M’Cheyne’s Daily Readings for August 10, 2018

Ruth 3-4: Ruth asks Boaz to redeem her. Boaz commends Ruth’s devotion and agrees to be her kinsman-redeemer. However, a nearer relative has the right of redemption.  In chapter 4, the other redeemer gives the right of redemption to Boaz.  Boaz marries Ruth and Ruth gives birth to Obed.  The book concludes with a genealogy which traces the line from Perez to David.  The genealogy is remarkable for its inclusion of such notorious sinners.  Iain Hamilton, commenting on these verses in his sermon on this chapter, comments that “the God of the Bible is a God whose grace bursts every conceivable notion of undeserved kindness and says to people ‘no matter how bleak and black and dark and godless your circumstances, I’m able to make all things new.”  Jesus Christ was born with the blood of Judah, Tamar, Perez, and Ruth running through his veins.  His love for sinners is such that He took upon Himself our flesh in order to be for us what no mere man could ever be- a righteous kinsman redeemer who saves His people from their sins.

Jeremiah 38: Jeremiah is thrown into the cistern of Malciah but is rescued by Ebed-melech, an Ethiopian eunuch. Jeremiah warns Zedekiah of the imminent destruction of Jerusalem and tells him to surrender to the Chaldeans.

Psalms 11-12: In Psalm 11, David takes refuge in the Lord and describes his testing of the righteous and his hatred of the wicked. In Psalm 12, he cries out to the Lord because “the godly one is god…the faithful have vanished from among the children of man (v. 1).” Our hope for justice is rooted in the Lord, who cares for the poor and needy (v. 5). In the midst of an evil world, we must attend to the ever-pure Word of the Lord, trusting Him to keep us from the vileness of the wicked (v. 7-8).

Acts 28: Acts concludes with the apostle Paul in Rome under house arrest, awaiting his trial before Caesar. Paul was imprisoned for two years in Rome and spent this time proclaiming the gospel to those who would see him. Luke tells us that “he lived there two whole years at his own expense, and welcomed all who came to him, proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness and without hindrance” (v. 31).

M’Cheyne’s Daily Readings for August 9, 2018

Ruth 2: Ruth goes to glean in the fields and meets Boaz. Boaz provides for Ruth and sends her home with an ephah of barley. The Lord’s steadfast love for his people is revealed in the provision Boaz, the righteous redeemer.

Jeremiah 37: Jeremiah, having spoken of the Lord’s coming judgment, is charged with desertion and imprisoned. King Zedekiah secretly asks Jeremiah if there is any word from the Lord. Jeremiah responds: “You shall be delivered into the hand of the King of Babylon” (v. 17). Jeremiah pleads with Zedekiah to be released from prison and he is moved to the court of the guard.

Psalm 10: In Psalm 10, David addresses the justice of God in a world full of wickedness: “Why, O Lord, do you stand far off? Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?” (10:1).

Acts 27: Paul sets sail for Italy, encountering bad weather along the way. On one voyage, the ship is caught in a storm, forcing everyone to throw out the cargo. While they are waiting on the boat without food, Paul assures them of their deliverance. Eventually they all make for land by either swimming from the ship or going over on planks or broken pieces of the ship.

M’Cheyne’s Daily Readings for July 25, 2018

Judges 8: Gideon captures and slays the kings of Midian- Zebah and Zalmunna. He leads the people into idolatry by making a golden ephod. Gideon has seventy sons, including Abimelech, the son of his concubine. After Gideon dies, “the people of Israel turned again and whored after the Baals and made Baal-berith their god” (8:33). The cycle of idolatry-deliverance-idolatry continues on. Israel’s leaders, rather than delivering them from their wickedness, actually lead them into even greater wickedness. Sinful human judges cannot save the people from the problem of sin and its consequences. Judges 8 cries out for a greater judge, one who can break the power of our idolatrous hearts

Jeremiah 21: King Zedekiah sends Jeremiah to inquire of Passhur the son of Malciah and Zephaniah the priest whether the Lord will deliver Judah from Nebuchadnezzar. Jeremiah instructs Passhur and Zephaniah to tell King Zedekiah that Jerusalem will be destroyed and the King and his family taken into captivity- “Afterward, declares the Lord, I will give Zedekiah king of Judah and his servants and the people in this city who survive the pestilence, sword, and famine into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and into the hand of their enemies, into the hand of those who seek their lives. He shall strike them down with the edge of the sword. He shall not pity them or spare them or have compassion” (v. 7).

Mark 7- Jesus continues to experience opposition from the Pharisees. The unbelief of the Pharisees is set in contrast to the faith of the Syro-Phoneician woman. Jesus is reconstituting the people of God. His mercy extends to all nations.

Acts 12: Herod Agrippa (the grandson of Herod the Great) kills James the brother of John with the sword and has Peter arrested. The church prays for Peter and an angel of the Lord frees him from prison. After being freed, he meets with the church and describes to them how the Lord brought him out of prison. Herod Agrippa is struck down by an angel of the Lord “because he did not give God the glory” (12:3). We learn from Acts 13 that those who serve and depend upon the Lord are truly blessed, even when killed or imprisoned for the sake of Christ. On the other hand, those who magnify themselves in the sight of men will be judged by God. His wrath and curse abides upon them. Key verse: “Immediately an angel of the Lord struck him down, because he did not give God the glory, and he was eaten by worms and breathed his last” (12:23).

M’Cheyne’s Daily Readings for July 24, 2018

Judges 7: The Lord commands Gideon to reduce the size of the army lest the people boast and attribute success to themselves. 300 men of Israel attack the Midianites and set them to flight. They capture and kill Oreb and Zeeb, the two princes of Midian.
We learn from this chapter that the Lord’s great and ultimate design in the salvation of his people is his own glory. The Lord chooses to glorify himself through those who are inherently powerless.. His deliverance is wrought in the most unexpected and miraculous of ways.

Jeremiah 20: Jeremiah’s denunciation of the people and his warning of coming judgment in chapter 19 is met with the violent hostility of Pashhur the priest. He beats Jeremiah and then puts him in stocks. When Jeremiah is released, he forewarns Passhur of his imminent punishment. In verses 7-18, Jeremiah laments the intense suffering he is experiencing at the hands of Judah’s leaders.

The isolation brought about by the persecution of God’s people can often lead to discouragement and emotional turmoil. Our hope in the midst of isolation and affliction is the abiding presence of our ever-gracious God who has promised never to leave us or forsake us. In the midst of isolation and affliction we can rejoice and sing praises to the Lord (v. 13) since “He has delivered the life of the needy from the hand of evil doers.” In the person of Jesus, the victory over our enemies has already been secured. We labor on in this world assured that Jesus reigns and will soon return to set us free from all His and our enemies.

Mark 6: One of the great purposes of Mark’s gospel is to reveal, through the life and ministry of Jesus Christ, his identity as the Son of God (1:1). Mark 6 is largely concerned with this theme of Jesus’ identity. Who is Jesus Christ? What did others think of Him? Who did he reveal Himself to be? Those in his hometown of Nazareth think of him as the mere son of Mary and brother of James, Joses, Judas, and Simon (v. 3). Others said that John the Baptist had been raised from the dead (v. 14), still others that Jesus was Elijah (v. 15). All of these evaluations of Jesus are wrong. Only Jesus Himself can reveal to us His true identity and he does this in verses 30-56. Jesus is the compassionate shepherd of the sheep who graciously feeds the hungry; Jesus is Yahweh made flesh who provides bread for his people in the wilderness; Jesus is the Ruler of the Waves, the sovereign Lord over the forces of chaos who walks on the sea and stops its roaring; Jesus is the Great Physician who heals the unclean and gives them his purity without contracting their corruption. And yet, in spite of this revelation, his disciples fail to understand his identity due to their hardness of heart (v. 52). As D.A. Carson observes, “…their entire orientation was still too restricted, too focused on the immediacy of their fears, too limited by their inability to penetrate to the full mystery of who Jesus is and why he came. This side of the cross and resurrection, we have still less excuse than they” (D.A. Carson, For the Love of God, p. 34).

Acts 11: Peter explains and defends his mission to the Gentiles. The church in Jerusalem glorifies God for granting to the Gentiles repentance unto life. Barnabas goes to Antioch and then sends for Saul. For a year, Saul and Barnabas minister to the church in Antioch. Key verse: “When they heard these things they fell silent. And they glorified God, saying, ‘Then to the Gentiles also God has granted repentance that leads to life’” (11:18).

M’Cheyne’s Daily Readings for July 23, 2018

Acts 9: Saul is confronted by Jesus on the road to Damascus. A disciple named Ananias is sent to restore Saul’s sight. Saul is baptized and begins preaching that Jesus is the Son of God. He joins the apostles in Jerusalem and is taken to Caesarea when the Hellenists seek to take his life. Meanwhile, Peter heals a man named Aeneas and raises Dorcas from the dead in Joppa. The Lord is building his church. Key verses: “And falling to the ground, he heard a voice saying to him, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?’ And he said, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ And he said, ‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting’” (9:4-5).

Judges 6: In the midst of Midian’s oppression of Israel, the Lord raises up Gideon as judge. Gideon asks for signs to assure him of the Lord’s presence and intention to save Israel. He destroys the altar of Baal.

Jeremiah 19: The Lord commands Jeremiah to buy an earthenware flask and go to the valley of the Son of Hinnom. Jeremiah speaks of the coming disaster coming upon Judah. He breaks the flask as a sign that the Lord will “break this people and this city, as one breaks a potter’s vessel, so that it can never be mended” (v. 11).

Mark 5: Jesus heals the man with an unclean spirit living among the tombs. He then heals the woman with the flow of blood and Jairus’ daughter.

Acts 10: Cornelius sends for Peter after being told to do so in a vision. Peter, after receiving his own vision in which the Lord commands him to eat unclean animals, goes to Caesarea and preaches to Cornelius’ household. While preaching, the Holy Spirit falls upon them and they are baptized. Key verses: “And there came a voice to him: ‘Rise, Peter; kill and eat.’ But Peter said, ‘By no means, Lord; for I have never eaten anything that is common or unclean.’ And the voice came to him again a second time, ‘What God has made clean, do not call common’” (10:13-15).

M’Cheyne’s Daily Readings for July 22, 2018

Judges 5: Chapter 5 records the song of Deborah and Barak, celebrating Israel’s victory, lauding the actions of Jael, and taunting their enemies.

Jeremiah 18: The Lord commands Jeremiah to observe the potter. Just as the potter shapes the clay, so the Lord is shaping disaster against Israel (v. 11). He commands the people to turn from their evil way and amend their deeds. Israel, however, will follow her own plans and act according to the stubbornness of her heart.

Mark 4- Jesus begins to teach in parables. The purpose of the parables is identified in v. 10-11. Jesus’ parables are not the ancient equivalent of contemporary sermon illustrations. Rather, the parables serve a unique role in the history of redemption. According to Jesus, they are designed to conceal the truth from those who are outside (v. 11). Jesus quotes Isaiah 6:9-10 where Isaiah’s ministry to hard-hearted Israel is described in terms of concealing the truth (v. 12). Jesus is portrayed here as the latter day Isaiah whose parables serve as forms of judgment upon the impenitent- especially those who, like the Pharisees, refuse to acknowledge the claims of Christ and blaspheme against his Spirit.

Acts 9: Saul is confronted by Jesus on the road to Damascus. A disciple named Ananias is sent to restore Saul’s sight. Saul is baptized and begins preaching that Jesus is the Son of God. He joins the apostles in Jerusalem and is taken to Caesarea when the Hellenists seek to take his life. Meanwhile, Peter heals a man named Aeneas and raises Dorcas from the dead in Joppa. The Lord is building his church. Key verses: “And falling to the ground, he heard a voice saying to him, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?’ And he said, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ And he said, ‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting’” (9:4-5).

 

M’Cheyne’s Daily Readings for July 21, 2018

Judges 4: The Lord sells the people of Israel into the hands of Jabin, king of Caanan, and Sisera, the commander of his army. Barak and Deborah put Sisera and his armies to flight. Jael, the wife of Heber the Kenite, slays Sisera by driving a tent peg through his head.

Jeremiah 17: Those who trust in man are cursed, while those who trust in the Lord are blessed. If the Sabbath is observed, then the Lord will preserve his people.

Mark 3- The opposition between Jesus and the Pharisees continues to escalate. After Jesus heals the man with a withered hand on the Sabbath, the Pharisees plot to kill Jesus with the Herodians. Jesus continues to heal the masses and deliver those oppressed by demons. Even the demons confess the divine Sonship of Jesus Christ but Jesus silences them. The Pharisees accuse Jesus of Satanic empowerment but he rebukes them, identifying their sin as blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. This blasphemy consists of impenitently attributing Jesus’ saving work to that of tithe devil (v. 30).

Acts 8: The church is persecuted and scattered. Phillip preaches the gospel in Samaria and a magician named Simon believes and his baptized. After trying to buy the power of giving the Spirit from the apostles, he is condemned by Peter. Phillip then goes to the south where he encounters an Ethiopian eunuch reading Isaiah 5:7-8. Phillip explains the passage and the eunuch believes and is baptized. Key verse: “Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning with this Scripture he told him the good news about Jesus” (8:35).

M’Cheyne’s Daily Readings for July 20, 2018

Judges 3: Othniel is raised up as Israel’s deliverer but when he dies, the people descend into wickedness. The Lord then raises up Ehud who kills Eglon king of Moab.

Jeremiah 16: The Lord commands Jeremiah not to marry or have children. Judgment will come upon God’s people because they have followed their evil hearts.

Mark 2: The Pharisees are offended that Jesus’ disciples do not fast. Jesus defends his disciples by pointing out that “in his immediate presence the proper response is joy” (D.A. Carson, For the Love of God, p. 30). Carson continues: “The truth, Jesus says, is that with the dawning of the kingdom, the traditional structures of life and forms of piety would change. It would be inappropriate to graft the new onto the old, as if the old were the supporting structure” (p. 30). In the presence of the Incarnate Christ, is fulness of joy and pleasures forevermore (Ps. 16:11).

Acts 7: Stephen’s sermon emphasizes the history of Israel’s sin- beginning with the family of Abraham and the selling of Joseph into Egypt by his brothers. and concluding with the crucifixion of Jesus Christ at the hands of the Jews. Key verses: “You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Spirit. As your fathers did, so do you. Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed those who announced beforehand the coming of the Righteous One, whom you have now betrayed and murdered, you who received the law as delivered by angels and did not keep it” (7:51-53).

M’Cheyne’s Daily Readings for July 19, 2018

Judges 2: The people of Israel worship the Baals and the Lord hands them over to their enemies. When they cry out to the Lord, he delivers them.

Jeremiah 15: Jeremiah laments the insults he suffers for the sake of the Lord. The Lord assures Jeremiah that He is present with him.

Mark 1: Mark’s gospel opens with a description of its main subject: it is the gospel (good news) about Jesus Christ, the Son of God (v. 1). The heartbeat of Mark’s gospel is the gospel itself, the confident proclamation that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is the long awaited Messiah who has come to establish the kingdom of God.

Acts 6- Seven are chosen from among the disciples to care for the physical needs of the church. The Apostles’ primary responsibility is prayer and the ministry of the Word.

M’Cheyne’s Daily Readings for July 18, 2018

Judges 1: Judah defeats the Caananites and conquers Jerusalem but fails to drive them out completely.

Jeremiah 14: There is widespread drought because of Israel’s sin. Jeremiah asks the Lord not to forsake his people. The idols of the nations cannot bring rain.

Matthew 28: The women go to the tomb and see an angel of the Lord sitting on the stone of the tomb. He tells them not to be afraid because Jesus has risen. Jesus meets them on the road, greets them and tells them not to be afraid. He instructs them to go to Galilee and tell the brothers of his resurrection. The disciples meet Jesus on the mountain and worship him. Jesus gives his disciples his commission to make disciples of all nations.

Acts 5: Ananias and Sapphira sold a piece of property, kept some of the proceeds for themselves, and then brought only a part of it before the apostles. Their sin was deceit- presenting the partial proceeds from the property as the whole offering. The severity of their judgment reveals the Lord’s hatred of hypocrisy.