had a shocking effect on any Hebrew listeners. One would hope that those so shocked would listen carefully to the speaker.

Ezekiel 20-22

The prophet has a lot to say about idolatry, perverse worship, and ne’er-do-well priests, but he has much to say about a wider stream of unethical behavior, too. In chapter 22, for example, he lists maltreatment of parents, oppression of foreigners, neglect of orphans, and taking advantage of widows, to name only a few of his nation’s ills.

What about our nation? What about our place and time? Is the USA guiltless with respect to its treatment of parents, foreigners, orphans, and widows? I think not. If God’s disappointment was visited upon the ancient Israelis, then why can’t God’s displeasure rain down on the USA?

Just saying...

Ezekiel 17-19, Psalm 116

Praise the LORD, all you nations;
   extol him, all you peoples.
For great is his love toward us,
   and the faithfulness of the LORD endures forever.
Praise the LORD. (Psalm 117)

This is the shortest psalm in the Bible. It echoes with praise for God: Praise... extol... Praise! It calls not only to Hebrew people, with whom the psalms originate, but also to all people, all nations, with good reasons for giving praise to God, namely, God’s love, God’s faithfulness, and God’s “never-ending-ness.”

As Psalm 117 invites praises from the heart of the Bible, so let the Spirit of God invite praises from our hearts, reader!

Ezekiel 14-16

Therefore speak to them and tell them, “This is what the Sovereign LORD says: When any of the Israelites set up idols in their hearts and put a wicked stumbling block before their faces and then go to a prophet, I the LORD will answer them myself in keeping with their great idolatry. (Ezekiel 14:4)

I feel the ring of truth in this message, namely that God deals with us according to that which is enthroned in our hearts. If the Living God is allowed ascendancy within, then God ministers deeply, truly, and effectively to and through our hearts. If, however, we set up idols within our hearts, then God deals with us, according to our idolatry.

I do not feel the ring of truth in the terminology of anger, as applied to God. When Ezekiel speaks for God, as in Ezekiel 16:30, saying, “I am filled with fury against you, declares the Sovereign LORD, when you do all these things, acting like a brazen prostitute!” in my opinion he speaks more from his own personally-held anger than from divine wrath. I could be wrong, but the frustration seems to me to originate within the prophet and is projected by the prophet onto God.

In other words God is mature enough to deal with us according to our idolatry--the idols within our hearts--without God’s getting “all bent out of shape” by having to deal with us that way. I am the one who becomes angry, not God, whenever the mercy of God reveals my faithlessness, disobedience, or selfishness, which are just a few of the names for the idols I have enthroned in my heart.

Thank You, God, for loving kindness, mercy, and forgiveness! I can’t go forward without You.

Ezekiel 11-13

Ezekiel lives certain parts of his prophecies. For example in chapter 12 of today’s reading the prophet packed his belongings, as if for exile, and dug through the walls of the city. After the people saw what he did and asked about it God inspired Ezekiel to say, “I am a sign to you. As I have done, so you will do. You are going into exile!”

Almost always the LORD’s condemnation is paired with a message of hope, mostly to the effect that after the people are punished they will be blessed. They will live in fellowship and obedience with God and God with them. As far as I can tell the message of hope is unfulfilled. Some, but not all, live in partial fellowship and tentative obedience, while others know nothing of either.

And yet I hope...

Ezekiel 7-10

Then the glory of the Lord departed from over the threshold of the temple and stopped above the cherubim. (Ezekiel 10:18)

It was a sad day when God's glory left the temple at Jerusalem. It is a sad day whenever God's glory exits a sanctuary, a synagogue, or a soul. Where is the place of God's glory in your experience, reader? Is it entering, staying, or leaving that place?

Ezekiel 4-6

This verse of scripture: 

Then [Ezekiel] said, “Not so, Sovereign Lord! I have never defiled myself. From my youth until now I have never eaten anything found dead or torn by wild animals. No impure meat has ever entered my mouth.” (Ezekiel 4:14)

reminds me of this verse of scripture:

“Surely not, Lord!” Peter replied. “I have never eaten anything impure or unclean.” (Acts 10:14)

Old Testament/New Testament: In both events God was on the cusp of doing something new. What unheard of God-thing is in the making now, reader?

Ezekiel 1-3

Lamentations 3-5

Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed,
   for his compassions never fail.
They are new every morning;
   great is your faithfulness. (Lamentations 3:22-23)

These verses inspire us.

Great is Thy faithfulness

O God my Father

There is no shadow of turning with Thee

Thou changest not

Thy compassions they fail not

As Thou hast been

Thou forever will be

Great is Thy faithfulness

Great is Thy faithfulness

Morning by morning new mercies I see

And all I have needed Thy hand hath provided

Great is Thy faithfulness

Lord unto me

Lamentations 1-2, Psalm 115

Here is the call:

All you Israelites, trust in the Lord—
   he is their help and shield.
House of Aaron, trust in the Lord—
   he is their help and shield.
You who fear him, trust in the Lord—
   he is their help and shield. (Psalm 115:9-11)

And here is the response:

The Lord remembers us and will bless us:

   He will bless his people Israel,
   he will bless the house of Aaron,
he will bless those who fear the Lord—
   small and great alike. (Psalm 115:12-13)

I'm seeing "Israel" as the LORD's chosen people, "Aaron" as another designation for the LORD's chosen priests, and "those who fear the LORD" as both those among the chosen people who earnestly seek God and those among the gentile (not Jewish) population who long for God, too.

Which of God's blessings possess me today? Which ones may I share with others?

Jeremiah 50-52

At the close of Jeremiah's prophecy Babylon is condemned, and hope is announced for the Jewish people. Babylon will have served God's purpose in punishing disobedience to the LORD in the Holy Land, and having so served, Babylon will, itself, come under the LORD's scrutiny. Babylon will be found lacking, and Babylon will be punished, just as Israel and Judah will have been condemned. Afterward, the Jewish people will be returned to their homeland where they will be blessed. This is the message of hope for them.

Jeremiah 46-49

I am SO behind here. Oh well, here goes!

In these chapters of the book bearing his name Jeremiah not only delivers disheartening news to Jerusalem, center of Judah, he also has a word of condemnation from the LORD for Egypt, Philistia, Moab, Ammon, Edom, Damascus, Kedar, Hazor, and Elam. All will come under attack by Babylon. All will be defeated by Babylon. These are neighboring kingdoms on all sides of Jerusalem, center of Judah. They may hope to escape notice by Babylonian armies and rulers, but they will not.

They say that misery loves company. I don't know that bad news for neighbors equates to good news for Jerusalem, center of Judah, but if they heard Jeremiah, then at least they had reason to think that all of their region shared the same fate.

Jeremiah 44-45, Psalm 114

Tremble, earth, at the presence of the LORD, at the presence of the God of Jacob... (Psalm‬ ‭114:7‬)

I’m noticing today the word “tremble.” To me it usually communicates fear, foreboding, catastrophe, and so on. But what if “tremble” communicated a higher frequency tremor, instead, a vibration, a hum, or if you will, a purr, a drone, or a buzz? Then, I suppose, the word of the prophet might ring out: Resonate, world, at the presence of the LORD, sway together with the undulations of the God of Jacob...

Jeremiah 40-43

As you can see, I have fallen behind schedule with the readings.

These chapters tell how, although some of the Jewish people were removed from their homeland to Babylon, others remained. Jeremiah the prophet was among those who stayed. Factions arose among those who remained, and they fought to the death. After their numbers had dwindled they came to Jeremiah, promising to do whatever the LORD revealed for them to do, but when Jeremiah spoke in the LORD’s name, they broke that promise. So the remnant people are described as utterly faithless.

Jeremiah 37-39

But the Babylonian army pursued them and overtook Zedekiah in the plains of Jericho. They captured him and took him to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon at Riblah in the land of Hamath, where he pronounced sentence on him. There at Riblah the king of Babylon slaughtered the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes and also killed all the nobles of Judah. Then he put out Zedekiah’s eyes and bound him with bronze shackles to take him to Babylon. (Jeremiah 39:5-7)

I'll never forget what the late Old Testament professor, Dr. John H. Hayes, said during one of his lectures, namely, that while the Babylonian king's treatment of Zedekiah seems cruel to us, the treatment may have been a provision of the oath of allegiance Zedekiah once took when he became a vassal of Nebuchadnezzar: "If I sever my loyalty to Babylon, may my sons be slaughtered before me, and may my eyes be blinded!"

Let us consider carefully the oaths we make...

Jeremiah 34-36

The power of a living example:

This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord during the reign of Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah: “Go to the Rekabitefamily and invite them to come to one of the side rooms of the house of the Lord and give them wine to drink.”

So I went to get Jaazaniah son of Jeremiah, the son of Habazziniah, and his brothers and all his sons—the whole family of the Rekabites. I brought them into the house of the Lord, into the room of the sons of Hanan son of Igdaliah the man of God. It was next to the room of the officials, which was over that of Maaseiah son of Shallum the doorkeeper.  Then I set bowls full of wine and some cups before the Rekabites and said to them, “Drink some wine.”

But they replied, “We do not drink wine, because our forefather Jehonadab son of Rekab gave us this command: ‘Neither you nor your descendants must ever drink wine. Also you must never build houses, sow seed or plant vineyards; you must never have any of these things, but must always live in tents. Then you will live a long time in the land where you are nomads.’ We have obeyed everything our forefather Jehonadab son of Rekab commanded us. Neither we nor our wives nor our sons and daughters have ever drunk wine or built houses to live in or had vineyards, fields or crops. We have lived in tents and have fully obeyed everything our forefather Jehonadab commanded us. (Jeremiah 35:1-10)

Having learned the story of the Rekabites, Jeremiah went on to use their experience as a model of covenant faithfulness. The people of Judah and Jerusalem might have obeyed the LORD as the Rekabites had obeyed their forefather, Jehonadab, but they did not.

What kind of living example are you displaying, reader? What does my life's story disclose about covenant faithfulness with my God?

Jeremiah 31-33, Psalm 113

I'm running a little behind here and hoping to catch up with the scheduled readings...

From the rising of the sun to the place where it sets,
the name of the Lord is to be praised. (Psalm 113:3)

Sandra McCraken's Take on Psalm 113

Jeremiah 28-30

I married into Jeremiah 29:11. I've read through the Bible several times, and I had read through it a few times already when I learned Jeremiah 29:11 is a "thing" for some people. It didn't become a "thing" for me during those first few readings of mine. It didn't even become a "thing" when I did a study of the Book of Jeremiah. I don't think I had skipped over it, during that study. It simply failed to rise to the level of "thingness" in my experience--not until my wife Jeri, told me Jeremiah 29:11 meant something special to her.

"I'd better go and see what that's all about," I thought to myself, so I did.

Here are a few things I see: God has plans. God has a plan for me. God's plan favors me. It neither harms nor hinders me. Receiving and employing God's plan gives hope and opens up a blessed future.

Now Jeremiah 29:11 is a "thing" for me, too.