Chapter to Chapter - Thoughts on Daily Bible Readings

Old Testament reading: 1 Samuel 17-18

Of all the events in the life of David, no account is more well known, even among unbelievers, than David’s encounter with Goliath of Gath. Sports announcers freely use the expression of “David vs Goliath” despite the fact that most Americans do not read their Bibles or attend worship with any degree of regularity. As much as I love this great story that I’ve known since childhood, I find chapter 18 more intriguing.  I love the repetition of “David behaved wisely” (cf v 5, 14-15, 30) with the resulting, “Saul was afraid of him” (v 12, 15) and “Saul was afraid of him” (v 15, 29). When we earnestly desire to do right, those who are evil are made afraid. That fear manifests itself in a variety of ways, including avoidance, mockery or persecution (cf v 11). Our Lord said as much in John 3:19-20, when he said that those who practice evil hate the light. On the other hand, when we do right, we attract those who appreciate light. If you want to surround yourself with good people, be a good person!

New Testament reading: Mark 7-8

“You’ve got it all backwards.” In Mark 7, Jesus shows us how the true source of defilement comes from within and not from without. Like the whitewashed tombs that were beautiful on the outside but were filled with the defilement of death, the Jews concerned themselves with the outward appearance of piety and devotion while giving no thought to pursuing purity within. So long as what was outside was clean, everything was fine. Jesus’ illustration not only rebuked that attitude, it served to set aside on the specific laws of Moses, namely, the food laws forbidding some types of meat. Jesus used this same truth to illustrate to Peter the inclusion of the Gentiles in the Gospel or Church Age (Acts 10:9-16). Paul later reaffirmed this same principle in 1 Timothy 4:5. And THAT’S why I get to eat catfish and pulled pork Bar-B-Q! Getting back to the primary intent of the text, our words and deeds are first rooted in our hearts before they are made manifest to the world. Nothing comes out of my mouth that wasn’t first in my heart. Take care to fill your hearts with good things (cf Phil 4:8)!

 Old Testament reading: 1 Samuel 15-16

“And that was the straw that broke the camel’s back.” Having already been told that the kingdom will not continue through him, Saul further alienates himself from God in his sin with the Amalekites. What I find particularly tragic in the fact that Saul was specifically called by God as His personal instrument of punishment against the Amalekites (15:1-3). One would think that specific orders via Divine call would incite a man to obey to the Nth degree. Not so with Saul. Worse still, the first words from Saul’s mouth upon his return was the claim, “I have performed the commandment of the Lord” (15:13). In condemning Saul, Samuel utters some great words that still serve us today: “Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifice as in obeying His voice? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed than the fat of rams.” In the same manner of his transgression in chapter 13, Saul’s good intentions are not a substitute for unauthorized activity. Most would do well to consider whether what they call worship is in harmony with God’s word than in making them feel good. We are not at liberty to do as we please and afterward attach God’s name to it.

New Testament reading: Mark 5-6

Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.” So pleaded Peter after His miraculous encounter with Jesus in Luke 5:8. After healing the demon possessed man known as Legion, those who witnessed the swine rushing off the cliff into the sea and seeing the man “clothed and in his right mind” pleaded with Jesus to depart from their region. This probably wasn’t the response for which Jesus was looking. Commentators are divided between two primary interpretations of this reaction. Some believe the residents were put off by their financial losses and feared more of the same. Others equate their response to that of Peter as the situations were similar. Regardless, I wonder — If Jesus manifested himself to us in the same way as he did to them, would we embrace him or encourage him to leave? Some do not embrace Jesus today because they do not understand Him, others because of the required sacrifice. Perhaps more lost souls would understand if they could see the real Jesus living in His professed disciples.

Old Testament reading: 1 Samuel 13-14

Lack of personal discipline characterized Saul’s reign as king. What began with great success and promise (chapter 11, cf vv 12-13) quickly crumbled as Saul did not restrain himself or confine himself to the authority of God’s word. Good intentions (13:12) are no excuse for acting outside Divine authority (v 13). This problem became the signature of Saul’s reign. Saul’s inability to control himself led Samuel to identify the one who would succeed him. Unfortunately, it wouldn’t be his son Jonathan, a great man and Saul’s greatest earthly asset. Rather, Samuel said that God would take the kingdom and give it to one “after His own heart” (v 14). Moreover, Saul’s lack of discipline and foresight placed his son Jonathan in the crosshairs of consequence regarding his rash decisions and vows. Lesson to be learned? Others are adversely affected by our personal lack of discipline. Moderation is key to protecting ourselves and our loved ones from unintended consequences.

New Testament reading: Mark 3-4

“A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches” (Prov 22:1). In introducing the apostles, all three synoptic authors (Matthew, Mark, Luke) tag Judas Iscariot as the one who betrayed Christ. Though “all the disciples forsook Him and fled” (Matt 26:56) and Peter denied the Lord three times (Matt 26:69-75), this was something they never got over, even though these accounts were written some years after the fact. Judas besmirched what would have been a perfectly good Bible name. To this day, the other eleven apostles and Matthias have countless namesakes. You can go to most non-Muslim places in the world and find  a multitude of males with the names Peter, James or John, but we don’t hear of many named Judas. Also of interest is the statement of Jesus’ own people concerning him, saying, “he is out of his mind” ( This corresponds to John’s statement in John 7 that Jesus’ own brethren did not believe in him. How sad that their savior, their own flesh and blood, lived among them in sinless perfection and they failed to recognize him! Sometimes overlooked in this is the account at the end of chapter 3 where Jesus separates Himself from His earthly kin (vvv 31-35).

Old Testament reading: 1 Samuel 10-12

“I’ll just take my ball and go home.” Many of us are old enough to know that saying. In the days when kids didn’t have everything they wanted (and still played outside), the boy with the ball held sway over all the others. If he didn’t get his way, he could bring the game to an abrupt conclusion. 1 Samuel 10 marks the beginning of Saul’s reign as Israel’s first Divinely recognized king. While Saul is an intriguing character, I want to think about Samuel, one of God’s greatest servants. At Saul’s coronation in chapter 12, Samuel gave a farewell address of sorts. Though his tenure with Israel had been long, he was still able to acquit himself of any personal wrongdoing throughout the entire course of his leadership going all the way back to the days of his youth. Standing before the multitude of Israel, Samuel called on any man to come and level a charge of misconduct. None were brought and the people all gave witness to the same before God. Then, at the conclusion of his address, Samuel promised to continue his service to the people. What character! While many might “take their ball and go home,” Samuel recognized the people still needed his instruction and spiritual guidance. Moreover, he said it would be a sin against God were he to stop praying earnestly for the people! I love this man Samuel! In these respects, he deserves our admiration and emulation.

New Testament reading: Mark 1-2

Mark gives emphasis to the work of John as “the beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God” (1:1). Of particular interest is Mark’s repeated emphasis of Jesus’ power over unclean spirits and sickness, which continues in the chapters following. Mark’s audience was primarily Gentile, with perhaps an eye toward the Roman citizenry. Prior to the ascension and assumptions of the Caesars, Rome had been blessed with reasonably capable and good men to rule over them, men who generally cared about the welfare of the people and of the state. A powerful, yet beneficent leader would have appealed to those familiar with the Roman government as originally constituted. Mark presents Jesus in just this fashion – a powerful, beneficent king who readily identified with the lives and needs of the people.

Old Testament reading: 1 Samuel 7-9

1 Samuel 8 marks a sad day in Israel’s history.  Not satisfied to be led by God’s judges, and forgetting it was the Lord who had given so many great military victories to them, Israel clamors for a king, “that we might be like all the nations, and that our king may judge us and go out before us and fight our battles.”  Through Samuel, God warned them that they would pay a severe family and financial burden should they pursue this route. Six times in verses 11-17 we find their king “will take” from the people for himself. Two problems – they already had a king (God), and it is never God’s will for his people to be like everyone else.  Unwilling to heed the wisdom of God, they persisted in their childish lust and demanded a king. In so doing, they traded a King who gave for one who would take. They traded a righteous Judge for an infallible one. They traded a military commander Who required no army yet had never lost a battle for one subject to failure. O the things we sacrifice when we trade God’s way and wisdom for that of man!

New Testament reading: Matthew 27-28

Judas Iscariot illustrates for us the short-sightedness of sin.  Judas could not see past his immediate gain that he might consider the long term consequences of his actions. Having seen Jesus escape the hands of His enemies on several previous occasions (Luke 4:30; John 8:59), perhaps he thought Jesus would “perform His magic” and get out of this situation as well. Seeing Jesus condemned (27:3), Judas committed another tragically impulsive deed as he went out and hanged himself. Had he repented as did Peter, he could’ve been restored to the Lord. Unfortunately, Judas wasn’t cut from that same bolt of cloth. His covetousness, combined with his incontinence and lack of moderation, led to his dreadful end. He would have done well to hear the wise man, “Don’t wear yourself out to get rich; stop giving your attention to it. As soon as your eyes fly to it, it disappears, for it makes wings for itself and flies like an eagle to the sky” (Prov 23:4-5). Judas brought to life the words of Paul, who wrote, “Those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition” (1 Tim 6:9).

Old Testament reading: 1 Samuel 3-6

“Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we will remember the name of the Lord our God” (Ps 20:7). 1 Samuel 4 reveals the fallacy of the faith of Israel. Following a defeat at the hands of the Philistines, they decided to trot out the ark of the covenant as some kind of super power or shield of invincibility. When the ark was brought forth (by Eli’s wicked sons no less), Israel shouted so loudly that the earth shook. Hearing this shout, and fearing that the Lord had come to destroy them, they fought anyway, declaring it was better to fight and die than to become servants of the Hebrews. Not only did the Philistines defeat Israel, they captured the ark of the covenant and carried it to Ashdod. Friend, improper faith is powerless to change or save! We cannot place our faith in our parents’ religion or even the actions of our own religious practice. Our faith must be in God! Baptism saves us because it is an act of faith in God (cf 1 Pet 3:21; Col 2:11-12). I don’t believe in baptism; I believe in the God who commanded baptism for remission of sins! If you recall from our New Testament reading two days ago, the Jews had the same problem regarding their faith toward the temple and the gold in it (Matt 23:16-17).

New Testament reading: Matthew 26

“You search the scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life, and these are they which testify of Me” (John 5:39). Matthew 26 contains the fulfillment of several Messianic prophecies… “They weighed out for my wages thirty pieces of silver” (Zech 11:12). This was fulfilled in the agreement between Judas and the chief priests to betray Jesus for thirty pieces of silver (vv 14-16). “Strike the shepherd; and the sheep will be scattered” (Zech 13:7). Jesus expressly foretold of the fulfillment of this prophecy in Matthew 26:31, and it was fulfilled in verse 56, “Then all the disciples forsook Him and fled.” Though there are others, we will conclude here with the fulfillment of Psalm 41:9, “Even my old familiar friend, in whom I trusted, who ate my bread, has lifted up his heel against me.” This prophecy of David was also fulfilled in Judas’ agreement in verses 14-16. The fulfillment of these prophecies only serves to strengthen our faith in God and the Divine record.

Old Testament reading: 1 Samuel 1-2

Samuel is undoubtedly one of the greatest men who ever lived. But, as we will see in subsequent readings, even great men of God have their own personal failings. In our reading today we see the birth of Samuel and Hannah’s beautiful prayer.  We also see Eli’s failure to discipline his sons.  An unidentified “man of God” condemned Eli for his failure to discipline his boys. This messenger said that this failure caused Eli to honor his sons more than God. God commands us to discipline our children, and our failure to do so is to exalt our children above the God of heaven.  Undisciplined children are a dishonor to their parents, the church, and to God Himself. There is a disgraceful lack of respect for authority in our society today. There is no respect for the rule of law or for those in authority such as policeman or our enlisted men and women. But this lack of respect does not begin in the teen or young adult years; it begins from the earliest age in the home. As a husband and father of public school teachers, I can tell you that undisciplined children are as an oozing sore in our schools and a future blight on society. A lack of discipline in the home led to the demise of God’s plan for His people, and it is leading our nation down the road to ruin. Worse still, we now have a generation with no respect for the divine appointments in the church, which has led to the demise of many local congregations.

New Testament reading: Matthew 24-25

“They never had any oil to begin with.” This is the only logical conclusion concerning the five foolish virgins among those who believe in the doctrine of “once saved, always saved.” Any time a professed believer falls away, such is always explained, “He never was saved to begin with.” In the parable of the ten virgins, the oil represents readiness to meet the bride. All ten virgins are prepared to meet the bridegroom (i.e., saved, Matt 25:1). It is not until verse 5 that half of them are found unprepared (e.g., lost). At some point, they lost their readiness (salvation). I guess they never really had any oil to start with. Or, we might be better off to conclude the doctrine of the impossibility of apostasy (once saved, always saved) is false.

Old Testament reading: Ruth

Ruth is a beautiful story of the faith and faithfulness. The beauty of this story needs no comment; it simply needs to be read and appreciated. However, there are some things associated with this book that I find interesting. For example, when I was younger and living in Missouri, a song I often heard sung at weddings was “Whither thou goest.” The song was written by Guy Singer in 1954, and a rendition of it was made famous by Perry Como in 1959. The title and opening words were taken from this beautiful book – “whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people” (Ruth 1:16). These words are also quoted at weddings, adding the closing line, “And thy God, my God.” However, the song strays further from the text, referring to it as “that story long ago, the same sweet love story now is so; thy people shall be my people, my love.” While the text records Ruth’s love and loyalty, such was toward Naomi, her mother in law. It doesn’t fit the context of a wedding or the love and loyalty of matrimony. The song and the lyrics are beautiful, but the words do not reflect the context from whence they are taken. But it’s just a song; sing it anyway (assuming you like Perry Como!).

Our New Testament reading: Matthew 22-23

“He came here dressed like that?” Matthew 22 reveals to us the importance of being properly clothed for the great wedding feast God has prepared for his Son (22:1-14). In the parable there is found a man attempting to join the feast, but he is not properly attired. His presumptuous act results in him being cast out into outer darkness wherein there is weeping and gnashing of teeth. The church is the bride and wife of Christ (Eph 5:23-32). The only way we can be properly attired for the Judgment is to be clothed with Christ. The only way to be clothed with Christ is to put on Christ in baptism – “For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ” (Gal 3:27). Like the man at the wedding feast, those who go to the Judgment without proper attire will likewise be cast out.

Old Testament reading: Judges 20-21

This concludes the account of the Levite and his concubine and closes the book of Judges. What we here observe is the horrific tragedy that dooms a people bent on committing sin or refusing to recognize sin among their brethren. Also seen is man’s inability to control himself in matters of vengeance. Perhaps this is why we have been relieved of exacting vengeance (Romans 12:19; Hebrews 10:30). As an aside, the Septuagint rendering of the phrase in Judges 20:16 “and not miss” utilizes the same Greek word for sin, which illustrates for us that sin is to “miss the mark.” Several times in Judges we are told “there was no king in Israel.” Two of these are accompanied by, “everyone did what was right in his own eyes” (Judg 17:6, 21:25). These statements are associated with wickedness and a lack of spirituality among the people. Such conduct leads me to believe God was not king in Israel either.

New Testament reading: Matthew 19-21

“What God has joined together, let not man separate.” God’s plan for marriage and the home is given by Jesus in Matthew 19:4-6. One man with one woman until death separates them is God’s law on marriage as established in Eden (Gen 2). Matthew 19:9 is the only exception for God’s law on marriage. The only acceptable reason for divorce and remarriage is fornication on the part of one spouse. Men and religious institutions may continue their assault on God’s plan for the home, but Matthew 19:9 remains unchanged now for two millennia, “Whosoever divorces his wife, except it be for fornication, and marries another, commits adultery. And whoever marries her who is put away commits adultery.” As a wise old preacher once said, ‘This verse doesn’t need commentary or explanation; it needs to be believed.’ Furthermore, the assault on marriage has now expanded beyond the scope of its permanency. Men today have assaulted marriage on the grounds of its divinely approved participants. Jesus said, and the Pharisees knew as well, that marriage is an institution for two people of the opposite sex. What a tragedy it is as our nation and many religious institutions are seeking to destroy God’s plan for the home, the very foundation and fabric of our society.

Old Testament reading: Judges 19

This is one of the most bizarre and unsettling of all the Old Testament accounts. There is really too much material for comment, so permit me to speak generally about my reaction to the text. What really disturbs me is my general misconception of God’s people in the Old Testament. These were harsh, brutal people who showed little regard for women or human life and limb. In many ways they differed little from the pagans round about. Reading Joshua and Judges makes me more thankful to be a Christian. Even though men were still quite brutal in the days of the New Testament, Christians are certainly called to something much higher. One fact of absolute importance should here be noted. Just because the Bible records the account of an action is not to say the action in any way enjoys Divine approval. The actions of both the old man and the Levite are undeniably reprehensible. This account is given to set the stage and help us to understand the events to follow in Judges 20.

New Testament reading: Matthew 16-18

The Mount of Transfiguration teaches us a number of lessons concerning death and our lives thereafter. First and foremost, there IS life after death! We continue to possess a conscious existence following our earthly death. Second, we maintain our personal identities in eternity. Moses was still Moses and Elijah was still Elijah. Jesus necessarily implied both of these truths when, in Matthew 22:32, he quoted Exodus 3:6, “I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob,” concluding, “God is nto the God of the dead, but of the living.” Moreover, Peter also somehow recognized the two great patriarchs, even though he had never seen them (or perhaps their Facebook accounts were still active J). Third, we remember our previous lives and the things said and done. Luke’s account of this event says Jesus was talking with these men about His decease (exodus or journey) that would soon be accomplished in Jerusalem. Such tells us that Moses and Elijah knew of this long before Jesus was ever made manifest in the flesh. Finally, we learn that Jesus is far greater than Moses, the great law giver, and he is greater than Elijah, the great law restorer. Peter did not recognize this at first, but God quickly made it clear.