Reading for January 8th

Read Mark 10.1-16. 1-12 (Mt 5.31-32; 19.1-12; Lk 16.18) Marriage and divorce.
In verse 2 Pharisees accepted divorce but debated acceptable reasons for it.
In verses 3-4 see Deut 24.1-4.
In verse 12 sources from the Diaspora indicate Jewish women could and did sue for divorce.
Some of the Dead Sea scrolls also forbid divorce, and certainly forbid polygamy, by appeal to Gen 2.
Mark leaves open the possibility of separation, as long as no remarriage takes place.
In verses 13-16 (Mt 19.13-15; Lk 18.15-17) Blessing children.
See 9.36; Mark continues to contrast the ideal of the little child with the behavior of the disciples.
Comments or Questions...

Reading for January 7th

Read Mark 9.42-50. 42-48 (Mt 5.29-30; 18.6-9; LK 17.1-2): 
Warnings against stumbling blocks.
In verse 42 little ones (see comments on the "little child" in 9.33-37) are those who follow Jesus.
In verse 43-47 the saying express the radicality of Jesus' message.
In verse 48 See Isa 66.24.
In verses 49-50 (Mt 5.13; Lk 14.34-35).
Salt perhaps refers to sacrificial offerings and therefore to purification and integrity.
Comments or Questions...

Reading for January 6th

Read Mark 9.30-41. 30-32 (Mt 17.22-23; Lk 9.43-45): The second passion prediction.
See Mk 8.31; 10.33.
The disciples still do not comprehend.
In verses 33-37 (Mt 18.1-5; Lk 9.46-48): First and last.
The disciples recognize the subject of superiority was contrary to Jesus' insistence on selflessness.
Children represent powerlessness; as divine "son," Jesus is also in the role of child.
In verses 38-41 (Lk 9.49-59): The rival exorcist.
In verse 38 in your name complements v. 37's in my name.
In verses 39-40 (Mt 12.30; Lk 11.23): Familiarity will eventually lead to faith.
Mark's saying that those who are not against Jesus are for  him is much more positive
than Matthew and Luke's rendition.
Comments or Questions...

Reading for January 5th

Read Mark 9.14-29 (Mt 17.14-21; Lk 9.37-42): The possessed child.
In verse 18 the disciples fail to use appropriate prayer (9.29).
In verse 19 Jesus rejects being perceived only as a miracle worker.
In verse 24 the father's cry may speak to those in Mark's community who have undergone persecution.
In verse 29 healings arise from divine response, not human magic.
Comments or Questions...

Reading for January 4th

Read Mark 9.2-13 (Mt 17.1-8; Lk 9.28-36): The transfiguration.
Lacking resurrection appearances, Mark may intend the transfiguration to show Jesus' glorification.
In verse 9 one explanation for messianic secrecy: Jesus' mission cannot be understood apart from cross and resurrection.
In verse 13 Elijah was to herald the end of the age (see Mal 3.1; 4);
Jesus' comment cryptically refers to the Baptist (see also 1 Kings 19).
Comments or Questions...

Reading for January 3rd

Read Mark 8.27-9.1. 27-33 (Mt 16.13-23; Lk 9.18-22):
Revelation at Caesarea Philippi.
Caesarea Philippi, in northern Galilee, borders Jewish and gentile areas.
In verse 29 Messiah, a Hebrew term meaning "anointed," is equivalent to the Greek term "Christ."
In verse 31 first of three passion predictions (9.30-32; 10.33-34).
In verses 32-33 Jesus speaks plainly of suffering but otherwise speaks in parables;
Peter rejects the idea that the messiah will suffer and die.
In verse 8.34-9.1 (Mt 16.24-28; Lk 9.23-27):
Discipleship.
Disciples must reject human standards and personal glory (8.32-33).
In verse 38 adulterous is prophetic language for idolatry and the international alliances
that often accompany it (see Hosea).
Verses 8.35 and 10.31 frame the internal section by emphasizing contrasts in values
and the model of the little child.
The same themes repeat in 10.35-45.
In verse 9.1 Mark expects the "parousia," the return of Jesus in judgment, during his generation.
Comments or Questions...

Reading for January 2nd

Read Mark 8.1-26. 1-10 (Mt 15.32-39) Feeding the 4,000.
The account resembles 6.30-44, perhaps here for a gentile crowd.
In verse 10 Dalmanutha is otherwise unattested in ancient sources;
other manuscripts read Magdala; Matthew has Magadan.
In verses 11-13 (Mt 12.38-40; 16.1-4): Sign from  heaven.
Matthew records that the only sign will be that of Jonah.
In verses 14-21 (Mt 16.5-12; Lk 12.1): Yeast and bread.
In verse 15 yeast symbolizes corruption.
Herod refers to Herod Antipas (6.14-29).
In verses 16-17 the disciples mistake this symbol for read bread;
their misperception continues; compare Mt 16.12 (see sidebar "Parables" on p. 22).
In verses 22-26 The blind man.
The two-stage healing may signal the Gospel's message: During his ministry,
Jesus is misperceived; after the resurrection, followers begin to see clearly (see 9.9).
Comments or Questions...

Reading for January 1st

Read Mark 7.24-37. 24-30 (Mt 15.21-28): The Syrophoenician woman.
The gentile woman's detailed identification may indicate her high social standing (contrast Mt 15.22).
In verse 27 Jesus' mission is to the children: The reference likely is to Israel, as opposed to gentiles.
In verse 29 in Matthew's account, Jesus rewards her faith; here he acknowledges her cleverness.
The woman makes no confession concerning Jesus' messianic status; she may regard him as a wonder-worker.
In verses 31-37 (Mt 15.29-31): Healings in the Decapolis.
In verses 32-35 Jesus' actions resemble magical techniques; elsewhere he heals by word alone.
In verse 36 Again the command to secrecy fails.
Comments or Questions...

Reading for December 31st

Read Mark 7.1-23 (Mt 15.1-20) Pharisaic traditions.
In verses 1-4 likely writing to a gentile audience, Mark explains Pharisaic customs.
Tradition of the elders interprets biblical law and provides direction for sanctifying daily life.
In verse 5 the focus of disciples suggests debate between church and synagogue;
Jesus' followers began to differentiate themselves from Jewish practices.
In verses 6-7 Cities Isa. 29.13 from the Septuagint.
In verse 11 Corban is property dedicated to the Temple;
this particular practice is not recorded in any Jewish text.
In verse 19 Mark interprets Jesus to mean that the Torah's dietary laws are abrogated
(see Acts 10, 15; Gal 2 for alternative explanations for rescinding biblical commandments).
Comments or Questions...

Reading for December 30th

Read Mark 6.45-56. 45-52 (Mt 14.22-36; Jn 6.15-21): Walking on water.
In verse 45 Bethsaida is a village north of the Sea of Galilee.
Inverse 48 the time is "the fourth watch," 3:00-6:00 am.
In verse 49 a false vision of the resurrection.
In verse 52 the disciples' misperception increases (see sidebar on previous page).
In verses 53-56 General healings.
Fringes (Num 15.38-40; Deut 22.12; Mt 9.20) remind Jewish wearers of
divine commandments (Torah).
Comments or Questions...

Reading for December 29th

Read Mark (Mt 14.13-21; Lk 9.10-17; Jn 6.1-13) Feeding the 5,000.
In verse 34 sheep without a shepherd is a proverbial saying (Num 27.17; 1 Kings 22.17; Ezek 34.5) which here suggests both John's death and Herod's ineptitude.
Mark does not provide the content of Jesus' teaching.
In verse 37 the disciples again misperceive (see sidebar on previous page).
In verse 41 the description, echoing Elisha's miracle (2 Kings 4.42-44),
provides no hint that the people shared their own food.
Comments or Questions...

Reading for December 28th

Read Mark 6.14-29 (Mt 14.1-12; Lk 9.7-9) The death of John.
Herod Antipas, the son of Herod the Great (see Mt 2) was tetrarch, not king, of Galilee and Perea.
In verse 16 Mark recounts the Baptist's death as a flashback.
In verse 18 marriage of one woman to two living brothers is forbidden (Lev 18.16; 20.21).
In verse 22 Josephus names the daughter Salome.
Girl is the term describing Jairus's twelve-year old daughter. (5.42).
There is an implicit contrast between the ruler Jairus's family and that of the tetrarch Antipas:
one receives life; the other brings death.
In verses 24-26 (vv. 19-20): Mark seeks to exonerate Antipas.
In verse 29 John's disciples prove more loyal than the twelve.
Comments or Questions...

Reading for December 27th

Read Mark 6.7-13 (Mt 10.1, 9-11; 9.1-6) Missionary instructions.
In verse 7 contrasts with Matthew's lack of mission and Luke's concern that the
twelve remain with Jesus as witnesses.
In verse 8 the disciples take even less than Cynics (traveling Greco-Roman philosophers
who urged audiences to divest themselves of all social conventions and to live according to nature) and are completely dependent upon those who receive them.
In verses 12-13 repentance repeats the original message of Jesus and John, as teaching,
exorcism, and healing show the disciples in Jesus' role.
Recounting John's death (6.14-29) in the context of the mission,
Mark indicates the dangers Jesus' followers face.
Comments or Questions...

Reading for December 26th

Read Mark 6.1-6 (Mt 13.54-58; Lk 4.16-30) Rejection at home.
In verse 1 the hometown is likely Nazareth (see 1.9),
although Jesus and the twelve appear to be based in Capernaum (2.1).
In verse 3 carpenter (Gk., "tekton") is an artisan.
Joseph's fate is not recorded.
In verse 4 a proverbial saying.
In verse 5 lack of faith prevents miracles
(according to Mt 13.58, Jesus is unwilling, not unable).
Comments or Questions...

Reading for December 25th

Read Mark 5.21-43 (Mt 9.18-26; Lk 8.40-65) Two women healed.
In verse 25 the hemorrhages are likely vaginal or uterine bleeding.
In verse 28 she may have regarded Jesus as a magician.
In verse 31 the disciples again fail to understand (4.41; 6.37, 52).
In verse 34 made will is the same tern as "saved."
For Mark, faith is the prerequisite for healing.
In verse 41 the Aramaic may have sounded to Mark's Greek audience like a magical incantation.
In verse 42 the girl's age matches the years of the woman's illness;
the girl is on the verge of menarche and marriage; the woman can now bear children.
Mark frames one story with the other so that they become mutually informing;
the same rhetorical technique appears in 6.7-30: the disciples' mission frames the Baptist's death.
Comments or Questions...

Reading for December 24th

Read Mark 5.1-20 (Mt 8.28-34; Lk 8.26-39) Gerasene demoniac.
Gerasa is in the Decapolis, a league of ten cities with mixed Jewish and gentile populations.
In verses 6-7 again, demons recognize Jesus' identity (1.24) while disciples and
family members frequently do not.
In verse 9 a legion (a Latin term) consisted of four to six thousand soldiers in the Roman army;
the name given to demons suggests negative views of the empire.
In verse 17 fear stems from both Jesus' extraordinary powers and the threat of additional
economic loss.
In verse 9 rather than command secrecy, Jesus mandates a proclamation;
the announcement is made in the Decapolis rather than the primarily Jewish Galilee or Judea.
Comments or Questions...

Reading for December 23rd

Read Mark 4.35-41 (Mt 8.18, 23-27; Lk 8.22-25) Stilling the storm.
Controlling nature is a contemporary sign of divine authority;
similar tales of sleeping during storms are told of Dionysius.
The disciples' fear and doubt anticipate the state of Jesus' followers at the crucifixion.
Comments or Questions...

Reading for December 22nd

Read Mark 4.1-34 (Mt 13; Lk 8.4-18; 13.18-21) Teaching in parables.
In verses 4-5 the description if of "broadcast sowing" rather than of a wasteful or inept farmer.
Allegorical interpretation makes the seed both the word and the ones who receive it (4.14-20).
In verse 12 adapted from Isa 6.9-10; those outside the new family of faith will not understand parables (see also 4.33).
In verse 13 the disciples frequently do not understand (see sidebar on p. 60).
In verses 21-22 Jesus' now-hidden identity will be disclosed.
In verse 25 reversal of status is a hallmark of Jesus' teaching (Mt 7.2; 13.12; Lk 6.38).
In verses 26-27 the enigmatic parables present a kingdom growing slowly but inexorably.
In verse 29 harvest connotes the final judgment (Joel 3.13).
In verse 31 mustard seeds (see mt 13.31-32; Lk 13.18-19) are tiny, as are mustard bushes;
the description of the bush as a shade tree is jarring.
Comments or Questions...

Reading for December 21st

Read Mark 3.20-35 (Mt 12.22-37; Lk 11.14-23) Rejections.
Jesus's family doubts his sanity, and he replaces the biological family with the family of faith.
In verse 22 Beelzebul refers to a false god (2 Kings 1.2) or demon.
the scribes accept Jesus' power but question the source of his authority;
they ironically charge Jesus the exorcist with being possessed.
In verse 23 parables (see sidebar on p. 22); Mark does not present parables until 4.3.
Comments or Questions...

Reading for December 20th

Read Mark 3.7-19 7-12 (Mt 12.15-21; Lk 6.17-19 Public healings.
In verse 8 the sites listed are areas with predominately Jewish populations.
In verses 13-19 (Mt 10.2-4; Lk 6.12-16) The twelve disciples.
The twelve symbolically represent the tribes of Israel; Gospel variations in the names of the twelve suggest the number was of greater import than the individuals.
Apostle, a Greek term for messenger, is a special category of disciple.
In verse 16 the name Peter comes from the Greek "petra," meaning "rock" (as in "petrified").
In verse 17 James and John elsewhere express turbulent personalities (Lk 9.54-55).
In verse 18 Cananaeans were anti-Roman revolutionaries.
In verse 19 Mark does not provide Judas a motive; until the passion, Judas appears as a loyal disciple.
Comments or Questions...

Reading for December 19th

Read Mark 3.1-6 (Mt 12.9-14; Lk 6.6-11) Sabbath healing.
Rabbinic law mandates that preservation of life overrules all commandments ("Mitzvoth").
In verse 5 Jesus does not touch the man and therefore cannot be charged with working.
In verse 6 Herodians are connected with the royal family; Herod Antipas has been
foreshadowed as an enemy (1.14).
Comments or Questions...

Reading for December 18th

Read Mark 2.23-28 (Mt 12.1-8; Lk 6.1-5) Lord of the sabbath.
It is unlikely Pharises spied on people in grain fields; the complaint against the disciples,
but not Jesus, suggests conflicts between church and synagogue.
In verse 25 citing scripture to interpret scripture is typical of Jesus', and rabbinic, teaching.
Abiathar's father Ahimelech was high priest when David ate consecrated bread
(1 Sam 21.1-6; 2 Sam 15.35).
In verse 27 also a rabinic teaching.
Comments or Questions...

Reading for December 17th

Read Mark 2.18-22 (Mt 9.14-17; Lk 5.33-39) New practices.
Although John acknowledged Jesus' worthiness, he retained his own disciples.
Fasting, a traditional form of Jewish piety, is adopted by Jesus' followers after the crucifixion (2.20).
In verse 19 bridegroom and wedding imagery suggest times of exceptional joy.
In verses 21-22 Jesus' gospel represents the new wine; neither old nor new teachings are lost.
Comments or Questions...

Reading for December 16th

Read Mark 2.13-17 (Mt 9.9-13; Lk 5.27-32) Tax collectors and sinners.
Levi is called Matthew in Mt 9.9.
Tax collectors were despised as Roman collaborators and extortionists.
Sinners are those who deliberately place themselves apart from observance of Torah;
Mark does not see all people as in a sinful state.
In verse 16 Pharisees were a branch of Judaism dedicated to interpreting biblical law, likely including the extension of the sanctity of the Temple to the home (including the table); rivals of the early followers of Jesus, they are frequently negatively depicted in Christian texts.
Comments or Questions...

Reading for December 15th

Read Mark 1.40-2.12. 40-44 (Mt 8.2-4; Lk 5.12-14) The leper.
Leprosy referred to a variety of skin diseases; clean indicates both healing and ritual purity required for re-entry into society.
Only priests could pronounce lepers clean; the leper does not obey Jesus' commands either for silence or for priestly pronouncement.
In verse 45 Jesus' popularity as a healer interferes with his preaching.
In verses 2.1-12 (Mt 9.1-8; Lk 5.17-26) The paralytic.
In verse 5 granting forgiveness of sins was a divine prerogative.
In verse 9 the saying appears in a different context in Jn 5.8.
In verse 10 the title Son of Man has both human ("mortal") (Ezek 37.3) and superhuman
(Dan 7.13-14, 1 Enoch 37-71) connotations.
Enigmatic like the parables, the title requires hearers to determine the meaning for themselves.
Comments or Questions...

Reading for December 14th

Read Mark 1.29-39. 30-31 (Mt 8.14-15; Lk 4.38-39) Simon's mother-in-law.
His wife is not mentioned.
In verse 31 serve is from the Greek "Diakonein," from which we get the term "deacon."
In verses 32-39 (Mt 8.16-17; Lk 4.40-41) Galilean mission.
In verse 32 Sabbath ends at sundown.
In verse 35 Jesus frequently withdraws for prayer.
In verse 39 Jesus continues to teach and heal in synagogues.
Comments or Questions...

Reading for December 13th

Read Mark 1.16-28. 16-20 (Mt 4.18-22; Lk 5.1-11; Jn 1.35-42). The First Disciples.
Simon will be nicknamed "Peter" or "rock" (3.16).
The four disciples are not peasants but boat owners from Capernaum, a mid-sized Calilean city.
The Gospels never mention the larger cities of Sepphoris and Tiberias,
although Sepphoris is just a few miles from Nazareth.
The Sea of Galilee is also known as the Sea of Tiberias and Lake Gennesaret.
In verses 21-29 (Lk 4.33-37) The Capernaum synagogue.
Synagogues are places of worship and assembly; visitors were welcome to teach.
In verse 22 Scribes, trained in interpretation of Torah, cited their teachers ("in the name of ...");
Jesus speaks on his own authority.
In verses 24-25 demons recognize Jesus, but his disciples do not (3.11; 5.6-7).
Be silent begins the messianic secret (see sidebar above, "The Messianic Secret").
Comments or Questions...

Reading for December 12th

Read Mark 1.9-15. 9-11 (Mt 3.13-17; Lk 3.21-22; Jn 1.31-34) The baptism.
In verse 9 Mark neither records a Bethlehem birth and infancy account nor
addresses the question of Jesus' sinlessness.
In verse 10 with the rending of the Temple veil, the heavens symbolically open
again at the cross (15.38).
In verse 11 the heavenly voice speaks directly to Jesus; in Matthew's account it
makes a public proclamation.
In verses 12-13 (Mt 4.1-11; Lk 4.1-13) The temptation.
In verse 12 immediately is a Marcan motif expressing urgency.
The wilderness setting, temptation, and forty days echo the Exodus and Moses' experiences on Sinai.
In verse 13 unlike his Hebrew ancestors, Jesus does not succumb to temptation in the wilderness; unlike Adam and Eve, he lives peacefully with animals and angels.
In verses 14-15 (Mt 4.12-17; Lk 4.14-15) The good news.
Jesus begins his mission only after the Baptist is arrested by Herod Antipas;
the two are not depicted as rivals, Jesus elaborates on John's message of repentance.
Comments or Questions...

Reading for December 11th

Read Mark 1.1-8 (Mt 3.1-12; Lk 3.1-18; Jn 1.6-8, 19-28) John the Baptist.
In verse 1 Good news (Gk., "Euangellion") is the literal meaning of "gospel";
Mark is the only canonical Gospel to have this self-designation.
Son of God appears rarely; Son of Man is Jesus' self-designation.
In verse 2a see Mal 3.1.
In verse 3 Isa 40.3 advised the Babylonian exiles to build a road to Jerusalem;
Mark adapts the statement to locate John in the wilderness.
In verse 4 the wilderness is a traditional place of renewal.
See sidebars on "Gospels" (p. 7) and "John the Baptist" (p. 50).
Comments or Questions...

Reading for December 10th

Read Zechariah 14.20-21
The holiness of the Temple's most sacred precincts will spread to all of Jerusalem.
Comments or Questions...

Reading for December 9th

Read Zechariah 14.16
The surrounding nations will make an annual pilgrimage to worship Israel's God in Jerusalem
(8.22-23) in the fall for the festival of booths, a festival commemorating the autumn harvest
(Deut 16.13-15).
Comments or Questions...

Reading for December 8th

Read Zechariah 14.8
The up-welling of Jerusalem's Gihon spring with abundant water is a common theme in visions of the future (Ezek 47.1-12; Joel 3.18).
Comments or Questions...

Reading for December 7th

Read Zechariah 14.1-21 God defeats the nations and restores Jerusalem.
Speeches such as this one describing the defense and restoration of Jerusalem in the context of God's intervention against the neighboring nations that have oppressed it are common in the period after the Exile, as chs. 9, 10, and 12 illustrate (Isa 59.15-20; Joel 3 ).
In verse 1 the plunder once taken from Jerusalem will be returned.
In verse 2 this is the only verse in the chapter that describes judgment, rather than restoration, for Jerusalem.
The prophet either anticipates a coming judgment on Jerusalem's corrupt leadership (11.4-17; 13.2-9) or recalls the fall of Jerusalem in 587 BCE.
In verses 4-5 the citizens of Jerusalem will escape God's attack on the nations by fleeing east through a great rift in the Mount of Olives, which in reality towers over the city of Jerusalem.
Comments or Questions...

Reading for December 6th

Read Zechariah 13.1-9 God removes false prophets and leaders.
This text, like 11.4-17, focuses on corruption within Judah itself, especially among its leaders.
In verses 2-3 the prophets whose writings have been preserved in the Bible often find themselves in conflict with other prophets preaching opposite messages (Jer 14.14; Ezek 13.1-7).
Here the prophet accuses his opponents of preaching lies in the name of the LORD and announces God's judgment on them.
The unclean spirit (or "breath") is the source of the prophets' false inspiration or revelation
(1 Kings 22.19-23).
In verse 7 the judgment on Judah's shepherd resumes the criticism of Judah's leadership in 11.4-17.
In verses 8-9 the division of Judah into thirds for punishment is reminiscent of Ezekiel's prophecy (5.1-12).
But here the prophet concentrates on a third that, though punished, will survive and renew their relationship to God.
Comments or Questions...

Reading for December 5th

Read Zechariah 12.10-14 Mourning in Jerusalem.
In verse 10 the identification of the object of mourning, the one whom they have pierced, is uncertain; but due to the wide extent of the mourning and the leading role of the house of David in it (vv .10, 12), the person mourned may have been a member of the royal family.
In verse 11 Hadad-rimmon is the name of the Syrian storm god, a figure like Baal, the Canaanite storm god.
If taken as the name of a place named after his deity in the plain of Megiddo, however, this may be a reference to the mourning for the Judean king, Josiah, who was killed by the Egyptians in the plain of Megiddo and mourned by all of Judah and Jerusalem (2 Chr 35.20-25).
In verse 13 Levi and Shimei are priestly families.
Comments or Questions...

Reading for December 4th

Read Zechariah 12.1-9 Judah defeats the nations.
This text, like ch. 9, describes Judah's defense against its neighboring nations.
In verse 1 the title An Oracle marks the beginning of the second collection of speeches in chs. 9-14.
In verse 2 the cup of reeling, a traditional image of judgement, renders the enemy drunk and senseless (Isa 51.17-22).
In verse 6 the flaming torch, another traditional image of judgment, consumes the enemy, pictured as sheaves or stublle (Ob 18).
In verse 7 the house of David refers to a revival of the Davidic dynasty which ruled from Jerusalem before its fall in 587 BCE.
Comments or Questions...

Reading for December 3rd

Read Zechariah 11.4-7 The prophet satirizes Judah's corrupt leaders.
In this first person narrative, an anonymous prophet acts our the corrupt practices of Judah's leaders in order to expose and denounce them.
In verse 5 their own shepherds are Judah's leaders, who buy and kill them, that is, their own people symbolized as sheep.
In verse 7 the sheep merchants are Judah's leaders buying and selling their people (v. 5).
The names of the two staffs, Favor (or "pleasantness") and Unity, reflect the goals of the good shepherd for the sheep.
In verse 8 the identity of the three shepherds in unknown.
In verse 9 having disposed of the three shepherds (v. 8), the prophet apparently becomes impatient with the people themselves.
In verse 10 breaking the staffs of Favor and Unity (v. 14) consigns the flock, the people of Judah, to a time of trouble and conflict.
In verses 12-13 the reason for the amount of the wages and their deposit in the Temple is uncertain.
Donations of about this amount were made to the Temple to "redeem" people devoted to Temple service from their obligation (Lev 27.1-8).
On the other hand, the prophet may, by placing tainted money in the Temple's treasuries, want to indict the Temple and its leaders as corrupt.
In verse 14 the prophet abandons hope for the reunion of the old northern kingdom of Israel and southern kingdom of Judah, which traced their origins back to a single ancestor, Jacob (Gen 49).
In verses 15-17 the prophet anticipates, by dressing up a second time as a shepherd (v. 4), the arrival of another corrupt leader.
Comments or Questions...

Reading for December 2nd

Read Zechariah 11.1-3 God brings down wicked rulers.
As in 10.3, the details are too few to indicate whether these shepherds (v. 3) are leaders of foreign nations, such as those God defeats in the previous verses (10.11-12), or leaders of Judah, such as those criticized in the following verses (11.4-6).
The cedars and cypress of Lebanon and the oaks of Bashan, legendary forests, are symbolic of the great and powerful.
Comments or Questions...

Reading for December 1st

Read Zechariah 10.6-12
In verses 6-7 the house of Joseph and Ephraim are references to the northern kingdom of Israel.
In verse 10 Egypt and Assyria are two of the countries to which Israelites were exiled
(2 Kings 17.5-6; 25.26).
Gilead and Lebanon are territories to the north of Israel.
Comments or Questions...

Reading for November 30th

Read Zechariah 10.1-12 God gathers the exiles.
The speech continues the theme of restoration in the previous oracle by focusing on God's work of returning the exiles of Israel and Judah.
In verse 2 Teraphim are objects or images used in worship (Judg 17.5) and were condemned by some writers (2 Kings 23.24).
Here the main concern seems to be that all media of revelation have become silent.
In verse 3 it is uncertain whether these shepherds, the people's leaders, are rulers of foreign countries oppressing Judah (Jer 12.10) or Judah's own rulers who have become corrupt (Isa 56.11), like those denigrated in 11.4-6.
In either case, they will be punished so God can restore the house of Judah.
Comments or Questions...

Reading for November 29th

Read Zechariah 9.9-17
While God may be referred to as king in late prophetic literature (Zeph 3.14-15), a human king reviving the Davidic dynasty may be intended here (Jer 23.5-6; Hag 2.20-23).
The Davidic king from the tribe of Judah referred to in Gen 49.10-11 is pictured with a donkey, the traditional transportation for gods and kings in antiquity.
In verse 10 Ephraim is a name for the northern kingdom of Israel (Hos 5.5).
International peace is a typical element in visions of the future (Mic 4.3-4).
In verse 11 the exilic prophet Second Isaiah also combines God's remembrance of the covenant with God's liberation of the exiles (Isa 42.6-7).
In verse 13 Greece (Heb., "Javan") is one of the lands to which Judeans were exiled
(Isa 66.18-20; Joel 3.6).
Comments or Questions...

Reading for November 28th

Read Zechariah 9.1-17 The divine warrior defends Judah.
This chapter begins the second part of Zechariah, which, because of its differences
in style and content, appears to have been composed later than chs. 1-8 and to have
been added to the prophecies of Zechariah.
The title An Oracle (9.1; 12.1) divides these supplementary speeches into two collections,
chs. 9-11 and 12-14.
In verses 1-8 God marches from north to south, defeating Judah's traditional enemies
and taking up residence in Jerusalem.
In verses 1-2a Hadrach, Damascus, and Hamath are important Aramean cities north
of Israel and Judah.
In verses 2b-4 Tyre and Sidon are important Phoenician cities on the Mediterranean coast northwest of Judah.
Tyre's legendary wisdom and wealth are described in Ezek 28.
In verses 5-7 Ashkelon, Gaza, Ekron, and Ashdod are important Philistine cities on the Mediterranean coast west of Judah.
The Jebusites (v. 7) were defeated by David when he conquered Jerusalem (2 Sam 5.6-10).
In verse 8 following victory, the divine warrior is enthroned in his temple (Ps 29.9-11).
Comments or Questions...

Reading for November 27th

Read Zechariah 8.1-23 A promise of restoration.
In this second part of his final speech, Zechariah includes many of the typical themes of
post-exilic prophecy: the renewal of Jerusalem (vv. 2-5), the return of the exiles (vv. 6-8),
the rebuilding of the Temple (vv. 9-13), and the respect of the nations (vv. 20-23).
In verse 6 the remnant refers to the exiles who are returning to Judah (vv. 7-8; Hag 1.12).
To these returnees the process of reconstruction seems impossible (4.10; Hag 2.3).
In verse 9 laying the Temple's foundation is described in Hag 1.12-14 and Ezra 5.1-2.
In verse 10 the difficult times described here appear to reflect those mentioned by Haggia (1.2-11).
In verse 17 false oaths are a major concern in Zechariah's sixth vision (5.1-4).
In verse 19 though not addressed directly to those who had asked Zechariah about mourning
rituals (7.3), this speech instructs the people to substitute festivals of celebration for fasting.
In verses 22-23 the conversion of the nations is a common theme in the post-exilic period
(Isa 60.1-7; Mic 4.1-4).
Comments or Questions...

Reading for November 26th

Read Zechariah 7.8-11
By responding to a question about mourning rituals (v. 3) with a charge to create a just society, Zechariah appears to side with his predecessors, the former prophets (v. 7), who claimed that religious rituals were meaningless apart from the practice of justice in all areas of life (Am 5.21-24).
This same concern is also present in Zechariah's sixth and seventh visions (5.1-11).
Throughout this speech Zechariah uses his ancestors who disobeyed as a lesson for his own audience.
Comments or Questions...

Reading for November 25th

Read Zechariah 7.1-14 A charge to live justly.
Zechariah's concluding speech is divided into tow parts: an appeal-with an eye on the past-to create a just society (ch. 7), and a promise-with an eye on the future-of renewal and celebration (ch. 8).
In verse 1 this speech is dated two years later (518 BCE) ten Zechariah's opening speech (1.1).
In verse 2 Bethel is 10 miles north of Jerusalem.
In verse 3 Prophets were often asked for divine instructions (Ezek 8.1; 14.1).
The period of mourning in the fifth month, about which the envoys ask Zechariah,
may have commemorated the destruction of the Temple in the fifth month (2 Kings 25.8-9).
In verse 5 seventy years appears to refer to the Exile, though the exile was shorter
(see comment on 1.12).
In verse 7 Zechariah refers to the period before Jerusalem's fall in 587 BCE.
Comments or Questions...

Reading for November 24th

Read Zechariah 6.9-15 A charge to the high priest Joshua.
This speech, placed between Zechariah's last vision and his concluding speech
(chs. 7-8) may be an editorial  addition.
In verse 10 Josiah is a priestly figure, whose father Zephaniah was killed alongside
Joshua's grandfather Seraiah when Jerusalem was conquered (2 Kings 25.18-21).
In verses 11-13 while this speech is directed to Joshua, its content seems more suitable
for Zerubbabel.
In 3.8 the Branch is not Joshua but an individual presented to him.
In 4.6-10 Zerubbabel, not Joshua, is commissioned as the Temple builder.
Moreover, the Hebrew text does not say that a crown but that (two?) crowns were made (see note b), perhaps for both the royal figure and the priest mentioned in v. 13.
It appears almost as if a speech once directed to Judah's political leader has been redirected to its religious leader.
In any case, the concept of a leadership shared between religious and political figures found elsewhere in Zechariah (4.14)  is present here too.
Comments or Questions...

Reading for November 23rd

Read Zechariah 6.1-8 The eighth vision: The heavenly chariots and international peace.
In this, Zechariah's final vision, as in his first vision (1.7-17), the world is at peace,
but now that peace includes the restoration of Judah and Jerusalem among the nations.
In verses 1-3 these four chariots parallel the four horsemen in Zechariah's first vision (1.8-10)
and represent god's heavenly patrol (v. 7) assigned to watch over the world's affairs.
Mountains signify the abode of the gods in antiquity (Ps 48.1).
In verse 8 the chariot patrol that sets God's spirit at rest in the north country thereby establishes the security of Judah on the international scene.
It was from the north that Judah's enemies attacked (Jer 6.22), and it was from the north that Judah's exiles returned from captivity in Babylon (Jer 3.18).
Comments or Questions...

Reading for November 22nd

Read Zechariah 5.5-11 The seventh vision: The basket and Judah's purification.
In verse 6 basket translates the Hebrew term "ephah," a unit of measure.
In verse 8 wickedness is a general term referring to corruption and unrighteousness in general.
In verse 11 the removal of the basket containing wickedness to Shinar, a name for the plain in which Babylon was located (Gen 11.1-9), symbolizes the elimination of wickedness from Judean society.
Comments or Questions...

Reading for November 21st

Read Zechariah 5.1-4 The sixth vision: The flying scroll and social justice.
The scroll's flight indicates that the power of its message covers the whole land.
In verses 3-4 the two crimes mentioned in the scroll's text are theft and deceit in
official transactions (swearing falsely), two of the ten commandments (Ex 20.7, 15).
Why these two are singled out is not stated, but they represent the elimination of corruption
from Judean society, the theme of the next vision as well.
Comments or Questions...

Reading for November 20th

Read Zechariah 4.1-14 The fifth vision: The golden lamp stand and Judah's leadership.
This vision may originally have been the central vision in a seven-vision sequence.
In verse 2 the lamp stand (Heb., "menorah") in the Temple is unusually elaborate and difficult to describe, though it is related to the lamp stand in the tabernacle (Ex 25.31-37).
The bowl may have contained the oil for the lamps, and the lips held the lamps wicks.
In verse 3 images of trees adorned the walls of Solomon's Temple (1 Kings 6.29).
In verses 6-10a this  speech to Zerubbabel, encouraging him in the rebuilding of the Temple
(Hag 2.1-4; Ezra 5.1-2), interrupts the vision narrative and may be a later addition.
In verse 10b the vision narrative resumes with the explanation that the seven lamps represent
God's  eyes, watching the entire earth.
In verse 14 the anointed ones, symbolized in the vision by the two olive trees (vv. 3, 11),
represent Judah's leadership, shared by a religious figure (the high priest Joshua; 3.1-10)
and by a political figure (Zerubbabel; 4.6-10a).
Comments or Questions...

Reading for November 19th

Read Zechariah 3.1-10 The fourth vision: Joshua's installation as high priest.

This vision may have been a later addition to the vision sequence; it does not open with the question and answer exchange between Zechariah and the interpreting angel that begins the other visions. 

In verse 1 the term Satan does not refer to the prince of evil familiar from early Christian writings.

It is a common noun, not a name, in Hebrew and means "adversary" or "accuser" (see note g), that member of God's  heavenly court designated to bring cases against individuals someone who has survived God's judgment of Israel and Judah (Am 4.11).

In verses 3-5 the reclothing of Joshua symbolizes his sanctification for priestly office (Lev 8.6-9).

In verse 7 my house is the Temple in Jerusalem. 

In verse 8 my servant and the Branch are royal titles used of the Davidic dynasty 

(2 Sam 7.5; Jer 23.5) and may be used here of Zerubbabel (4.6-10a; Hag 2.23), 

governor of Judah and a member of the Davidic family.

In verse 9 the seven-faceted stone and its inscription are images of royalty 

(2 Sam 12.30; 2 Kings 11.12).

Comments or Questions...

Reading for November 18th

Read Zechariah 2.6-13 A charge to the exiles.
A brief speech, urging Judah's exiles to return from exile in Babylon,
interrupts the sequence of visions.
In verse 7 Babylon is the city to which the majority of Judah's exiles were deported
(2 Kings 24.14-15; 25.11-12).
In verse 10 daughter Zion is Jerusalem.
Comments or Questions...

Reading for November 17th

Read Zechariah 2.1-5 The third vision: The measuring line and Jerusalem's resettlement.
In verse 1 the man with a measuring line is a surveyor making preparations for rebuilding Jerusalem.
In verse 5 God, not its walls (v. 4), will protect Jerusalem.
Comments or Questions...

Reading for November 16th

Read Zechariah 1.18-21 The second vision: The four horns and Judah's security.
In verse 18 the  horn, a symbol of power (Ps 18.2), represents the strength of the
nations that have conquered and exiled the Israelite people.
The number four probably represents totality rather than specific countries.
In verses 20-21 the four blacksmiths strike off the horns, thus putting an end to the
power of the nations to dominate Judah.
Comments or Questions...

Reading for November 15th

Read Zechariah 1.7-17 The first vision: the heavenly horsemen and God's plans for Jerusalem.
This is the first of eight visions that make up the core of Zechariah's prophecy.
In verse 7 the chronological notice dates the entire vision complex three months l
after than Zechariah's opening speech, or early in 519 BCE.
IN verse 8 these horsemen are God's heavenly patrol, keeping watch over the world's affairs (v. 10).
The significance of the horses' colors is uncertain, but the number four represents totality.
In verse 11 peace in this case is undesirable, since the plight of Jerusalem remains unchanged.
In verse 12 the Babylonian exile lasted only 50 years (587-538 BCE), not seventy,
but Jeremiah mentions a 70 year period of servitude to Babylon (Jer 25.11-12),
to which Zechariah may be referring .
In verse 16 the rebuilding of the Temple is the central concern of Zechariah's contemporary Haggai.
Comments or Questions...

Reading for November 14th

Read Zechariah 1.1-6 Zechariah's opening speech.
Zechariah's visions (1.7-6.8) are introduced and concluded (chs. 7-8)
by speeches in which Zechariah urges his listeners to embrace the social responsibilities
and just behavior preached by the prophets before him.
In verse 1 Zechariah's opening and closing speeches (1.1; 7.1),
together with his visions (1.7), are dated.
The second year of Darius (522-486 BCE) is 520 BCE,
the same year in which Haggai preached (Hag 1.1; 2.1, 10).
In verse 4 the former prophets are Zechariah's predecessors
who preached before the fall of Jerusalem.
Zechariah quotes words similar to Jeremiah's (Jer 25.5).
Comments or Questions...

Reading for November 13th

Read Haggai 2.20-23 The promise to Zerubbabel.
The focus shifts from the reconstruction of the Temple to the installation of
Zerubbabel as Judah's leader.
In verses 21-22 descriptions of Judah's restoration are often accompanied by references
to the conquest of other nations (Joel 3).
In verse 23 while Zerubbabel is only a governor of Judah (1,1; 2.21) under Persian authority,
he is a member of the Davidic family that had ruled Jerusalem (see comment on 1.1),
and Haggai may be announcing a greater role for him.
Both my servant (2 Sam 7.5) and signet ring (Jer 22.24) may be royal images
anticipating a revival of the Davidic dynasty.
Comments or Questions...

Reading for November 12th

Read Haggai 2.10-19 The promise of agricultural bounty.
Haggai announces that God will bless the people's work on the Temple by granting
them good harvests.
In verse 12 the point of this priestly decision is that holiness cannot be transferred
(from consecrated meat carried home to eat; Lev 6.26-27; 7.16-17).
In verse 13 the point of this priestly decision is that uncleanness can be transferred
(from a "corpse" through a person to other objects; Num 5.1-4).
In verse 14 both of these previous questions (vv. 12-13) simply set up Haggai's point in this verse:
Without a proper worship space, uncleanness has tainted all that the people have done.
Comments or Questions...

Reading for November 11th

Read Haggai 1.15b-2.9
1.15b-2.9 The vision of the new Temple's glory.
Haggai encourages those whose first efforts at reconstruction of the Temple seem insignificant.
Verse 2.3 Its former glory recalls the splendor of Solomon's Temple(1 Kings 6), which was destroyed when Jerusalem fell to the Babylonians in 587 B.C.E. (2 Kings 25.9, 13-17).
Verse 4 the people of the land may refer to those who remained in Judah after it conquest by Babylon.
Verse 5 Haggai reminds the people that God delivered them from slavery in Egypt (Ex 1-15).
Verses 6-7 Descriptions of Judah's restoration are often accompanied by images of the cosmos in disarray (Isa 51.6) and of the nations bringing tribute to Jerusalem (Isa 45.14).
Comments or Questions...

Reading for November 10th

Read Haggai 1.1-15a
1.1-15a. The charge to rebuild the Temple.
Haggai's first speech directs those who have returned to Jerusalem from exile to begin reconstruction of the Temple.
Verse 1. King Darius (522-486) is the third monarch of the Persian empire, of which Judah became a province when the Persian king Cyrus conquered Babylon in 539 B.C.E.
The second year of Darius' reign is 520 B.C.E.
Zerubbabel, grandson of Jehoiachin (Jeconiah; 1 Chr 3.16-19), the king of Judah exiled to Babylon in 587 B.C.E. (2 Kings 2 24.8-17; 25.27-30), had returned to Judah with other exiles (Ezra 2.1-2).
Joshua's grandfather Seriah, chief priest  of Jerusalem was killed when Jerusalem was conquered by the Babylonians (2 Kings 25.18-21), and Joshua's father, Jehozak, was deported to Babylon (1 Chr 6.14-15).
Verse 12. the remnant of the people refers to those who had returned to Judah from Babylonian exile (Jer 43.5).
Comments or Questions..

Reading for November 9th

Read 3 John
In verse 1 the opening and closing mark this as a genuine letter.
The elder (see 2 Jn 1) addresses the beloved (see 2, 5, 11; 1 Jn 2.7; 3.2; 4.1, 7).
Gaius was a common Roman name (see Acts 19.29; 20.4; Rom 16.3; 1 Cor 1.14).
Just as the elder claimed to truly love the recipients of 2 John,
he now affirms his genuine love for Gaius.
In verse 2 prayers for the well-being of the recipient often follow the greeting.
In verses 3-4 the elder notes reports of the faithfulness of Gaius,
to whom he refers as one of his children, probably a convert.
Reference to walking in the truth (see 2 Jn 4) probably denotes the christological confession of faith.
In verses 5-8 supporters of the elder reported the hospitality (see 2 Jn 10-11; Titus 3.13)
shown by Gaius to the friends (literally brothers, see note a).
Hospitality shown to the supporters of the elder is said to make those who gave it co-workers
with the truth (compare 2 Jn 11).
In verses 9-10 the critique of Diotrephes signals a leadership struggle with the elder.
I have written something to the church is probably a reference to 1 John.
Diotrephes obviously rejected the teaching of 1 John.
He seems to have been a local leader with authority similar to that of the elder.
Just as the elder counseled the refusal of hospitality to his opponents, so Diotrephes
used his authority to enforce the refusal of  hospitality to supporters of the elder, the friends.
In verses 11-12 whoever does good is from God (see 1 Jn 2.29; 3.10; Mt 7.15-20).
Demetrius seems to have been a supporter of the elder.
Perhaps his credentials were challenged by Diotrephes and now the elder calls all
supporters to his aid.
Our testimony is true, see Jn 5.31-37; 19.35; 21.24.
In verses 13-15 the closing, like that of 2 Jn 12-13, asserts the priority of a face-to-face meeting over a lengthy letter (compare 1 Cor 16.19-20).
The greeting of peace, the Jewish greeting, sets 3 John apart from 1 and 21 John, as do the reciprocal greetings from friends (rather than children).
Comments or Questions...

Reading for November 8th

Read Zephaniah 3.8-20 Judah is restored.
A major shift occurs here in the book of Zephaniah from the criticism of Judah and announcement of its destruction (1.2-2.3; 3.1-7) to the anticipation of its renewal.
Either Zephaniah himself looked forward to a new era after Judah's fall, or this speech was added by Zephaniah's editors after Judah's fall to provide hope to its exiles.
The speech shares numerous images with literature composed during and after the exile
(after 587 BCE).
In verse 9 the expectation of the conversion of the nations is characteristic of exilic literature
(Isa 55.4-5; Mic 4.1-2).
My holy mountain is the Temple mount in Jerusalem.
In verses 19-20 the return of Judah's exiles, often pictured as lame and outcast,
was a widespread hope during the Exile and afterwards (Isa 35.5-10; Mic 4.6-8).
Comments or Questions...

Reading for November 7th

Read Zephaniah 3.1-7 Jerusalem is indicted.
The sins listed here, together with those in 1.4-9, are the basis for the devastating
judgment described in 1.2-2.3.
In verse 1 the oppressing city is Jerusalem, Judah's capital.
In verses 3-4 while Zephaniah's first indictment of Judah's sins focuses on the worship
of other gods (1.4-9), this indictment focuses, as do those of Micah (4.6-8),
on Judah's political and religious leadership.
In verse 7 the city is Jerusalem.
Comments or Questions...

Reading for November 6th

Read Zephaniah 2.4-15 The nations are judged.
The lengthy speech describing Judah's judgment is followed b a collection of shorter speeches describing judgment on four of Judah's neighbors: Phillistia (vv. 4-7), Moab and Ammon (vv. 8-11), Ethiopia (v. 12), and Assyria (vv.13-15).
In verse 4 Gaza, Ashkelon, Ashdod, and Ekron are major cities of Phillistia,
Judah's neighbor on the Mediteranean coast.
In verses 5 Cherethites is a synonym for, or a subgroup of, the Philistines,
who are associated with Crete, part of the larger Aegean area from which the Philistines came.
In verse 8 Moab and Ammon are Judah's neighbors east of the Jordan River.
In verse 9 Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed b God in a fierce firestorm (Gen 19.12-29)
and therefore represent divine judgment.
In verse 13 Assyria, with its capital in Nineveh, is an ancient Near Eastern superpower
that destroyed the northern kingdom of Israel in 721 BCE and dominated the southern
kingdom of Judah for a century before Zephaniah's career.
In verse 15 the exultant city is Nineveh.
The images of its fall here mirror those in the speeches of Nahum.
Comments or Questions...

Reading for November 5th

Read Zephaniah 1.2-2.3 The day of the Lord: Judah is judged.
Though Zephaniah does include in this speech an indictment of Judah's sins (1.4-9),
as is customary in prophetic judgment speeches, he emphasizes the sentence,
God's punishment on Judah and its people.
In verses 1.2-3 this is one of the most desolate images of judgment in prophetic
literature (Jer 4.23-26).
In verse 4 Jerusalem, the capital city of Judah, is singled out for further criticism in 3.1-7.
With this mention of Baal, the Canaanite god who is the major rival of Judah's God (Hos 2), Zephaniah begins the indictment of Judah's crimes, focusing on its rejection of Yahweh and its worship of other gods (vv. 4-9).
In verse 5 the host of the heavens are the sun, moon, planets, and stars, the worship
of which became widespread in Judah under Assyrian influence (2 Kings 21.3-5).
Milcom is the god of the Ammonites (2.8; 2 Kings 23.13).
In verse 7 Zephaniah introduces the theme of the day of the LORD for God's judgment on Judah,
a theme that carries this judgment speech forward to its conclusion in 2.3.
God's sacrifice is not the customary animal sacrifice but God's enemies (Jer 46.10),
in this case the people of Judah themselves.
In verse 9 those who leap over the threshold may be priests practicing a ritual associated
with the Philistine god Dagon ((1 Sam 5.5).
In verse 10 The Fish Gate is located in the north wall of Jerusalem (Neh 12.39).
The Second Quarter is a district in Jerusalem near the Temple complex (2 Kings 22.14).
In verse 11 The Mortar is Jerusalem's business district.
In verse 12 the phrase "who thicken (note b; or rest complacently) on their dregs"
may be translated: "Who are as undisturbed as the sediment of wine."
In verse 18 while the picture of destruction in this verse appears to include the entire world, Zephaniah's concern is Judah in particular, as the preceding and following verses show.
In verses 2.1-3 Zephaniah's judgment speech concludes with an appeal to Judah
(shameless nation, v. 1) to seek the LORD and reform in order to avert disaster (Am 5.6, 14-15).
Comments or Questions...

Reading for November 4th

Read Zephaniah 1.1 Title.
Josiah governed the southern kingdom of Judah during 640-609 BCE (2 Kings 22.1-23.30).
Hezekiah, Zephaniah's great-great-grandfather, may be the earlier Judean king who governed
from 715-687 (2 Kings 18-20).
Comments or Questions...

Reading for November 3rd

Read 2 John 1-3
The opening greeting has a standard letter format: from A to B, greeting.
The elder was an authoritative leader (see 1 Pet 5.1) addressing the elect lady and her children,
a symbolic reference to a local church and its members (see v. 13).
Such greeting often mentioned virtues of the persons addressed.
Here the elder affirmed that he, and all who know the truth, truly love the addresses.
The greeting, in the name of the Father and Son overlooks the Spirit
(compare 1 Tim 1.2; Tim 1.2) while stressing the reality of the relationship
of the Father and the Son, again using the key themes of truth and love.
In verses 4-6 reference to some of the children walking in the truth may indirectly reveal that the schism of 1 Jn 2.19 had affected this community also.
The truth may be a reference to the christological confession; the command, no longer new,
was foundational for the community (see 1 Jn 2.7-8; 5.3; Jn 13.34).
The many deceivers are like the false prophets and antichrist who deny the incarnation
(see 1 Jn 2.18-23, 26; 3.7; 4.2-3, 6).
The warning shows that the threat of the influence of the schismatics had not disappeared.
Reference to going beyond the teaching of Christ suggests the schismatics were progressive in their teaching (see 1 Jn 1.1-4; 3.23).
In verses 10-11 the warning against providing hospitality to the false teachers argues that to aid them is to assist in their mission (compare Tit 3.10).
In verse 12 this conclusion is like that of 3 Jn 13-14.
Stated preference for face-to-face contact is common.
In verse 13 the elder greets his readers in the name of his own community.
Comments or Questions...

Reading for November 2nd

Read Nahum 3.8-19 Nineveh's fate is sealed.
In verse 8 Thebes was the capital of Upper Egypt which, though heavily defended,
was destroyed by the Assyrians in 663 BCE.
In verse 9 Put is a North African people associated with Egypt and Ethiopia (Jer 46.8-9).
In verse 19 Nahum's final verse summarizes the image of Nineveh held by all who had
suffered as a result of its imperial ambitions.
Comments or Questions...

Reading for November 1st

Read Nahum 2.10-3.7
In verses 2.11-13 the lion is frequently used in the Bible as an image for a king and a royal family (Ezek 19.2-7), in this case for the king of Nineveh filling his caves with plundered prey.
In verse 3.1 The City of bloodshed is Nineveh.
In verses 4-7 Nahum now takes up the image of a prostitute to describe Nineveh.
Nakedness and the accompanying shame are traditional punishments for promiscuous behavior
(Isa 47.3; Jer 13.26).
Comments or Questions...

Reading for October 31st

Read Nahum 2.1-3.7 Nineveh is attacked.
The detailed descriptions of a military assault on Nineveh and of battles
in its streets anticipate the imminent end of the city.
In verse 2.1 the shatterer (or "scatterer"; see note d) is the enemy army attacking Nineveh.
In verse 2 this verse appears to be out of place, as the parentheses added by the translators indicate.
It describes the restoration of Judah, interrupting the narrative of the attack on Nineveh.
It probably once followed 1.15 or is a later scribal addition.
In verses 3-5 the description of the army attacking Nineveh continues from v. 1.
In verse 5 the Hebrew term translated by mantelet is a noun from the root, "weave,"
and may be a woven shield to protect soldiers in battle.
In verse 6 these river gates controlled a network of canals that brought water
into Nineveh from the Tigris and Khoser rivers nearby.
They appear to have been opened by the enemy to flood the city (v. 8).
Comments or Questions...

Reading for October 30th

Read Nahum 1.9-15 Nineveh will be judged and Judah restored.
The audience shifts repeatedly in this brief speech from Nineveh to Judah and back again.
In verse 9 Nahum addresses the Ninevites (you is masculine plural in Hebrew).
In verse 10 Thorns (Isa 34.13), drunkards (Lam 4.21), and stubble (Ob 18)
are all images used for enemies whom God punishes.
In verse 11 Nahum addresses the city of Nineveh (you is now feminine singular)
and describes its king as one who has gone out.
In verses 12-13 while you is still feminine singular in form, Nahum is now addressing Judah, describing its new freedom from Assyrian control as a release from imprisonment.
In verse 14 Nahum turns to address the Assyrian king (you is now masculine singular).
In verse 15 the poem concludes with words of hope to Judah,
delivered by a member of the heavenly court.
Comments or Questions...

Reading for October 29th

Read Nahum 1.1-5 Title.
The location of the Judean town Elkosh is unknown.
In verses 2-8 God's terrifying power.
These verses make up an incomplete acrostic poem, in which each two-line verse unit
begins with the succeeding letter of the Hebrew alphabet.
In verse 2 the emphasis on the vengeance and wrath of God at the beginning of Nahum
is related to the book's central theme: God's judgment of Nineveh for its cruelties.
In verse 3 God often appears in the form of a thunderstorm (Ex 19.16-17; Ps 77.17-18).
In verse 4 the traditional enemy of the storm god in ancient Near Eastern mythology is the sea
(alias river), a tradition reflected at points in biblical thought (Ps 89.9-10; Hab 3.8, 15).
In verses 4-5 God's appearance shakes the world of nature (Am 1.2; Mic 1.3-4).
Bashan, the highlands east of the Jordan, Carmel, the mountain range touching
the Mediterranean Sea in northern Israel, and Lebanon, the coastal range north of Israel,
were famous for their elevation and natural vegetation.
Comments or Questions...

Reading for October 28th

Read 1 John 5.13-21 Conclusion.
In verse 13 the beginning of the conclusion resembles Jn 20.31,
with the most significant modification that believers may know that they have eternal life.
In the face of the disturbing threat of the opponents, the assurance of believers
has become the crucial issue.
In verses 16-17 Mortal sin, leading to death or unforgivable (compare Mk 3.29).
In verses 18-20 the letter concludes with three affirmations of knowledge.
We know ... do not sin: see 3.4-10.
We know that we are God's children, see 4.4, 6.
Over against this, the world lies in the power of the evil one, (see 3.12; 2.15-17; 5.4-5).
We know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding of the one who is true.
Some texts (see note e ) correctly interpret this as a reference to God,
the true God, the Father ) see Jn 17.3).
In verse 21 Idols: God is the source of eternal life, but idols are lifeless and powerless.
Opponents deal only with idols, not with the God who is true.
Comments or Questions...

Reading for October 27th

Read 1 John 5.1-12 Christological test: Faith is the basis of love.
In verses 1-3 right faith is the test for the claim to be a child of God.
So is love for the children of God (2.28-29, 3.1).
In verses 4-5 Faith, far from being an intellectual abstraction,
becomes the victory that conquers the world.
In verse 6 water and blood,perhaps a reference to baptism and death,
or to the effusion of water and blood at Jesus' death (Jn 19.34-35).
According to Jn 15.26, the Spirit is the one who testifies and the Spirit is the truth (see 4.6).
In verses 9-10 those with correct faith have the testimony in their hearts,
apparently an appeal to the witness of the Spirit (4.13).
In verses 11-12 God's witness has two sides: the Son and the eternal life he brings.
To know Christ is to know his benefits (see jn 3.15-16, 36; 5.24).
Comments or Questions...

Reading for October 26th

Read 1 John 4.7-5.12 The inseparable connection between the two tests.
4.7-21 Ethical test: Love based on faith.
God's love for us is the foundation of love for one another.
In verses 8-16 the repetition of God is love in vv. 8 and 16 frames this section,
emphasizing the theological foundation of ethics.
In verses 9-10 our knowledge of God comes from his Son, revealed (see 3.16; Jn 3.16)
in the loving act of sending his Son as an atoning sacrifice (see 2.2).
In verse 11-12 that loving act is the basis for behavior; our love for one another
demonstrates the reality of the relationship with God.
In verses 13-16 the argument moves at the intellectual level and in the realm of experience.
The believers know and testify that the Father has sent his Son as the Savior of the world;
they experience God abiding in them as they confess that Jesus is the Son of God.
This knowledge and experience is found in the community.
In verses 17-18 living as Jesus lived, keeping his word, and conforming to his
example are expressions of abiding in his love.
This is the basis of confidence on the day of judgment (see 2.28).
In verses 19-21 the believer's love has its source and model in God's foundational act of love.
Those who say (literally, "If anyone says"), the final (seventh) assertion of the opponents.
Love within the believers' community ratifies the claim to love God.
The author does not deal with the command to love neighbor (see Mt. 5.43; 19.19)
or enemy (Mt 5.44).
Comments or Questions...

Reading for October 25th

Read 1 John 4.1-6 The christological  test of abiding in the Spirit. 
Inspired prophetic speech is not enough.
Believers must test the spirits to distinguish the spirit of truth from the spirit of error (4.6), the spirit of the antichrist (4.3), the spirit at work in false prophets (4.1), and the spirit of this world.
The denial that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh manifests the antichrist (see 2.18).
Those who know the Spirit of God listen to us (see Jn 8.42-47; 10.3-5, 14, 26-27), and whoever listens to us recognizes the spirit of truth (see Jn 14.17; 15.26; 16.13; compare 1 Jn 5.6).
The "spirit of falsehood,' the Jewish idiom for the Greek spirit of error, appears alongside the
"spirit of truth" in the ancient Jewish texts from Qumran (Dead Sea scrolls).
Comments or Questions...

Reading for October 24th

Read 1 John 3.11-24. 11-18 Love one another.
The message which goes back to Jesus, the beginning, is Love one another
(see 2.10; 3.23; 2 Jn 5; Jn 5; Jn 13.34-35).
Cain (see Gen 4.1-16), this is the only reference to the Hebrew Scriptures in the letter.
The evil one, the devil (see 2.13-14; 3.8, 10; 5.18-19; Jn 8.44; 12.31; 14.30).
Those who love are, paradoxically, hated by the world (copare 2.15-17).
God's love in the believer's life is expressed in costly actions of practical help.
In verses 19-24 Love is the basis of confidence before God.
By this we will know (contrast the present tense in 2.3) is a reference to the future
possibility of lack of assurance before God.
The evidence of love will overcome an uncertain heart.
Much of the letter tries to build up the believer's confidence.
Keeping God's commandments is the means of abiding in him; receiving the Spirit
is the evidence of abiding in him (see 4.1, 2, 6, 13; 5.6-8; Jn 14.15-17, 25-26; 16.7-15).
Comments or Questions...

Reading for October 23rd

Read 1 John 2.28-4.6 The relationship of the two tests.
2.28-3.24 Ethical test.
2.28-3.10 Who are the children of God?
In verses 2.28-3.3 Little children ... born of him ... children of God:
the believers, like Jesus, see God as father.
When he is revealed, that is, at his coming (see 2.28),
the children will be like the Son (compares 4.17).
In verses 4-10 the letter apparently asserts the sinlessness of believers but
elsewhere calls the claim of sinlessness a lie (1.6-2.2, 6).
Only through the Son o God is freedom from sin possible.
By distinguishing between the children of God and the children of the devil,
the letter provides guidance to judge the believers' moral lives:
Children of the devil neither act morally nor show love for others.
Comments or Questions...

Reading for October 22nd

Read 1 John 2.18-27 Christological test: testing the false confession.
In verses 18-19 The antichrist and the last hour.
Children, the whole community.
The last hour (see 2 Thess 2.3-12) is signaled by the appearance of many antichrists
(referred to only in 2.18, 22; 4.3; 2 Jn 7), opponents from within the community who
deny Jesus is the Christ (see 2.22; 4.3).
In verses 19-21 the opponents were once members of the community.
Anointed, see 2.27.
Holy One, probably the Holy Spirit (Jn 14.26), but perhaps Jesus (Acts 3.14; 4.27) or God (Jn 17.11).
The truth, the correct confession of Jesus as the Christ.
In verse 22-23 the opponents denied that the human Jesus was the divine Christ (4.2-3; 2 Jn 7).
Everyone who confesses the Son has the Father: Jesus reshapes the understanding of God (2 Jn 9).
In verse 24-26 what you heard: the teaching; abides ... abide: Appropriating the original message unites the believers with the Father and the Son.
In verse 27 Anointing is a mark of knowledge and of new life.
Comments or Questions...

Reading for October 21st

Read 1 John 2.3-17. 3-11 Walking in the light: love and obedience.
A second group of three assertions is introduced by whoever says (2.4, 6, 9).
In verses 3-4 knowledge is tested by keeping the commandments.
In verses 5-6 the one in whom the love of God reaches perfection truly exists (see 4.12, 17).
Abiding is tested by conforming to the example of Jesus.
Jesus' example conforms to his commandments.
In verses 7-8 the love command (3.2, 21; 4.1, 7) is paradoxical since an old command
becomes a new commandment (see Jn 13.34; 2 Jn 5).
In verses 9-11 I am in the light: The evidence of being in the darkness is hating the
brother (or sister); of being in the light is loving the other.
In verses 12-14 Reasons for writing.
Three groups are addressed twice, as little children, fathers, and young people,
probably degrees of spiritual maturity.
What is written to little children (v. 12) differs from what is written to children (v. 14).
What is said of fathers is repeated exactly in the second address.
An additional comment is made in the second address to young people.
In verse 13 Him who is from the beginning, Jesus (contrast 1.1).
Conquered: overcome in 2.14 (see 4.4; 5.4; Jn 16.33).
In verse 14 children, parallel structure suggests the same group as little children in 2.12.
Children and father form a natural pair.
In verses 15-17 True and false loves.
The world, the flesh, and the devil oppose God (4.4-6; 5.4-5, 19).
God's love transforms the world; those who love the world are possessed by it.
Desire is controlled or determined by its object.
Comments or Questions...

Reading for October 20th

Read 1 John 1.5-2.27 Two tests. 
In verses 1.5-2.17 The ethical test.
Expressed as walking in the light, testing six of the seven assertions made
by the opponents (1.6, 8, 10; 2.4, 6, 9; see 4.20).
In verses 1.5-2.2 Walking in the light: sin and sinlessness.
In verse 5 God is light: see 4.8 and Jn 4.24.
Light is the self-revealing character of God.
In verse 6-7 if we say: a formula introducing the first three assertions
(1.6, 8, 10) of the opponents.
Walking in the darkness falsifies the claim because God is light
(1.5; see Jn 3.19-21; 8.12; 11.9-10; 12.35-36).
Lying (see 2.4) is opposed to doing what is true (see Jn 3.21).
The blood of Jesus (see 5.6-8) cleanses us from all sin,
(see 1.9; 2.2; 5.16-17) through sacrifice.
In verses 8-9 we have no sin: self-deception (see 1.10).
The way to deal with sin is not denial but confession.
Faithful and just: better, "faithful and righteous" (see 2.1, 29; 3.7).
In verse 10 we have not sinned perhaps refers to past behavior;
it is unclear how this differs from the second assertion.
In verses 2.1-2 the provision for one who sins is the presence of the advocate,
elsewhere used only of the Holy Spirit (see Jn 14-16).
Jesus is also the atoning sacrifice (see 4.10; Lev 16.16, 30)
for the sins of the whole world (see 4.14; compare Jn 1.29).
Comments or Questions...

Reading for October 19th

Read 1 John 1.1-4 Prologue.
Themes borrowed from Jn 1.1-18 emphasize the humanity of Jesus.
In verse 1 Word of life: both message and person (Jn 1.1, 14).
In verse 2 life was revealed in the Word (see Jn 1.4); the Word dwells in and is the source of eternal life: see 2.25; 3.14-15; 5.11-13, 20; Jn 3.15.
In verse 3 fellowship, among believers, with the Father and the Son (see 1.6, 7; Jn 1.14-18; 3.16).
In verse 4 we are writing (see 2.1, 7, 8, 12-14, 21, 25; 5.13) shows a self-consciously literary work.
Comments or Questions...

Reading for October 18th

Read Micah 7.8-20 Israel is pardoned and restored.
Like the speeches in chs. 4-5, this speech addresses the plight of the exiles after
the fall of Jerusalem in 587 BCE.
In verse 11 the building of your walls anticipates the reconstruction of Jerusalem.
In verse 12 the surrounding nations will recognize Jerusalem's new stature (4.1-5).
In verse 14 Bashan and Gilead, east of the Jordan, were prime pasture land.
In verse 15 the return from Babylonian captivity is viewed as a second Exodus,
an event as significant as the first deliverance from slavery (Isa 51.9-11).
Comments or Questions...

Reading for October 17th

Read Micah 7.1-7 "The powerful dictate what they desire" (v. 3).
From the opening speech, in which Micah singles out for criticism the capitals
of Israel and Judah, to this concluding speech (7.8-20) is an exilic supplement),
the abuse of power is a central concern in Micah's message.
In this speech, Micah laments, the spread of corruption form the powerful
(vv. 1-4) to friend and family (vv. 5-6).
Comments or Questions...

Reading for October 16th

Read Micah 6.9-16 Judgment on Israel's businessmen.
Micah resumes his attack on Israel's leadership, indicting its wealthy citizens for
cheating the poor (vv. 9-12) and imposing a sentence by which they will be unable
to enjoy the profits they have earned unfairly (vv. 13-16).
In verse 11 merchants use false weights to shortchange customers (Am 8.5).
In verse 16 Omri and Ahab were the first tow kings of a dynasty that ruled Samaria
for 131 years (876-745 BCE).
Comments or Questions...

Reading for October 15th

Read Micah 6.1-8 God demands justice above all.
This speech, beginning the second collection from the eighth century prophet Micah (6.1-7.7), describes God's message to Israel as a lawsuit brought against the people.
In verse 1 elements of nature, like the mountains here, are often called to witness solemn announcements (1.2; deut 32.1).
In verse 4 Moses, Aaron, and Miriam were Israel's leaders at the time of the exodus from
Egypt (Ex 4.10-17; 15.20-21).
In verse 5 King Balak of Moab paid Balaam son of Beor to curse the Israelites before
they entered Canaan, but God intervened (Num 22).
The Israelites passed from Shittim to Gilgal when they crossed the Jordan River to
enter the land of  Canaan (Josh 3-4).
In verses 6-8 like other prophets (Am 5.21-24), Micah asserts that religious rituals are
meaningless without the pursuit of justice in all areas of life (see sidebar on p. 1205).
Comments or Questions...

Reading for October 14th

Read Micah 5.5b-15 Israel will be restored and its oppressors punished.
In verses 5-6 the Assyrians conquered the northern kingdom of Israel with its capital
Samaria in 721 BCE.
Nimrod was a legendary Assyrian ruler (Gen 10.8-12).
In verses 10-15 it is unclear whether this judgment is intended for Israel or its enemies:
The pronoun you appears to refer to Israel as it does in v. 9 and the content is typical of
judgments on Israel, but the context of Israel's restoration and the reference to Israel's enemies
in vv. 9 and 15 imply that this judgment is directed to them.
Comments or Questions...

Reading for October 13th

Read Micah 5.2-5a A new ruler.
In verse 2 by associating the new ruler over a restored Israel with Bethlehem, David's home town, and with Ephrathah, David's clan (1 Sam 17.12), the author announces that the coming ruler will revive the dynasty of David, which ruled in Jerusalem before it fell to the Babylonians in 587 BCE.
Comments or Questions...

Reading for October 12th

Read Micah 4.6-5.1 God gathers the exiles to Jerusalem.
In verse 6 this characterization of the returning exiles as lame recalls other exilic
descriptions of them as similarly disabled (Zeph 3.19-20; Isa 35.5-10).
In verse 8 the phrase former dominion looks back to the time of the prophet Micah when
Jerusalem was capital of an independent kingdom.
In verses 9-10 the image of a woman in labor, commonly used to describe excruciating pain,
is also employed by Jeremiah to describe the suffering of the exiles (30.1-7).
In verse 10 Babylon is the Mesopotamian city to which Jerusalem's leaders were deported
when the city fell to the Babylonians in 587 BCE.
In verse 13 the image of an ox threshing grain is used to describe God's judgment of the
nations that have oppressed and exiled the Israelites (Isa 41.14-16).
Comments or Questions...

Reading for October 11th

Read Micah 4.1-5 God rules from Jerusalem.
This begins a new collection of speeches (chs. 4-5) that announce salvation rather then judgment.
They stress the return of  the Israelite exiles and the restoration of Jerusalem to its former
power and prestige.
This same speech, celebrating God's rule over the nations in an era of universal disarmament,
is preserved also among the speeches of Micah's contemporary Isaiah (2.1-5).
In verse 1 the mountain on which the Temple in Jerusalem is located is in reality overshadowed
by higher peaks in the vicinity.
Comments or Questions...

Reading for October 10th

Read Micah 3.1-12 Judgment on the ruling elite.
Chapter 3 is composed of three typical judgment speeches, each with an indictment of crimes
and a sentence of punishment for them, directed at political and religious leaders.
The theme introduced in Micah's opening speech, that the corruption of Israel and Judah
stems from the highest levels of power in its capital cities, continues here.
In verses 1-4 the first judgment speech, directed to political officials, includes an indictment
(vv. 1-3), accusing them of devouring their people by their injustices, and a sentence (v. 4),
according to which they are abandoned by God.
In verses 5-8 the second judgment speech, directed to false prophets, indicts them for accepting bribes to give favorable prophecies (v. 5).
The sentence by which they are blocked from receiving further revelations (vv. 6-7)
is contrasted with Micah's own power to preach (v. 8).
In verses 9-12 the third judgment speech indicts Jerusalem's political and religious leaders alike:
its political rulers, its priests, and its prophets (vv. 9-11).
the sentence Micah announces, the fall of Jerusalem (v. 12), sets him off from his contemporary Isaiah, who thought Jerusalem would be threatened but not conquered (Isa 29.1-8).
Jerusalem in fact survived the Assyrian invasion and did not fall during Micah's career.
Nearly a hundred years later, when the prophet Jeremiah also predicted, the fall of Jerusalem
and was about to be sentenced to death for his prediction, Micah's prophecy was recalled in Jeremiah's defense (Jer 26.16-19.
Comments or Questions...

Reading for October 9th

Read Micah 2.12-13 Salvation for the survivors.
This brief speech, describing returning exiles as a flock of sheep led by the LORD, is characteristic of the later, exilic parts of Micah (4.6-8) and of other exilic literature (Isa 40.10-11).
It is likely a supplement added to Micah's own speeches.
Comments or Questions...

Reading for October 8th

Read Micah 2.6-11 The true prophets' message rejected.
Opposition to prophets such as Micah who pronounce judgment arises from the
belief that a disaster is unthinkable: "Disgrace will bot overtake us" (v. 6; 3.5, 11).
In verse 9 Micah tells the make elite (you is a masculine plural form in Hebrew)
that women and children will bear the punishment for their sins.
In verse 11 false prophets dull the senses like liquor.
Comments or Question...

Reading for October 7th

Read Micah 2.1-5 Judgment for economic crimes.
The theme of this speech is the exploitation of the poor by the rich.
In verses 1-2 the indictment blames the wealthy for seizing fields unfairly,
including the ancestral inheritance which was not to leave a family's possession.
In verses 3-5 the sentence imposes a punishment that suits the crime:
The wealthy will lose their own fields and others will divide them among themselves.
Comments or Questions...

Reading for October 6th

Read Micah 1.10-16 A lament over the invasion of Judah.
This speech may have been composed in response to the invasion in 701 BCE of the Assyrian King Sennacherib, who conquered Lachish (v. 13) together with other cities and town s in the Judean foothills in the vicinity of Micah's own village Moresheth-gath (v. 14; see sidebar above).
Among the towns Micah lists as bearing the brunt of the Assyrian attack, Beth-ezel (v.11), Lachish
(v. 13), Moreseth-gath and Achzib (v. 14), and Mareshah and Adullam (v. 15) have all been identified with sites in the Judean foothills (see map on p. 1200), and the other places mentioned were likely situated in this vicinity as well.
Comments or Questions...

Reading for October 5th

Read Micah 1.2-9 Judgment on Samaria and Jerusalem.
Micah's opening speech focuses on his primary audience:
the ruling elite in the capitals of Israel and Judah.
In verses 3-4 Divine appearances so powerful that they throw nature into
disarray are common at the beginning of prophetic books (Am 1.2; Nah 1.3-5).
In verse 5 Samaria and Jerusalem are viewed as the centers of corruption
in their respective kingdoms.
In verses 6-7 the end of Samaria, forecast here, occurred during Micah's career in
721 BCE when the Assyrians conquered Israel.
In verse 9 a threat to Jerusalem, but not its end, is described.
Comments or Questions...

Reading for October 4th

Read Micah 1.1 Title.
Micah's home is the small village of Moresheth, southwest of Jerusalem in the southern
kingdom of Judah, but his speeches are directed to Samaria and Jerusalem,
capital cities of the north and the south.
Comments or Questions...

Reading for October 3rd

Read 2 Peter 3.14-18 Letter closing.
Once, more, the true tradition about the coming judgment yields pastoral results
in the reform of human live.
In verse 14 we are to be without spot or blemish, just as Paul regularly announced
to his churches (1 Thess 3.13; Phil 2.15).
In verses 15-16 the reference to Paul indicates that some of his letters are known,
possibly even collected by this time.
Our author admits that Paul's letters are hard to understand; yet he cites them as support
for God's patience or delay of judgment (Rom 2.4-5), Christian belief in a final judgment
(Rom 14.10), the consequent need to spotlessness (1 Thess 3.11-13), and the coming of
Christ like a thief in the night (1 Thess 5.2).
In verses 17-18 the letter ends with a final exhortation to shun the erroneous doctrine,
which leads to lawlessness .
the final doxology is addressed to Jesus, not God, which is very unusual.
Comment or Questions...

Reading for October 2nd

Read 2 Peter 3.1-13 1-7 Another refutation.
In verses 2 Peter claims that this is his second letter, but 1 Peter can hardly
be the earlier one because it shares so little of this author's vocabulary or themes.
Moreover, by referring to what was said by your apostles, the author positions
himself as a much later authority.
This letter aims to remind the recipients of what their holy prophets and
Lord and Savior said about the Day of the Lord, which is the crux of the conflict.
In verses 3-4 farewell addresses generally predict future crisis; here scoffers
ridicule the prophecy of Jesus' return.
"Where is the promise of his coming?"
Delay serves as their chief argument against Jesus' coming and God's judgment.
In verses 5-7 the author refutes their scoffing by emphasizing the reliability of God's word.
God's word created the world out of water and judged it (recall Noah, 2.5);
that same word declares that God will judge by fire what is created.
It was common to describe God's  two basic powers as creative power at the world's
beginning and executive power at its end.
The Christian God is also confessed as having both powers, which the opponents here deny.
In verses 8-13 Challenge and riposte.
Peter challenges more scoffing statements from his opponents.
In verse 8-9 the standard argument against divine judgment is its delay;
sinners seem to escape, and faithful people seem not to be rewarded.
Peter refutes this in tow ways: First, God's time is not our time, as Ps 90.4 indicates
(one day is like a thousand years); moreover, God's "delay" is a gift of time for repentance
(Rom 2.4-5) because God does not want any to perish.
In verse 10 Yet the traditional prophecy of the Lord coming like a thief (1 Thess 5.2; Rev 3.3)
reminds us that the exact time cannot be known.
In verses 11-13 correct theology leads to correct behavior; hence, all who await the world's dissolution and recreation will live upright lives guided by this truth.
The idea of new heavens and a new earth reflects a technical idea in Greek philosophy
called cosmic "regeneration" (see Mt 19.28).
The Stoics, for example, claimed that the world would dissolve in fire but then be recreated.
A claim, then, is made that all right-thinking people accept the idea of the world's end.
Comments or Questions...

Reading for October 1st

Read 2 Peter 2.10b-22 Assorted attacks.
In verses 11-14 Peter resorts to name-calling (bold, willful), accusing his opponents of
insulting the angels who are predicted to accompany the divine judgment (Mt 24.30-31).
More name-calling follows: irrational animals, blots and blemishes, adulterous, and greedy.
He continually pronounces judgment on them (caught and killed, will be destroyed,
suffering the penalty for doing wrong) a judgment they deny.
In verses 15-16 Balaam (Num 22) provides another biblical example of a "false prophet"
who was rebuked by his dumb donkey.
In verses 17-18 more name-calling, but in terms of things that fail:
water less springs are all promise and no payoff.
He accuses his opponents of base motives (first greed and now license)
and argues that their doctrine cannot lead to moral integrity.
In verses 19-20 in promising freedom, they proclaim freedom from fear of God's
judgment and presumably god's law; but this perverse idea only leads to slavery,
not freedom, and to corruption, not holiness.
In verses 21-22 the opponents are likened to the most  unclean animals in that culture,
dogs and sows; after baptism and purification, they return to t heir previous vomit and mud.
The opponents' doctrine, then, only leads to a bad end - proof that it is wrong.
Comments or Questions...

Reading for September 30th

Read 2 Peter 2.1-10a 1-3 First look at the opponents.
Farewell addresses typically predict future crises (Acts 20.29-30), here, the advent of false teachers.
In verses 1-3 when they deny the Master, they declare that God does not judge, a common deviant doctrine among Greeks and Judeans.
One reason for thinking this is the observation of the slowness of judgment:
It is idle or God sleeps (3.8-9).
In verses 4-10a First response.
Responding to a denial of divine judgment, Peter cites proof from the Bible.
In verses 4-8 God did not spare evil angels; God saved Noah, but brought a flood on the ungodly; God rescued Lot, but turned Sodom and Gomorrah to ashes.
In verse 9-10 these examples prove that the Lord knows how to rescue the godly and to keep the unrighteous until the day of judgment.
Besides God's judgment, the author also defends the belief in survival after death, when God's judgment will reward the good and requite the wicked.
Comments or Questions...

Reading for September 29th

Read 2 Peter 1.12-21 Farewell address.
Typical of farewell addresses, Peter announces his death.
Such biblical forms generally have (1) announcement of death ((1.14); (2) predictions of future crises (2.1-3; 3.1-7); (3) exhortation to a specific virtue (1.4-11; 3.1-2); and (4) legacy (2.4-10; 3.8-10).
This prediction echoes Jn 21.18-19, even as it confirms the tradition that Peter regularly received special revelations (Mt 16.16-17; 17.25-27).
In verses 16-21 Transfiguration.
Claiming to have been present at Jesus' transfiguration (Mt. 17.1-8),
Peter interprets that event as a prophecy of Jesus' return in glory.
In verses 16-18 as an eyewitness, he claims a role that confirms his authority to
explain and defend other prophecies about Jesus, such as his return to judge the world.
In verses 19-21 he defends the inspiration of both the prophet who receives prophecy
and its interpreter.
Prophecy is fully confirmed, or established, because God is its author
(this is my beloved Son, not a), and God's Spirit inspires both prophet and interpreter.
The prophecy confirmed is about the final judgment of the world.
Christ, the morning star (Rev 22.16) brings light and hope, not fear.
Comments or Questions...

Reading for September 28th

Read 2 Peter 1.1-11. 1-2 Sender and addresses.
The sender's name, Simeon Peter, is a rare Semitic variation of "Simon Peter" or simply "Peter."
As servant and apostle he claims high status, for great Israelite figures were often called
"servant of the Lord" (Moses: Ex 32.13; David: 2 Sam 7.5).
No specific place is addressed; instead the recipients are identified as all those who share
a most valuable thing, such as faith in God and Jesus that is, correct faith.
In verses 3-10 Thanksgiving.
Letters often include "thanksgivings," which introduce themes to be developed.
In verse 3-4 Peter singles out two blessings for praise: everything needed for life and godliness
and precious and very great promises.
In verses 5-8 correct faith leads to purity, not corruption, and predicts a sharing in the divine
nature in the afterlife.
In support, Peter cites a chain of virtues that follow from correct faith (see Rom 5.1-5),
thus illustrating the principle that "good doctrine leads to good behavior" and vice versa.
Besides faith, endurance (hope) and mutual affection, virtues such as knowledge, self-control, and godliness point to topics developed later: correct doctrine, moral rectitude, and justice toward God.
Comments or Questions...

Reading for September 27th

Read Jonah 4.1-11 God's lesson to Jonah.
In the final episode of Jonah's story, the prophet's self-interest is contrasted with God's
compassion for others, even for those people considered enemies of Israel and Judah.
In verse 2 when Jonah says "You are a gracious God and merciful," he is quoting an ancient
Israelite creedal statement affirming God's compassion for the repentant and judgment of the unrepentant (Ex 34.6-7; Joel 2.13).
In verse 6 the castor bean, the best suggestion for the Hebrew "qiqayon" (rendered here bush),
is a perennial herb whose oil was used in antiquity for medicine and as fuel for oil lamps.
Its large leaves could provide a modest amount of shade.
In verse 11 the final phrase of the story, many animals, recalls the repentance of the animals in
3.7-8 and, not without a bit of humor and irony, emphasizes again the extent of God's compassion.
Comments or Questions...

Reading for September 26th

Read Jonah 3.1-10 The Ninevites repent and are saved.
An irony that underlies the response of the people of Nineveh to Jonah's preaching is that,
while the people of Israel and Judah seldom respond to their own prophets by repenting
(Hos 9.7; Am 4.6-12), these wicked enemies repent immediately.
In verse 6 sackcloth and ashes are traditional signs of mourning and repentance (Joel 1.13; Isa 58.5).
In verses 7-8 by including Nineveh's animals in the rituals of fasting, wearing sackcloth,
and praying to God, the narrator emphasized through humor and irony Nineveh's total
response to Jonah's preaching.
Comments or Questions...

Reading for September 25th

Read Jonah 2.1-10 Jonah's prayer.
Jonah's prayer, an appeal to God in poetic form, may be a traditional text taken over
by the narrator to represent Jonah's petition.
It is composed in the form of a lament, a common psalm type in which the worshiper
pleads for God's help in a time of great distress (Ps 3, 5, 7).
In verse 2 the lament opens with an address, in which the worshiper calls out to God.
Sheol is the land of the dead.
In verses 3-6 the description of distress follows the opening address.
the image of deep waters swallowing the worshiper is common in such descriptions
of distress (Ps 69.1-2, 14-15).
The holy temple refers to the Temple in Jerusalem.
In verse 7 a petition to God follows the description of distress.
In verse 8-9 laments customarily end, as does this one, with the worshiper anticipating
God's aid and promising to thank God by presenting a sacrifice at the Temple.
Comments or Questions...

Reading for September 24th

Read Jonah 1.1-17 Jonah flees from God.
The book of Jonah begins, as do other prophetic books, with the phrase the word of the LORD came to...(1.1 Hos 1.1), but unlike other prophets, Jonah embarks on an elaborate plan to escape his calling. The motif of descent runs through the narrative of Jonah's attempt to escape (vv. 3, 5, 15).
In verse 3 Tarshish is a site of uncertain location on the Mediterranean coast west of Israel (Isa 23.1), in the opposite direction from Nineveh to the east.
Joppa is an ancient Mediterranean port city, just south of modern Tel Aviv.
In verse 4 Israel's God is frequently associated with the thunderstorm (Ex 19.16-17; Ps 18.7-15).
Comments or Questions...

Reading for September 23rd

Read 1 Peter 5.1-14
In verses 1-5 Household duties: elders.
The last set of household duties addresses local leaders.
In verses 1-3 Peter's authority to speak as elder rests on this witness of Christ's sufferings (Mt 26.40, 69-75) and vindication (1.1).
Courageous, voluntary leadership which is not self-serving is needed (Mt 20.25-28).
In verse 4 elder, who are local shepherds, will be honored when the chief shepherd comes.
In verse 5 codes of duties, which address reciprocal pairs (wives and husbands, 3.1-7), link elders (5.1-4 with younger men.
Characteristic of the subordinate member of the pairs, young men must have respect
for the authority of the elders.
In verses 6-11 Final exhortations.
In verses 6-7 Peter applies Ps 55.22 to the church, echoing Jesus' words (Mt 23.12; Lk 14.11).
In verses 8-9 the flock of the chief shepherd is attacked by a roaring lion,
the devil (Ps 22.13; Lk 22.31).
Fidelity comes from solidarity with comparable suffering of brothers and sisters elsewhere.
In verses 10-11 as God vindicated Christ (1.11), so the God of all grace will surely restore
or glorify those whom  he has called.
A doxology follows (4.11).
In verses 12-14 Letter closing.
In verse 12 Silvanus writes as Peter's secretary (see 1 Cor 16.20).
In verse 13 greetings typically end letters.
Greetings are sent from Babylon,a symbolic name that refers to the city-state Babylon which destroyed Jerusalem and carried its population into exile (Mt 1.11); Christians also used
it to hide the name of their oppressor, the city-state of Rome (Rev 16.19; 17.5; 18.2, 10).
It is, then a symbolic place name.
Still, it echoes the earlier mention of "exile in the Dispersion" (1.1) and "aliens and exiles" (2.11).
Eusebius records that Mark was Peter's associate in Rome and the author of the second gospel
(E.H. 2.15.1-2; 3.39.15).
In verse 14 the kiss of love reminds the church of its identity as a family or household
(see exhortations to love in 1.22; 2.17; 4.8).
Comments or Questions...

Reading for September 22nd

Read 1 Peter 4.12-19 Suffering and the coming judgment.
In verses 12-14 Christian's suffering means sharing Christ's sufferings;
as Jesus was vindicated, they will be blessed, honored, and glorified (Mt 5.11-12).
In verses 15-16 suffering should never be punishment for immorality (2.19-20).
But dishonor for the name of Christian (Acts 11.26) means glory to God.
In verses 17-19 God's household is held to a higher standard than unbelievers,
as shown by Prov 11.31.
The proper duty of clients who suffer is to honor their faithful patron with loyal trust
(1 Cor 1.9; 1 Thess 5.24).
Comments or Questions...

Reading for September 21st

Read 1 Peter 4.1-11
In verses 1-6 The final judgment.
The hymn about Jesus leads naturally to the Day of Judgment.
In verses 1-4 Baptismal transformation means the end of life in the flesh but the
beginning of life according to the will of God.
Conversion means a clear break with the ways of one's neighbors,
who ridicule converts for their distinctive behavior (2.18-3.17).
In verses 5-6 judgment confronts all, good and bad, living and dead.
Christ proclaimed the gospel even to the dead so that all may be saved.
In verses 7-11 Final judgment: ideal response.
The judgment mentions above controls how we read vv. 7-11.
In verses 7-9 unlike their indulgent neighbors, Christians demonstrate
disciplined lives whose purity validates their prayers.
Avoiding indulgence, they maintain constant love and practice hospitality,
thus putting others before themselves.
In verse 10-11 God's gifts are a patron's benefaction to his clients.
Conversely, clients offer glory or honor to their patron in the doxology.
Comments or Questions...

Reading for September 20th

Read 1 Peter 3.13-22
In verses 13-17 Suffering well.
In verses 13-15 all members are addressed in terms resembling the exhortation to slaves in 2.18-25.
Peter declares unjust suffering a blessing or honor (Mt 5.10-11) while enemies are put to shame.
In verses 16-17 although Christians forswear vengeance (3.9), they may prepare an appropriate defense (Mt 10.19-20) for some forms of civic trial.
The best defense is a clear conscience, that is, respect for the values and actions thought
by others to be honorable.
In verses 18-22 Christ as model.
While paralleling the example of Jesus in 2.21-22, these verses contain a traditional hymn
about his death, vindication, and enthronement (see 1 Tim 3.16 for a similar structure).
In verses 18-19 Christ models sinless suffering, emphasizing the good that comes from endurance.
Put to death, Jesus was made alive by God; when vindicated, he rebuked the evil powers responsible for his death and the group's suffering.
In verses 20-21 Peter interrupts with a reminder of baptism.
Noah and seven other persons escaped destruction in the flood, prefiguring baptism,
spiritual washing and new birth.
In verse 22 the hymn continues with mention of Jesus' resurrection and enthronement,
when all heavenly spirits and powers obey him.
Suffering like Christ, disciples experience a baptismal transformation from moral death
to heavenly life, thus sharing in Jesus' resurrection.
They also glory in Jesus' authority over the cosmos.
Comments or Questions...

Reading for September 19th

Read 1 Peter 3.1-12
In verses 1-7 Wives and husbands.
In verse 1 in this exposition of patriarchal authority, wives should accept their husbands' authority.
In verses 2-5 honorable behavior resides in a heightened sense of purity, which here means
avoidance of expensive and seductive adornment.
Instead of outward glitter (hair, jewelry, or clothing), wives should adorn themselves with inner virtue, such as a gentle and quiet spirit.
As slaves imitate the example of the crucified Jesus, wives follow Sarah's example of obedience
to Abraham.
In verse 7 husbands reciprocate by honoring their wives.
Conjugal duties here reflect the ancient gender division of society, with males exercising authority
in public, while females, considered weaker, showed obedience in private.
In verses 8-12 Something for everybody.
In verses 8-9 Peter celebrates actions that bind the church together, such as unity, love, tenderness, and humility: There can be no envy or competition in the group, thus the deadly games of seeking honor are censured.
Moreover, all vengeance is forsworn, as Jesus mandated (Mt 5.43-45) and Ps 34.12-16 confirms.
Comments or Questions...

Reading for September 18th

Read 1 Peter 2.11-25
In verses 11-17 Civic and family duties.
Peter begins here a lengthy catalog of traditional duties, which are aspects of justice.
Although aliens and exiles, disciples must act honorable like citizens.
This means accepting the authority either of civic rulers, Roman emperor, local governors,
or heads of families.
Despite their social status as servants, they should live as free people by honoring and
fearing those with political authority.
In verses 18-25 Slaves gaining honor.
Typical catalogs of duties address both masters and slaves (Eph 6.5-9; Col 4.1),
but only slaves are mentioned here.
In verses 18-20 honorable behavior is expected, namely, accepting authority from
good and evil masters alike.
Unjust, suffering for doing good, while shameful to others, is a credit to God
(see honorable behavior in 2.12).
In verses 21-25 Isa 53.9 says that Christ left an example of suffering unjustly but honorably.
He forswore vengeance, the mark of honorable males in classical cultures;
his wounds healed our sins.
Slaves, then, belong to the flock of an honorable shepherd and guardian, who rewards the (5.4).
Comments or Questions...

Reading for September 17th

Read 1 Peter 2.4-10 Holy temple in Christ.
Suffering challenges belief in God's providence; Jesus' death, moreover, was shameful (Heb 12.2).
Peter reinterprets Jesus' death according to Scripture and invites the addressees to reinterpret their own ambiguous situation.
In verse 4-8 despite death, Jesus is a living stone; although rejected, he is exalted.
Thus he serves as cornerstone (Isa 28.16) and head of the corner (Ps 118.22)
of an imperishable new temple.
Through crisis and deliverance, believers become like Christ, namely, living stones of a spiritual house and a holy priesthood (2.5, 9).
In verses 9-10 they enjoy high status; once not a people, they are God's chosen race and God's own people; dishonored here they will not be put to shame (v.6) in God's kingdom.
Comments or Questions...