PSA Bible Reading Challenge 2023-2024

We begin a book of the Bible where the people of Judah find themselves as exiles in the land of Babylon.  We begin with the king of Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar, who has chosen Daniel to train in culture and language.  We assume that with culture and language comes also the necessity to learn the religious cultures of the people which really comes into play in this book of the Bible.

Daniel ends up interpreting ala Joseph style a dream that the king had, not a great dream, and so is made overseer of much of the territory of Babylon.  At the same time he has some friends whom he brings along as those who are helping him interpret.  But, these friends get into hot water with the king becasue they do not bow down to him and are thrown into a fiery furnace which really doesn’t hurt them at all.  In fact, God uses it as a witness example to bring the king to a knowledge of him.

Psalm 74 the author beseeches God for protection against those who are seeking violence against him.  The psalm is written in a way that reflects upon the history of the Lord which allows the author to state: “But you, O God, are my king from of old.”  There does seem to be a lot of demanding in this Psalm from the author to God, but he does seem a bit desperate.

Malachi is an interesting book of the Bible because it really addresses one specific issue within the life of the Israelites and that was the tithe that the people of God were bringing to the Lord.  He accuses them, and I have to assume rightly so, of bringing in lame and blind animals when they were supposed to be bringing in the best of their flocks.  He lets the community know that if they want to be made right before God then their tithe has to be complete and it has to be the best that they have to offer.  That is the only way to be restored to the Lord.

Psalms 71 and 73 as Psalms where the author reaches back and remembers the faithfulness of God from the time that he was born to this present time in his life.  He mentions that God has brought him out of the womb and even now it is good for him to be near the Lord.  

We come to the end of Ezekiel and it continues to describe the measurements of the temple and the city of God.  Notice that every single tribe of Israel is involved either in the naming of the gates or in understanding their portion.  The last line of this book of the Bible simply states that the city will be called “The Lord is there”.  That’s a great way to end a book of the Bible is to affirm the presence of the Lord in that city which was built by the hands of the people of God.

We then have to cover some of the psalms that were considered optional and yet were not yet covered.  Thank you Lois Mellinger for going over every single Psalm that we have read and picking out those that were listed as optional, or not listed at all, and identifying those that we will not be reading during our 9 month Bible reading challenge.  I want to make sure that we read every single word of the Bible and this ensures that we will.

Psalm 67 and 68 gives us Psalms of praise and they both extol the majesty and the power of God.  Psalm 69 is a bit of a psalm of lament where the author asks God to save him and to come and redeem him because: “the waters have come up to my neck.”  I’m guessing we have all felt that way at some time in our lives.  Psalm 70 states very clearly that it is a Psalm of petition where the author is asking God for something which is to be saved.  He also asks for God to be speedy when he comes to save him.

The measuring of the temple continues, and to be honest, it is done without much enthusiasm.  That is until we get to chapter 43 where we see the glory of the Lord, the actual presence of the Lord appear from the East.  It is interesting because God himself states that the soles of his feet will tread upon the ground that was measured.  Look at 43:7 where he states: “Son of man, this is the place of my throne and the place for the soles of my feet.  This is where I will live with the Israelites forever.”  Once again it should be clear as to why the wailing wall is so powerful.  The promise is that  God will live forever in the temple.  But today the temple is no more.  How long is forever for?

We then find commands on what to do with those who will be serving the Lord.  Those for whom their portion is God and God alone.  They do not have a section of the promised land carved out for them like every other tribe of Israel.  The Levites have as their portion the Lord and the Lord alone.  

When we read Psalm 66 it is a clear psalm of praise.  There are shouts of celebration and reminders of who God is and what God has done for us in the past (led us through dry ground as we escaped from the Egyptians), to what God will do in the future (never rejecting our prayer or witholding his love for us).  

There are some chapters in this section that we would do well to remember.  The first is chapter 36 which speaks of a new covenant that God has made with us in Jesus Christ.  Now, let’s be clear, Jesus is never mentioned, but the new covenant is mentioned.  We know that the new covenant came with Christ.  Listen to some of the characteristics of this covenant starting at vs.26: I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you…

That is followed up with the vision of the valley of dry bones that show that one day God will renew the people of Israel and will take them out of captivity and slavery into a full life.  Both of these chapters are probably the most memorable ones in all of Ezekiel, so we would do well to know them, even if that means reading them again.  

Psalm 65 depicts a God who loves us so much that he not only nourishes us but also nourishes the land and the animals where we live.  That sounds  lot like Lancaster county.  We are definitely blessed here in so many ways.

Once again the prophet speaks out to a nation that is not the people of God.  It is interesting because there does seem a bit of sadness as he speaks out to a nation that at one time had held the Israelites in slavery.  In fact, this part is called a lament for Pharaoh and for Egypt.  Ezekiel laments, doesn’t celebrate or brag, about the downfall of Egypt.

We then see the image of Ezekiel as a watchman.  God warns him that if he does not speak to the words that God gives him and warn the people of the wrath to come so that they can straighten up and fly right, then he, Ezekiel, will also be held accountable for their destruction.  But if he does speak to them and they do not listen to him, well, then that is on them.  

The image of the shepherds and the sheep is a powerful one especially in light of the fact that Ezekiel is the only one speaking out the truth.  The other prophets, the shepherds as this Scripture describes, are merely looking out for their own interest.  

Psalm 64 is a lament when David “complains” to God about his enemies.  But then at the end starting in vs.9 things tend to go right and David speaks about the wonder and the glory of the Lord and it seems that things are better.

God has the prophet speak out agains the former enemies of Israel and address how Babylon is going to conquer them as well.  Tyre was seen as the jewel in the Mediterranean but God prophecies its destruction.  It is a city set on the seashore and it was an example of trading success.  But that will come to an end when Babylon invades.  Once again, God is seen using Babylon, and enemy of Israel, as His tool.

Then there is the prophecy against Egypt.  This one is a bit more significant because the people of both Judah and Israel fled to Egypt in order to escape the Babylonians.  But that was short lived because Babylon came on down and conquered Egypt as well.  No one was able to escape the wrath of the Babylonians.

Psalm 30 describes a time of celebration for the consecration of the temple.  The center of religious life is lifted up as a gift from God.  It is this very temple that is destroyed by the Babylonians in Ezekiel’s prophecy.  We come full circle here.

It seems like things are coming to a head in Ezekiel.  The prophecy describes a sword sharpening itself because it is just about to strike.  This sword is described as Babylon and it is used by God as His instrument of judgment.  Interestingly enough these are a pagan people but God uses them to carry out his work.  Think about what that means.  If we, the people of God, refuse to carry out God’s work, God has options, many, many options besides us.  We rely upon God, God doesn’t rely upon us.

We read about two adulterous sisters and clearly one is Samaria (to be interpreted as Israel, the northern kingdom) and the other is Jerusalem (to be interpreted as Judah).  We know that Samaria was the religious and political capital of the divided kingdom of Israel, up north.  Likewise Jerusalem was the political and religious capital of Judah, down south.

A painful metaphor that Ezekiel is given is the death of his wife.  He is commanded not to mourn publicly for her, in the same way that the people were not to mourn publicly for the destruction of Israel and Judah.  That’s pretty harsh.  

I really enjoy Proverbs 30 because to me it describes the majestic power of our creator God.  What God has made and what God has done is seen in the beauty of nature all around us.  

There is a theme in Scripture which isn’t always consistent, but you do hear it from time to time.  It is the theme that each person will suffer the consequences of their own sin, and those who come after them will not be held accountable for the sin of their fathers or mother’s.  This is a theme that we find in Ezekiel in these chapters.  But the reading for today does seem to be a bit of a story that if you stick with it, can really apply to a nation and also to an individual.

The story is of a people who were born and no one wanted them and they were cast out in the cold, still with the umbillical cord attached and the blood and the birthing elements still part of the baby who was thrown out.  This abandoned baby was taken up by the Lord and raised.  She became a beauty and the Lord protected her and kept her.  But then she began deciding on her own how she wanted to live her life and she lived it loosely.  She wasn’t even a prostitute because prostitutes require money for their actions, this grown woman pursued others and paid them for her actions.

This metaphor of Israel was applied by Ezekiel.  He then transitions to making the point that only those who sin will be held accountable for their actions, but Israel, by the way, has sinned for generations and never has done what was right in the sight of the Lord.  

For Psalm 62 we see this line in vs.11-12 that reminds us of who God is and what we have just read in Ezekiel: God is strong and God is loving.  Each person will be rewarded according to what he has done.  There is a line in this Psalm that makes me think of a song that I have heard in the past.  I will not be shaken.

Ezekiel is once again made an object lesson in how he is to act to demonstrate the Word of the Lord.  Ezekiel is made to be a sign for the people.  There is a judgment on the leaders of Israel, a promised return to Israel, the condemnation of false prophets, and the idolaters condemned.  We have a grape vine that is producing grapes for the first time.  It is very exciting.  He has an image of the grape vine and how it is pretty much useless in regards to wood.  It really isn’t wood and doesn’t serve any purpose aside from facilitating the production of fruit.  But if fruit is not produced, it is useless.  I think you get the point.

The Psalm is a cry for help and a statement of God being our refuge.