Reading for August 8th

Read Jeremiah 1.11-19. Jeremiah's mission gains substance from two visions written in prose. In verses 11-13: Jeremiah sees a branch of an almond tree, a "shaqed" in Hebrew. In a play on words, God replies, I am watching ("shoqed") over my word to perform it. What God says through Jeremiah will happen. Next Jeremiah sees a boiling pot, tilted away from the north. The boiling pot is a symbol of destruction, overflowing and burning. The north may refer to a historical enemy, but more likely the threat from the north refers to a mythic enemy, coming like a superhuman monster. Only in 20.4 will the foe from the north be identified as Babylon. In verses 14-18: The tilting pot will spill out an army of invaders who will stream upon the land. God is calling the kingdoms of the north to invade Jerusalem. Jeremiah himself should have courage throughout the terror, for God will be with him. Comment or Questions..

Reading for August 7th

Read Jeremiah 1.1-10 In Chs. 1-10: Cosmic destruction. In Ch. 1: Jeremiah's call. In verses 1-3: The introductory verse tells who Jeremiah was and when he prophesied. He was from an family of priests from a town outside Jerusalem, Anathoth. His call came during the time of king Josiah and extended until the fall of Jerusalem to Babylon in 587 BCE, a 40-year period that symbolically links him with Moses' 40-year of leadership in the wilderness. Jeremiah is presented as a prophet like Moses, as promised in Deut 18.18. In verses 4-10: In a poetic conversation between God and Jeremiah, Jeremiah receives his mission. His call before birth indicates that his prophecy was not his own invention but given to him by God. His resistence on the grounds that he is only a boy and so cannot speak properly also indicates that God has sent him; he has not chosen the task for himself. God tells him not to be afraid, promises to be with him, and touches his mouth. This gesture symbolizes the divine orgin of the words Jeremiah speaks and the words recorded in the book. The book claims that Jeremiah's words are from God. In verse 10: Jeremiah is a prophet to the nations and will tear down and build up. This short poem gives Jeremiah and his book authority in the face of opposition. Comments or Questions..

Reading for August 6th

Read 1 John 5.13-21. In 5.13-21: Conclusion. In verse 13: The beginning of the conclusion resembles Jn 20.31, with the significant modification that believers may know that they have eternal life. In face of the disturbing threat of the opponents, the assurance of believers has become the cruical 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 word 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 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 August 5th

Read 1 John 5.1-12. In 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 story 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 an the Spirit in 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 August 4th

Read 1 John 4.7-21. In 4.7-5.12: The inseparable connection between the two texts. In 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 verses 11-12: That loving act is the basis for behavior; our love for one another demonstrates that 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 expenence 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 it 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). CCommenst or Questions..

Reading for August 3rd

Read 1 John 4.1-6. In 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 recogizes the spirit of truth (see Jn 14.17; 15.26; 16.13; compare 1 Jn 5.6). The "spirit of falsehood," the Jewish idom for Greek spirit of error, appears alonside the "spirit of truth" in the ancient Jewish texts from Qumran (Dead Sea scrolls). Comments or Questions..

Reading for August 2nd

Read 1 John 3.11-24. In verses 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 13.34-34). 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 paradoxiclly, hated by the world (compare 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 possiblity of lack of assurance before God. The evidence of love will over come 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 August 1st

Read 1 John 2.28-3.10. In 2.28-4.6: The relationship of the two tests. In 2.28-3.24: Ethical test. In 2.28-3.10: Who are the children of God? In 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 (compare 4.17). In verses 4-10: The letter apparently asserts the sinlessness of believers but elsewhere call the claim of sinlessness a lie (1.6-2.2;, 6). Only through the Son of God is freedom from sin possible. By distinguishing between the children of God and the children of the devil, the letter provides guuidance to judge the believers' moral lives. Children of the devil neither act morally nor show love for others. Comments or Questions..

Reading for July 31st

Read 1 John 2.18-27. In 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), opponets 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. Appointed, 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 verses 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 verses 24-26: What you heard: the teaching; abides ... abide: Appropriating the orginal message unites the believers with the Father and the Son. In vese 27: Anointing is a mark of knowledge and of new life. Comments or Questions..

Reading for July 30th

Raed 1 John 2.3-17. In 2.3-27: Walking inthe light: love and obedience. A second group of three assertions is introduced by whoever sasys (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. Inverses 7-8: The love command (3.2, 21; 4.17) is paradoxical since an old command becomes a new commandment (see Jn 13.34; 2 Jn 5). In verses 9-11: I am 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 litle children, fathers, and young people, probbaly dgrees of spiritual maturity. whatis 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 adddition 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, 5;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 transform the world; those who love the world are possessed by it. Desire is controlled or determined by its object. Comments or Questions..

Reading for July 29th

Read 1 John 1.5-2.2. In 1.5-2.27: Two tests. In 1.5-17: The ethical test. Espessed as walking in the light six of the seven assertions made by the opponents (1.6, 8, 10; 2.4, 6 9; see 4.20). In 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 verses 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 the past behavior; it is unclear how this differs from the second assertion. In 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 sacrifce (see 4.10; Lev 16.16, 30) for the sins of the whole world (see 4.14; compare Jn 1.29). Comments of Questions..

Reading for July 28th

Raed 1 John 1.1-4. In 1.1-4: Prologue. Themes borrowed from Jn 1.1-18 emphazie 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 World 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 the believers, with the Father and the Son (see 1.6; 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-counsciously literrary work. Comments or Questions..

Reading for July 27th

Read Isaiah 66.12-24. In 12-16: The message of reassurance and hope for the future of Jerusalem did not mean, however, that wrongdoing would pass without judgment. God's promises required obedience and trust. In verse 17: Reference to the forbidden food recalls the warning of 65.4. In verses 18-21: The returnof all those who had been exiled from Judah and Israel would mark the fulfillment of God's promise for the people. In verses 22-23: the prophecies of isaih set a goal for all nations. All humankind (all flesh) were bound together in one world and would, therefore, ultimately share a single destiny. In verse 24: Divinne judgment cannot be evaded. God's call is an imperious command, and the disobedient cannot participate in the final glory of God's kingdom. Comment or Questions..

Reading for July 26th

Read Isaiah 66.1-11. In 66.1-24: The final warnings and consolations for Jerusalem. In verses 1-5: The final chapter of the book of Isaiah sets out afresh several of the basic themes that have appeared and reappeared throughout the book. Of primary importance is the demand for truth and sincerity in worship. The public performance of ritual and piety shows loyalty to God, but such outward actions must be matched by an inner spirit. In verses 6-11: In spite of the many conflicts and setbacks that had marred Jerusalem's history, the promises of God for the blessing of Israel as a people remained valid. Comments or Questions..

Reading for July 25th

Read Isaiah 65.8-25. In verses 8-16: How could God punish the wrongdoers without destroying the whole community of Judah? The prophetic answer is that, for the present, both groups must coexist, but that God has reserved a future judgment to bless those who are faithful, but to punish those who are guilty (vv. 8-13). The the different fates allotted to the two groups will become plain (vv. 13-16). In verses 17-25: God is still in control of human history. The prophet was aware of the promises earlier in Isaiah; v. 25 recalls the promise in 11.6-9. Comments or Questions..

Reading for July 24th

Read Isaiah 65.1-7, In 65.1-25: The promise of new heavens and a new earth. In verses 1-7: Chapters 63-66 carry forward the essential message of Isaiah's prophecies into the new age that came with the return from exile. Idolatry marked a relapse into indifference to God. The strange and crude rites described in vv. 3-4 were designed to conjure up and manipulate magical power. The belief that strange foods (magic potions) to make themselves holy (v. 5), and thereby gain power to harm or heal others, represented a very ancient (v. 7) and superstitious tradition. Comments or Questions..

Reading for July 23rd

Read Isaiah 64.1-12. In 64.1-12: The silence of God. In verses 1-7: The present situation appeared as a contridiction to God's power (v. 4). The reason for this law with the sins of the present generation, which now came in penitent lamentation to confess their rebelliousnees to God (vv. 6-7). In verse 8-12: Even in its failures, Israel remained God's people and could confess its wrongdoing and return to God. The renewed conflict and destruction (v. 11) had arisen in the wake of the rebuilding of the Temple. Comments or Questions..

Reading for July 22nd

Read Isaiah 63.7-19. In verses 7-14: In the past, God's presence had accompanied the people and given them vistory over their enemies (v. 9). In the present, the rebelliousness of the people grieved the spirit of God, aroused the divine anger, and led to failure and defeat (v. 10). The people of Israel had learned this lesson in the past when failure humbled them (see Josh 7.1-16), and now they had to relearn it (vv. 11-14). In verses 15-19: Even after temporary succss had brought about a partial change in Judah's fortunes (v. 18), new threats and new oppressions had robbed the people of the justice and prosperity they sought (v. 19). Cpmments or Questions..

Reading for July 21st

Read Isaiah 63.1-6. In 63.1-19: The day of vengence. In verses 1-6: In a vivid and frightening imagery, human frustration and longing for the end of violence calls forth this powerful picture of God acting alone to pass judgment on the warring nations. Where no human ruler could impose justice and peace (v. 5), God had to act directly and descisively (vv. 5-6). Comments or Questions..

Reading for July 20th

Read Isaiah 62.1-12. In Isaiah 62.1-12: A city not forsaken. In verses 1-5: As the situation in Jerusalem failed to change after the downfall of Babylon, the prophet reassured the people of God's intense love for the city. These are presented here in terms of the intensity of the divine love for the city (vv. 4-5(. In verses 6-9: The wealth and food that foreigners took were prime examples of the frustrations and disappointments of the past. The people must pray that such injustive nvever again occurs (vv. 8-9). In verses 10-12: A note of urgency colors the prophets's insistence that God's promise will not fail. Comments or Questions..

Reading for July 19th

Read Isaiah 61.1-11. In 61.1-11: The year of the Lord's favor. In verses 1-4: All that God had promised regarding the rebuilding and restoration of Jerusalem would shortly be fulfilled. In verses 5-9: Expectation of God's direct action to overthrow the present world order becomes a marked feature of the hope expressed throughout chs. 56-66. Where chs. 40-55 had recognized the hand of God at work in the rise of Cyrus, king of Persia, to direct the destiny of Judah, now Israel awaits a more direct divine intervention. In verses 8-11: Assurance thatthis transformation will take place derives fromthe very nature of God. Love of justice and hatred of all forms of wrongdoing are aspects of God's rule. Comments or Questions..

Reading for July 18th

Read Isaiah 60.8-22. In verses 8-14 The high point of the great vision of 45.22-23, that foreigners too would share in the coming salvation and prosperity, is here sharply reduced to granting them the role of being servants and suppliers to the restored Israel. In verses 15-22: Hope for the future Jeusalem as a city of wealth, learning, and authority contrasts with the revelations of conflict and violence that 59.1-8 has revealed. The need to restore a vision of God's intentions for Jerusalem became urgent as a conterweight to the current difficulties. The Temple was restored and a new focus provided for those who worshipped the Lord in every land. Comments or Questions...

Reading for July 17th

Chs.60-62: After the setbacks and dissensions of chs. 56-59, chs. 60-62 recover the vision of the future central to chs. 40-55. Jerusalem will be rebuilt, a city of peace and righteousness. These chapters reflect the spiritual reawakening that came with the rebuilding and restoration of the Temple in Jerusalem in 520-515 BCE. More broadly, these chapters express a positive, if ideal, prtrayal of human beings living in peace, prosperity, and harmony. They reveal a goal to strive for, not a simplistic expectation of a condition of human happiness that will drop down as a gift from heaven. Read Isaiah 60.1-7. Visions of the new Jerusalem. In verses 1-87: The expected return had not occurred. At best, only token numbers of the former population had come back. The vision of a great return was still a distant dream. A new pattern of Jewish life emerged that established rules of conduct for living as peaceably as possible in alien lands. comments or Questions..

Reading for July 16th

Read Isaiah 59.9-21. In verses 9-15a: The lack of an effective administration of justice allowed violence and corruption to flourish. Those who had won power under foreign masters were now unwilling to relinquish control and to empower a new order of religious leaders. It was not until the work of Ezra and Nehemiah, in the middle of the fifth century BCE, that the situation began to be put right. In verses 15b-21: Without protection that God alone can bring, the helplessness described so vividly in vv. 10-11 must continue. The assurance in v. 21 that God's word will prove effective indicates that chs. 56-59, at one time, formed a separate collection to which this section was a conclusion. Comments or Questions..

Reading for July 15th

Read Isaiah 59.1-8. In 59.1-21: Why God's face is hidden. In verses 1-8: God's salvation has not come, not because God is weak and powerless, but because the people's wrongdoing creates a barrier between themselves and God (vv. 1-2). The rebukes (vv. 3-8) condemn violence, injustice and brigandage, whether arising from the lack of any recognized authority to implement justice, or whether because those who wield power in Jerusalem are themselves the chief culprits. Comments or Questions..

Reading for July 14th

Read Isaiah 58.1-14. In 58.1-14: The fast acceptable to God. In verse 1-10: A fresh problem concerns those who manitain a bold public display of piety, but whose actions and way of life flout the basic equirements of justice and goodness. The central issue is fasting, self-denial aimed at concentrating mind and body on prayer, which was publicaly declared by wearing sackcloth (a rough garmnt) and smearing the face and hands with ashes (symbol of mortality) (v. 5). Yet such deeds unaccompanied by compassion and concern for those less fortunate were meaningless to God (vv. 6-9). In verses 11-14: The efforts to restore Jerusalem had focused on externals-restoring ancient buildings and replanting neglected field-instead of the inner recovery of spirutal health and wholeness. Only a renewal of this inner direction of life could bring about the true rebuilding of the city. Comments or Questions..

Reading for July 13th

Read Isaiah 57.11-21. In verses 11-21: The sharp prophetic critque of wrongdoing within the community that characterizes earlier prophecies reappears here with added vigor (see 5.11-25). The warning of 48.22 that there would be no peace for the wicked receives a dismal confirmation in the vain efforts of those who try to secure it (vv. 19-21). There is a note of both lamentation and despair in the reptition of God's call to build and be patient (vv. 14-19) and the response of vv.20-21, affirming that the wicked are incapable of creating peace. Comments or Questions..

Reading for July 12th

Read Isaiah 57.1-11. In 57.1-21: No peace for the wicked. In verses 1-10: The sense of disunity within Jerusalem reveals that the end of the captivity had not brought an end to its troubles. It had simply given rise to new ones. There was injustice and false and immoral worship, tolerated under foreign rule (vv. 5-7). Old customs of gods worshipped for centuries throughout the region (v. 9) had been revived while the Temple of the Lord lay in ruins. Molech is probably one of the titles of Baal, a god expecially linked with child sacrifice. Comments or Questions..

Reading for July 11th

Read Isaiah 56.1-12. In 56.1-12: Soon my salvation will come. In verses 1-8: The call to rebuild Jerusalem had been an open invitation (especially 55.6-7). This openess, however, did not take into account strong traditional rules concerning who belonged in God's family (see Deut 23.1-8). Now these rules were being used to exclude those, such as foreigners and eunuchs, who were treated as outcasts (v. 3), even though this mocked the temple as a house of prayer (v. 7). In verses 9-12: This sharp rebuke addressed to the blind and silent dogs reflects the bitter divisions that had emerged within the community. Most likely the presence of returned exiles contributed to this biterness with those already holding positions of power in Jerusalem reluctant to give it up. Comments or Questions..

Reading for July 10th

Read Isaiah 55.6-13. The concluding unit (vv. 6-13) makes a rich and memorable appeal concerning the power of the divine word given through the prophet and the certainty that it will accomplish its purpose. What appeared impossible to the human mind was possible with God (vv. 8-9). As rain and snow made the earth fertile and productve, so would God's word prove equally effective in achieving its intended purpose (v. 10). The promise of v. 13 summarizes in pictorial language the message of hope for the future by insisting that the ruination of the vineyard of God (Israel) by briers and thorns would be a feature of the past (see 5.6). Comments or Questions..

Reading for July 9th

Read Isaiah 55.1-5. In 55.1-13: Seek the Lord while he may be found. Although this chapter concludes the work of the prophet of the return, chs. 54 and 55 form a bridge to 56-66. Two separate units are in the present chapter. In verses 1-5: The first unit concerns God's promise to the royal dynasty of David (2 Sam 7.1-17), an everlasting covenant (v. 3). This covenant is an act of God's love, an unmerit gift. Along with the promises set out in 11.1-5 and 32.1-8, it affirms that God will hold fast to the unqualified promise that, through the authority entrusted to this royal dynasty of kings, Isreal will exercise leadership over the nations (v. 5). This can mean either that, although the royal family itself would not return to the throne, leadership amoong the nations would be shared throughout the servant-nation, or that the restoration of Davidic monarchy is promised here. The course of events in the following half-century reveals that such an expectation remained aive and exercised a strong political influence, even though it failed to reach fruition. In later years, a larger "messianic" interpretation concerning the coming of a divinely sent savior figure was built on this, and the other royal prophecies of the book of Isaiah and the Psalms. Comments or Questions..