Every time I read lately I look at the subtitles in my Bible and think “this is going to be boring” (I know, I know…I am a sinner in need of a Savior) BUT then I read it and think…”That was awesome”. This is a good one!
False Prophets: This is an interesting one for me because the more I read the Bible the easier it is to spot false teaching. What scares me is I used to think of it as the people on TV preaching for donations or tara card readers at the beach, but now I can spot it at churches or just listening to my friends talk about the Lord’s will. It’s like saying “According to the book of Szymanski, God will…He wants…” I am talking about when we represent the character of God wrong or water down His view on sin. In chapter 13 it talks about people that “speak on behalf of the Lord” without hearing from God on a topic. In verse 18 historically they are talking about the women that would “fortune” tell and use “magic charms”. My mother is an old-school Italian Catholic: I grew up never seeing a Bible BUT my house was filled with superstition. Elephant trunks had to face the door or bad luck would fall upon us, rosary beads hanging from the car mirror so we were protected from a crash, saint charms on our necklaces for good luck, and of course when we can’t find the keys to the car we had to turn around 3 times and pray to St. Anthony. Sounds silly now, but I didn’t know any other way. I often imagine how different my choices would have been growing up had I seen a Bible in my house.
6 Start children off on the way they should go,
and even when they are old they will not turn from it. Proverbs 22:6
Chapter 14– Idolatry- I know you are thinking we have read this before…they worshiped idols. NOPE, this is a new chapter! Quickly look at the beginning of chapter 14 again. Where are the idols? IN THEIR HEARTS! It says it THREE times in this short section.
Judgment is inescapable:
Oh my stars! I want to study the next 4 paragraphs one day in great detail. (one day, not today 😉) They are 4 methods the Lord can use on a NATION.
12 The word of the Lord came to me: 13 “Son of man, if a country sins against me by being unfaithful and I stretch out my hand against it…
- cut off it’s food supply (v. 13)
- send wild beasts through the country (v.15) (I would love to ask God if He was referring to leaders?)
- bring a sword against the country (v. 17)
- send a plague into the land (v.19)
I know…we are all thinking the same thing! Have you turned on the News??
BUT then it says:
22 Yet there will be some survivors—sons and daughters who will be brought out of it. They will come to you, and when you see their conduct and their actions, you will be consoled regarding the disaster I have brought on Jerusalem—every disaster I have brought on it.
Chapter 15:The vine! We have talked about it several times but as we are 32 days away from the New Testament (but who’s counting), we will read much more about vines. Jerusalem should have been bearing fruit but instead, they were useless and used for firewood. Let’s get a little movie trailer of the NT and how the OT and NT really cannot be read without each other. If this is your first Old Testament FULL read-through…Buckle up. You are going to read the NT like you have never read it before (exciting isn’t it)
John Chapter 15
15 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2 He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. 3 You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. 4 Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.
5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. 6 If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. 7 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8 This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.
Reading the Bible - 2021 