Posts with the tag “grief-and-consolation”

Today's Reading: Hebrews 10:1-39There is a sense in which the times that we live in today are similar to the time of the Babylonian exile for Judah. As we await the return of Jesus, we do sometimes suffer. But like the people of Judah, we can persevere during this time by living by faith. But unlike the exiles we have even more reason for faith and hope because we are on the other side of the deat...  Read More

Today's Reading: John 2:1-25We're going to focus today on verses 13-22. Here the disciples remember the words from Psalm 69, a Messianic Psalm. In the same way that the Jewish Temple had been torn down during the conquest by Babylon and later rebuilt (we'll read about that in the next section or our reading plan), Jesus body would be put to death and then rise from the grave on the third day.This ...  Read More

Today's Reading: Daniel 9:1-27By this time, Daniel has been in Babylon for nearly 70 years, so he is probably in his mid to late 80’s. He has lived long enough to see the fulfillment of a portion of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream in chapter 2 and his vision in chapter 7 as control of Babylon has now passed to the Medes and Persians, under the leadership of Darius.Daniel, who as we’ve seen frequently is de...  Read More

Today's reading: Daniel 2:1-49The prophecies included in the book of Daniel, including Nebuchadnezzar's dream in this chapter have always amazed me because of their accuracy in setting out the course of history, including the coming of Jesus, the Messiah. Here in this chapter, He is pictured as stone who will destroy all other kingdoms and establish a kingdom that will never be destroyed.That king...  Read More

Today's Reading: Daniel 1:1-21Daniel and his three friends were taken into exile during Nebuchadnezzar's first conquest of Jerusalem in 605 BC. Daniel's ministry extended all the way through the conquest of Babylon by the Persians in 539 BC.There is so much we can learn from this first chapter. We see that it is possible to live a godly life even in a culture that is increasingly hostile to Jesus....  Read More

Today's Reading: Habakkuk 2:1-20From the Faithlife Study Bible:"The book of Habakkuk examines injustice from the experience of a righteous person crying out to God for a remedy. God responds to the prophet: Be patient, observant, and steady in your faith, for my judgment will happen at the appointed time. God’s response allows Habakkuk to rejoice in God’s saving power—even while struggling with a ...  Read More

Today's Reading: Jeremiah 25:1-38We clearly see God's sovereignty in action here. Because His own people have been unfaithful, God is going to use the evil nation of Babylon to discipline them by taking them into captivity for 70 years. That reminds us that God can use whatever and whoever He wants to accomplish His purposes - even an evil nation.But Babylon, and all the other nations who have opp...  Read More

Today's Reading: Psalm 69:1-36Although this Psalm is attributed to David, the final verses refer to a time when the cities of Judah needed to be rebuilt and its people brought back home, which would fit more with the time of the Babylonian exile. The most likely explanation is that the original Psalm up through verse 29 was written by David and then verses 30-36 were added later, perhaps by Jeremi...  Read More

Today's Reading: Psalm 44:1-26Although we can't be sure, the content of this Psalm seems to indicate it was written during the Babylonian exile. But even if that is not the case, it certainly expresses the thoughts of the people during that time. This Psalm is what is known as a corporate lament. While the Psalmist is troubled by the current circumstances, he begins the Psalm by focusing on God's ...  Read More

Today's Reading: Lamentations 1:1-22Today we begin a new section in our reading plan. The people of the southern kingdom of Judah grieve during exile but are comforted by the prophets, who reiterate God’s promise of restoration.From the Faithlife Study Bible:"Lamentations is set just after Jerusalem’s destruction by the Babylonians in 586 BC. The book is composed of five poems that mourn the catas...  Read More