2019 looks at the history of Old Testament Israel showing that the failures and successes of the Israelites led to the coming of Jesus, the Savior who redeems us from sin and empowers us by His Spirit to bear spiritual fruit in obedience to Him.
January 2019 (October 25, 2024 - January 23, 2025) - Joshua 1-14 - How the Lord brought Israelites into Canaan
February 2019 (January 24, 2025 - July 6, 2025) - Joshua 15 to Judges 11 - God calls his people to finish driving out the inhabitants of Canaan, but they fail. God disciplines them and saves them from destruction.
March 2019 (July 7, 2025 - August 24, 2025) - Judges 12 to I Samuel 1 - God's people may fall into great sin, but there is always a righteous remnant.
April 2019 (August 25, 2025 - January 20, 2026) - I Samuel 2 to I Samuel 17 - Israel transitions from the eras of the judges to the monarchy. And also see Israel's ongoing conflict with the Philistines.
May 2019 (January 21, 2026 - February 19, 2026) - I Samuel 17 to 2 Samuel 5 - David is on the run between his anointing and his assumption of the throne of Israel.
June 2019 (February 20, 2026 - March 12, 2026) - 2 Samuel 6 to 2 Samuel 15 - David begins his 40 year reign of Judah/Israel.
July 2019 (March 13, 2026 - April 14, 2026) - 2 Samuel 16 to I Kings 2 - David is protected from Absalom’s revolt and Solomon succeeds him as king.
August 2019 (April 15, 2026 - September 21, 2026) - 1 Chronicles 29, 1 Kings 2-14, 2 Chronicles 3-12 - The reign of Solomon builds the temple and his palace, but because of his latter disobedience the kingdoms of Judah/Israel are divided with separate kings in Jeroboam and Rehoboam.
I Chronicles 29:10-30 - Solomon Exalted - David offers a beautiful prayer praising God and confirming all of our riches are from God. Then Solomon is anointed king again.
I Kings 2:10-27 - Adonijah's Treachery - Adonijah once again comes before Solomon to usurp his authority in hopes of laying claim to the throne. Solomon has him killed but spares the life of Abiathar the priest.
I Kings 2:28-46 - Joab and Shimei Eliminated - Solomon followed through on David's request to have Joab and Shimei killed.
I Kings 3 - Solomon's Great Wisdom - Solomon begins to intermarry from other nations, then prays to God that He would give him discernment in making decisions and is given practice in this between two harlots and their babies.
I Kings 4 - The Glory of Solomon - Solomon establishes his leaders and all of his provisions.
I Kings 5 - Solomon Prepares for the Temple - Solomon hires the Sidonians and people of Tyre to provide cedars for the construction.
2 Chronicles 3 - Solomon Builds the Temple - Solomon builds the temple in 7 years with the site being on the threshing floor marking the separation God makes in us from the secular to the sacred.
I Kings 6:37-7:12 - Solomon Builds the Palace - The Temple is completed in 7 years. Solomon's palace is completed in 13 years. The Temple was first to be completed and the priority. The palace had multiple functions and was larger.
I Kings 7:13-51 - Furnishings for the Temple - All of the elements and structural parts of the temple are described with a strong emphasis on preparation and organization of material in performing the sacrifices.
2 Chronicles 5:1-6:11 - The Ark Comes to the Temple - Samuel gathers the elders and leaders together to bring the ark to the inner sanctuary of the temple he has built, and God presences is seen in a thick cloud.
2 Chronicles 6:12-42 - Solomon's Prayer of Dedication
2 Chronicles 7 - The Temple Dedication - After Solomon prayer of dedication, God makes a covenant with His people as they walk in obedience, pray, humble, obey, and turn from their wicked ways.
2 Chronicles 8:1-9:12 - Solomon's Accomplishments and Renown - Solomon demonstrates his power, wealth, and influence while also showing his commitment to worshipping God daily and seeking forgiveness for his sins.
I Kings 10:14-11:8 - Solomon's Disobedience - While Solomon accumulated a lot of riches and had access to much wealth his life was also marked by union with many women and this led him away from following God completely.
I Kings 11:9-43 - Solomon's Final Days - The Lord was angry with Solomon. His final days was marked by God raising up adversaries and splitting the Israelite kingdom. And then he died.
I Kings 12:1-24 - A Young King's Folly - Jeroboam petitions Rehoboam for mercy and does not receive it and in return receives the 10 tribes of Israel while Rehoboam gets Judah and a division results.
2 Chronicles 11:5-12:16 - Rehoboam's Reign - Rehoboam's reign is marked by taking on many wives and concubines and forsaking the Lord which results in a king of Egypt taking over the land, but not destroying it because the people repent.
I Kings 12:25-33 - Jeroboam I Breaks the Covenant - Jeroboam fears that if his people leave his area to go worship and sacrifice in Jerusalem then they will turn their allegiance to Rehoboam so he sets up alternate ways to worship and sacrifice in his area.
I Kings 13 - A Disobedient Prophet - A prophet is sent to speak judgment toward Jeroboam's alternative worship plans for his people. In returning home, the prophet is taken off course by another man which eventually results in his death from that disobedience.
I Kings 14:1-15:8 - The Fall of Jeroboam I and Rehoboam - From the northern and southern kingdom, the reigns of Jeroboam and Rehoboam, respectively, did evil in the sight of the Lord. Jeroboam's consequences are detailed.
Philippians 4:13 - Rarely do we hear "I can do all things through Christ..." from the losers side. No one should think that when apart from winning Christ is not there and guiding steps. The "all things" Paul is referencing is “hunger,” “need,” and being “brought low.” Christ must sustain His people in easier seasons as well, because the temptation to forget God arises not only when His blessings are absent but also when they abound.
Isaiah 43:25 - God says, “I will not remember your sins.” This is figurative language to communicate to Israel the complete forgiveness of our sins.
I Corinthians 13:13 - In 1 Corinthians 13:13, Paul writes, “So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love,” leading some Christians to conclude that love is more important than faith or hope. While we wait for the return of Jesus, we need faith, hope, and love in equal and increasing measure. The greatest part is referring to our time in heaven.
Matthew 7:1 - “Judge not, that you be not judged.” The reason you confront another person about his sin is to win him over, not to put him down, condemn him, or make yourself feel superior to him. There is a standard of right and wrong, and it is contained in the Scriptures.
Jeremiah 29:11 - “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.” This is not a health and wealth verse to apply. Jeremiah had warned the Judahites that punishment was coming, and he pleaded with them to repent of their idolatry and evildoing. The Lord promised that after a time, He would bring them back (Jer. 29:10).
Galatians 3:28 - "There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus." The parity he’s advocating is with respect to salvation; it’s not a wholesale blurring of all human distinctions. Distinctions in the church, so long as they aren’t divisive, are permitted, while partiality of any kind is not.
I John 4:8 - That God is love is certainly a truth to be shouted from the rooftops as well as to be treasured in our hearts. But it is the same with all His attributes. One is not more beautiful than another; one is not primary over the others. None is in tension with the others, and all are essential. There is perfect harmony within the being of God, with all His attributes belonging essentially and necessarily to His glory.
Revelation 3:16 - The City Laodicea was situated 5 miles from Hierapolis which had a natural and medicinal hot spring. Colossae, 10 miles away had a cold spring from water drinking. By saying hot or cold Jesus is not asking his followers to choose obedience or disobedience, but to be profitable, choosing to be hot or cold. What He doesn't want is someone lukewarm.
Revelation 3:20 - This verse is not about asking Jesus into our heart. It is written to the church at Laodicea to repent for having departed from the gospel of the kingdom Christ gave it to proclaim. The church must continually examine themselves and repent if they are choosing any paths that do not seek to reconcile the World to Christ.
The God of All Comfort - How well do I suffer? Our focus needs to be on providing comfort to those suffering. May we receive these benedictions: (1) The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. (2 Cor. 13:14); (2) Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God our Father, who loved us and gave us eternal comfort and good hope through grace, comfort your hearts and establish them in every good work and word. (2 Thess. 2:16–17). Amen.
Love Believes All Things - We are to think the best of others. We often default in thinking the best of ourselves, not the best of others. We need to come alongside and rejoice with their victories and encourage them in their defeats.
A Blueprint for Living - There is no issue in living a simple life. But we need to take direction still from the Bible and its teachings on how to live. The world does not like anyone telling anyone else how to live, but we need the direction of Scripture to inform us.
Rebutting Objections to the Pro-Life Position - The Abortion issues comes down to protecting life and looks at some of the most common questions today on the issue. One question I didn't see addressed is one of the common reasons mentioned today and that is when the fetus is known to show signs of not being a normal and healthy baby.
Note: If you are interested in other studies/devotions, check out my index of Bible Study's.
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