Category: Religion

Today´s reading:
OT: Judges 8:18-35, Judges 9:1-21
NT: Luke 23:44-56, Luke 24:1-12
Ps: Psalm 99
Pr: Proverbs 14:9-10

Gospel Thread – OT:

But Gideon told them, “I will not rule over you, nor will my son rule over you. The LORD will rule over you.”

Judges 8:23 (NIV)

God’s original intention was to the sole ruler over mankind – to be man’s sole and benevolent source for leadership and governance. However, due to man’s sin, our perfect relationship with God was broken, and mankind has had to endure being ruled by fellow man. Christ’s redemption of man will one day bring about the restoration of God’s original intention, when Christ returns to establish His eternal kingdom. What a wonderful day that will be, when we once again look to our Lord as our sole source of governance!

Gospel Thread – NT:

⁶ He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: ⁷ ‘The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.’

Luke 24:6-7 (NIV)

Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection are the balance point in the history of civilization, and the pillar of God’s plan of man’s redemption from sin.

Gospel Thread – Psalms/Proverbs:

Fools mock at making amends for sin, but goodwill is found among the upright.

Proverbs 14:9 (NIV)

True repentance and godly sorrow bring about not only a desire to flee from sin, but also a desire to righting the wrongs of our past sin.

The One Year Bible Blog´s comments for today.

Today´s reading:
OT: Leviticus 9:7-24, Leviticus 10
NT: Mark 4:26-41, Mark 5:1-20
Ps: Psalm 38
Pr: Proverbs 10:6-7

Gospel Thread – Psalms/Proverbs:

³⁷ Consider the blameless, observe the upright; there is a future for the man of peace.
³⁸ But all sinners will be destroyed; the future of the wicked will be cut off.
³⁹ The salvation of the righteous comes from the LORD; he is their stronghold in time of trouble.

Psalm 38:37-39 (NIV)

Today I will just leave you with these three great verses from today’s Psalms reading.

The One Year Bible Blog´s comments for today.

Today´s reading:
OT: Leviticus 7:28-38, Leviticus 8, Leviticus 9:1-6
NT: Mark 3:31-35, Mark 4:1-25
Ps: Psalm 37:12-29
Pr: Proverbs 10:5

Gospel Thread – OT:

Today’s reading finishes up instructions on the levitical sacrifices and offerings, and also the anointing of the tabernacle implements and the priests, all previously discussed.

Gospel Thread – NT:

¹¹ He told them, “The secret of the kingdom of God has been given to you. But to those on the outside everything is said in parables ¹² so that, ” ‘they may be ever seeing but never perceiving, and ever hearing but never understanding; otherwise they might turn and be forgiven!’ “

Mark 4:11-12 (NIV)

According to the NIV footnotes, this fulfills Isaiah 6:9-10.

Gospel Thread – Psalms/Proverbs:

Turn from evil and do good; then you will dwell in the land forever.

Psalm 37:27 (NIV)

God’s call to man has always been to repent – to turn from evil and to do good – so that man’s relationship with God might be restored, and so that God might be able to bestow His blessings upon man.

The One Year Bible Blog´s comments for today.

Today´s reading:
OT: Leviticus 6, Leviticus 7:1-27
NT: Mark 3:7-30
Ps: Psalm 37:1-11
Pr: Proverbs 10:3-4

Gospel Thread – OT:

Today’s reading continues the explanation of the levitical sacrifices and offerings, previously discussed.

Gospel Thread – NT:

Whenever the evil spirits saw him, they fell down before him and cried out, “You are the Son of God.”

Mark 3:11 (NIV)

Even the demons knew the truth of Jesus’ identity. They recognized that He was God, but they did not understand that He was the Messiah who was to come. They recognized His divinity, but they did not understand His plan.

Gospel Thread – Psalms/Proverbs:

⁵ Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him and he will do this:
⁶ He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun.

Psalm 37:5-6 (NIV)

“Commit your way to the Lord” and “trust in him” are another way of saying, “accept as Lord and Savior” – it is through these two that one is saved, and it is through these two that God imparts righteousness to the believer.

The One Year Bible Blog´s comments for today.

Today´s reading:
OT: Leviticus 4-5
NT: Mark 2:13-28, Mark 3:1-6
Ps: Psalm 36
Pr: Proverbs 10:1-2

Gospel Thread – OT:

If a member of the community sins unintentionally and does what is forbidden in any of the LORD’s commands, he is guilty.

Leviticus 4:27 (NIV)

Ignorance is not a legitimate defense; sin is sin. God gave man His Law not to give new definitions for sin but rather to reveal and expose the sin that already existed. Rather than viewing the Law as an imposition, we should recognize that the Law was a great gift from God to man (see Romans 7:7-13). Man is guilty of the sin he commits, whether or not he does so with the knowledge that his actions are sinful. God holds man accountable for the sin he has committed. Therefore, God showed great love and grace to man, that He would give such a clear explanation of that which is sinful.

Gospel Thread – NT:

And no one pours new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the wine will burst the skins, and both the wine and the wineskins will be ruined. No, he pours new wine into new wineskins.

Mark 2:22 (NIV)

Jesus is answering the Pharisees’ challenge of His disciples’ failure to observe rabbinical fasting requirements, and is using a practical example to explain his point.

As part of the fermentation process of winemaking, yeast feeds on sugar from the grapes, converting the sugar into alcohol and producing carbon dioxide gas as a by-product. In biblical times, new (unfermented) wine was placed into a wineskin and allowed to ferment. Fermenting the new wine in a closed vessel such as the wineskin would prevent the by-product carbon dioxide gas from escaping, thus causing the wineskin to expand. Therefore, placing unfermented (new) wine into a wineskin that had already been used to ferment wine would result in the (old) wineskin, which had already been expanded, to burst when the new wine fermented.

Jesus’ point was that the gospel/new covenant could not be contained within the confines of rabbinical law and tradition. This analogy could be extrapolated in many ways, but I will leave the explanation as it is.

Gospel Thread – Psalms/Proverbs:

For with you is the fountain of life; in your light we see light

Psalm 36:9 (NIV)

Jesus is our source of both life and light. He is our fountain of life, and he is our light.

The One Year Bible Blog´s comments for today. Note the explanation of how the location of disposal of burnt offerings foreshadows Christ’s crucifixion outside of Jerusalem.

Today´s reading:
OT: Leviticus 1-3
NT: Mark Mark 1:29-45, Mark 2:1-12
Ps: Psalm 35:17-28
Pr: Proverbs 9:13-18

Gospel Thread – OT:

SCRIPTURE

Leviticus 1:2 (NIV)

When someone brings a grain offering to the LORD, his offering is to be of fine flour. He is to pour oil on it, put incense on it

Leviticus 2:1 (NIV)

If someone’s offering is a fellowship offering, and he offers an animal from the herd, whether male or female, he is to present before the LORD an animal without defect.

Leviticus 3:1 (NIV)

The first three chapters of Leviticus discuss the burnt, grain, and fellowship offerings. Here is a compilation of great posts discussing the correlation between the levitical offerings and Messiah.

Gospel Thread – NT:

Why does this fellow talk like that? He’s blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?

Mark 2:7 (NIV)

The teachers of the law were right about the former: only God can forgive sin; however, they were wrong about the former. Jesus did not blaspheme. He proved He was God by not only telling the man his sins were forgiven, but also healing his paralysis.

Gospel Thread – Psalms/Proverbs:

No direct messianic or gospel reference in today’s Psalms/Proverbs reading.

The One Year Bible Blog´s comments for today.

Today´s reading:
OT: Exodus 39-40
NT: Mark 1:1-28
Ps: Psalm 35:1-16
Pr: Proverbs 9:11-12

Gospel Thread – OT:

⁹ “Take the anointing oil and anoint the tabernacle and everything in it; consecrate it and all its furnishings, and it will be holy. ¹⁰ Then anoint the altar of burnt offering and all its utensils; consecrate the altar, and it will be most holy. ¹¹ Anoint the basin and its stand and consecrate them. ¹² Bring Aaron and his sons to the entrance to the Tent of Meeting and wash them with water. ¹³ Then dress Aaron in the sacred garments, anoint him and consecrate him so he may serve me as priest. ¹⁴ Bring his sons and dress them in tunics. ¹⁵ Anoint them just as you anointed their father, so they may serve me as priests. Their anointing will be to a priesthood that will continue for all generations to come.”

Exodus 40:9-15 (NIV)

As previously discussed, such uses of anointing are messianic references, at least in part. Here, it is the anointing that confers holiness and consecration upon the implements used in and for the tabernacle worship, just as it is through Christ – the “Anointed One” – that holiness and consecration are conferred upon us. Likewise, it is the anointing that consecrates the priesthood of Aaron and his descendants, just as through Christ we are consecrated into His royal priesthood.

Gospel Thread – NT:

And so John came, baptizing in the desert region and preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.

Mark 1:4 (NIV)

Verses 2-3 quote Malachi 3:1 and Isaiah 40:3.

Gospel Thread – Psalms/Proverbs:

No direct gospel/messianic references in todays Psalms/Proverbs reading.

The One Year Bible Blog´s comments for today.

Today´s reading:
OT: Exodus 37-38
NT: Matthew 28
Ps: Psalm 34:11-22
Pr: Proverbs 9:9-10

Gospel Thread – OT:

They made the lampstand of pure gold and hammered it out, base and shaft; its flowerlike cups, buds and blossoms were of one piece with it.

Exodus 37:17 (NIV)

This comparison might be a stretch, but perhaps the lampstand is symbolic of Christ. The lampstand provided light, and consisted of seven lamps – seven being the number for perfection, holiness, and completion: in other words, the number seven represents God. Note that, in heaven, the Lamb is called the lamp for the City of God (Revelation 21:23), and it is the glory God Himself who provides light in the City (Revelation 22:5).

Gospel Thread – NT:

¹⁸ Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. ¹⁹ Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Matthew 28:18-20 (NIV)

The Great Commission: the charge Christ has given to every believer, to spread throughout all the world and among all peoples the truth about man’s need for a savior and the good news of God’s grace in providing Christ to fill that need. It is at this point in history that a great turn begins – a turn that we will see completed as we move later into the book of Acts. The first part of God’s great Plan for salvation is complete, and Jesus has just given His followers the responsibility to preach the gospel – in order that God might usher in the completion of His great Plan: Christ’s triumphant return!

Gospel Thread – Psalms/Proverbs:

he protects all his bones, not one of them will be broken.

Psalm 34:20 (NIV)

This verse is perhaps a messianic prophecy fulfilled by Christ on the Cross: none of his bones were broken during His crucifixion.

The One Year Bible Blog´s comments for today.

Today´s reading:
OT: Exodus 35:10-35, Exodus 36
NT: Matthew 27:32-66
Ps: Psalm 34:1-10
Pr: Proverbs 9:7-8

Gospel Thread – OT:

and everyone who was willing and whose heart moved him came and brought an offering to the LORD for the work on the Tent of Meeting, for all its service, and for the sacred garments.

Exodus 35:21 (NIV)

God has always asked only for those who are willing, and whose hearts move them to act: to give, to accept salvation, to do anything (see II Corinthians 9:7). God does not force anyone to accept salvation any more than He forces anyone to sacrifice or to give. Granted, all of us will be held accountable for the decisions we make; but we are free to make the decisions as we will.

Gospel Thread – NT:

When they had crucified him, they divided up his clothes by casting lots.

Matthew 27:35 (NIV)

According to the NIV footnotes, this verse fulfills Psalm 22:18.

About the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?”—which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”

Matthew 27:46 (NIV)

According to the NIV footnotes, Jesus is quoting Psalm 22:1.

Gospel Thread – Psalms/Proverbs:

The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them.

Psalm 34:7 (NIV)

Some believe that Old Testament uses of the term “the angel of the Lord” refer to a pre-incarnate Christ.

The One Year Bible Blog´s comments for today.

Today´s reading:
OT: Exodus 34, Exodus 35:1-9
NT: Matthew 27:15-31
Ps: Psalm 33:12-22
Pr: Proverbs 9:1-6

Gospel Thread – OT:

The first offspring of every womb belongs to me, including all the firstborn males of your livestock, whether from herd or flock.

Exodus 34:19 (NIV)

God claims His right to the firstborn offspring of every womb. I do not think it coincidental that God sacrificed His firstborn – and only – Son, Jesus Christ.

Gospel Thread – NT:

²⁷ Then the governor’s soldiers took Jesus into the Praetorium and gathered the whole company of soldiers around him. ²⁸ They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, ²⁹ and then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on his head. They put a staff in his right hand and knelt in front of him and mocked him. “Hail, king of the Jews!” they said. ³⁰ They spit on him, and took the staff and struck him on the head again and again.

Matthew 27:27-30 (NIV)

As previously discussed, this is a fulfillment of Psalm 22:7.

Gospel Thread – Psalms/Proverbs:

Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD, the people he chose for his inheritance.

Psalm 33:12 (NIV)

As we saw in God’s great promise to Abraham, God made Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob into a great nation – a nation He called His own, and to whom He promised great blessing and through whom His Messiah would come. Also a part of that promise, God declared that He would bless all nations through this nation of Israel. Through Jesus, His Messiah, God chose to adopt all who would come – to graft all believers into the family of Israel. Therefore, we indeed are a part of the nation whose God is the Lord – we are the people He chose for His inheritance!

The One Year Bible Blog´s comments for today.