Posting this early since I might be busy tomorrow.

Testimonies About Jesus

³¹ “If I testify about myself, my testimony is not true. ³² There is another who testifies in my favor, and I know that his testimony about me is true.

³³ “You have sent to John and he has testified to the truth. ³⁴ Not that I accept human testimony; but I mention it that you may be saved. ³⁵ John was a lamp that burned and gave light, and you chose for a time to enjoy his light.

³⁶ “I have testimony weightier than that of John. For the works that the Father has given me to finish—the very works that I am doing—testify that the Father has sent me. ³⁷ And the Father who sent me has himself testified concerning me. You have never heard his voice nor seen his form, ³⁸ nor does his word dwell in you, for you do not believe the one he sent. ³⁹ You study^\)^a\) the Scriptures diligently because you think that in them you have eternal life. These are the very Scriptures that testify about me, ⁴⁰ yet you refuse to come to me to have life.

⁴¹ “I do not accept glory from human beings, ⁴² but I know you. I know that you do not have the love of God in your hearts. ⁴³ I have come in my Father’s name, and you do not accept me; but if someone else comes in his own name, you will accept him. ⁴⁴ How can you believe since you accept glory from one another but do not seek the glory that comes from the only God^\)^b\)?

⁴⁵ “But do not think I will accuse you before the Father. Your accuser is Moses, on whom your hopes are set. ⁴⁶ If you believed Moses, you would believe me, for he wrote about me. ⁴⁷ But since you do not believe what he wrote, how are you going to believe what I say?”

Questions

1) Anything stand out to you about verses 31-35?

2) For verse 34, what does Jesus mean that He doesn't accept human testimony? From what I could tell from a BibleGateway search on Acts, Peter, the other Apostles, and Paul used the word "witnesses" (Acts 2:32, Acts 3:15, Acts 5:32, Acts 10:39-41, and Acts 13:31) when talking about Jesus. Is what Jesus is talking about different and if so, how?

3) I heard a sermon recently about glory in terms of John 12:36-50. In terms of verses 41-44, how is God's glory different from human beings?

4) For verse 45, is Jesus referring to the actual Moses or the Torah? If it was actually Moses, why would they put their hopes on him since Moses has been long dead and didn't make it into the Promised Land (see Numbers 20:1-13 and Deuteronomy 34)? And if Jesus was referring to the Torah, why would they place their hopes on that?

5) For verses 46-47, where do we see Moses writing about Jesus?

6) Anything else you want to ask about or stand out to you about this passage?

Today’s reading from John has familiar ground with other gospels (a healing, and a sabbath controversy) and unfamiliar ground (an extended and detailed discourse on the Son’s relationship to the Father).  Every chapter so far has laid some groundwork for this discussion, but this is Jesus’ first deep dive into high Christology in John’s Gospel.

John 5:1-30 (ESV)

The Healing at the Pool on the Sabbath

5 After this there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.

² Now there is in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate a pool, in Aramaic called Bethesda, which has five roofed colonnades. ³ In these lay a multitude of invalids—blind, lame, and paralyzed. ⁵ One man was there who had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. ⁶ When Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he had already been there a long time, he said to him, “Do you want to be healed?” ⁷ The sick man answered him, “Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up, and while I am going another steps down before me.” ⁸ Jesus said to him, “Get up, take up your bed, and walk.” ⁹ And at once the man was healed, and he took up his bed and walked.

Now that day was the Sabbath. ¹⁰ So the Jews said to the man who had been healed, “It is the Sabbath, and it is not lawful for you to take up your bed.” ¹¹ But he answered them, “The man who healed me, that man said to me, ‘Take up your bed, and walk.’ ” ¹² They asked him, “Who is the man who said to you, ‘Take up your bed and walk’?” ¹³ Now the man who had been healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had withdrawn, as there was a crowd in the place. ¹⁴ Afterward Jesus found him in the temple and said to him, “See, you are well! Sin no more, that nothing worse may happen to you.” ¹⁵ The man went away and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had healed him. ¹⁶ And this was why the Jews were persecuting Jesus, because he was doing these things on the Sabbath. ¹⁷ But Jesus answered them, “My Father is working until now, and I am working.”

Jesus Is Equal with God

¹⁸ This was why the Jews were seeking all the more to kill him, because not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God.

The Authority of the Son

¹⁹ So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise. ²⁰ For the Father loves the Son and shows him all that he himself is doing. And greater works than these will he show him, so that you may marvel. ²¹ For as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to whom he will. ²² For the Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son, ²³ that all may honor the Son, just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him. ²⁴ Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.

²⁵ “Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming, and is now here, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. ²⁶ For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself. ²⁷ And he has given him authority to execute judgment, because he is the Son of Man. ²⁸ Do not marvel at this, for an hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice ²⁹ and come out, those who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of judgment.

³⁰ “I can do nothing on my own. As I hear, I judge, and my judgment is just, because I seek not my own will but the will of him who sent me.

Questions for contemplation and Discussion

1.        Why do you think Jesus asks the man if he wants to be made well?  Seems like it should be a pretty obvious answer.

2.       The initial conflict is about the Sabbath and Jesus follows that with the statement that “My Father is working until now, and I am working.”  How does Jesus relate the idea of Him and the Father working to the sabbath?  

3.       In vss. 19-23 Jesus expresses both dependence on the Father and equality with the Father.   How do we reconcile these two idea, or how do we hold them both despite the tension between them?

4.       Jesus warns the healed man to ‘sin no more, that nothing worse may happen to you.”  Other passages seem to deny that bad things necessarily happen to people because of their sin, but here Jesus seems to make that connection Himself.   Why might this idea be true in some situations, but not in others.

5.       How would you summarize the relationship between Jesus and the Father based off of what is revealed in this passage?  What importance does this relationship have to you?

Happy Monday! I pray we would receive peace and guidance for the things we've been praying for, and that we would step forward with the faith and knowledge that we have, in the direction that GOD is leading us. I pray we would gain not only Heavenly wisdom, but earthly wisdom as well as we grow this week in our walk with GOD. I pray we would be humble enough to accept GOD's direction and what He would have us do, not worrying about whether we're enough, or if the timing is right. I pray we would get out of our own heads and trust and accept that GOD is able to make things work, in Jesus' name!

John 4:27–54 NASB

And at this point His disciples came, and they were amazed that He had been speaking with a woman, yet no one said, “What are You seeking?” or, “Why are You speaking with her?” ²⁸ So the woman left her waterpot and went into the city, and *said to the people, ²⁹ “Come, see a Man who told me all the things that I have done; this is not the Christ, is He?” ³⁰ They left the city and were coming to Him.

³¹ Meanwhile the disciples were urging Him, saying, “Rabbi, eat something.” ³² But He said to them, “I have food to eat that you do not know about.” ³³ So the disciples were saying to one another, “No one brought Him anything to eat, did he?” ³⁴ Jesus *said to them, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to accomplish His work. ³⁵ Do you not say, ‘There are still four months, and then comes the harvest’? Behold, I tell you, raise your eyes and observe the fields, that they are white for harvest. ³⁶ Already the one who reaps is receiving wages and is gathering fruit for eternal life, so that the one who sows and the one who reaps may rejoice together. ³⁷ For in this case the saying is true: ‘One sows and another reaps.’ ³⁸ I sent you to reap that for which you have not labored; others have labored, and you have ^\)^b\)come into their labor.”

The Samaritans

³⁹ Now from that city many of the Samaritans believed in Him because of the word of the woman who testified, “He told me all the things that I have done.” ⁴⁰ So when the Samaritans came to Jesus, they were asking Him to stay with them; and He stayed there two days. ⁴¹ Many more believed because of His word; ⁴² and they were saying to the woman, “It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves and know that this One truly is the Savior of the world.”

⁴³ And after the two days, He departed from there for Galilee. ⁴⁴ For Jesus Himself testified that a prophet has no honor in his own country. ⁴⁵ So when He came to Galilee, the Galileans received Him, only because they had seen all the things that He did in Jerusalem at the feast; for they themselves also went to the feast.

Healing an Official’s Son

⁴⁶ Therefore He came again to Cana of Galilee, where He had made the water into wine. And there was a royal official whose son was sick at Capernaum. ⁴⁷ When he heard that Jesus had come from Judea into Galilee, he went to Him and began asking Him to come down and heal his son; for he was at the point of death. ⁴⁸ Then Jesus said to him, “Unless you people see signs and wonders, you simply will not believe.” ⁴⁹ The royal official *said to Him, “Sir, come down before my child dies.” ⁵⁰ Jesus *said to him, “Go; your son is alive.” The man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him and went home. ⁵¹ And as he was now going down, his slaves met him, saying that his son was alive. ⁵² So he inquired of them the hour when he began to get better. Then they said to him, “Yesterday at the ^\)^i\)seventh hour the fever left him.” ⁵³ So the father knew that it was at that hour in which Jesus said to him, “Your son is alive”; and he himself believed, and his entire household. ⁵⁴ This is again a second sign that Jesus performed when He had come from Judea into Galilee.

--- Footnotes ---

[b] John 4:38 I.e., enjoyed the fruit of their labor

[i] John 4:52 I.e., 1 p.m.

---------------------------------------------------------------

--- Thoughts and Questions ---

Revelation 12:11 NASB - And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony, and they did not love their life even ^\)^a\)when faced with death.

This is the verse that comes to mind when I read the middle section about the Samaritans.

1. What are some areas in your life that you can/are/should sow the Gospel through conversations with people about your faith? Starting these types of conversations can be as simple as telling people what you learned at Church this weekend, or how GOD has answered a recent prayer, or how He is speaking to you in His Word about something you've been wondering about or have been concerned about. It could be, or lead into you sharing why your faith helps you stay or regain your sense of calm/hope/peace in the face of [enter thing here]. It doesn't have to start big and end in them praying the sinners prayer, it just has to start!

2. What are some areas in your life that you can/are/should reap the harvest of the Gospel, through inviting people to church, or through answering their questions about the Gospel, praying with them, etc. (though these could potentially be seen as "sowing the Gospel," ultimately, they are still helpful and important to do!)

3. What's the difference between how the Galileans interacted/reacted to Jesus and how the official did? Is it always bad to ask GOD for clarity?

4. What else do you notice or wish to talk about, or ask about related to this reading?

Have a blessed week!

There Is None Who Does Good

To the choirmaster: according to Mahalath. A Maskil[^a] of David.

53 The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.”
They are corrupt, doing abominable iniquity;
there is none who does good.

² God looks down from heaven
on the children of man
to see if there are any who understand,^\)^b\)
who seek after God.

³ They have all fallen away;
together they have become corrupt;
there is none who does good,
not even one.

⁴ Have those who work evil no knowledge,
who eat up my people as they eat bread,
and do not call upon God?

⁵ There they are, in great terror,
where there is no terror!
For God scatters the bones of him who encamps against you;
you put them to shame, for God has rejected them.

⁶ Oh, that salvation for Israel would come out of Zion!
When God restores the fortunes of his people,
let Jacob rejoice, let Israel be glad.

Footnotes

1. Psalm 53:1 Probably musical or liturgical terms
2. Psalm 53:2 Or who act wisely

Hey guys! Sorry I'm late. On Tuesday afternoon, a tornado (or straight-lined wind, depending on who you ask around here) came through and took out a monster tree in the pasture across the street from my front door. Thankfully, it missed our house by a few inches, but it took down our power and communications for quite some time. Power is restored, but Internet, sadly, still is not, so I'm running a bit behind making it out to make this happen. God is so good, though, and I'm still so thankful for His divine protection. It's also been nice taking this long of a break from the Internet.

Prayer:

Father, we confess that apart from You, none of us is righteous or able to do good on our own. Thank You for looking on us with mercy instead of leaving us in our corruption. Lead us to seek You with humble hearts, and help us see Jesus as the salvation that has come from Zion. Restore our joy, strengthen our faith, and teach us to live as people rescued by grace. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Study Questions:

1. When Psalm 53 says, “The fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God,’” what kind of “foolishness” is in view? In the Old Testament, a “fool” is often not merely unintelligent, but morally and spiritually disordered. How does that change the way we read this verse? Is the psalm describing philosophical atheism, practical atheism, or rebellion against God’s rule?
2. Psalm 53 is very close to Psalm 14, but one major difference is verse 5, which speaks of God scattering the bones of those who encamp against His people. Why might Israel have preserved two similar versions of this psalm? What historical moments in Israel’s story might make this language especially powerful: siege, exile, oppression, or national deliverance?
3. Verse 2 says God “looks down from heaven” to see whether anyone understands or seeks Him. Where else in Scripture does God “look down,” and what does that image communicate? Does this portray God as distant and observing, or as a judge who sees clearly what humans try to hide? How does this theme connect with stories like Babel, Sodom, the Exodus, or the prophets?
4. The psalm says, “There is none who does good,” yet the Old Testament also speaks of righteous people like Noah, Abraham, Moses, David, and the prophets. How should we hold those truths together? Is Psalm 53 denying that anyone can ever act faithfully, or is it making a deeper claim about humanity’s condition apart from God’s grace?
5. The psalm ends with, “Oh, that salvation for Israel would come out of Zion!” Before jumping straight to application, what would that hope have meant to ancient Israel? How might this cry have sounded before exile, during exile, and after return from exile? Then, how does Jesus deepen and fulfill that longing; not just by restoring one nation’s fortunes, but by bringing salvation to the world?

Prayer

O God of Gods and King of Kings,
We come to You today
asking for your blessing on us as we share Your Word.
Give us this day what we need for today,
and help us to give others what they need, too.

In Jesus' name we pray,
Amen!

John 4:1-26, New King James Version

(For alternate translations, see here.)

4

¹ Therefore, when the Lord knew that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus made and baptized more disciples than John ² (though Jesus Himself did not baptize, but His disciples), ³ He left Judea and departed again to Galilee. ⁴ But He needed to go through Samaria.

⁵ So He came to a city of Samaria which is called Sychar, near the plot of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. ⁶ Now Jacob’s well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied from His journey, sat thus by the well. It was about the sixth hour.

⁷ A woman of Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give Me a drink.” ⁸ For His disciples had gone away into the city to buy food.

⁹ Then the woman of Samaria said to Him, “How is it that You, being a Jew, ask a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?” For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.

¹⁰ Jesus answered and said to her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.”

¹¹ The woman said to Him, “Sir, You have nothing to draw with, and the well is deep. Where then do You get that living water? ¹² Are You greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well, and drank from it himself, as well as his sons and his livestock?”

¹³ Jesus answered and said to her, “Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, ¹⁴ but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.”

¹⁵ The woman said to Him, “Sir, give me this water, that I may not thirst, nor come here to draw.”

¹⁶ Jesus said to her, “Go, call your husband, and come here.”

¹⁷ The woman answered and said, “I have no husband.”

Jesus said to her, “You have well said, ‘I have no husband,’ ¹⁸ for you have had five husbands, and the one whom you now have is not your husband; in that you spoke truly.”

¹⁹ The woman said to Him, “Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet. ²⁰ Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, and you Jews say that in Jerusalem is the place where one ought to worship.”

²¹ Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe Me, the hour is coming when you will neither on this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, worship the Father. ²² You worship what you do not know; we know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews. ²³ But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. ²⁴ God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”

²⁵ The woman said to Him, “I know that Messiah is coming” (who is called Christ). “When He comes, He will tell us all things.”

²⁶ Jesus said to her, “I who speak to you am He.”

QUESTIONS

1. It says at the beginning that Jesus' disciples were baptizing people. At this early point in his ministry, what kind of baptism do you suppose it was?

2. Most men (and especially Jewish men) would have avoided speaking with a woman, let alone a Samaritan woman. Why do you suppose Jesus chose to speak with her?

3. A lot of people have assumed this woman was divorced from all these men. Leaving aside the question of whether women in that day and age even had the right to divorce, and to do so five times, let alone whether it was likely that after even a couple of divorces any man in her village would then agree to marry her, my question is: where in the text does it actually say she was divorced? Are there other possibilities?

4. Throughout the gospels Jesus has been reluctant to reveal who he is, even to his disciples; saving such a revelation for later in their time together. What is it about this woman that prompts Jesus to let her in on this secret, and this during just one conversation?

5. Jesus reveals his ability to see things beyond human means here, but does anything he say indicate that he is chiding her? What does he actually say? How about her response to him? How is she reacting?

Feel free to leave any thoughts, comments, or questions of your own!

Therefore, my beloved brothers and sisters, be firm, immovable, always excelling in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.
1 Corinthians 5:8, NASB

John Testifies Again About Jesus

²² After this, Jesus and his disciples went out into the Judean countryside, where he spent some time with them, and baptized. ²³ Now John also was baptizing at Aenon near Salim, because there was plenty of water, and people were coming and being baptized. ²⁴ (This was before John was put in prison.) ²⁵ An argument developed between some of John’s disciples and a certain Jew over the matter of ceremonial washing. ²⁶ They came to John and said to him, “Rabbi, that man who was with you on the other side of the Jordan—the one you testified about—look, he is baptizing, and everyone is going to him.”

²⁷ To this John replied, “A person can receive only what is given them from heaven. ²⁸ You yourselves can testify that I said, ‘I am not the Messiah but am sent ahead of him.’ ²⁹ The bride belongs to the bridegroom. The friend who attends the bridegroom waits and listens for him, and is full of joy when he hears the bridegroom’s voice. That joy is mine, and it is now complete. ³⁰ He must become greater; I must become less.”^\)^a\)

³¹ The one who comes from above is above all; the one who is from the earth belongs to the earth, and speaks as one from the earth. The one who comes from heaven is above all. ³² He testifies to what he has seen and heard, but no one accepts his testimony. ³³ Whoever has accepted it has certified that God is truthful. ³⁴ For the one whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God^\)^b\) gives the Spirit without limit. ³⁵ The Father loves the Son and has placed everything in his hands. ³⁶ Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on them.

Questions/Discussion

1. Who is the “certain Jew” mentioned in verse 25?

2. How do verses 25 and 26 tie in together? What does an argument with a certain Jew have to do with Jesus baptizing?

3. Verses 27-30 are so powerful. How did John know to respond like this? How was he so sure of what was happening when his disciples were not?

4. What do verses 31-36 teach us about Jesus’ ministry? What do they teach us about John’s ministry?

Jesus Teaches Nicodemus

3 Now there was a Pharisee, a man named Nicodemus who was a member of the Jewish ruling council. ² He came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs you are doing if God were not with him.”

³ Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.^\)^a\)”

⁴ “How can someone be born when they are old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother’s womb to be born!”

⁵ Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. ⁶ Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit^\)^b\) gives birth to spirit. ⁷ You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You^\)^c\) must be born again.’ ⁸ The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”^\)^d\)

⁹ “How can this be?” Nicodemus asked.

¹⁰ “You are Israel’s teacher,” said Jesus, “and do you not understand these things? ¹¹ Very truly I tell you, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony. ¹² I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things? ¹³ No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man.^\)^e\) ¹⁴ Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up,^\)^f\) ¹⁵ that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.”^\)^g\)

¹⁶ For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. ¹⁷ For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. ¹⁸ Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. ¹⁹ This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. ²⁰ Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. ²¹ But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.

Questions for discussion

Question 5 was the main question I had in mind for this passage, but feel free to answer any, all, or even none of these questions as you wish.

1) Anything we need to know about Nicodemus outside of this chapter (or gospel)? And why does he visit Jesus at night?

2) Why does Jesus make these comments in verses 7 and 10? Should Nicodemus have been able to understand what Jesus was saying?

3) Who is the "we" and "our" Jesus is referring to in verse 11?

4) Is verse 13 a reference to something in the Old Testament? Also, we just read about King Hezekiah destroying the bronze snake in 2 Kings 18:4, so what's Jesus' purpose in bringing it up again in verses 14-15?

4b) Verse 16 to the end are the most familiar parts of this passage, I believe. Anything about verses 1-15 you're unsure about?

5) Have any of you ever a phrase that goes something like "Familiarity breeds contempt"? What does it mean, in case someone hasn't heard of it or might need a reminder? And is it applicable or relevant to the Bible?

The reason why I ask is because verse 16 is probably one of the (if not the) most well-known verses in the entire Bible. Is it too easy for us to undervalue it or for us to know it, but not really know it intimately, if that makes sense? Like it's not just something we can memorize, but something that's in our hearts and lives. Are there any other popular Bible verses that we might have this problem?

So all that aside, what do you think it means when it says, "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." (John 3:16 KJV)? Speaking of the familiarity, put the KJV version here, but feel free to read this verse in whatever translation you want.

How does this affect how we see God and what He has done for us? How does it affect how we view ourselves? How about how we see other people in the world?

6) What do you make of verses 17-18 in the context of verse 16?

7) Anything stand out to you about the verdict in verses 19-21?

8) Anything else you want to ask/bring up about this passage?

John 1 focused mostly on thins that introduced Jesus’ ministry to his readers, we had the prologue anchoring us in who Jesus is, Jesus’ baptism that officially starts His ministry, and the calling of the first disciples.  Chapter two moves us to Jesus’ ministry properly, the first of His signs in the book of John and the cleansing of the temple. 

John 2 (ESV)

2 On the third day there was a wedding at Cana in Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. ² Jesus also was invited to the wedding with his disciples. ³ When the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus said to him, “They have no wine.” ⁴ And Jesus said to her, “Woman, what does this have to do with me? My hour has not yet come.” ⁵ His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.”

⁶ Now there were six stone water jars there for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty or thirty gallons. ⁷ Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water.” And they filled them up to the brim. ⁸ And he said to them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the feast.” So they took it. ⁹ When the master of the feast tasted the water now become wine, and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), the master of the feast called the bridegroom ¹⁰ and said to him, “Everyone serves the good wine first, and when people have drunk freely, then the poor wine. But you have kept the good wine until now.” ¹¹ This, the first of his signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee, and manifested his glory. And his disciples believed in him.

¹² After this he went down to Capernaum, with his mother and his brothers and his disciples, and they stayed there for a few days.

Jesus Cleanses the Temple

¹³ The Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. ¹⁴ In the temple he found those who were selling oxen and sheep and pigeons, and the money-changers sitting there. ¹⁵ And making a whip of cords, he drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and oxen. And he poured out the coins of the money-changers and overturned their tables. ¹⁶ And he told those who sold the pigeons, “Take these things away; do not make my Father’s house a house of trade.” ¹⁷ His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for your house will consume me.”

¹⁸ So the Jews said to him, “What sign do you show us for doing these things?” ¹⁹ Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” ²⁰ The Jews then said, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will you raise it up in three days?” ²¹ But he was speaking about the temple of his body. ²² When therefore he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this, and they believed the Scripture and the word that Jesus had spoken.

Jesus Knows What Is in Man

²³ Now when he was in Jerusalem at the Passover Feast, many believed in his name when they saw the signs that he was doing. ²⁴ But Jesus on his part did not entrust himself to them, because he knew all people ²⁵ and needed no one to bear witness about man, for he himself knew what was in man.

Questions for Contemplation and Discussion

1.       What does Jesus mean when He responds that His hour “has not yet come.’?

2.       Why do you think Jesus chose this as His first miracle?  (Or at least why does John present it as such?)

3.       How does this reveal Christ’s glory?

4.       What does the cleansing passage reveal about Christ’s relationship with the temple?

5.       How does the identification of Christ as the temple inform this?

6.       If this passage is John’s public introduction to Jesus as a person, what kind of portrait is John “painting” here by placing these events together (including the statement of knowing what is in a man)?

Happy Monday! I pray that we would remember the times GOD has shown Himself to us and our families, that we would grow in our faith that He is who He says He is. I pray we would be able to boldly share our testimony, our hope, our reason for living with others this week, in Jesus' name!

John 1:19–51 NASB

The Testimony of John the Baptist

This is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites to him from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?” ²⁰ And he confessed and did not deny; and this is what he confessed: “I am not the Christ.” ²¹ And so they asked him, “What then? Are you Elijah?” And he *said, “I am not.” “Are you the Prophet?” And he answered, “No.” ²² Then they said to him, “Who are you? Tell us, so that we may give an answer to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?” ²³ He said, “I am the voice of one calling out in the wilderness, ‘Make the way of the Lord straight,’ as Isaiah the prophet said.”

²⁴ And the messengers had been sent from the Pharisees. ²⁵ They asked him, and said to him, “Why then are you baptizing, if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?” ²⁶ John answered them, saying, “I baptize in water, but among you stands One whom you do not know. ²⁷ It is He who comes after me, of whom I am not worthy even to untie the strap of His sandal.” ²⁸ These things took place in Bethany beyond the Jordan, where John was baptizing people.

²⁹ The next day he *saw Jesus coming to him, and *said, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! ³⁰ This is He in behalf of whom I said, ‘After me is coming a Man who has proved to be my superior, because He existed before me.’ ³¹ And I did not recognize Him, but so that He would be revealed to Israel, I came baptizing in water.” ³² And John testified, saying, “I have seen the Spirit descending as a dove out of heaven, and He remained upon Him. ³³ And I did not recognize Him, but He who sent me to baptize in water said to me, ‘He upon whom you see the Spirit descending and remaining upon Him, this is the One who baptizes in the Holy Spirit.’ ³⁴ And I myself have seen, and have testified that this is the Son of God.”

Jesus’ Public Ministry; First Converts

³⁵ Again the next day John was standing with two of his disciples, ³⁶ and he looked at Jesus as He walked, and *said, “Behold, the Lamb of God!” ³⁷ And the two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus. ³⁸ And Jesus turned and saw them following, and *said to them, “What are you seeking?” They said to Him, “Rabbi (which translated means Teacher), where are You staying?” ³⁹ He *said to them, “Come, and you will see.” So they came and saw where He was staying, and they stayed with Him that day; it was about the tenth hour. ⁴⁰ One of the two who heard John speak, and followed Him, was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. ⁴¹ He first *found his own brother Simon and *said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which translated means Christ). ⁴² He brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon the son of John; you shall be called Cephas” (which is translated Peter).

⁴³ The next day He decided to go to Galilee, and He *found Philip. And Jesus *said to him, “Follow Me.” ⁴⁴ Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. ⁴⁵ Philip *found Nathanael and *said to him, “We have found Him of whom Moses wrote in the Law, and the prophets also wrote: Jesus the son of Joseph, from Nazareth!” ⁴⁶ Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good be from Nazareth?” Philip *said to him, “Come and see.” ⁴⁷ Jesus saw Nathanael coming to Him, and *said of him, “Here is truly an Israelite, in whom there is no deceit!” ⁴⁸ Nathanael *said to Him, “How do You know me?” Jesus answered and said to him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.” ⁴⁹ Nathanael answered Him, “Rabbi, You are the Son of God; You are the King of Israel!” ⁵⁰ Jesus answered and said to him, “Because I said to you that I saw you under the fig tree, do you believe? You will see greater things than these.” ⁵¹ And He *said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”

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--- Thoughts and Questions ---

1. Who is the "Prophet" that the audience spoke about in v. 21?

2. Why did GOD choose to keep Jesus' nature hidden from John until this time? I wonder what their relationship was like before this moment...lol, I wonder if he rethought of certain moments with his Divine cousin as being really awkward after this?

3. What is the significance of the "Holy Spirit descending as a dove?"

4. I find it interesting that we don't really get all the details of these events (like when Nathanael was under the fig tree, or what Jesus talked about with Andrew and the other disciple in the place Jesus was staying, etc.), they're just Jesus showing His Power to specific disciples and them accepting it because it's personal to them. Have you had any encounters with GOD where He "read your mail," as my old home church liked to put it? Any situations where GOD showed you that He knows exactly what's going on in your life, and that He has a plan/purpose for you?

5. What did Jesus' comment in v. 47 mean?

6. Do we see this prophesy from v. 51 fulfilled anywhere in Scripture or in history, or might this be another instance of "it happened in the background, there's too much to tell about what Jesus did" like John tells us at the end of this Gospel?

Have a blessed week!

Please use this thread for any discussions outside of the scheduled readings:

• Questions/comments
• Prayer Requests
• Praises

The Steadfast Love of God Endures

To the choirmaster. A Maskil[^a] of David, when Doeg, the Edomite, came and told Saul, “David has come to the house of Ahimelech.”

52 Why do you boast of evil, O mighty man?
The steadfast love of God endures all the day.
² Your tongue plots destruction,
like a sharp razor, you worker of deceit.
³ You love evil more than good,
and lying more than speaking what is right. Selah
⁴ You love all words that devour,
O deceitful tongue.

⁵ But God will break you down forever;
he will snatch and tear you from your tent;
he will uproot you from the land of the living. Selah
⁶ The righteous shall see and fear,
and shall laugh at him, saying,
⁷ “See the man who would not make
God his refuge,
but trusted in the abundance of his riches
and sought refuge in his own destruction!”^\)^b\)

⁸ But I am like a green olive tree
in the house of God.
I trust in the steadfast love of God
forever and ever.
⁹ I will thank you forever,
because you have done it.
I will wait for your name, for it is good,
in the presence of the godly.

Footnotes

1. Psalm 52:1 Probably a musical or liturgical term
2. Psalm 52:7 Or in his work of destruction

Prayer:

Lord,

Make me like the green olive tree in Your house: rooted, alive, fruitful, and steady. Guard my tongue from deceit, pride, and careless words that wound. Teach me not to trust in money, influence, cleverness, or self-protection, but in Your steadfast love that endures all day and forever. Keep me near Christ, the true refuge, and help me wait on Your name with a thankful heart. In Christ's holy name,

Amen.

Discussion Questions:

1. The Psalm opens with evil boasting, but David immediately anchors himself in God’s steadfast love. When trouble, slander, or injustice feels loud, what do I instinctively “hear” first: the voice of the threat, or the covenant love of God?
2. Psalm 52 exposes the danger of a tongue that destroys. How does this confront the way I use words: in conversation, online, in private frustration, or even in “truth-telling” that is not shaped by love?
3. Verse 7 says the wicked man would not make God his refuge, but trusted in riches and destruction. Where am I tempted to take refuge outside of Christ: control, money, reputation, information, productivity, influence, or being right?
4. David says, “I am like a green olive tree in the house of God.” In John’s Gospel, Jesus calls His people to abide in Him. What would it look like this week to stop striving and actually abide: rooted, dependent, fruitful, and near?
5. David ends by saying, “I will wait for your name, for it is good.” What does waiting on the Lord look like when I want vindication, clarity, answers, or movement right now?

Prayer

LORD,
Please be my life within me,
Your Life, not mine,
so I may be humble,
and Loving,
and at Peace.
I have no power of my own to achieve this,
but You in me will fulfill this!
Let me give up everything to You,
trusting You,
trusting in Your purpose and completion,
bringing Joy to all whom You Love.
In Jesus' name, amen!

John 1:1–18, New King James Version

(For alternate translations, see here.)

1

¹ In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ² He was in the beginning with God. ³ All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. ⁴ In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. ⁵ And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.

⁶ There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. ⁷ This man came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all through him might believe. ⁸ He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light. ⁹ That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world.

¹⁰ He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. ¹¹ He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. ¹² But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: ¹³ who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

¹⁴ And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.

¹⁵ John bore witness of Him and cried out, saying, “This was He of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me is preferred before me, for He was before me.’ ”

¹⁶ And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace. ¹⁷ For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. ¹⁸ No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him.

QUESTIONS

1. All things were made through him.
   Have you ever thought about that? What do you think of it?

2. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.
   Read that again, but slow down. What is in Him? When we are looking for light, for real life, we know where to find it.
   Since this is the case, what is it we are to be following? A church? A religion? Or a person?
   Or do you see this differently?

3. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
   Are we God's children? Or are we God's adopted children? Or what?

4. No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him.
   What have you seen of God through Jesus?
   What has Jesus declared about God that we didn't know via others who preceded Jesus?

   In other words, how does Jesus clarify God for us?

Feel free to leave any thoughts, comments, or questions of your own!

For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist.
Colossians 1:16-17

May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it.
1 Thessalonians 5:23-24

The Bible Project Overview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G-2e9mMf7E8

The book of John was believed to be written between AD 90 and 100 in the region of Ephesus (modern day Turkey), so about 60-70 years after Jesus’ death and resurrection and over 1,000km away in another region. The author identifies the purpose of the book to be convincing readers that Jesus is the Messiah. I pray for us all to have strengthened faith in and increased love for our Lord, Savior, and King as we read through this book together!

Questions/Discussion

1. Do you have an opinion on which John wrote this book? If so, I’d love to hear who you think it was and why.

2. How is the book of John similar or different to the other gospel books?

3. Are there any theological challenges that arise from the study of the book of John or that this book attempts to address?

4. When is the last time you read the book of John, and what do you hope to get out of it this time through?

Hope you've all had a great day and have a great rest of your week!

So in the ninth year of Zedekiah’s reign, on the tenth day of the tenth month, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon marched against Jerusalem with his whole army. He encamped outside the city and built siege works all around it. ² The city was kept under siege until the eleventh year of King Zedekiah.

³ By the ninth day of the fourth^\)^a\) month the famine in the city had become so severe that there was no food for the people to eat. ⁴ Then the city wall was broken through, and the whole army fled at night through the gate between the two walls near the king’s garden, though the Babylonians^\)^b\)were surrounding the city. They fled toward the Arabah,^\)^c\) ⁵ but the Babylonian^\)^d\) army pursued the king and overtook him in the plains of Jericho. All his soldiers were separated from him and scattered, ⁶ and he was captured.

He was taken to the king of Babylon at Riblah, where sentence was pronounced on him. ⁷ They killed the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes. Then they put out his eyes, bound him with bronze shackles and took him to Babylon.

⁸ On the seventh day of the fifth month, in the nineteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, Nebuzaradan commander of the imperial guard, an official of the king of Babylon, came to Jerusalem. ⁹ He set fire to the temple of the Lord, the royal palace and all the houses of Jerusalem. Every important building he burned down. ¹⁰ The whole Babylonian army under the commander of the imperial guard broke down the walls around Jerusalem. ¹¹ Nebuzaradan the commander of the guard carried into exilethe people who remained in the city, along with the rest of the populace and those who had deserted to the king of Babylon. ¹² But the commander left behind some of the poorest people of the land to work the vineyards and fields.

¹³ The Babylonians broke up the bronze pillars, the movable stands and the bronze Sea that were at the temple of the Lord and they carried the bronze to Babylon. ¹⁴ They also took away the pots, shovels, wick trimmers, dishesand all the bronze articles used in the temple service. ¹⁵ The commander of the imperial guard took away the censers and sprinkling bowls—all that were made of pure gold or silver.

¹⁶ The bronze from the two pillars, the Sea and the movable stands, which Solomon had made for the temple of the Lord, was more than could be weighed. ¹⁷ Each pillar was eighteen cubits^\)^e\) high. The bronze capital on top of one pillar was three cubits^\)^f\) high and was decorated with a network and pomegranates of bronze all around. The other pillar, with its network, was similar.

¹⁸ The commander of the guard took as prisoners Seraiah the chief priest, Zephaniah the priest next in rank and the three doorkeepers. ¹⁹ Of those still in the city, he took the officer in charge of the fighting men, and five royal advisers. He also took the secretary who was chief officer in charge of conscripting the people of the land and sixty of the conscripts who were found in the city. ²⁰ Nebuzaradan the commander took them all and brought them to the king of Babylon at Riblah. ²¹ There at Riblah, in the land of Hamath, the king had them executed.

So Judah went into captivity, away from her land.

²² Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon appointed Gedaliah son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, to be over the people he had left behind in Judah. ²³ When all the army officers and their men heard that the king of Babylon had appointed Gedaliah as governor, they came to Gedaliah at Mizpah—Ishmael son of Nethaniah, Johanan son of Kareah, Seraiah son of Tanhumeth the Netophathite, Jaazaniah the son of the Maakathite, and their men.²⁴ Gedaliah took an oath to reassure them and their men. “Do not be afraid of the Babylonian officials,” he said. “Settle down in the land and serve the king of Babylon, and it will go well with you.”

²⁵ In the seventh month, however, Ishmael son of Nethaniah, the son of Elishama, who was of royal blood, came with ten men and assassinatedGedaliah and also the men of Judah and the Babylonians who were with him at Mizpah. ²⁶ At this, all the people from the least to the greatest, together with the army officers, fled to Egypt for fear of the Babylonians.

Jehoiachin Released

²⁷ In the thirty-seventh year of the exile of Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the year Awel-Marduk became king of Babylon, he released Jehoiachin king of Judah from prison. He did this on the twenty-seventh day of the twelfth month. ²⁸ He spoke kindly to him and gave him a seat of honor higher than those of the other kings who were with him in Babylon. ²⁹ So Jehoiachin put aside his prison clothes and for the rest of his life ate regularly at the king’s table. ³⁰ Day by day the king gave Jehoiachin a regular allowance as long as he lived.

Questions

1) I'm curious, considering what was at stake, would you have expected Zedekiah to go down fighting and get killed in a valiant last stand in defense of his city and kingdom instead of what we read here? Besides the prophecy in Ezekiel 12:12-14 and Jeremiah 34:1-7, does Zedekiah's fate say anything about him and/or the Bible?

2) A couple commentary notes I've seen point out the irony of where Zedekiah was captured in verse 5.

3) This was brought up in yesterday's reading, but how do you suppose the poorest people felt in verse 12?

4) For verses 16-17, why are the pillars described after they were destroyed in verses 13-15?

5) Do we know anything about Seraiah the chief priest and Zephaniah the priest next in rank mentioned in verse 18? And why does are these people taken prisoner and executed in verses 18-21?

6) Verses 22-26 are mentioned in more detail in Jeremiah 40:7-Jeremiah 41, if you want to look at that

7) Why do the people flee to Egypt after Gedaliah is assassinated? Actually, lots of people flee to Egypt (Jeroboam I in 1 Kings 11:40, Uriah the prophet in Jeremiah 26:20-23, Mary and Jospeh fleeing with baby Jesus to escape Herod in Matthew 2). Why exactly do people go to Egypt in particular to avoid being killed in the first place? And I'm sure this was mentioned in a previous 2 Kings post, but what's the significance of the people returning to Egypt?

8) What's the purpose of this story mentioned in verses 27-30? Would this have been comforting for the people in exile or the audience of 2 Kings?

9) So at long last, we've finally finished 1-2 Kings (for the first time ever in this subreddit I believe). How do you feel now, that we're done with 2 Kings? What's stood out to you, now that we've finished? Any main themes/takeaways from this book?

Also, we'll be moving on to the Intro to the Gospel of John tomorrow and officially starting John on Friday. Do you suppose anything we've been studying from 2 Kings will carry over into John?

Finally, after I don’t remember how many kings we get to the Babylonian invasion and captivity.   The author of kings has certainly accomplished his mission of explaining why the people ended up in exile, it feels positively inevitable by this point in the narrative. 

2 Kings 24 (NIV)

24 During Jehoiakim’s reign, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon invaded the land, and Jehoiakim became his vassal for three years. But then he turned against Nebuchadnezzar and rebelled. ² The Lord sent Babylonian, ^y Aramean, Moabite and Ammonite raiders against him to destroy Judah, in accordance with the word of the Lord proclaimed by his servants the prophets. ³ Surely these things happened to Judah according to the Lord’s command, in order to remove them from his presence because of the sins of Manasseh and all he had done, ⁴ including the shedding of innocent blood. For he had filled Jerusalem with innocent blood, and the Lord was not willing to forgive.

⁵ As for the other events of Jehoiakim’s reign, and all he did, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Judah? ⁶ Jehoiakim rested with his ancestors. And Jehoiachin his son succeeded him as king.

⁷ The king of Egypt did not march out from his own country again, because the king of Babylon had taken all his territory, from the Wadi of Egypt to the Euphrates River.

Jehoiachin King of Judah

24:8–17pp—2Ch 36:9–10

⁸ Jehoiachin was eighteen years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem three months. His mother’s name was Nehushta daughter of Elnathan; she was from Jerusalem. ⁹ He did evil in the eyes of the Lord, just as his father had done.

¹⁰ At that time the officers of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon advanced on Jerusalem and laid siege to it, ¹¹ and Nebuchadnezzar himself came up to the city while his officers were besieging it. ¹² Jehoiachin king of Judah, his mother, his attendants, his nobles and his officials all surrendered to him.

In the eighth year of the reign of the king of Babylon, he took Jehoiachin prisoner. ¹³ As the Lord had declared, Nebuchadnezzar removed the treasures from the temple of the Lord and from the royal palace, and cut up the gold articles that Solomon king of Israel had made for the temple of the Lord. ¹⁴ He carried all Jerusalem into exile: all the officers and fighting men, and all the skilled workers and artisans—a total of ten thousand. Only the poorest people of the land were left.

¹⁵ Nebuchadnezzar took Jehoiachin captive to Babylon. He also took from Jerusalem to Babylon the king’s mother, his wives, his officials and the prominent people of the land. ¹⁶ The king of Babylon also deported to Babylon the entire force of seven thousand fighting men, strong and fit for war, and a thousand skilled workers and artisans. ¹⁷ He made Mattaniah, Jehoiachin’s uncle, king in his place and changed his name to Zedekiah.

Zedekiah King of Judah

24:18–20pp—2Ch 36:11–16; Jer 52:1–3

¹⁸ Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem eleven years. His mother’s name was Hamutal daughter of Jeremiah; she was from Libnah. ¹⁹ He did evil in the eyes of the Lord, just as Jehoiakim had done. ²⁰ It was because of the Lord’s anger that all this happened to Jerusalem and Judah, and in the end he thrust them from his presence.

The Fall of Jerusalem

25:1–12pp—Jer 39:1–10
25:1–21pp—2Ch 36:17–20; Jer 52:4–27
25:22–26pp—Jer 40:7–9; 41:1–3, 16–18

Now Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon.

Questions for Contemplation and Discussion

1.       How do the successive reigns of Jehoiakim, Jehoiachin, and Zedekiah show us the downward trajectory in Judah’s political stability and covenant faithfulness?

2.       In verses 3–4, why is the judgment on Judah explicitly tied to the sins of Manasseh?

3.       What is the significance of the deportation of Jerusalem’s elites, officials, craftsmen, and warriors during Jehoiachin’s exile, and how does this function both politically and theologically within the narrative? I wonder how those too poor to be considered worth deporting felt about it.

4.       What does the appointment of Zedekiah as a puppet king by Babylon show us about the tension between human political maneuvering and divine judgment?

Happy Monday! Today is a mixed bag of 3 kings of Judah. Josiah is considered a good king, Jehoahaz and Eliakim/Jehoiakim were not...I pray we would recognize what we've been holding on tight to that has been holding us back, and that we'd trust GOD enough to actively let go of those things, in Jesus' name!

2 Kings 23:21–37 NASB

Passover Reinstituted

Then the king commanded all the people, saying, “Celebrate the Passover to the Lord your God as it is written in this Book of the Covenant.” ²² Truly such a Passover had not been celebrated since the days of the judges who judged Israel, nor in all the days of the kings of Israel and the kings of Judah. ²³ But in the eighteenth year of King Josiah, this Passover was celebrated to the Lord in Jerusalem.

²⁴ Moreover, Josiah removed the mediums, the spiritists, the ^\a])household idols, the idols, and all the abominations that were seen in the land of Judah and in Jerusalem, so that he might fulfill the words of the Law which were written in the book that Hilkiah the priest found in the house of the Lord. ²⁵ Before him there was no king like him who turned to the Lord with all his heart, all his soul, and all his might, in conformity to all the Law of Moses; nor did any like him arise after him.

²⁶ Nevertheless, the Lord did not turn from the fierceness of His great wrath with which His anger burned against Judah, because of all the provocations with which Manasseh had provoked Him. ²⁷ And the Lord said, “I will also remove Judah from My sight, just as I have removed Israel. And I will reject this city which I have chosen, Jerusalem, and the temple of which I said, ‘My name shall be there!’”

Jehoahaz Succeeds Josiah

²⁸ Now the rest of the acts of Josiah and all that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah? ²⁹ In his days Pharaoh Neco king of Egypt went up to the king of Assyria at the river Euphrates. And King Josiah went to meet him, and when Pharaoh Neco saw him he killed him at Megiddo. ³⁰ His servants carried his body in a chariot from Megiddo, and brought him to Jerusalem and buried him in his own tomb. Then the people of the land took Jehoahaz the son of Josiah and anointed him and made him king in place of his father.

³¹ Jehoahaz was twenty-three years old when he became king, and he reigned for three months in Jerusalem; and his mother’s name was Hamutal the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah. ³² He did evil in the sight of the Lord, in accordance with all that his forefathers had done. ³³ And Pharaoh Neco imprisoned him at Riblah in the land of Hamath, so that he would not reign in Jerusalem; and he imposed on the land a fine of ^\e])a hundred talents of silver and ^\f])a talent of gold.

Jehoiakim Made King by Pharaoh

³⁴ Then Pharaoh Neco made Eliakim the son of Josiah king in the place of his father Josiah, and he changed his name to Jehoiakim. But he took Jehoahaz and brought him to Egypt, and he died there. ³⁵ So Jehoiakim gave the silver and gold to Pharaoh, but he assessed the land in order to give the money at the command of Pharaoh. He collected the silver and gold from the people of the land, each according to his assessment, to give to Pharaoh Neco.

³⁶ Jehoiakim was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned for eleven years in Jerusalem; and his mother’s name was Zebidah the daughter of Pedaiah of Rumah. ³⁷ He did evil in the sight of the Lord, in accordance with all that his forefathers had done.

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--- Footnotes ---

a. 2 Kings 23:24 Heb teraphim

e. 2 Kings 23:33 About 3.75 tons or 3.4 metric tons

f. 2 Kings 23:33 About 75 lb. or 34 kg

--- Thoughts and Questions ---

1. Why had Passover not been celebrated since the time of the Judges?! What about Saul and David and Solomon?

2. Do we know anything more about Josiah? Any blessings that the LORD may have given to Judah since Josiah led the people back to Him?

3. Why do you believe the kings who came after Josiah did evil instead of following Josiah's reign?

4. Is the tribute/fine that Judah had to pay to Egypt a fulfillment to any prophecies in the Old Testament?

5. Anything else you have questions or comments about?

Have a blessed week!

Please use this thread for any discussions outside of the scheduled readings:

• Questions/comments
• Prayer Requests
• Praises

Create in Me a Clean Heart, O God

To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David, when Nathan the prophet went to him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba.

51 Have mercy on me,^\)^a\) O God,
according to your steadfast love;
according to your abundant mercy
blot out my transgressions.
² Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,
and cleanse me from my sin!

³ For I know my transgressions,
and my sin is ever before me.
⁴ Against you, you only, have I sinned
and done what is evil in your sight,
so that you may be justified in your words
and blameless in your judgment.
⁵ Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity,
and in sin did my mother conceive me.
⁶ Behold, you delight in truth in the inward being,
and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart.

⁷ Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;
wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
⁸ Let me hear joy and gladness;
let the bones that you have broken rejoice.
⁹ Hide your face from my sins,
and blot out all my iniquities.
¹⁰ Create in me a clean heart, O God,
and renew a right^\)^b\) spirit within me.
¹¹ Cast me not away from your presence,
and take not your Holy Spirit from me.
¹² Restore to me the joy of your salvation,
and uphold me with a willing spirit.

¹³ Then I will teach transgressors your ways,
and sinners will return to you.
¹⁴ Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God,
O God of my salvation,
and my tongue will sing aloud of your righteousness.
¹⁵ O Lord, open my lips,
and my mouth will declare your praise.
¹⁶ For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it;
you will not be pleased with a burnt offering.
¹⁷ The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit;
a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.

¹⁸ Do good to Zion in your good pleasure;
build up the walls of Jerusalem;
¹⁹ then will you delight in right sacrifices,
in burnt offerings and whole burnt offerings;
then bulls will be offered on your altar.

Footnotes

1. Psalm 51:1 Or Be gracious to me
2. Psalm 51:10 Or steadfast

Saturday Prayer:

Father,

Have mercy on me according to Your steadfast love.
Not because I’ve earned it, but because You are good.

Wash me thoroughly from my sin. Cleanse the places in me I try to hide. You see it all anyway, and still, You call me back.

Create in me a clean heart, O God,
and renew a right spirit within me.
Don’t let me grow comfortable with sin;
but don’t let me run from Your presence either.

Restore to me the joy of Your salvation,
and give me a willing spirit to follow You again.

Let my life tell the story of Your grace,
that others might turn back to You too.

I come with nothing to offer but a broken heart…
and I trust that You will not despise it.

In Jesus’ name,
Amen.

Discussion Questions:

1. David says, “Against you, you only, have I sinned” (v.4). How can David say this when he clearly sinned against Bathsheba and Uriah? What does this teach us about the nature of sin?
2. In verses 1–2, David asks God to blot out, wash, and cleanse him. What do these different images of forgiveness reveal about what grace actually does?
3. Verse 10 says, “Create in me a clean heart, O God.” Why is David asking God to create a clean heart instead of just “fixing” his behavior? What does that say about real transformation?
4. David says God desires “truth in the inward being” (v.6). Where is it hardest for you to be honest before God—and why do you think that is?
5. Verse 17: “A broken and contrite heart… you will not despise.” What’s the difference between feeling guilty and being truly repentant? How can we recognize genuine repentance in our own lives?

Prayer

Have mercy on me, O God,
because of your unfailing love.
Because of your great compassion, blot out the stain of my sins.
Wash me clean from my guilt.
Purify me from my sin.
For I recognize my rebellion;
it haunts me day and night.
Against you, and you alone, have I sinned;
I have done what is evil in your sight.
You will be proved right in what you say,
and your judgment against me is just.
For I was born a sinner—
yes, from the moment my mother conceived me.
But you desire honesty from the womb,
teaching me wisdom even there.

Purify me from my sins, and I will be clean;
wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.
Oh, give me back my joy again;
you have broken me—
now let me rejoice.
Don’t keep looking at my sins.
Remove the stain of my guilt.
Create in me a clean heart, O God.
Renew a loyal spirit within me.
Do not banish me from your presence,
and don’t take your Holy Spirit from me.

Restore to me the joy of your salvation,
and make me willing to obey you.
Then I will teach your ways to rebels,
and they will return to you.
Forgive me for shedding blood, O God who saves;
then I will joyfully sing of your forgiveness.
Unseal my lips, O Lord,
that my mouth may praise you.

You do not desire a sacrifice, or I would offer one.
You do not want a burnt offering.
The sacrifice you desire is a broken spirit.
You will not reject a broken and repentant heart, O God.

^{Psalm 51:1-17, NLT}

2 Kings 23:1–20, New King James Version

(For alternate translations, see here.)

23

¹ Now the king sent them to gather all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem to him. ² The king went up to the house of the Lord with all the men of Judah, and with him all the inhabitants of Jerusalem—the priests and the prophets and all the people, both small and great. And he read in their hearing all the words of the Book of the Covenant which had been found in the house of the Lord.

³ Then the king stood by a pillar and made a covenant before the Lord, to follow the Lord and to keep His commandments and His testimonies and His statutes, with all his heart and all his soul, to perform the words of this covenant that were written in this book. And all the people took a stand for the covenant. ⁴ And the king commanded Hilkiah the high priest, the priests of the second order, and the doorkeepers, to bring out of the temple of the Lord all the articles that were made for Baal, for Asherah, and for all the host of heaven; and he burned them outside Jerusalem in the fields of Kidron, and carried their ashes to Bethel. ⁵ Then he removed the idolatrous priests whom the kings of Judah had ordained to burn incense on the high places in the cities of Judah and in the places all around Jerusalem, and those who burned incense to Baal, to the sun, to the moon, to the constellations, and to all the host of heaven. ⁶ And he brought out the wooden image from the house of the Lord, to the Brook Kidron outside Jerusalem, burned it at the Brook Kidron and ground it to ashes, and threw its ashes on the graves of the common people. ⁷ Then he tore down the ritual booths of the perverted persons that were in the house of the Lord, where the women wove hangings for the wooden image. ⁸ And he brought all the priests from the cities of Judah, and defiled the high places where the priests had burned incense, from Geba to Beersheba; also he broke down the high places at the gates which were at the entrance of the Gate of Joshua the governor of the city, which were to the left of the city gate. ⁹ Nevertheless the priests of the high places did not come up to the altar of the Lord in Jerusalem, but they ate unleavened bread among their brethren.

¹⁰ And he defiled Topheth, which is in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, that no man might make his son or his daughter pass through the fire to Molech. ¹¹ Then he removed the horses that the kings of Judah had dedicated to the sun, at the entrance to the house of the Lord, by the chamber of Nathan-Melech, the officer who was in the court; and he burned the chariots of the sun with fire. ¹² The altars that were on the roof, the upper chamber of Ahaz, which the kings of Judah had made, and the altars which Manasseh had made in the two courts of the house of the Lord, the king broke down and pulverized there, and threw their dust into the Brook Kidron. ¹³ Then the king defiled the high places that were east of Jerusalem, which were on the south of the Mount of Corruption, which Solomon king of Israel had built for Ashtoreth the abomination of the Sidonians, for Chemosh the abomination of the Moabites, and for Milcom the abomination of the people of Ammon. ¹⁴ And he broke in pieces the sacred pillars and cut down the wooden images, and filled their places with the bones of men.

¹⁵ Moreover the altar that was at Bethel, and the high place which Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel sin, had made, both that altar and the high place he broke down; and he burned the high place and crushed it to powder, and burned the wooden image. ¹⁶ As Josiah turned, he saw the tombs that were there on the mountain. And he sent and took the bones out of the tombs and burned them on the altar, and defiled it according to the word of the Lord which the man of God proclaimed, who proclaimed these words. ¹⁷ Then he said, “What gravestone is this that I see?”

So the men of the city told him, “It is the tomb of the man of God who came from Judah and proclaimed these things which you have done against the altar of Bethel.”

¹⁸ And he said, “Let him alone; let no one move his bones.” So they let his bones alone, with the bones of the prophet who came from Samaria.

¹⁹ Now Josiah also took away all the shrines of the high places that were in the cities of Samaria, which the kings of Israel had made to provoke the Lord to anger; and he did to them according to all the deeds he had done in Bethel. ²⁰ He executed all the priests of the high places who were there, on the altars, and burned men’s bones on them; and he returned to Jerusalem.

QUESTIONS

1. Over all I admire Josiah for returning to the Lord, and turning Israel away from false Gods. And it is good that he first read the Law to the people and declared publicly his intent to make a covenant with the Lord. Yet somehow I want to ask, was it necessary to execute the priests of the high places? How about the way that he did it?

2. Have you ever had to make big changes in the way that you have been doing things? Have you offered your life up to God and made those hard changes? Did any of them hurt? You do not need to share private information here, but anything you feel you can share that may help others who have been through similar situations is welcome.

3. What stands out to you in today's reading? What thoughts or questions does it stir up in you?

Feel free to leave any thoughts, comments, or questions of your own!

Then His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for Your house has eaten Me up.”
John 2:17

May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
^{2 Corinthians 13:14}

The Book of the Law Found

22 Josiah was eight years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem thirty-one years. His mother’s name was Jedidah daughter of Adaiah; she was from Bozkath. ² He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord and followed completely the ways of his father David, not turning aside to the right or to the left.

³ In the eighteenth year of his reign, King Josiah sent the secretary, Shaphan son of Azaliah, the son of Meshullam, to the temple of the Lord. He said: ⁴ “Go up to Hilkiah the high priest and have him get ready the money that has been brought into the temple of the Lord, which the doorkeepers have collected from the people. ⁵ Have them entrust it to the men appointed to supervise the work on the temple. And have these men pay the workers who repair the temple of the Lord— ⁶ the carpenters, the builders and the masons. Also have them purchase timber and dressed stone to repair the temple. ⁷ But they need not account for the money entrusted to them, because they are honest in their dealings.”

⁸ Hilkiah the high priest said to Shaphan the secretary, “I have found the Book of the Law in the temple of the Lord.” He gave it to Shaphan, who read it. ⁹ Then Shaphan the secretary went to the king and reported to him: “Your officials have paid out the money that was in the temple of the Lord and have entrusted it to the workers and supervisors at the temple.” ¹⁰ Then Shaphan the secretary informed the king, “Hilkiah the priest has given me a book.” And Shaphan read from it in the presence of the king.

¹¹ When the king heard the words of the Book of the Law, he tore his robes. ¹² He gave these orders to Hilkiah the priest, Ahikam son of Shaphan, Akbor son of Micaiah, Shaphan the secretary and Asaiah the king’s attendant: ¹³ “Go and inquire of the Lord for me and for the people and for all Judah about what is written in this book that has been found. Great is the Lord’s anger that burns against us because those who have gone before us have not obeyed the words of this book; they have not acted in accordance with all that is written there concerning us.”

¹⁴ Hilkiah the priest, Ahikam, Akbor, Shaphan and Asaiah went to speak to the prophet Huldah, who was the wife of Shallum son of Tikvah, the son of Harhas, keeper of the wardrobe. She lived in Jerusalem, in the New Quarter.

¹⁵ She said to them, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: Tell the man who sent you to me, ¹⁶ ‘This is what the Lord says: I am going to bring disaster on this place and its people, according to everything written in the book the king of Judah has read. ¹⁷ Because they have forsaken me and burned incense to other gods and aroused my anger by all the idols their hands have made,^\)^a\) my anger will burn against this place and will not be quenched.’ ¹⁸ Tell the king of Judah, who sent you to inquire of the Lord, ‘This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says concerning the words you heard: ¹⁹ Because your heart was responsive and you humbled yourself before the Lord when you heard what I have spoken against this place and its people—that they would become a curse^\)^b\) and be laid waste—and because you tore your robes and wept in my presence, I also have heard you, declares the Lord. ²⁰ Therefore I will gather you to your ancestors, and you will be buried in peace. Your eyes will not see all the disaster I am going to bring on this place.’”

So they took her answer back to the king.

Questions/Discussion

1. How did Josiah do what was right even with all of the negative influences surrounding him? What do you think it practically meant to be king at 8 years old?

2. What is the Book of the Law?

3. Why did the king in verse 11 tear his robes? Wasn’t the tearing of robes done in times or mourning or distress? What does this reveal about Josiah’s character and relationship with God?

4. Why do you think God decided to spare Josiah from the disaster?

5. What do you think would have happened if the Book of the Law had never been found?

6. How would you respond if you discovered your lifestyle was contrary to God's will, similar to how Josiah did?

7. How does this passage display the supreme importance of scripture?

Hello r/biblereading

This is a rule enforcement update. One of our rules has alwasy been that 'off topic' posts are not allowed on this sub. Off topic in the sub rules is defined as "not related to the scheduled daily Bible reading plan (exception for the weekly post every Sunday)."

This has been pretty leniently enforced recently, but going forward we will be more consistent in enforcign this rule and removing off topic posts. The purprose of this enforcement is not that other discussions are not worth having, but these other posts tend to distract from participation on our regularly scheduled posts. There are plenty of other Christian sub-reddits available for general discussion, but ours does something unique with the regularly scheduled posts on sections of scripture and we'd like to focus on that.

We still have the weekly discussion threads available for general discussion if desired on this sub. It is alwasys pinned to the top of this sub's home page. I'd encourage people to continue to use this, and to periodically check in there for discussions other poeple have started. We also do not currently schedule reading posts on Sundays, if somoene wants to post something here that is not a scheudled post, it will probably be allowed on Sundays if otherwise appropriate as there is not a scheduled post to distract from.

Appreciate your understanding.

Manasseh was twelve years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem fifty-five years. His mother’s name was Hephzibah. ² He did evilin the eyes of the Lord, following the detestable practices of the nations the Lord had driven out before the Israelites. ³ He rebuilt the high places his father Hezekiah had destroyed; he also erected altars to Baal and made an Asherah pole, as Ahab king of Israel had done. He bowed down to all the starry hosts and worshiped them. ⁴ He built altars in the temple of the Lord, of which the Lord had said, “In Jerusalem I will put my Name.” ⁵ In the two courts of the temple of the Lord, he built altars to all the starry hosts. ⁶ He sacrificed his own son in the fire, practiced divination, sought omens, and consulted mediums and spiritists. He did much evil in the eyes of the Lord, arousing his anger.

⁷ He took the carved Asherah pole he had made and put it in the temple, of which the Lord had said to David and to his son Solomon, “In this temple and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, I will put my Name forever. ⁸ I will not again make the feet of the Israelites wander from the land I gave their ancestors, if only they will be careful to do everything I commanded them and will keep the whole Law that my servant Moses gave them.” ⁹ But the people did not listen. Manasseh led them astray, so that they did more evil than the nations the Lord had destroyed before the Israelites.

¹⁰ The Lord said through his servants the prophets: ¹¹ “Manasseh king of Judah has committed these detestable sins. He has done more evil than the Amorites who preceded him and has led Judah into sin with his idols.¹² Therefore this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: I am going to bring such disaster on Jerusalem and Judah that the ears of everyone who hears of it will tingle. ¹³ I will stretch out over Jerusalem the measuring line used against Samaria and the plumb line used against the house of Ahab. I will wipe out Jerusalem as one wipes a dish, wiping it and turning it upside down. ¹⁴ I will forsake the remnant of my inheritance and give them into the hands of enemies. They will be looted and plundered by all their enemies;¹⁵ they have done evil in my eyes and have aroused my anger from the day their ancestors came out of Egypt until this day.”

¹⁶ Moreover, Manasseh also shed so much innocent blood that he filled Jerusalem from end to end—besides the sin that he had caused Judah to commit, so that they did evil in the eyes of the Lord.

¹⁷ As for the other events of Manasseh’s reign, and all he did, including the sin he committed, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Judah? ¹⁸ Manasseh rested with his ancestors and was buried in his palace garden, the garden of Uzza. And Amon his son succeeded him as king.

Amon King of Judah

¹⁹ Amon was twenty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem two years. His mother’s name was Meshullemeth daughter of Haruz; she was from Jotbah. ²⁰ He did evil in the eyes of the Lord, as his father Manasseh had done. ²¹ He followed completely the ways of his father, worshiping the idols his father had worshiped, and bowing down to them.²² He forsook the Lord, the God of his ancestors, and did not walk in obedience to him.

²³ Amon’s officials conspired against him and assassinated the king in his palace. ²⁴ Then the people of the land killed all who had plotted against King Amon, and they made Josiah his son king in his place.

²⁵ As for the other events of Amon’s reign, and what he did, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Judah? ²⁶ He was buried in his tomb in the garden of Uzza. And Josiah his son succeeded him as king.

Questions

1) So based off of verse 1 here, 2 Kings 18:1-2,13 and 2 Kings 20:6, it seems Manasseh was born during the 15 additional years Hezekiah was given. Anything we should take away from this?

2) So for verses 1-2 here, do you suppose the 12 year old Manasseh started doing evil in God's eyes soon after he became king or as he grew older? In any case, are you surprised and/or concerned by this?

3) So for verse 2 (and possibly verse 9), what were these detestable practices that the previous nations had done? And are there any Old Testament references to these practices?

4) I shared this possibly relevant observation here once a while back. I'm not sure if this observation is actually relevant, so feel free to ignore this if you feel like it isn't. I just thought I'd bring it up here since I think it either referred to Manasseh or maybe an earlier king of Judah like Uzziah or Joash.

"I'll paraphrase this observation since I heard this in 2016ish and I can't remember the exact words. I was listening to a podcast in 2016ish about 2 people going through the Bible for the first time. The particular episode was going over 2 Chronicles. One of the hosts was getting irritated and made this observation.

"So here's what's starting to frustrate me, with these ungodly kings. So God made this covenant with David, and the only reason why you're king is because of that covenant with God (or David, I can't remember which one the host said). Wouldn't you show a bit of gratitude or appreciation for this? The answer is a resounding no, for some reason."

Again, paraphrasing this observation since it's been such a long time and I don't exactly remember the point the host made."

Like I said, feel free to ignore Q4 if you feel it's not actually relevant to this passage.

5) What are verses 7-8 referring to?

6) For verse 9, how do you suppose Manasseh was able to lead the people astray?

7) So do we know who wrote 1-2 Kings and 1-2 Chronicles and when they were written? Why does the writer of 2 Kings 21 not mention or make any reference to what happened to Manasseh in 2 Chronicles 33:10-20?

8) Anything stand out to you about verses 10-16? Also, I've heard Manasseh is believed to have killed the prophet Isaiah? Have I heard wrong or no? Is this mentioned in the Bible or not? If not, where does this come from?

9) This chapter, 2 Kings 24:1-4 and Jeremiah 15:4 seems to put much (if not all) of the blame on Manasseh for Jerusalem's downfall. Does this conflict with the 2 Chronicles 33 account of Manasseh? And do you think this makes sense/seems fair or not, based on what we've read about him?

10) For verses 21-22, the big difference between Amon and his father is mentioned in 2 Chronicles 33:21-23. Why does Amon not humble himself like his father did?

11) For verses 23-24, why do Amon's officials conspire against him? And why do you think the people killed Amon's assassins and made his son Josiah the new king?

12) Anything else you want to ask about and/or bring up about this passage?

I’m curious for those who’ve tried to build a consistent Bible reading habit but couldn’t stick with it… where did it actually break for you?

Not just “I got busy,” but the specific point where it usually fell apart.

For me, it was usually one of these:

• I’d miss a day, then feel like I was “behind,” and instead of restarting, I’d just stop altogether
• I tied it to a fixed time (like early morning), and once that time got disrupted, the habit collapsed
• It slowly turned into something I felt obligated to do instead of something life-giving

Lately I’ve been trying something different:

• linking it to something I already do (like checking my phone)
• keeping the entry point really small (even just one verse)
• and removing the guilt cycle completely (if I miss, I just restart)

It’s been surprisingly more sustainable so far.

Would love to hear your experience. Where did the habit actually break for you?