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Daily Readings - 05.11.07

0 comments | Friday, May 11, 2007

Today I read from the following books;

1 SAMUEL 10:1 - 11:15
JOHN 6:43-71
PSALM 107:1-43
PROVERBS 15:1-3

Today in first Samuel it starts out with Samuel anointing Saul as King over Israel. God through Samuel tells Saul the next series of events that will happen and what he should do. Everything that Samuel told him came true. Almost immediately Saul was informed that they were about to be attacked by the Ammonites. He was filled with anger when he heard this. He slaughtered 2 bulls and cut them into pieces, he sent them away with a note stating that would happen to anyone who tried to fight Israel (they would be slaughtered like the bulls). Saul then led the group to fight the Ammonites for Israels freedom. It states that God granted him strength and he gathered 300,000 Israel soldiers and slaughtered the Ammonites through the night and into the day. In less than 24 hours they had killed almost all of them.

In John today it talks about Jesus giving a speech in the temple to many people. At this time he had many prophets. He began telling everyone that in order to have eternal life they must eat from his flesh and drink from his blood.

- I will admit, while I was reading this it must have been extremely hard for people to understand what he was really talking about and understand it, which is why the people reacted the way that they did -

The people were in shock, they thought he truly meant for them to eat Jesus in a cannibalistic way. They asked several questions but the people did not see past the literal translation of what he was saying.

- Obviously today when we take communion we read the passage that states, "this is my body, this is my blood." but we obviously know that the wafer we are putting in our mouths and the grape juice we drink is symbolizing something else, its not literally flesh and blood. However I can understand without the common knowledge tradition of taking communion the statement of This is my body could and was literally translated into eating Jesus....creepy -

It states that many people left him and even many of his prophets left him, leaving only his 12 with him. (that's how the 12 came about, they were the only ones left) He asked them if they truly believed in him and they agreed. Although they admitted that what he was saying was hard to grasp, they still believed and trusted in him. Even at that point Jesus stated that one of them will betray him (Judas).

The Proverbs for today is; PROVERBS 15:1-3 "A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger. The tongue of the wise commends knowledge, but the mouth of the fool gushes folly. The eyes of the Lord are everywhere, keeping watch on the wicked and the good."

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Daily Readings - 05.10.07

0 comments | Thursday, May 10, 2007

Today I read from the following books;

1 SAMUEL 8:1 - 9:27
JOHN 6:22-42
PSALM 106:32-48
PROVERBS 14:34-35

Today in first Samuel it talks about Samuel, who is now old and in his final days. He has led Israel for many years but has now past the rule on to his sons. But his sons are not like him. They are dirty and do things that are wrong in the eyes of the Lord. Some people of Israel came to Samuel and told him that his sons were wicked, they did not want to be ruled by them. They asked Samuel for a King, just like other nations that will lead them and lead their army.

Samuel was very displeased to hear this, because he knew that they had completely forgotten that God was their king. He immediately started praying to God about this and God spoke to him. God told him to worn the people what will happen if they appoint a King. Samuel went and spoke to the people of Israel and told them all the bad things that will happen if they appoint a King and he reminded them that they have let go of their trust in God and when they cry out for help from their new king God will not answer this time because they have betrayed him.

The people did not believe Samuel, they still demanded a king so God told Samuel to listen to the people and give them what they want, they have been warned.

It then talks about a Benjamite man named Saul who was told by his father to take a servant and go find some lost donkeys. He went and they traveled far but did not find the donkeys. They were near a city and the servant told Saul that there was a "seer" (a man that speaks to God) and maybe he could tell them which way they should go. Saul agreed so they headed up the hill to the city. When they entered the city they were approached by Samuel who had been told by God that Samuel would be coming and he was the one that was chosen by God to lead Israel.

- This is a little confusing to me, because it just got through telling us that Samuel was going to give a king to the people against gods will but yet God has chosen a leader for the Israelites who will "deliver my people from the hands of the Philistines." This leads me to believe Saul is another "chosen one" of God, but what about the King the people are asking for? hmm, maybe tomorrows reading will tell more of this. -

Samuel asked Saul to join him for dinner. it was a feast from the offering to the Lord and Samuel was given the best piece of meat and was seated ahead of the people at the table. Samuel told Saul that he had saved that piece of meat just for him and that he had a message from God to tell him.

In John today it talks more about Jesus talking to the people. The people again are asking the same questions about how to get into heaven and Jesus again (just like yesterday) tells them to believe in him and in God is the only way, but the people are asking for more miracles and Jesus essentially tells them that they should not need any more miracles to believe.

- this is true, he has done some amazing things in front of them already, there should be no doubt in their minds that this is the true son of God. They are getting hung up on the fact that Mary and Joseph raised him but yet he is saying he is the son of God. They can't seem to get their heads wrapped around that. -

The Proverbs for today is; PROVERBS 14:34-35 "Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a disgrace to any people. A king delights in a wise servant, but a shameful servant incurs his wrath."

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Daily Readings - 05.09.07

0 comments | Wednesday, May 9, 2007

Today I read from the following books;

1 SAMUEL 5:1 - 7:17
JOHN 6:1-21
PSALM 106:13-31
PROVERBS 14:32-33

In 1 Samuel today it picks up where we left off yesterday (obviously, haha) The Philistines had captured the Ark of God but Gods hand came down on them and invested with with death and tumors. They all were in pain so they moved the Ark to 5 different cities and the same result came. All the cities started dying and getting infected with tumors. So the Philistines at a last resort sent the Ark back to the Israelites along with Gold offerings and 2 cows. When the Ark arrived in Israel the people cheered and gave thanks. They immediately gave sacrifices to the Lord and prayed to God.





70 people were killed by the Lord because they looked inside the Ark of God. This was strictly forbidden but they looked inside anyway. The ark was then moved and guarded for many years. Samuel led the Israelites for years after that. He got Israel to turn from their false idols back to worshipping God and at that time God gave the Philistines and the land they had taken back to the Israelites. They then lived in peace after that.




In John today it talks about Jesus preaching to thousands of people. They were all getting hungry but there was not enough food for everyone. Jesus broke the bread and the fish and gave thanks. From a few loaves of bread and a couple fish he was able to miraculously feed 5000 people with plenty of leftovers. The people rejoiced and have thanks to the miracle they just witnessed. The disciples then set out in a boat, they had been rowing for a few miles when they witnessed Jesus walking towards them, he was walking on the water. The men started to freak out but Jesus told them to calm down and they let him in the boat.


- That must have been an amazing sight, and I'm sure was terrifying to see something like that. I'm sure the healing and feeding 5000 people were awesome but to be caught off guard by a man with amazing powers walking on water would make me feel so small and helpless. It would be a frightening thing to witness. -

The Proverbs for today is; PROVERBS 14:32-33 "When calamity comes, the wicked are brought down, but even in death the righteous have a refuge. Wisdom reposes in the heart of the discerning and even among fools she lets herself be known."

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posted by JReid

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Daily Readings - 05.08.07

0 comments | Tuesday, May 8, 2007

Today I read from the following books;

1 SAMUEL 2:22 - 4:22
JOHN 5:24-47
PSALM 106:1-12
PROVERBS 14:30-31

Today in 1 Samuel it talks about Eli the head priest for Israel. He is the mentor for Samuel who it sounds like is still a boy at this time. Samuel is living with Eli in the temple and studying the word of God.

Eli learns that his sons are wicked men. They have done some terrible things including sleeping with women who served at the tent of meetings. He asked them why they did such things and told them to stop, however they did not listen. They continued to live the life of wickedness. So God sent a man to talk to Eli telling him that soon, if his sons did not stop their wicked ways, the Lord would curse the house of Eli and his fathers house. He says that no man in Eli's family will grow old, they will all die prematurely. He told Eli it was wrong for him to know the acts of his sons yet do nothing about it.

Later Eli went to bed, he was becoming an old man and was loosing his sight. The Lord called out to Samuel, "Samuel...". Samuel got up and ran to Eli (thinking he had called him), "Here I am" he said, but Eli replied, "I did not call you, go to bed". This happened 3 times before Eli realized that God was the one calling Samuel. He told Samuel that if he heard him again so say, "Speak Lord, your servant is listening".

God again talked to Samuel and told him everything that was going to happen the next day. He told him that the evil things he had warned Eli about were going to happen because of Eli's inability to control his boys. He gave instructions to Samuel and then asked him to go to sleep. Eli demanded to know what God had said to Samuel so Samuel told him everything God had said.

It then talks about the Israelites fighting the Philistines. The Philistines beat the Israelites badly killing many men, they also stole the arch of God. When Israel heard that the Arch of God was stolen they were very distressed. When Eli was told it was stolen he fell backwards which broke his neck and died.
In John today it talks about being saved. Simply put it is a speech to the people telling them that they must believe. But if they don't believe in Moses or the things that he wrote, then how could they believe in God. It states in several different ways that the people must believe in Jesus to be saved and have eternal life.
The Proverbs for today is; PROVERBS 14:30-31 "A heart of Peace gives life to the body, but envy rots the bones. He who oppresses the poor shows contempt for their maker, but whoever is king to the needy honors God.

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Daily Readings - 05.07.07

0 comments | Monday, May 7, 2007

Today I read from the following books;

1 SAMUEL 1:1 - 2:21
JOHN 5:1-23
PSALM 105:37-45
PROVERBS 14:28-29


Today we started 1 Samuel which talks about a man from Ramathaim named Elkanah who had 2 wives, Hannah and Peninnah. Peninnah had children, but Hannah was unable to bear children. During Elkanah's sacrifice to the Lord, he would give meat to his wives and children, but he would give Hannah a double portion of meat because he loved her. Because she couldn't have kids Peninnah would harass her and make fun of her. All day long it got worse and worse until one day while she was in the temple of God she wept out loud and prayed intensely to the lord. She asked him for a son, and told the Lord that if he gave her a son she would give the boy to the Lord and would never cut his hair.


Not too long after that Elkanah and Hannah did it, and she gave birth to a Son who she named Samuel. Once Samuel was weaned she took his with her offerings to the temple for him to live and train with the priest. As Samuel grew the Lord continued to bless Hannah by giving her 3 more sons and 2 daughters.


In John today it talks about Jesus attending a gathering of the Jews. It was a Sunday when Jesus was walking through a part of town that was notorious for having all the lame and disabled people in it. As he was walking he saw a man who he learned had been paralyzed for many years and had been living there for a long time. He told the man to get up and pick up his mat. The man was instantly healed and he did as Jesus told him. He got up and walked with his mat. When some Jews saw him walking with his mat they stopped him and yelled at him for working (walking with his mat) on the sabbath. He told them that the man who had healed him told him to do it. They found out it was Jesus and they tried harder to kill him.


The Proverbs for today is; PROVERBS 14:28-29 "A large population is a King's glory, but without subject a prince is ruined. A patient man has great understanding, but a quick-tempered man displays folly."

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Daily Readings - 05.06.07

0 comments | Sunday, May 6, 2007

Today I read from the following books;

RUTH 2:1 - 4:22
JOHN 4:43-54
PSALM 105:16-36
PROVERBS 14:26-27

Today in Ruth it picks up withe the story of Ruth and Naomi. At this point they are pretty much poor and hungry. Ruth asks Naomi's permission to go into the fields and pick up the left over grain that was left behind by the pickers, and Ruth let her.

She was picking in a field that belonged to a man named Boaz. Ruth had been working in the field all day when Boaz arrived. He told the Foreman to bring "that girl" (Ruth) over to him. (I'm sure she was afraid at this point) He told her to stay in his field, not to pick from anyone else, and to watch over the men and follow the other ladies around watching over them. He told her that if she gets thirsty she can drink from the water the men have gathered.

- I'm assuming this is NOT what she was expecting. If I am reading this right, Ruth was pretty much intending to go onto his land and steal (kind of) the left over grain that was not picked by the farm workers. I'm sure this was looked down upon. So when Boaz arrived and called her over, she was probably preparing herself to get punished, but she was shocked to hear what he had to say. -

She fell face down and bowed down before him. She said to him "Why have I found such favor in your eyes that you notice me - a foreigner?" Boax replied to her saying that he had heard of her and that he heard what Ruth has done for her mother in law Naomi. He said to her "May the Lord repay you for what you have done, may you be richly rewarded by the Lord, the God of Israel..."
When it came dinner time Boaz gave Ruth food which she ate all of. She asked permission to continue working in his field and then left. After she left Boaz told his men not to embarrass her, and told them to pull stalks and drop them behind for her to pick up. Ruth left the next day with a very generous amount of grain. When Noami saw how much grain Ruth had received she asked who's field she was working in. When Ruth replied Boaz, Naomi explained that Boaz was actually a close relative of theirs and was showing her kindness.

- The next part is pretty cool, however more and more of these stories show how women were treated back then. In some cases the bible shows of men showing compassion to women but in many other cases it describes women as slaves almost. Men can have multiple wives, and they all are there to serve the man. Its just different than the way things are today -

Ruth went onto the "threshing floor" after Boaz had laid down. She laid at his feet and uncovered his feet, later in the night the man woke up to find Ruth there and asked her to cover up his feet, she did and he told her that he could find her a husband. He said that if the person he had in mind didn't want her that he would marry her himself.

The next day Boaz went with some elders to the town gates and talked to the man he had in mind. He told him to buy the land and that the woman would come with the land. He said No, so Boaz married Ruth that day and inherited all the land of Ruth's dead husband. The Lord enabled Ruth to get pregnant and she gave birth to a son.

In John today it talks about Jesus traveling to Galilee. When he arrived he was greeted and welcomed him since they had seen and heard about the wonders he had done in Jerusalem. A man came up to him who was a royal officer. He begged Jesus to go with him to heal his son who was going to die. Jesus replied to him, "You may go, your son will live". The man took his word for it and left. While the man was still traveling home, his servant met him half way and told him the good news, his son was alive and well. The man realized that Jesus really did save his son so he and his entire household became believers at that time.

The Proverbs for today is; PROVERBS 14:26-27 "He who fears the Lord has a secure fortress, and for his children it will be a refuge. The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life, turning a man from the snares of death."

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Daily Readings - 05.05.07

0 comments | Saturday, May 5, 2007

Today I read from the following books;

JUDGES 21:1 - RUTH 1:22
JOHN 4:4-42
PSALM 105:1-15
PROVERBS 14:25

Today in the old testament it talks about Israels reaction to the war that just happened between Israel and the Benjamites. Israel made an oath to never allow their daughters to marry a Benjamite however they mourned for the loss of a tribe of Israel. It says that all the tribes of Israel gathered together to mourn the loss of the Benjamites when they noticed that one tribe was missing. It was common knowledge that if a tribe refused to join in the assembly before the lord that those people were wicked and should be murdered.

The people of Israel noticed that none from Gilead Jabesh were present at the gathering, so they sent 12,000 fighters to go and wipe Gilead Jabesh off the face of the earth. They said to kill everyone except women/girls that are virgins, and it was done. They took with 400 women with them but killed everyone else.

Since all of Israel made an oath not to marry a Benjamite there was some question as to how the tribe would survive. The Benjamite men were instructed to hide in the vineyard and wait for the Gilead Jabesh virgins to come near, and when they did, they were instructed to take one and run away and keep her for his wife. Soon after the virgins were dancing at night when the Benjamite men ran out and kidnapped the women.

In Ruth it starts out by telling the story of Naomi and Elimelech. They were married and had 2 sons. The 2 sons were married to 2 women named Orpah, and Ruth. Elimelech eventually died leaving Naomi, her sons and daughter in laws alone. About 10 years later her sons died as well. Then it was just Naomi, Orpah, and Ruth. Ruth told the women to go home, to their families so that they can re-marry and become happy again. The women wanted to stay with Naomi but eventually Orpah agreed and left to go home. When it came time for Ruth to leave she refused and told Naomi that they would stay together until death. Naomi eventually stopped pressuring her to leave and they both left town to move to Moab. In the last paragraph of today's reading they stopped in Bethlehem and Naomi now wishes to be called Mara, because the Lord made her life bitter.

In John today it talks about Jesus' journey through Samaria in a town called Sychar. Jesus walked up to Jacob's well and saw a Samaritan woman getting water out of the well. He asked her if she would give him a drink and she replied back saying "You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?" Jews did not associate with Samaritans. Jesus then starts to explain who he is and the works that he does for his father God. He then explains to her some very personal things about her life to prove to her his powers. She runs to town and gathers people telling them that the savior is with them. Many Samaritans came and many people were transformed into believers after hearing Jesus speak.

The Proverbs for today is; PROVERBS 14:25 "A truthful witness saves lives, but a false witness is deceitful."

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posted by JReid

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