Reading for December 14th

 Read 2 Kings 3.21-27. In verse 22: The red color of the water is appropriate to Edom, which comes from the word for red and which was know for its red sandstone (see Gen 25.25, 30). In verse 27: Child sacrifice was practiced in the ancient Near East. Here the king of Moab sacrifices his son to Chemosh, Moab's god. It is not clear what is meant by great wrath came upon Israel.  Perhaps it means that the Israelites became afraid when they witnessed this desperate act, though the most natural interpretation would seem to be that Chemosh's wrath was directed against Israel in some form. Comments or Questions..

Reading for December 13th

 Read 2 Kings 3.13-20. In verse 13: What have I do with you? means "We have nothing in common", Elisha wants nothing to do with the king of Israel. Jehoram's father was Ahab and his mother Jezebel, worshippers of Baal and Asherah (1 Kings 18.19). In verse 15: Music was used to induce the prophets ecstatic experience in which he would give his oracle (compare 1 Sam 10.5, 9-13). In verse 19: The measures described in this verse would ruin a piece of land for agriculture. In verse 20: The morning offering or oblation was made at dawn. 1 Kings 18.29 refers to the second oblation at about 3 p.m. The practice of two oblations may have begun in the Exile or later. This is an indication that this story was written at a later date. Comments or Questions..

Reading for December 12th

 Read 2 Kings 3.1-12. In 3.1-27: The independence of Moab. In verse 1: The information here is about the beginning of Jehoram's reign disagrees with that of 1.17. The two verses maybe based on two distinct chronologies. In verse 2: A pillar was often used, much as an idol would be, as a symbol for god in worship. In verse 3: The sin of Jeroboam was the two shrines at Dan and Bethel (1 Kings 12.25-33). In verse 4: Moab was the country across the Dead Sea from Israel. the lambs and wool that King Mesha sent to Israel were the yearly payment of tribute of a subject state to its overlord. In verse 8: Edom was east of Judah and south of Moab. It was apparently controlled at this time by Judah. Jehoram plans to attack Moab from the south. In verse 11: As in 1 Kings 22.7, it is the righteous King Jehoshaphat of Judah who asks for a prophet of the Lord. To inquire is a technical term for divination or seeking an oracle from god. Elisha is here recognized as Elijah's servant who used to pour water on his hands. Comments or Questions..

Reading for December 11th

 Read 2 Kings 2.13-25. In 2.13-25: Elisha as Elijah's successor. The stories here show that Elisha inherited Elijah's power as a man of God. In verses 13-14: Elisha picked up the mantle of Elijah which was a symbol of his prophetic power (1.8; Zech 13.4). He then struck the water of the Jordan with it and parted it just as Elijah had done (2.8) and much as Joshua did when he succeeded Moses (Ex 14.21-22; Josh 3.13-17). In verse 15: The company of prophets (see comment on 2.3)) recognize Elisha as Elijah's successor. In verses 16-18: Elisha knows that Elijah has been taken up and will not be found, but he acquiesces to a search at the insistence of the other prophets. In verses 19-22: Elisha's miraculous purification of the spring also shows that he has the power of Elijah. This story offers a etiological explanation for the renowned spring at Jericho that is still active today. In verse 23-25: This legend was preserved not for its high ethical quality but to show the power now vested in Elisha and how to teach that one should have respect for prophets. Comments or Questions..

Reading for December 10th

 Read 2 Kings 2.1-12. In 2.1-12: The translation of Elijah. The stories in this chapter fall outside of the standard wording that marks the beginning and ending of the reigns of the kings called regnal formulas (1.17-18; 3.1), which may indicate that they, along with other stories about the prophets, are later additions to the deuteronomistic History. In verse 1: The only other person in the Bible who was taken up to heaven without dying was Enoch (Gen 5.24). In verse 3: The company of prophets, literally "the sons of the prophets," were followers of prophets, perhaps even a guild or school of prophets. They were also aware, perhaps through prophetic agency, that the Lord will take Elijah away. In verse 8: Elijah's mantle is a symbol of his power as a prophet (see 1.8; Zech 13.4), which Elisha will inherit (2.13). His division of the Jordan here is reminiscent of Moses' division of the Red Sea (Ex 14.21-22) and of Joshua's division of the Jordan (Josh 3.13-17). In verse 9: Double share does not mean twice as much as Elijah but the portion of the first born son (Deut 21.17), or two-thirds. In verse 12; Elisha calls Elijah his father out of respect for his teacher, not because there is a blood relationship between them. The chariots of Israel and its horsemen may allude to the image of the Lord as commander of the heavenly armies ("Yahweh sebaoth," "the Lord of host"; see 6.17). Comments or Questions.. 

Reading for December 9th

 Read 2 Kings 1.1-18. In 1.1-18: The death of Ahaziah. In verse 1: This verse anticipates the story in 3.4-27 and may be out of place here. In verse 2: This lattice was decorative, but also functional in the sense of admitting light and air while providing some privacy. It was not strong enough to keep a person from falling, as the story shows. Ahaziah sent messengers to inquire, a technical term for divination. Baalzebub, meaning "lord of the fly," is a deliberate mocking distortion of the name Baal-zebul, "Baal the prince." In verse 3: The Hebrew word for angel also means messenger. In verse 8: A hairy man, literally "a man of hair," may refer to a course garment that was the mantle of the prophets (Zech 13.4). In verses 10, 12: The fire of God from heaven was probably lightning. Comments or Question..

Reading for December 8th

 Read Luke 24.36-53. In 24.36-53: The messiah's final appearance, commission, and departure. In verses 36-37: Luke's story emphasizes both the awesome wonder of Jesus' appearance and the physical reality of his resurrected body (flesh and bones, see 20.34-36). In verse 41; Disbelieving for joy and wondering is more like Mary's faith than Zechariah's doubt at the beginning of the story (1.18-20, 28-28). In verses 42-43: Broiled fish are also mentioned in Jn 21.4-14, and Jesus' witnesses recall eating with him in Acts 10.41. In verses 44-45: The law of Moses, the prophets, and the psalms is very inclusive catalog in a time probably before Israel's scriptures were gathered in a single book. In verses 46-48: This saying of Jesus is not literally written in any surviving version of Israel's scriptures. This is the testimony from the scriptures his witnesses are sent to make. In verses 49-52: The promise of the Father is the gift of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost to be awaited in Jerusalem (Acts 1.4, 8; 2.33). In verse 53: The temple remains a crucial center for divine activity (1.9; 2.27, 37, 46; 20.1; Acts 3.1; 4.1; 6.13). Comments or Questions..