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5 Ways Daily Bible Reading Will Change Your Life

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Keely Needham writes about “5 Ways Daily Bible Reading Impacts Your Life.” Sometimes we struggle to feel excited about daily Bible reading, and that’s normal. We shouldn’t expect a mountaintop experience every time. The daily discipline will, sometime imperceptibly, change our lives.

Why should we read the Bible every day? Does it make a difference? Is it just something good Christians do? Or is it a legalistic habit that’s unnecessary to a healthy walk with God? If we don’t understand why it matters, we likely won’t make it a priority. Here are five analogies to bring to life the purposes of a consistent, daily study of God’s Word.

Her 5 metaphors for how daily Bible reading affects us:

  1. A House: Getting to know God
  2. An Anchor: Renewing your mind
  3. Glasses: Giving clarity
  4. Chemo: Killing sin
  5. Vocab: Fuel for a living relationship

So as you keep plugging away, you are getting to know this true God, and you’re learning how to view yourself and live in God’s world. There’s often not much razzle-dazzle, but the transformation is still supernatural and glorious.

See the full article for more explanation. Check it out!

 

Great Deal on New ESV Bibles

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Westminster Bookstore has a limited supply of Open Box premium ESV Bibles, which they’re offering at 70% off. If you’re in the market for a new Bible or gift Bible, this is a great deal.

‘Open Box’ Bibles are in new condition, but have imperfect or missing packaging. We won’t ship it to you if there is any damage to the bible itself.

Check it out!

Disclaimer: If you click the link above to Westminster Books, this blog will receive a small commission. Thank you for supporting our efforts to help ordinary people learn to study the Bible!

Exodus Plague Cycle #3: Yahweh the Destroyer of Worlds

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Moses has undergone training to be qualified as God’s mediator. He’s prepped and ready for the big fight with Pharaoh. The plagues make up the first three rounds, followed by a fourth round (Passover), and then a fifth (Red Sea). What does God want to teach us in round #3? In short, welcome to hell.

Observation of Exodus 9:13-10:29

Most repeated words: LORD (a whopping 35 times), land (20x), all (19), go (19), hail (19), Moses (19), Pharaoh (18), said (17), Egypt (16).

  • All 35 occurrences of “LORD” are in all caps in the ESV, meaning they translate God’s personal name, Yahweh. In Ex 5:2, Pharaoh wants to know who is the LORD. This third cycle of plagues delivers a clear answer.

It’s also noteworthy that the plagues in this third cycle have the longest narratives of all the plagues. It’s as though the action slows down to make sure we don’t miss the point. And as with the rest of the plagues, our best clues come from the many purpose statements.

  • “Let my people go, that they may serve me” (Ex 9:13; 10:3, 7).
  • “This time I will send all my plagues on you yourself, and on your servants and your people, so that you may know that there is none like me in all the earth” (Ex 9:14).
  • “For by now I could have put out my hand and struck you and your people with pestilence, and you would have been cut off from the earth. But for this purpose I have raised you up, to show you my power, so that my name may be proclaimed in all the earth” (Ex 9:15-16).
  • “You are still exalting yourself against my people and will not let them go” (Ex 9:17).
  • “There will be no more hail, so that you may know that the earth is the Lord’s. But as for you and your servants, I know that you do not yet fear the Lord God” (Ex 9:29-30).
  • “Go in to Pharaoh, for I have hardened his heart and the heart of his servants, that I may show these signs of mine among them, and that you may tell in the hearing of your son and of your grandson how I have dealt harshly with the Egyptians and what signs I have done among them, that you may know that I am the Lord” (Ex 10:1-2).
  • “How long will you refuse to humble yourself before me?” (Ex 10:3).
  • “For we must hold a feast to the Lord” (Ex 10:9).

Also, notice how the devastation from these plagues is more widespread than that in previous cycles:

  • “all my plagues…all the earth…all that you have…in all the land of Egypt…all your servants…all that day…all…all…all”—19 times.
  • “Such [hail] as never has been in Egypt from the day it was founded until now” (Ex 9:18, 24).
  • “Every man and beast that is in the field and is not brought home will die when the hail falls on them” (Ex 9:19, 25).
  • “The flax and the barley were struck down” (Ex 9:31).
  • “[The locusts] shall cover the face of the land, so that no one can see the land. And they shall eat what is left to you after the hail, and they shall eat every tree of yours that grows in the field, and they shall fill your houses and the houses of all your servants and of all the Egyptians, as neither your fathers nor your grandfathers have seen, from the day they came on earth to this day” (Ex 10:5-6).
  • “Do you not yet understand that Egypt is ruined?” (Ex 10:7).
  • “The locusts came up over all the land of Egypt and settled on the whole country of Egypt, such a dense swarm of locusts as had never been before, nor ever will be again. They covered the face of the whole land, so that the land was darkened, and they ate all the plants in the land and all the fruit of the trees that the hail had left. Not a green thing remained, neither tree nor plant of the field, through all the land of Egypt” (Ex 10:14-15).
  • “Stretch out your hand toward heaven, that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, a darkness to be felt” (Ex 10:21).

A V (2012), Creative Commons

Structure:

  1. First plague: Fiery hail from heaven sent to dominate the one who exalts himself.
  2. Second plague: Swarms of locusts sent to devastate the one who refuses to humble himself.
  3. Third plague: Creation finally unravels into prehistoric darkness (compare with Gen 1:2), leading Pharaoh to threaten death if Moses dares to see his face.

Interpretation of Exodus 9:13-10:29

Some possible questions:

  1. Why did God send so many plagues? Weren’t the first 6 enough?
  2. Why do these three plagues bring more widespread destruction than the others?
  3. So what does the Lord want to teach Pharaoh, Egypt, Israel, and us?

My answers (numbers correspond to the questions):

  1. I argued in a previous post that the structure of the plagues (3 groups of 3 plagues each) sets us up for 3 major lessons about the Lord. The first cycle focuses on demonstrating that the Lord is the agent of the plagues; Yahweh is the judge of all humanity. The second cycle continues that theme but also focuses on the division between God’s people and God’s enemies; Yahweh is the divider of peoples. This third cycle continues both of those themes but adds a new emphasis: the completeness of the devastation.
  2. Every man, woman, and child must understand who this God is. He destroys everything so his fame can spread through the whole earth (Ex 9:14). He raises up Pharaoh and repeatedly hardens his heart, so things can get this bad, and so God can demonstrate his power in all the earth (Ex 9:15-16). The witnesses of these events must recount them to their children, who will recount them to their children, who will recount them to their children, until the end of the world (Ex 10:1-2). All must learn how harshly God will deal with those who exalt themselves against him.

It should not surprise us that imagery from this passage saturates the rest of the Bible.

  • A “swarm of locusts” becomes an image for every sort of destruction and devastation—Deut 28:38, Judg 6:5, 7:12, Ps 78:46, 105:34, Jer 51:27, Joel 1:4, Rev 9:3, etc.
  • “Raining fire from heaven” takes on a tone of retribution against the wicked—2 Kgs 1:10, Job 1:16, Ps 18:13, Joel 2:30, Lk 9:54, 2 Pet 3:7, Rev 20:9, etc.
  • “Darkness” paints a picture of confusion, terror, sorrow, and great weeping—1 Sam 2:9, Job 3:5-6, 19:8, Ps 35:6, Is 8:22, Joel 2:2, Matt 8:12, 25:30, Rev 16:10, etc.

When Jesus spoke about the terrors of hell, common choices of metaphor were “unquenchable fire” (Matt 7:19, 13:40; Mark 9:43) and “outer darkness” (Matt 8:12, 22:13, 25:30).

Train of thought:

  1. Plague #1: Yahweh dominates those who exalt themselves.
  2. Plague #2: Yahweh devastates those who refuse to humble themselves.
  3. Plague #3: Yahweh deteriorates creation’s goodness

Main point: Yahweh glorifies his name in all the earth by executing ultimate judgment on evil.

Connection to Christ: We must proclaim the good news to men and women of every nation, lest they be swept away at the blazing fury of the risen Christ, whose robe is dipped in the blood of his enemies, while he strikes them down and offers their flesh to the birds of the air (Rev 19:11-18, Is 63:1-6). We have hope that the Lord Jesus will eventually do away with all evil (Rev 20:10), and justice and righteousness will reign (2 Pet 3:13).

My Application of Exodus 9:13-10:29

Who am I to stand before this terrible, glorious God? And yet I have a role to play in warning many to flee the wrath to come. I must not remain silent.

Click here to see what I’m doing with this sample Bible study and why I’m doing it.

Sample Commentary Usage with Psalm 44

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At the Logos Talk blog, Mark Ward writes about “How to Use a Commentary to Study the Psalms.” In the article, Ward describes his own process of studying Psalm 44, and how various commentaries provided helpful insights at the right times.

What Ward does well is show us his own attempts to wrestle with the text, as well as his willingness to consider the insights of others. He avoids the hubris of thinking he doesn’t need any outside help to interpret the psalm. And he avoids the laziness of allowing one or more commentaries to do all his thinking for him.

So for an example of how one might use such tools well, check it out!

Exodus Plague Cycle #2: Yahweh the Divider of Peoples

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Moses has undergone training to be qualified as God’s mediator. He’s prepped and ready for the big fight with Pharaoh. The plagues make up the first three rounds, followed by a fourth round (Passover), and then a fifth (Red Sea). What does God want to teach us in round #2?

Observation of Exodus 8:20-9:12

Most repeated words: Lord (21 times), Pharaoh (15x), people (14), go/going (13), not (13), Moses (12), let/letting (10), flies (8).

But as with the first plague cycle, the key themes arise not from the repeated words but from the purpose statements:

  • “Let my people go, that they may serve me” (Ex 8:20, 9:1).
  • “I will set apart the land of Goshen…so that no swarms of flies shall be there, that you may know that I am Yahweh in the midst of the earth” (Ex 8:22).
  • “I will put a division between my people and your people” (Ex 8:23).
  • “It would not be right…for the offerings we shall sacrifice to Yahweh our God are an abomination to the Egyptians” (Ex 8:26).
  • “But Yahweh will make a distinction…so that nothing of all that belongs to the people of Israel shall die” (Ex 9:4).

Structure:

  1. First plague: Swarms of flies fill the Egyptian houses but not the land of Goshen (where Israel dwells), causing Pharaoh to try allowing Israel to offer a sacrifice in Egypt. But that is not acceptable to Moses, and Pharaoh hardens his heart.
  2. Second plague: Egyptian livestock dies, but Israelite livestock does not die. Pharaoh investigates to make sure this distinction does in fact exist (Ex 9:7).
  3. Third plague: Moses throws soot from the kiln into the air, and it becomes boils on man and beast in Egypt. Magicians can no longer stand before Moses, and (for the first time in the plague narrative) God hardens Pharaoh’s heart as he promised he would do (Ex 9:11-12).

Rick Hobson (2002), Creative Commons

Interpretation of Exodus 8:20-9:12

Some possible questions:

  1. Why is the distinction between Israel and Egypt mentioned here? Does that mean the Israelites had suffered the first cycle of plagues?
  2. Why is it unacceptable to Moses to worship Yahweh in the land of Egypt?
  3. What is significant about the magicians’ inability to stand before Moses?

My answers (numbers correspond to the questions):

  1. The division, or distinction, between Egypt and Israel saturates this cycle. The narrative introduces it as a new idea, giving it great attention in Ex 8:22-23 as the entire point of the plague of flies. Pharaoh goes out of his way to investigate the distinction in Ex 9:7, and his findings lead him to harden his heart further. It is possible that the Israelites suffered from the first cycle of plagues, since the distinction was not mentioned there. It’s also possible that we should read the distinction back into that first cycle, and that the narrator merely wanted to highlight it here in the second cycle. Either way, it is clear that Yahweh’s distinction between “my people” and “your people” (Ex 8:23) is crucial to the meaning of this second cycle of plague narratives.
  2. Ex 8:26 highlights the theme of division between Israel and Egypt. They are distinct not only in how God treats them but also in how they treat God. If the Israelites do what would be acceptable to Yahweh, the Egyptians would loathe them and lynch them. There are fundamental differences in the worship of these two people groups.
  3. Again, Ex 9:11 continues the theme of division between Egypt and Israel. the climax of the third cycle comes when the magicians are no longer able even to stand before Moses. The lowly fugitive, the abominable shepherd, the little man with big ideas, is rising. The powerful cabinet ministers of the mighty king of Egypt are declining. Yahweh is raising one up and throwing the others down. Herein lies the division between his people and not-his-people.

Train of thought:

  1. Plague #1: The division vindicates the worship of God’s people.
  2. Plague #2: The division vindicates the possessions of God’s people.
  3. Plague #3: The division elevates the position of God’s people.

Main point: Yahweh is the divider of peoples, vindicating and elevating those who are his and casting down those who are not.

Connection to Christ: When face-to-face with Yahweh the Judge, Abraham’s chief concern was “Will you indeed sweep away the righteous with the wicked? … Far be it from you to do such a thing, to put the righteous to death with the wicked, so that the righteous fare as the wicked! Far be that from you! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do what is just?” (Gen 18:23-25). The Apostle Peter expressed the same concern in his second letter (2 Pet 2:4-10):

  • If God did not spare sinning angels, but cast them into hell…
  • If he didn’t spare the ancient world, but preserved Noah…
  • If he turned Sodom and Gomorrah to ash, but rescued righteous Lot…
  • Then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgment.

Therefore, as we grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (2 Pet 3:18), we can count the patience of the Lord as salvation (2 Pet 3:15) and await his promise of a new heaven and new earth, where righteousness dwells (2 Pet 3:13). God will always separate those who trust in Jesus out from those who receive the blasting judgment of his just fury.

My Application of Exodus 8:20-9:12

I will suffer terrible things in this life, along with those who scoff at the glory of the Lord. We will all endure hardship, flood, hurricane, destitution, hunger, oppression, and violence. But I will never be swept away in the final judgment as long as I worship Jesus as the only Lord and Savior. Such worship is an abomination to those around me, and they may crucify me for it. But it is my life. He is worth everything, and he always takes care of his own.

Click here to see what I’m doing with this sample Bible study and why I’m doing it.

Why Keep Reading When You Feel Nothing?

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Writing at The Blazing Center, Stephen Altrogge gives “5 Reasons to Read the Bible When You Feel Absolutely Nothing.” This is very good. Here is a taste:

God rewards those who seek him. Not those who feel him. Not those who get warm fuzzies or feel spiritual electricity coursing through their souls. When I read the Bible, I am expressing faith that God will reward me for seeking him. And (although this should be obvious), God will reward me for seeking him…

Reading God’s word is usually like planting seeds. I won’t see the fruit of it immediately, but eventually, that fruit will come forth. If you ever wonder why a particular Christian is so mature, it’s because they’ve spent many hours planting seeds in the soil of their heart…

As I sit on the couch, rubbing sleep from my eyes and gulping wake-up juice, God himself is talking to me. Glorious.

Here are Altrogge’s 5 reasons:

  1. It’s a way of acknowledging my dependence on God.
  2. God rewards those who seek him.
  3. Reading Scripture is primarily a planting activity.
  4. Because God did speak to me.
  5. God’s word protects me.

     

For the full article, check it out!

Top 10 Posts of 2016

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San Churchill (2007), Creative Commons

San Churchill (2007), Creative Commons

It’s hip and cool for bloggers to post their top 10 posts of the year. And we want to be hip and cool. Our hearts tell us to do it, and the Bible says to “walk in the ways of your heart and the sight of your eyes” (Eccl 11:9). So here goes.

10. Buying a Markup Bible

This post from Ryan Higginbottom in early 2015 saw a resurgence of interest in 2016. Do you have a decent markup Bible for study?

9. Free OIA Summary Booklet

We’re tickled by how this one took off. We wanted to offer a free resource that summarizes all the key ideas in one place. It’s not the best place to start, as it has no examples or illustrations. But it makes a decent reference.

8. You Have Enough Time to Study the Bible

This post, along with #6, was part of Ryan’s series answering common objections people have to studying the Bible.

7. 10 Old Testament Books Never Quoted in the New Testament

This post was part of my 2013 series analyzing every Old Testament quotation in the New Testament. This one seemed to connect with people this year. Good to know not only what’s said, but also what’s not said.

6. You Are Smart Enough to Study the Bible

This post, along with #8, was part of Ryan’s series answering common objections people have to studying the Bible.

5. Teach Bible Study to a 2-Year-Old

Many people really care about their kids! Just like Jesus (Matt 19:14).

4. Teach Bible Study to a 4-Year-Old

Many people care even more about their kids when they’re getting close to school age.

3. Top 11 OT Verses Quoted in NT

This post was part of my 2013 series analyzing every Old Testament quotation in the New Testament. This one focusing on verses seems to be the one people first stumble on to.

2. Summary of the OIA Method

We put this one into the top menu so people could find it easily. It pretty much explains why this blog exists, so we’re glad it gets a lot of pageviews.

1. Details of the OIA Method

See the previous post, unless you want less of a summary and more of a detailed explanation. Then see this post instead.

The Only Book You Must Read This Year

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As you set your reading goals for this new year, please remember there is only one book you must read. As John Piper writes:

I have never called any book a “must-read” except one, the Bible. I suppose that’s because I take the word “must” so seriously. I mean, “Must,” or you perish. “Must,” in order to make it to heaven.

Now there you go, turning salvation by grace into salvation by works. Salvation by Bible reading!

Probably anyone who responds like that is not very saturated with the Bible. For the Bible makes plain that there is a practical, ongoing “holiness without which no one will see the Lord” (Hebrews 12:14), and that this holiness is produced by the Holy Spirit through the word of God. Hence Jesus prays for us, “Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth” (John 17:17).

This is how we confirm that we are truly his disciples, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples” (John 8:31). And if we are not found to be his holy disciples in the end, we will perish. This is what Paul meant when he said, “I warn you . . . that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God” (Galatians 5:21).

The truth of God, rising continually through the roots of faith planted in God’s word, is the way God keeps Christians alive and enables them to bear the faith-authenticating fruit of love, so that they will not be castaways in the last day. This is the essence of why I say the Bible is a “must-read” — the only must read.

Piper then goes on to give 7 inspiring reasons to read the Bible. I can’t list them here, as most of them consist of a long sentence. But Piper’s reflections are motivating and worth considering.

Check it out!

HT: Andy Cimbala

Bible Reading Contest: Win an ESV Reader’s Bible 6-Volume Set!

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I believe in reading the entire Bible quickly, and I think the ESV Reader’s Bible 6-Volume Set is out of this world. So today I’m opening a contest to encourage the former with promises of the latter.

Due to the generosity of Crossway, I have 2 copies of the 6-volume set to give away. And I can assure you: This is not a contest with impossible odds of winning. If you enter, you will not be up against hundreds or even thousands of entries.

Rules:

  1. You must read (not scan or skim) all 66 books of the Protestant Bible. You may choose the translation and reading plan (canonical, chronological, etc.). You don’t have to stop and meditate on every detail, but I’m trusting you to be honest about reading and not skimming. Listening to an unabridged audio Bible is acceptable.
  2. You may not begin until January 1, 2017, and you have until March 31, 2017 to finish.
  3. To enter the drawing, you must email me at peter.krol@knowableword.com (or contact me through the web form) with the date you finished and what you thought of the speed-reading process. Your thoughts do not have to be glowing, but they should be honest; you’ll still be entered into the drawing if you didn’t enjoy it.
  4. On or around April 1, 2017, I will randomly select 2 winners from those who have emailed me their entries. And there’s no April Fool’s joke here; I’m just giving everyone a fair 90 days to enter. I will email the winners to get valid shipping addresses.
  5. If one or more winners are outside the US, and I decide international shipping costs are prohibitive, I reserve the right to email a $30 Amazon gift certificate instead of the 6-volume set. I understand this won’t cover the full set, but unfortunately it’s what’s in the budget for this contest.
  6. Unfortunately, missionaries with DiscipleMakers are not eligible to win the contest.

I look forward to hearing from you. I hope you have as much fun with this sprint as I do, and may the Lord draw us all nearer to him through it!

Don’t be a Second-Hander

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In this short clip, John Piper describes his experience reading commentaries: often helpful, but rarely igniting his devotion to the Lord. To learn from the Book, you’ve got to look at the Book—and keep looking! Don’t go elsewhere for all your material.

https://vimeo.com/189824100

This year, may we be a people motivated daily by the best source material in existence. May we look and look and look and not let go until the Lord blesses us.

Check it out!