The DJBRP Jan 4th

The reading for Jan 4th was Matthew 2:13-23, Acts 2:22-47, Psalm 4, and Genesis 9-11.

The passage from Matthew covers Jesus' escape to Egypt and His return upon Herod's death. The main thing that stuck out to me in this passage of scripture is how determined God was to fulfill all the prophecies about Jesus. Three times in this passage the scripture states something to the effect of "to fulfill what was spoken by the prophets" (verses 15, 17, and 23). God always keeps His word. We can always count on what He says will come to pass to do just that.

The passage from Acts covers Peter's sermon to those gathered at Pentecost. There are three thing about this passage that I wanted to highlight. First, in verse 23, we see that Jesus' death was God's plan from the beginning. It was no accident and was according to God's "definite plan and foreknowledge." Second, in verse 33, we see that Jesus is now exalted at God's right hand and has received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit. Jesus has been made king over all and the Holy Spirit is a sign of His authority. Third, in verse 39, we see that this promise was not just for those present, but for all those who God calls to Himself. So we see in this passage that Jesus was delivered up because of God's plan, was exalted to God's right hand as ruler of all, and has given us the Holy Spirit as a sign of His authority and a promise that he will always reign.

Psalm 4 verse 3 says, "But know that the Lord has set apart the godly for himself; the Lord hears when I call to him." What an amazing correlation. God hears David's prayers because He has set David apart. If God sets you apart, He listens to your prayers. I would venture to say that the reverse of this is also true. If God hasn't set you apart, He won't hear your prayers.

The passage from Genesis covers God's covenant with Noah to the calling of Abraham. There are a couple of interesting verses in this passage. Chapter 10 verse 9 says, "He was a mighty hunter before the Lord. Therefore it is said, 'Like Nimrod a mighty hunter before the Lord'." How good at hunting do you have to be to get that title? One day maybe someone will say of me, "Like Zach a mighty blogger before the Lord." That would be cool :-)
In chapter 11 verse 28 we read, "Haran died in the presence of his father Terah in the land of his kindred, in Ur of the Chaldeans." I wonder if this is the first time that a parent naturally outlived one of their children and that is the reason it is recorded...

The DJBRP Jan 3rd

The reading for Jan. 3rd was Matthew 2:1-12, Acts 2:1-21, Psalm 3, and Genesis 5-8.

The passage from Matthew covers the visit of the wise men. This is the first time in the gospel of Matthew that Jesus is referred to as king and the first time that he is worshipped as such. Verse 3 says, "When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him." I can understand Herod, the wicked king, fearing the birth of Christ, but I don't understand why all of Jerusalem was troubled. Isn't this the one they were all waiting for? It seems to me that they would have been excited about his birth.

The passage from Acts covers the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the disciples. The interesting thing to me about this passage is the prophecy of Joel that, as Peter declared to those who were gathered, is fulfilled. The prophecy of Joel is not just about the Spirit being poured out, but also about judgement and the last days. I can definitely see how verses 17, 18, and 21 were fulfilled, but how were verses 19 and 20 fulfilled? Anyone?

Psalm 3 is a beautiful psalm of God's protection. David, while running from his son Absolom, says, "But you, O Lord, are a shield about me, my glory, and the lifter of my head. I cried aloud to the Lord and He answered me from His holy hill. Selah. I lay down and slept; I woke again, for the Lord sustained me." Can anyone have greater confidence than this? The only reason we make it through the night is God's care of us. This should give us the confidence of David, who cried out to God and expected to be heard because God loves us!

Genesis 5-8 cover the events of the flood. The main thing in this passage, to me, is the promise that God gives at the end of chapter 8, "I will never again curse the ground because of man, for the intention of man's heart is evil from his youth. Neither again will I strike down every living creature as I have done. While the earth remains, seed-time and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, shall not cease." Even though God recognizes the evil heart of man, He chose to put up with us. Instead of destroying the earth, God promises to sustain it in spite of evil man. How much does God love the works of His hands? I could be wrong, but I believe the phrase "while the earth remains" could be understood as "forever" and it is reinforced by the final phrase of "shall not cease." So you might say that this promise to the earth is "forever and ever."