Malachi 3: The Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to His temple

(18 verses, 3:16 to read)

LISTEN and READ

What I am about to READ

• Malachi prophesies about the coming Christ and the judgment He will bring at the end of the world.

MARK

• v. 1-4: Malachi prophesies about John the Baptizer and the Christ.
• vv. 5-15: Malachi prophesies about the judgment the Christ will bring.
• vv. 16-18: Malachi prophesies about the final separation of believers from unbelievers in eternity.

LEARN

• This prophecy in verse 1 is cited in Matthew,  Mark, and Luke as referring directly to St. John the Baptizer, who would be the final Old Testament prophet, pointing the people to the Christ. St. Luke’s Gospel picks up this theme, depicting Jesus in the temple at 40 days (Luke 2:22-38) and 12 years old (Luke 2:41-52). Even the Apostle St. John depicts the coming of Jesus to the temple early in his Gospel (John 2:13-22). Malachi’s prophecy predicted this close connection between the Baptizer and the Christ, proving that God is faithful to His promise.
• The Christ here is called the messenger of the covenant. Just as in the covenant with Abraham, God is the one who both initiates the covenant and takes upon Himself the threats associated with breaking it. Though we have sinned, God punished His Son, Jesus, for our sins, that we might be counted as righteous in His sight. As the Father purified the sons of Levi for acceptable, so also Jesus makes the once and for all sacrifice for sinners by going to the Christ.
• This prophecy also foretells Christ’s work as the final end times judge. God’s righteous anger over sin is on full display here. We must remember that God hates our sin and threatens to punish all who break His commandments. If we live our lives unafraid of the judgment God threatens to all who live as if His commandments do not matter, the perfect Law of God will be the standard by which we will be judged on the Last Day. God will hold up the mirror of His Law and show us our wickedness and how far we have fallen short of His demands.
• God’s demands in the Law always remain the same. He does not change the expectations, so that when we are confronted with our sin, we know exactly where to turn for forgiveness. As the Old Testament saints looked forward to the Messiah, so we look to that same Messiah–Jesus Christ–who bears the punishment for us.
• Finally, verse 18 seems to be a prophecy of what Jesus describes in Matthew 25, as the sheep are separated from the goats at the final judgment. This will be a public separation of those made righteous by faith in Christ and those who are outside of Christ and found guilty under the Law. Though we often cannot see the differences between those who serve Christ and those who do not due to our fallen nature, this will be made clear on the Last Day. This is a comfort to us especially, since we know that our own sins might cause others to doubt whether or not we belong to Christ. Our lives are hidden in His, and His blood covers all our sins so that the Father does not see them anymore.

MEDITATE

• Prayer: O Lord, teach us proper fear of the return of Your Son in judgment, that we might not allow sin to rule in us. In the same way, teach us to lift up our heads, knowing that Your Son brings redemption and peace to all who trust in Him. Amen.

Thoughts? Comments? Questions? Post below, or join the conversation in our Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/dailybiblemeditation/

-Rev. Jordan McKinley, pastor
Trinity Lutheran Church, Vallonia, IN

Learn more about Trinity:
On the Web: http://www.trinityvallonia.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/TrinityVallonia
Twitter: @TrinityVallonia
Find our sermon podcasts through iTunes (Search “Trinity Vallonia”)
or at http://trinityvallonia.podbean.com/

Revelation 20: The Binding, Releasing, and Final Judgment of Satan

Reposted from Rev. Stout:

(15 verses, 2:25 to read)

READ & LISTEN

What I am about to READ 

• The Binding, Releasing, and Final Judgment of Satan.

MARK & LEARN & MEDITATE.

• 1-3: Satan is bound for 1,000 years –  Jesus does this binding because He is the stronger man who bound the strong man (Matt. 12:29).  When the strong man is bound, his prisoners are released to the stronger man.  Jesus has released you.  You belong to Him.  Satan was bound through His death and resurrection.  The thousand years, as interpreted through other Scripture passages, is symbolic for God’s perfect length of time (Ps. 90:4; 2 Pet. 3:8) or complete amount (Ps. 50:10).  It is not literal.  This has traditionally been interpreted as the age of the church.  Satan is bound and his chain is short.  Yet, he will be released near the end of world.  Jesus is the One releasing.  He is the One who holds the key. The Church’s confidence is in Him even if they don’t understand all the “why’s.”  Jesus still holds the time of the resurrection in His hand and will bring to completion in the perfect time. “And if those days had not been cut short, no human being would be saved. But for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short (Matt. 24:22).”
• 4-6: Christ’s reign with the saints for the same period of time – Both saints in heaven and saints on earth share in Christ’s rule and judgment.  Some of this is very mysterious.  However, we have confidence that Christ’s judgment is exercised through His pastors and Church when sins are forgiven from those who repent and forgiveness is withheld from those who refuse (Matt. 16:16-19; Matt. 18:18; John 20:22-23).  The verdict you hear through your pastor on Sunday is God’s verdict in heaven.  The absolution to give you a clean conscience is comforting judgment, not condemning judgment.  Christ’s gifts through His Word produce the first resurrection when we who were spiritually dead are made alive by His grace.  This is the comfort we cling as we wait for the bodily resurrection where we will be protected by Christ from eternal condemnation, or second death.
• 7-10: Satan is released and the Church conflicts with Gog and Magog –  Like many Old Testament battles, you can imagine how unlikely it is that Christ’s Church will have victory when surrounded by such enemies.  But that is only if they were fighting the battle themselves.  It is then that Satan and his demons are cast by Christ, not into the pit, but into the eternal lake of fire.
• 11-15: The Day of Judgment.  Christ’s saints are judged by His righteousness.  You are written in the Lamb’s book of life by His blood and the faith that was given to you.  Covered in Christ and by grace, we also receive credit for good works we have accomplished through and in Him.  We somehow get credit for producing fruit that was produced often without knowledge.  For many of the good works, we will ask, “When did we do these things (Matthew 25:37)?”  The answer will be found in loving, forgiving, having mercy, and providing for those through whom our vocations touch.  They do seem small and menial now, but they are precious in God’s sight, and sometimes also in the sight of those who are served.

Thoughts? Comments? Questions? Post below, or join the conversation in our Facebook group:  (https://www.facebook.com/groups/dailybiblemeditation/

Pastor Christopher Stout

Psalm 28: To You, O Lord, I Call

(9 verses, 1:12 to read)

LISTEN & READ

What I am about to READ

• David prays and is heard

MARK

• David, based on God’s promise to hear our prayers, calls out to God (vv. 1-2).
• David prays for deliverance from and against his enemies (vv. 3-5).
• David praises God for hearing His prayer and delivering him from his enemies (vv. 6-9).

LEARN

• God commands us to pray. If a Christian does not call upon God’s name in prayer, he is guilty of misusing the Lord’s name. Prayer is one of the reasons God gives us His name—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—in Holy Baptism. We also have a great promise from God that He will hear our prayers. Because of that, we need not fear any lack or death or hell.
• David recognizes that he is not immune to the sins of those who surround him. Just like Isaiah confesses, “I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips.” This is dangerous for all Christians. We must guard our hearts and our minds from those things that would tempt us toward evil.
• David’s enemies are hypocrites, speaking peace but carrying evil in their hearts. God, the one who renders judgment, sees into the hearts of sinful man. Thus our outward actions are not the only thing that is pleasing to God. Good works proceed from a heart that fears the Lord’s wrath and desires to do what He commands out love for God and neighbor.
• David confesses where the strength to do God-pleasing works comes from: God alone. He is the strength of those whose hearts trust in Him. He saves His people, anointed by the Holy Spirit in the waters of Holy Baptism, enabling them, even in this life, to begin to fulfill the law of love. Even when we do fall short of God’s righteous law, Jesus, our Good Shepherd, bears us up and carries us by His saving power.
• Luther links this psalm to the second and third commandments (prayer and worship) and the first and second petitions of the Lord’s Prayer.

MEDITATE

• Prayer: God of all grace, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who knows the enemies of Your Church and are able to thwart all their designs; protect us against all tyrants, heretics, and hypocrites. Hear our prayer and grant us to love Your Word, to promote Your honor upon earth, and to continue in Your service always even to the end. Amen.

Thoughts? Comments? Questions? Post below, or join the conversation in our Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/dailybiblemeditation/

-Rev. Jordan McKinley, pastor
Trinity Lutheran Church, Vallonia, IN

Learn more about Trinity:
On the Web: http://www.trinityvallonia.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/TrinityVallonia
Twitter: @TrinityVallonia
Find our sermon podcasts through iTunes (Search “Trinity Vallonia”)
or at http://trinityvallonia.podbean.com/

Malachi 2: The Lord Accuses the Priests

(17 verses, 3:08 to read)

READ & LISTEN

What I am about to READ

• The LORD accuses the priests of profaning His Holy Place.

MARK & LEARN

Here’s an outline of the chapter

• 1-9, The LORD accuses the priests of corruption, and threatens to punish them (including the threat of spreading the dung of the sacrifices on their faces).
  • In 2:5 the Lord speaks of the purpose for which He called Levi: to bless the people with life and peace, and so that the people would fear God.
  • The priests are to teach (2:7), but they have led the people away from the Lord’s truth.
• 10-17, The priests are accused of ungodly marriage, first in that they married pagan wives, and, second, in that they treat their wives poorly.
  • 2:14-17 speaks very clearly, especially to husbands, about the tenderness with which they should treat their wives.

MEDITATE

• These priests and husbands are hearing the Lord’s law expose their sin. This passage, then, is a beautiful call to repentance, confess their sins and trust in the promise that the Lord had given them to preach. This preaching of repentance is also for us, that we would rejoice in the life and peace that Jesus has for us in the Gospel.

Lord’s Blessings,
Pr Bryan Wolfmueller
Hope Lutheran Church, Aurora, CO

Revelation 19: The Victory and the Victor

(21 verses, 1:55 to read)

LISTEN & READ

What I am about to READ

At the destruction of the harlot and the beasts, all of Heaven rejoice. Christ, the friend of sinners, reveals Himself as the faithful, true, and victorious champion.

MARK & LEARN

– At the declaration of the fall of Babylon in the previous chapter, the responding joyous celebration of 19 begins. The judgements of the Lord, that is, His Word, remain and prove in the end to be just and true. This brings us back to the beginning of the Revelation wherein Christ comforts the persecuted churches of John’s day and ours with the reality that regardless of what our eyes see, Christ the victor through His Blood and Word still remains in the midst of us. Because this truth never fails, the church still sings the song of Revelation 19 when her Bridegroom gathers her today! So we are the ones who are blessed because the Lord has declared us righteous by faith and thus given us free access to the marriage feast of the Lamb in His kingdom, which has no end.

– The later 1/3 of chapter 19 reveals Christ as already victorious because His word has been declared from ages past and His blood has already been shed. This is why the angel calls the carrion birds to feast on the enemies of God before the “battle” begins. This section clearly reaffirms the most powerful weapon the Lord has and, indeed, has even given to His Bride, the Church: His Word. This is what is used to defeat all of the enemies of Truth.

MEDITATE

Dear Father in heaven, we thank you that your love for us sinner is steadfast, and that you continually call us to repentance and are quick to forgive. In these last days, constantly remind us of your love for us in your Son, our victorious Savior, Jesus Christ. Remind us that in Him, you have given us your best and greatest and have even already won the victory over sin, death, the Devil, and our sinful flesh so that we might lead godly lives here in time and with you there in eternity. Amen.

Thoughts? Comments? Questions? Post below, or join the conversation in our Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/dailybiblemeditation/

-Pastor Weslie Odom

Psalm 27: The Lord is My Light and My Salvation

(14 verses, 1:55 to read)

READ & LISTEN

 

What I am about to READ

• This Psalm is a prayer of great confidence in the Lord in the midst of all sorts of trouble. It is one of the most comforting of all the Psalms.

MARK

• The Psalm begins with a sermon extolling the Lord’s goodness, 27:1-6.
• David then prays to the Lord asking for His help and kindness, 27:7-12.
• The Psalm ends with a confession of faith (27:13) and a final charge (27:14).

LEARN

• Consider the competing images of the Psalm. The Lord is a castle, a rock-solid protection in the time of trouble. In a wonderful mixing of images, David calls the tabernacle (only a tent, and certainly not a castle) his greatest protection. Our safety is in the Lord’s tent, not in the kings castle!
• No matter the strength of our enemies, the Lord is our refuge and protector.
• There is a lot of seeking in this Psalm. David is surrounded by his enemies, but he does not seek his own safety. Instead he seeks to dwell in the house of the Lord (27:4), and he seeks the Lord’s face (27:8). This is the hope that revives David, that he would see the “goodness of the Lord in the land of the living” (27:13).

MEDITATE

• There are a number of beautiful verses to meditate on in this Psalm. Consider rereading especially verses 1, 4, 8-9, and 14.

The Lord is my light and my salvation;
whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold1 of my life;
of whom shall I be afraid?

Thoughts? Comments? Questions? Post below, or join the conversation in our Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/dailybiblemeditation/

-Pastor Bryan Wolfmueller

Malachi 1: False offerings = False worship

READ and LISTEN

(14 verses, 2:00 to read)

What I am about to READ

The Lord rebukes the priests for their polluted offerings.

MARK and LEARN

1:1 – “Malachi” could be the name of a person, or it could refer to an anonymous prophet, for Malachi means “my messenger”.

2-5:  Alluding back to his choosing of Jacob (Israel) over Esau (Edom) the Lord reminds Israel of his promise to love them and keep them (Gen 25).  Edom’s doom is pronounced in the Lord’s choosing of Israel, so that though Edom attempt to rebuild their cities and fortifications as Israel had done, they will come to naught.

6-14:   In these verses the Lord rebukes the priests for their careless worship of the Lord God.  The priests had thought that the Lord would not regard how they had used profaned offerings, blind, sick, or lame animals (vs. 8), or even stolen animals (vs. 13).  This was bad enough, but through their example the people were taught to despise the Lord’s table, that it really did not matter and that it could be neglected.  These wicked priests not only drag themselves down by their thoughtless and slovenly worship, but they drag down those whom they are to care for as well.  By their example they incite false belief and faithlessness among the people.

The Lord reminds them in his rebuke that the day will come when incense will be offered to his name all over the earth and not only in Israel (vs 11), a prophecy of the coming of the kingdom of Christ.  With this in mind, should not the priests offer their sacrifices with a faithful heart, in fear of the Lord who is a great King (vs. 14)?  Indeed in a mere 430 years from the wiring of this letter, the Christ would be born, who would be the faithful High Priest for us, and also the unblemished Sacrifice for the sins of the world.

MEDITATE
Lord Jesus, you are the great High Priest and Sacrifice for our sins. Help us to worship you in Spirit and in truth, not taking your preaching and sacraments for granted, but ever giving thanks for these gracious saving gifts which you give for our salvation.  In your Name. Amen.

Pax,

Pr. Brandon Ross

Faith Lutheran Church – Johnstown, Colorado

 

Revelation 18: Babylon Falls

Reposted from Pator Flamme

(24 verses, 2:22 to read)

LISTEN & READ

What I am about to READ

• Babylon Falls

MARK

• The mighty angel announces Babylon’s fall and judgement (1-8).
• The kings of the earth lament Babylon (9-10).
• The merchants lament her (11-17).
• The sea traders lament her (17-20).
• The mighty angel concludes with a sermon of judgement against Babylon (21-24).

LEARN

• When I consider the image of the Babylon, a prostitute arrayed in sensuous splendor, and the words of judgement against her, it’s clear that she personifies the world that contends for your fear, love, and trust over and against Christ. You know her from her fruits; blasphemy, rebellion, sexual immorality, greed, covetousness, and an insatiable thirst for martyrs’ blood. She’s not the same as your corrupted flesh that wages war against the new man resurrected in your baptism. Nor is she another form of the devil. Nevertheless, the world, the flesh, and Satan are all in league with each other, conspiring to tear down both the order of God’s Law and the consolation of his Gospel. But the prostitute Babylon, like her allies, each finds her end and condemnation where Christ comes to judge.
• In the time of St. John, Babylon was Roman society that demanded sacrifice to demon altars and participation in sexual immorality. Though one society gives way to the next, Babylon promises the same things today as she promised back then, and each one of her pronouncements is an attack on Christ. You know how our society demands conformity of our minds to the fiction of gender fluidity and the tolerant sexuality. You know how the world promises long life and security once you’ve surrounded yourself with wealth obtained by greed. You know that blasphemy is not only tolerated, but praised, and that the world gets drunk on the blood of the prophets and saints.
• The words of judgement in this chapter are at the same time condemnation against the world that hates Christ, but also comfort for his saints (vs. 20). Though we suffer the world’s temptations and attacks in this life, we know that Christ has judged her and her days are numbered. When blasphemy, sexual immorality, and greed threaten to become our gods, we must pray the words of the Third Petition of the Lord’s Prayer, “Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven,” and trust that our heavenly Father hears us and will give us his Holy Spirit for Christ’s sake.

MEDITATE

• Prayer: Merciful Lord, when the world tempts me with its transient pleasures, grant me strength to resist idolatry and faith to trust in Christ so that I may lay hold of the eternal pleasures obtained by his blood and merit. Amen.

Thoughts? Comments? Questions? Post below, or join the conversation in our Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/dailybiblemeditation/

-Pastor A. Brian Flamme

Psalm 26: Vindicate me, O Lord

 READ and LISTEN

(12 verses, 0:30 to read)

What I am about to READ

A psalm where a man prays to God for deliverance from those who falsely accuse him.

MARK and LEARN

The author who we learn in verse one is David prays for vindication from his enemies.  David has walked in integrity and has “trusted in the Lord without wavering.” This will be the theme for the entire psalm.  It is easy to assume that David is asserting some kind of righteousness based on his works, but a closer look reveals this not to be the case.

David goes on to outline what he has, and has not done that might provoke God’s anger.  David here does not claim a righteousness based in his merit, but simply puts forward evidence that will “vindicate” him against the false accusations of the “bloodthirsty men.”

Ultimately, David has faith in the Lord who will deliver him.  The holy habitation of God will be his love and the congregation gathered there will be his comfort as he blesses the Lord from it. Verse 8 also finds a place in our Lutheran liturgy as the common responsory in the prayer office of Matins. God’s children find delight in the place where God’s glory dwells.  For Christians, that is the gathering of believers around God’s word and his holy Sacrament.

MEDITATE

Lord Jesus, you have promised that the evil one will not overcome your Church.  Before the world we your children look weak and insignificant.  There are those who are allied against us, plotting evil devices for us.  Vindicate us, O Lord.  Give the word of folly that we proclaim a holy power by your word that many would be brought into your fold.  For the sake of your holy wounds, O Jesus, Amen.

Pax,

Pr. Brandon Ross

Faith Lutheran Church, Johnstown, Colorado

Thoughts? Comments? Questions? Post below, or join the conversation in our Facebook group: http://ift.tt/1rRKXTH

Nehemiah 13: Nehemiah’s Final Reforms

READ | LISTEN

(31 verses, 5:20 to read)

What I am about to READ

Enemies of God’s people tried to undermine the reforms of Nehemiah and Ezra in their absence. Nehemiah returned from Persia and by God’s grace led his people back to Moses’ laws and to serving the Lord. Nehemiah restored the Sabbath Day in Jerusalem and ended the practice of Jews marrying unbelieving Gentiles.

MARK & LEARN

• There may have been an interval of about 15 years between chapters 12 and 13 of Nehemiah. The dedication of the walls probably took place in 444 BC. Nehemiah returned to Persia in the 32nd year of Artaxerxes, about 433 BC. After Nehemiah left, he may not have returned to carry out the reforms in this chapter until 425 BC. Accordingly, the words “on that day” do not refer to the dedication day of chapter 12 but to a day after Nehemiah’s return when he read the Book of Moses to the people again.
• Tobiah, an Ammonite, had been given a room in the temple by Eliashib the priest. But God in the Law of Moses forbade Moabites and Ammonites from being involved in the worship life of Israel (Deuteronomy 23:3–6). Nehemiah ejected Tobiah from the temple, and everyone of foreign descent was excluded from Israel.
• Nehemiah found that the Levites had not been given the physical support they needed, so they had to go back to their farms and make a living for themselves. Nehemiah rebuked the Jewish officials for their negligence. He reestablished the Law of Moses so that the people began to bring the tithe again. He installed trustworthy leaders in positions of authority who managed the storerooms and distributed supplies to the temple workers.
• The context of this chapter is that Nehemiah had just returned from Persia. Because of the insidious nature of human sinfulness, Nehemiah had to make further reforms after abuses crept back into the worship life of God’s Old Testament people. In the first part of this chapter, Nehemiah had purified the temple. However, his work was not done.
• The Sabbath day was being desecrated and violated. This was one of the sins that had led to the destruction of Jerusalem (Jeremiah 17:19–27). Nehemiah used his powers to forcibly end trade on the Sabbath. He locked the gates at sunset and would not open them again until the Sabbath was over.
• A serious problem—one that had already been corrected—resurfaced. The people broke their promises (Nehemiah 10:30) and returned to the practice of intermarriage with their heathen neighbors. This sin was dangerous; it exposed the Israelite spouses to foreign gods, which often led them into idolatry.
• Nehemiah rebuked those who were guilty of intermarriage and reminded the people of the devastating consequences of this sin. He expelled one unfaithful priest from his position in the temple because of intermarriage. He beat others and made them take an oath not to continue this practice. Drastic action was needed. Otherwise Jerusalem and Judea would again be liable for God’s judgment.
• God’s people, beginning with the spiritual leaders, turned away from listening to and studying God’s Word.

MEDITATE

The book of Nehemiah reveals the devastating effects of compromise and cooperation with the enemies of God’s Word. This same thing can/does happen today. Christians may want to “fit in” with their unbelieving neighbors and avoid being the salt of the earth and the light of the world. Permissive attitudes toward sin may develop when church bodies compromise their doctrine and practice with other church bodies who have lost the truth of God’s Word. There is no compromise when it comes to God’s Word. If we find ourselves compromising His Word, inevitably  the very Gospel – Christ crucified for us – is at stake. We would do well to remember 1 Timothy 4:16 – “Keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching. Persist in this, for by so doing you will save both yourself and your hearers.” 

Thoughts? Comments? Questions? Post below, or join the conversation in our Facebook group:  https://www.facebook.com/groups/dailybiblemeditation/

Sub Cruce,

Pastor Kevin Zellers, Jr.

Revelation 17: The Mystery of the Great Harlot

(18 verses, 3:24 to read)

READ & LISTEN

What I am about to READ

• John sees, in this chapter, the image of the great harlot, which is a picture of the world that attacks Jesus and His church.

MARK & LEARN

• Just as John is given visions of heaven where Jesus sits on the throne, so he is also give visions of the earthly reality, all the ugliness of the world that is anti-Christ. The harlot in this chapter is the world and its lust, power, and greed, that attacks the church.
• Rome is the city built on seven hills (see 17:9), and when John received this revelation the world power fighting against the church was the Roman empire. Today we can understand the harlot as any and all world powers that fight against God and His institutions.
• This is a fearful enemy, but this chapter delivers us the comfort of the Revelation in verse 14, “the Lamb will overcome them, for He is Lord of lords and King of kings; and those who are with Him are called, chosen, and faithful.”

MEDITATE

• The church of Jesus is set in the midsts of great trouble and danger. We are attacked, assaulted, and tempted away from the true worship of God, but the One who sits on the throne is the same One who hung on the cross. Jesus, who is seated at the right hand of the Father, rules and reigns all things for us, His people. We live and die, then, without fear, knowing that all things are in His hands, knows that we are in His hands.

Thoughts? Comments? Questions? Join the conversation on our Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/dailybiblemeditation/

Lord’s Blessings,
Pr. Bryan Wolfmueller

Psalm 25: David’s Prayer in Every Kind of Trouble

(22 verses, 1:55 to read)

LISTEN | READ

What I am about to READ

• David is praying with every trouble, asking the Lord for His help in trouble.

MARK

• This Psalm is a partial acrostic; the first letter of each verse (almost) makes the Hebrew alphabet. (There are 22 letters in the Hebrew alphabet.)
• Psalm 25 is difficult to categorize because there are so many various petitions, like the litany and the Lord’s Prayer.

LEARN

• Notice how the Psalm moves from promise to petition. The prayers of David flow from the promises of God. This is wonderful instruction for our own prayers.

MEDITATE

• Consider 25:14, and the phrase “friendship with God.”
• Compare the petitions of this Psalm with seven petitions of the Lord’s Prayer. Can you find all seven petitions in this Psalm?

Thoughts? Comments? Questions? Post below, or join the conversation in our Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/dailybiblemeditation/

-Pastor Bryan Wolfmueller

Nehemiah 12: Why Praise? Why Thank?

(47 verses, 4:27 to read)

READ & LISTEN

READ

• The Bible reading describes the dedication of the wall and the praise and thanksgiving of God’s people and the meditation will ask, “Why praise God?”

MARK & LEARN

• …1-26: The priests and the Levites are described.  Some of the Levites are in “charge of the songs of thanksgiving” (vs 8.) and others “stood opposite them.”  This describes antiphonal singing: one group sings (pastor, choir, pulpit side of church, etc) and another group sings a response.
•  

  …27-43: The wall is dedicated.  Processions are described as well the home town of some of the singing groups.  Note the source of all thanksgiving and joy is God (vs. 43).  He’s not just the benefactor of thanksgiving, He’s the source of thanksgiving.

•  

  …44-47: In the service of the temple, tithes were received so that the priests and Levites could be provided for.

MEDITATE

• God is given the glory for the wall, the temple, and the protection of His people.  Praise and thanksgiving take us out or selfish, sinful flesh to receive God’s gifts in joy.  We thank God for His gifts because we have access to God through the gift of His Son, Jesus.
• Consider some Luther in the Large Catechism: “they should be constantly urged and incited to honor God’s name, and to have it always upon their lips in everything that may happen to them or come to their notice. For that is the true honor of His name, to look to it and implore it for all consolation, so that (as we have heard above) first the heart by faith gives God the honor due Him, and afterwards the lips by confession…For this end it is also of service that we form the habit of daily commending ourselves to God…Thus, too, if any one meets with unexpected good fortune, however trivial, that he say: “God be praised and thanked; this God has bestowed on me!”
• Consider also this John Kleinig article (http://www.johnkleinig.com/files/5913/2695/2261/Whats_the_use_of_praising_God.pdf)
  • …In this article, he points out some beautiful truths. Here’s a few:  1.) We don’t reach up to God through our praise and worship.  He descends to us in His Son.  In the Divine Service, He is present to receive our praise.  2.) Jesus is our true praise and worship leader.  He calls us brothers and is the perfect praiser and thanker of God for us and in us.  3.) Jesus is the source of our joy (John 5:11).  He gives joy and through faith gives us thanksgiving.

 

Thoughts? Comments? Questions? Post below, or join the conversation in our Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/dailybiblemeditation/ or if reading on facebook, check out the blog: https://rightlydividedbible.wordpress.com/

Christopher Stout, Pastor of Mount Calvary Lutheran Church, Kannapolis, NC & Abundant Life Lutheran Church, Charlotte, NC

Psalm 24: Lift Up Your Heads, O Gates

Originally posted by Pastor Flamme on September 26, 2014

(10 verses, 1:02 to read)

READ & LISTEN

What I am about to READ

• This psalm points to the coming Messiah who will enter into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday.

MARK

• All creation belongs to the Lord (1-2).
• A Question is asked concerning the One who will stand in the presence of the Lord (3).
• An Answer about the purity, honesty, and righteousness of this Man (4-6).
• Praise for the King of Glory, the Lord of Hosts, who enters to overcome sin, death, and the devil (7-10).

LEARN

• We pray this psalm in conjunction with Psalm Sunday.
• All of creation is contrasted with the holy hill of the Lord. Not everyone can stand in the Lord’s presence upon the hill save Jesus who alone is sinless.

MEDITATE

• Christ entered into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday to do battle with powers that hold us in bondage. Though his appearance was lowly and humble, the people thronged around him shouting, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the Name of the Lord.” Jesus came, not as a worldly war hero, but as a suffering servant. The Lord of Hosts shows his power in weakness. By his death he overcame death.

Thoughts? Comments? Questions? Post below, or join the conversation in our Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/dailybiblemeditation/

-Pastor A. Brian Flamme

Revelation 16: Seven Bowls of God’s Wrath Poured Out

Reposted from Pr. Wolfmueller:

(21 verses, 3:20 to read)

READ & LISTEN

What I am about to READ

• The seven bowls of God’s wrath are poured out on the earth.

MARK & LEARN

Here is the detailed outline of the chapter

• 1, God calls the angels to pour out the bowls of His wrath
• 2, Bowl 1 poured on the earth, and sores come on animals and people with the mark of the beast
• 3, Bowl 2 poured on the sea, which turns to blood
• 4, Bowl 3 poured on the rivers, which turn to blood
• 5-7, Interlude of praise to the Lord who is avenging the blood of the saints
• 8-9, Bowl 4 poured on the sun, and fire scorches men
• 10-11, Bowl 5 poured on the throne of the beast, which afflicts his kingdom
• 12-16, Bowl 6 poured on the Euphrates River, which dries up as a prelude to the last battle
  • 15, Interlude, Jesus reminds us that He is coming
• 17-21, Bowl 7 poured into the air, and all the signs of the last day are accomplished

MEDITATE

• This chapter gives us an exploded view of God’s wrath and anger, which will be poured out on the unbelieving world. The wicked will not rule forever, and the goats will eventually be culled from the sheep. This chapter reminds us of the Lord’s wrath, and we who are marked with the Lord’s name, rejoice that this wrath is not for us. We are hidden in Christ, and have escaped the trouble that is to come. God be praised!

Thoughts? Comments? Questions? Post below, or join the conversation in our Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/dailybiblemeditation/
-Pastor Bryan Wolfmueller

Revelation 13: The Two Beasts

(18 verses, 1:45 to read)

LISTEN & READ

What I am about to READ

John receives a vision of two beast, perhaps best understood as political and religious tyranny and strife respectively.

MARK

1-10: The beast from the sea is described and revealed.

11-18: The beast from the earth is described and revealed.

LEARN

– The previous chapter concluded with the dragon ready to make war as he stood on the the sands of the sea. The scene here in chapter 13 continues this picture as the first beast arises from the sea with the dragon looking on. This beast from the sea is perhaps best understood as a representation of those things the dragon can use in the secular realms of governments, various sources of information, economics, and so forth to do war with the “woman” and “her seed”.

– As the beast from the earth comes into the picture, it is plainly seen that, together with the beast from the sea, the entire world is at risk.

– The beast from the earth is of a different stripe than the beast from the sea, but they are of like kind. Unlike the first beast, this beast is persuasive, not coercive. The beast from the earth can be seen as various types of religious tyranny, which would mean primarily false doctrine, that the dragon uses in his warfare.

MEDITATE

The number 666, mentioned in chapter 13 of Revelation, receives much attention and has become an unsettling number for some Christians. The committee that coordinated and compiled the Lutheran Service Book, perhaps with this in mind, intentionally selected the very comforting hymn, “O Little Flock, Fear Not the Foe” as the 666^th hymn. The text follows:

1. O little flock, fear not the Foe
Who madly seeks your overthrow;
Dread not his rage and power.
What though your courage sometimes faints,
His seeming triumph o’er God’s saints
Lasts but a little hour.

2. Be of good cheer; your cause belongs
To Him who can avenge your wrongs;
Leave it to Him, our Lord.
Though hidden yet from mortal eyes,
His Gideon shall for you arise,
Uphold you and His Word.

3. As true as God’s own Word is true.
Not earth nor hell with all their crew
Against us shall prevail.
A jest and byword are they grown;
God is with us, we are His own;
Our victory cannot fail.

4. Amen, Lord Jesus, grant our prayer;
Great Captain, now Thine arm make bare,
Fight for us once again!
So shall Thy saints and martyrs raise
A mighty chorus to Thy praise,
World without end. Amen.

Thoughts? Comments? Questions? Post below, or join the conversation in our Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/dailybiblemeditation/

-Pastor Weslie Odom

Nehemiah 10: The Covenant Sealed

(39 verses, 4:02 to read)

LISTEN and READ

What I am about to READ

• Nehemiah records all those who signed the covenant and reports what the covenant entails.

MARK

• vv. 1-27 are the names of those who sealed the covenant.
• vv. 28-39 detail what the covenant required of the people.

LEARN

• A few of the name listed above may be recognizable if you’ve been keeping a close eye on Nehemiah so far. However, with this and many other name lists in the Old Testament, we often don’t know much about these folks. A wise pastor once remarked that these were like names on the tombstones of a church cemetery. We may not personally know them, but they are known by the God who redeemed them with the blood of His Son, Jesus, and called them by name.
• The people took their oath before God very seriously, even calling upon themselves curses for not following it. We do well to remember not to take the Lord’s name in vein when making promises. It is best to let our yes be yes and our no be no. However, in those times when we do make promises in the Lord’s name (confirmation, marriage, and ordination all come to mind), we should clearly think through the implications of such an oath. God does not give us His name for us to lie or deceive or strengthen our own position at His expense. The promises made here were certainly godly, however. These were pledges made to be faithful to God’s Law, given originally through Moses. This Law pointed the people of old to the coming Christ, all the while revealing Christ to us in the Old Testament. For example, God separated out His people from the nations in order to produce the Savior of all nations–Jesus Christ.
• The second group of pledges dealt specifically with the upkeep of the temple and the sacrificial system. The people recognized that these were the means by which God dealt with them and gave them the forgiveness of sins. In the same way, we know that the Gospel is free, but we do well to support faithful preaching and the right administration of the Sacraments in our midst, that the saving work of the Gospel may continue unabated.

MEDITATE

• Prayer: O Lord, You are faithful to Your promises, and Your Word is never broken. Strengthen and keep us firm in Your Word and faith until we die, forgive us when we fail to do what we have promised, and fulfill what we are unable or unwilling to do. Amen.

Thoughts? Comments? Questions? Post below, or join the conversation in our Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/dailybiblemeditation/

-Rev. Jordan McKinley, pastor
Trinity Lutheran Church, Vallonia, IN

Learn more about Trinity:
On the Web: http://www.trinityvallonia.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/TrinityVallonia
Twitter: @TrinityVallonia
Find our sermon podcasts through iTunes (Search “Trinity Vallonia”)
or at http://trinityvallonia.podbean.com/

Revelation 14: The Lamb’s Name, the Father’s Name, the Eternal Gospel, and the Time for Harvest

Reposted from Rev. Stout:

(20 verses, 2:47 to read)

READ & LISTEN

What I am about to READ 

• The Lamb’s Name, the Father’s Name, the Eternal Gospel, and the Time for Harvest

MARK & LEARN & MEDITATE.

• vs. 1-5: The first major section of this reading begins in heaven.  The saints there are marked with the Father’s name on their foreheads.  This is contradiction to the name written on others in this reading (vs. 9).  By nature, we have the mark of Satan, but the Lamb has redeemed us and made us His own and called us to follow Him.  He has placed His Name and the name of the Father on our forehead through His Word and through Baptism!  The gift that this Name brings is proclaimed in how the saints are viewed in God’s eyes.  The picture of the saints as blameless reminds us of Ephesians 5 where the Church is proclaimed as blameless in Christ’s eyes.   We in the Church on earth get small pictures and small sounds of the glorious sights and sounds of heaven when we are declared blameless and undefiled for the sake of the Lamb and give Him all glory and honor.  The Church hears it, but the world cannot understand it.  Church is heaven on earth!
• vs. 6-13: The second major section of this reading will center around the message of the three angels.  The first angel has an eternal gospel.  That is fantastic!  It is a light that never goes out.  It is strength that never grows weary.  It has no end and had no beginning.  The good news of the Lamb of God is eternal.  The Gospel in this particular reading is that judgment has come!  The judgment for the Christian is “righteous in Christ,” and the final declaration of this judgment means no more persecution, no more struggle with sin, no more death of loved ones (and in fact, there is a full realization of this blessing: (“Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.” “Blessed indeed,” says the Spirit, “that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow them!” vs. 13).  The Christian receives God’s cup of kindness and peace which overfloweth rather than the cup of wrath that those who are marked by the beast receive.  The call for the Christian as they wait on this judgment is this:  (vs. 12) “Here is a call for the endurance of the saints, those who keep the commandments of God and their faith in Jesus.”
• vs. 14-20: The final section of this reading focuses on the judgment as the time for harvest.  This is one of the most graphic parts of the judgment of unbelievers.  As grapes are pressed down in the wine press, so God’s wrath is received by those who do not take refuge in Christ.  The comfort the Christian can take in this section is twofold: 1.) As grapes are not harvested until they are ready, so God, in His patience, has decided to wait at least one more minute (the time it took you to read that part of sentence) because the earth is not fully ripe.  You don’t know the ripeness of the earth’s harvest.  He does and He loves the world and you.  2.) We have peace in knowing who holds in His hands the sickle and are called to have patience as we wait for Him to declare that the time is now – the earth is fully ripe.  The One who holds in His hand the sickle also has nail marks in those same hands.  This declares that He is God and man and has redeemed you with His blood.

Thoughts? Comments? Questions? Post below, or join the conversation in our Facebook group:  (https://www.facebook.com/groups/dailybiblemeditation/

Pastor Christopher Stout

Psalm 22: The Passion of the Christ

(31 verses, 3:28 to read)

LISTEN & READ

What I am about to READ

• The Passion of Our Lord Jesus, According to St. David

MARK

• The suffering Lord cries out in dereliction from the cross (vv. 1-22)
• Christ praises His Father for rescuing Him from His enemies: death and hell (vv. 23-28)
• After the death and resurrection of Christ are accomplished, the worship of God will consist of eating and proclaiming the works of God (vv. 29-31).

LEARN

• Our Lord Christ prays this Psalm from the cross (see Matthew 27:46 and Mark 15:34).
• The Holy Spirit inspired the Psalmist to write an astoundingly accurate picture of our Lord’s crucifixion.
• Notice the theme of trust and deliverance that runs in this Psalm. This reminds us that the promises of God are sure. This is one of the ways in which Scripture benefits us. We see God make a promise, and we see how this promise plays out in the life of God’s people. These are examples for us so that our faith in God’s promises is not baseless.
• This Psalm also proves true what St. Peter says in Acts 3:18, saying, “what God foretold by the mouth of all the prophets, that his Christ would suffer, he thus fulfilled.”
• Here, we also see a prophecy about the proclamation of the Gospel going into all the world, even to a people yet unborn (v. 30-31). This Gospel is the righteousness of God, which He has accomplished for us sinners. Notice the reference to eating that accompanies the worship in v. 29. The Lutheran Confessions teach that to receive the gifts of God is the highest act of worship. This includes eating the Lord’s Supper!
• Martin Luther categorizes this Psalm with the 1^st Commandment and the 1^stand 2^nd Petitions of the Lord’s Prayer.

MEDITATE

• Lord Jesus, Lamb of the Father’s own choosing, who offered Yourself a bloody sacrifice for our sins on the Place of Skulls, receive our thanks for Your love beyond measure. Let Your wounds be the solace of our hearts, and Your merits the ornaments of our souls in life and death, that, with Your perfected saints on high, we may forever sing Your praise. Amen.

Thoughts? Comments? Questions? Post below, or join the conversation in our Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/dailybiblemeditation/

-Rev. Jordan McKinley, pastor
Trinity Lutheran Church, Vallonia, IN

Learn more about Trinity:
On the Web: http://www.trinityvallonia.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/TrinityVallonia
Twitter: @TrinityVallonia
Find our sermon podcasts through iTunes (Search “Trinity Vallonia”)
or at http://trinityvallonia.podbean.com/

Nehemiah 9: Israel’s Confessional Service

(39 verses, 7:32 to read)

READ & LISTEN

What I am about to READ:

• The people here the Lord’s Word and repent in this monumental service of confession and repentance.

MARK & LEARN

• Here is an outline of the chapter:
  • 1-2: Introduction: Who, what, when, where
  • 3: The people listened to the Scriptures for four hours.
  • 4-5a: The priests call the people to prayer.
  • 5b-37: The Prayer of the Priests in which the people’s foolishness and the Lord’s faithfulness are put forth
  • 38: The people, noting the Lord’s faithfulness, make a covenant with the LORD.
• The great prayer of this chapter serves as an inspired summary of the history of Israel. It is like the cliff notes of the Old Testament, and reminds us of the Sermon of Stephen in Acts 7.
• We see here how the history of the LORD’s mercy, and the Scriptures, inform our prayers.

MEDITATE

• Our prayers are shaped by the Scriptures. Notice how the people spent a quarter of the day listening to the Lord’s Word, and then a quarter of the day praying to the Lord. It is a good custom for us also to hear the Lord’s Word, and then offer our prayers to the Lord which grow out of the Scriptures.

Thoughts? Questions? Join the conversation on our facebook page.

Lord’s Blessings,
Pr Bryan Wolfmueller Hope Lutheran Church, Aurora, CO

Psalm 21: The King Rejoices in the Lord’s Strength

(13 verses, 0:40 to read)

READ and LISTEN

What I am about to READ

Psalm 21 is a psalm of David that gives thanks to God for establishing the strength of the king, which is the strength of the Lord.

MARK and LEARN

The king in this psalm is first and foremost King David, whom God set on the throne of Israel. God worked salvation for David not only in matters of the nation of Israel, establishing rule and peace for David, but also working eternal salvation through God’s promises to David.

This psalm according to Luther is a “prophecy of the kingdom of Christ” (Psalms with Martin Luther p. 29, CPH, 1993.  As this psalm exalts God who makes the king blessed forever it would make sense that this would also be speaking about the coming Christ and his rule over all the earth by grace.

The Lord’s “enemies” (vs. 8) will be swallowed up in the Lord’s wrath, prophesying that great day of the Lord’s return to judge the living and the dead.

MEDITATE

Lord God, come and vindicate your people who trust in you.  You are the King of Glory O Christ, you are the Everlasting Son of the Father. Destroy your enemies who exalt their own wisdom and strength and oppress those who trust in your cross.  Amen.

Peace,

Pr. Ross

Revelation 12: The Woman, the Dragon, and War in Heaven

Originally posted by Pastor Flamme

(17 verses, 1:53 to read)

LISTEN & READ

What I am about to READ

• The Woman, the Dragon, and War in Heaven

MARK

• The woman gives birth, Christ ascends to heaven, and the Church is protected from Satan (1-6).
• Satan is cast from heaven with his host by the blood of the Lamb (7-12).
• The woman, who represents the Church, is preserved from Satan’s fury (13-17).

LEARN

• Before the birth of Christ the woman is Israel, the faithful people through whom Christ was born. After the birth of Christ and his ascension to heaven, the faithful continue as the woman and her offspring, people like you and me who cling to Christ’s Word in faith. This is an image of the Church. Though the dragon is furious and bent on our destruction, St. John assures us that Satan will not overcome us. That’s why we’ve been given the seventh petition to pray in the Lord’s Prayer, “Deliver us from evil.”
• Verses 7-12 are a text that is read on the feast of St. Michael and All Angels. These words are of great comfort for us since we have assurance that St. Michael and angels, by the blood of the Lamb, has cast Satan, the accuser, from the courts of heaven. He’s no longer there to call us sinners before God. Instead we have Christ at God’s right hand as our advocate (1 John 2:1). Where once Satan came into God’s presence with our sins, now there is Christ present with the marks of his atonement. He pleads his own righteousness as our own, the same righteousness that we have now through the proclamation of the forgiveness of sins that cleanses our conscience from the accusations of the devil. That’s why we’ve been given the second and third petitions to pray, “Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done.” We pray that what has been accomplished in heaven may also be accomplished in our lives as well.

MEDITATE

• Meditate especially on Luther’s explanations to the second and third petitions in his Small Catechism. Prayer: Heavenly Father, grant your Holy Spirit so that by his grace I may believe your Word. Break and hinder every evil plan and purpose of the devil, the world, and our sinful nature and strengthen and keep me firm in your Word and faith until I die. Amen.

Thoughts? Comments? Questions? Post below, or join the conversation in our Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/dailybiblemeditation/

-Pastor A. Brian Flamme

Psalm 20: Rejoice in the Lord your God

 READ and LISTEN

(9 Verses, 0:40 to read)

What I am about to READ

This psalm of David extols the Lord God who alone is the security of nations

MARK and LEARN

The first few verses (1-5) address the king of Israel, in this case David.  The people petition God to send the king help from the sanctuary, the tabernacle of God on Mount Zion in Jerusalem, the place where God put his name.

The banners mentioned in verse five are indicative of victory over one’s enemies.  Here military victory is indicated, but also salvation wrought by God in toto is also meant. The people ask God to carry out the plans of the king, but also to work his own will through his servant, the king.

Ultimately victory over one’s enemies is not from the use of chariots or horses (vs. 7) but from trust in the Lord God who is alone able to grant victory over one’s enemies.  One’s confidence should not be in the crafts of man, but in the word and promises of God, especially in terms of eternal salvation.  Faith in the promises of God cause one to “rise and stand upright” (vs. 8).

MEDITATE

Lord God you have put kings and princes in authority over us as your servants, who administer justice and keep the peace.  Hear us when we pray for them.  Give to them wisdom which comes only from you that our days may ones of peace and harmony. For the sake of the King of Kings our Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.

Pax,

Pr. Brandon Ross

Faith Lutheran Church, Johnstown, Colorado

Nehemiah 8: The People Attend to God’s Word

READ and LISTEN

What I am about to READ

The people are attentive to God’s word and celebrate what they hear.

MARK and LEARN

The exiles had precious little instruction in God’s word. That they would hearken to God’s word and hear what He says in it, they compel Ezra the scribe (the same Ezra whose book bears his name) to come out and read from the books of Moses (Gen – Deut).  This shows the faith and piety of the people, namely that the people wanted to hear God’s word.  They even stand for hours to hear Ezra read from the scriptures (vs. 3).  We think hearing such a long sermon would be intolerable, but for people who are hungry for the word of God, standing for hours is not a problem.  They respond with the “Amen, Amen” of faith (vs. 6), which is that they believe that what is read applies to them and they claim it as their own.

When God’s people hear the word in faith, then the day is sanctified, just as Christians honor the 3rd commandment by hearing God’s word in Divine Service and by praising and blessing God. When the day is thus holy with God’s word the heart cannot help but be joyful and thankful to the Lord, as the people were when they heard the words of the law and wept (vs. 9). This joy spreads to others who have no joy, even as the people shared their meat and drink (vs. 12) for the day was a feast day, a holy day to the Lord.

The people who had formerly not celebrated Tabernacles, a principle feast commanded by Moses now begin to observe that feast with joy and thanksgiving, setting up booths on their roofs and in their courtyards (vs. 16).  The feast probably meant much to them now, for like Israel, they had spent time wandering away from home in Babylonia, and now observe the feast with new found vigor.

See what joy comes from hearing the word of God?  Where formerly there was fear and trepidation, now there is the promise of God, his blessing and peace.  In faith, God’s people re-institute churchly customs and observances, not as burdens to be fulfilled but joyful opportunities to be God’s people and hear his word. How much more joyful should the Christian be, who has not only Moses, but the blessings and promises of Christ?

MEDITATE

Lord God, you know that I have neglected your word.  I have let it go by the wayside, preferring seemingly more important things. Forgive me.  Re-instill in me a love your word and promises that I too would say “Amen!” to your blessed word. In the name of Jesus. Amen.

Pax,

Pr. Brandon Ross

Faith Lutheran Church – Johnstown, Colorado

 

Revelation 11: The Temple Measure, The Two Witnesses, and the Seventh Trumpet

(19 verses, 3:15 to read)

Read & Listen

What I am about to READ

• The church will suffer greatly in this world. God will protect His church and yet Christians will suffer persecution and even death. But in the end they have victory because Christ is victorious.

MARK                                           

• The measuring of the temple (11:1-2)
• The two witnesses (11:3-14)
• The seventh trumpet (11:15-19)

LEARN

• There’s a lot going on in this chapter, but it helps if you understand that both the temple and the two witnesses are a picture of the church.
• This temple is the church where God dwells with His people in Word and Sacrament. This is how the church is sustained even in the face of persecution, suffering, and even death.  The church will suffer and suffer greatly but it will not ultimately be defeated.
• This is the same thing we see with the two witnesses. The two witnesses are representative of the church’s preaching and teaching ministry, that is it’s prophetic witness to the world.  The church calls the world to repentance and proclaims Christ crucified for them.
• The two witnesses are even killed in this section. At times the witness of the church will be silenced in an area for a time (and the world will even celebrate this!), but then the church is raised up in that place again just as we see the two witnesses raised up.
• The end of the chapter shows the end of all things and the great joy that God’s children will have on that day. The ark of the covenant makes an appearance at the close of the chapter because it is a symbol of God’s presence and shows that His presence and fellowship is possible because of the atonement of Christ.

MEDITATE

• Luther has some helpful insights into what it means for the church to suffer under the cross. He calls this suffering the seventh mark of the church: Seventh, the holy Christian people are externally recognized by the holy possession of the sacred cross. They must endure every misfortune and persecution, all kinds of trials and evil from the devil, the world, and the flesh (as the Lord’s Prayer indicates) by inward sadness, timidity, fear, outward poverty, contempt, illness, and weakness, in order to become like their head, Christ. And the only reason they must suffer is that they steadfastly adhere to Christ and God’s word, enduring this for the sake of Christ, Matthew 5 [:11], “Blessed are you when men persecute you on my account.” They must be pious, quiet, obedient, and prepared to serve the government and everybody with life and goods, doing no one any harm. No people on earth have to endure such bitter hate; they must be accounted worse than Jews, heathen, and Turks. In summary, they must be called heretics, knaves, and devils, the most pernicious people on earth, to the point where those who hang, drown, murder, torture, banish, and plague them to death are rendering God a service. No one has compassion on them; they are given myrrh and gall to drink when they thirst. And all of this is done not because they are adulterers, murderers, thieves, or rogues, but because they want to have none but Christ, and no other God. Wherever you see or hear this, you may know that the holy Christian church is there, as Christ says in Matthew 5 [:11–12], “Blessed are you when men revile you and utter all kinds of evil against you on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven.” This too is a holy possession whereby the Holy Spirit not only sanctifies his people, but also blesses them.

Thoughts? Comments? Questions? Post below, or join the conversation in our Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/dailybiblemeditation/

-Pastor Andrew Packer

Psalm 19: The Treasure of the Lord’s Instruction

Reposted from Pastor A. Brian Flamme

(14 verses, 1:22 to read)

LISTEN | READ

What I am about to READ

• The works of the Lord are known both through the testimony of nature and the Torah. The Torah reveals both God’s demands of righteousness through the Law and hope of deliverance from sin through the Gospel.

MARK

• The Testimony of Nature (1-6)
• Meditation on the Treasure of the Torah (7-11)
• Prayer for Atonement (12-14)

LEARN

• What can we learn about God from the heavens and sky? We learn that he is glorious and mighty. Only a fool can look at these wondrous sights and say, “There is not God” (Ps. 14:1). The voice of God’s working in the world goes throughout the world. Only a liar can deny it. But what can we say about this God outside of his glory and might? How does he feel about us? His Word, his instruction, teaches us that his demands are both beautiful and terrible. They are righteous and they condemn our unrighteousness. Thus, we are left with no other recourse but to pray for salvation from sin as David teaches us at the end of the psalm.

MEDITATE

• Why does David ask, “Who can discern his errors?” What does this teach concerning the problem of sin’s corruption?
• When we pray against sin, we are praying for Christ. We pray that we would see Jesus and his atoning sacrifice that quenched God’s wrath against our errors and hidden faults.

Thoughts? Comments? Questions? Post below, or join the conversation in our Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/dailybiblemeditation/

-Pastor A. Brian Flamme

Nehemiah 7: Nehemiah Prepares to Repopulate Jerusalem

READ | LISTEN

(73 verses, 6:45 to read)

What I am about to READ

After Nehemiah and the Jews rebuilt the walls of Jerusalem, Nehemiah provided for city administration. He then began a plan to repopulate the city by starting out with an original census similar to the one used earlier by Ezra.

MARK & LEARN

Nehemiah organized an administration for the restored city and began plans to repopulate the city. The repopulated residents are listed in chapter 11. Here in chapter 7, Nehemiah used as a starting point a census of families who returned with Zerubbabel in the first return nearly one hundred years earlier (recorded in Ezra 2). Nehemiah’s list here is almost the same as the list in Ezra. We will see how he used this census in chapter 11.

There appear to be discrepancies between Nehemiah’s list of returnees here in chapter 7 and the list in Ezra chapter 2, although both lists give the total number of returnees as 42,360. Here are some thoughts as to why:

• Nehemiah used some names that Ezra did not use.
• Nehemiah occasionally changed the order of names or omitted some of the items found in Ezra.
• Also the numbers of returnees for the same families are not always identical.
• In most cases the names are close enough that they can be recognized as variants (for example, today we might call a person Richard/Rich, Margaret/Maggie).
• Neither list attempts to list all returnees by specific family, so it is not surprising that there are some differences in the numbers of names listed.
• Nehemiah and Ezra may have used lists from different stages of the original census.
• A number of people not on the first list may have been added after they successfully demonstrated that they belonged to Judah.

MEDITATE

Many Bible critics delight in pouncing on alleged “errors” in Scripture. Students of Scripture would do well to study such attacks in order to refute them. Christians at times can be disturbed when a modern Bible translation reveals that there are different readings in different manuscripts of the Bible (variants). Yet, these differences of readings and the possibility of copying errors don’t undermine our confidence in inspiration of the Bible or in any of its teachings. Inspiration applies to the writing of the original manuscript, not the copies – and certainly not the copyist errors. While there may be occasional copying mistakes in our copies of the Bible, they’re minor and NONE of them affect any doctrine or teaching of the Bible. The vast majority of variants can easily be explained (like the list in Nehemiah 7). As for those not so easily explained, we can rest assured that the error lies not with God, but with us sinful human beings, copyists included.

Thoughts? Comments? Questions? Post below, or join the conversation in our Facebook group:  https://www.facebook.com/groups/dailybiblemeditation/

Sub Cruce,

Pastor Kevin Zellers, Jr.

Nehemiah 6: Nehemiah is Attacked by the World and False Prophets from the World

(19 verses, 2:10 to read)

READ & LISTEN

READ

• Nehemiah is attacked by false accusers in the world and false prophets, but the Lord strengthens him and gives him spiritual discernment.

MARK, LEARN & PRAY

• …1-9: Recognizing that Sanballat and crew meant him harm, Nehemiah refuses to meet with them.  After he declined them 4 times, they sent a 5th message that contained a false accusation: Nehemiah is building this wall to be a king in Judah and rebel against the king of Persia.  Nehemiah rejects the claim and prays to God, “Strengthen my hands.”
  • PRAY: O Lord, You know the many false accusations thrown at Your Christians here: we are bigots and hateful, we wish harm to our neighbors that disagree with our convictions, that we desire to set up a Christian theocracy in America, etc.  Protect Your holy, Christian Church here and everywhere from being weakened in their vocations of love, service, and prayer for their neighbors.  Grant all Christians wisdom to live in, but not of, the world and strengthen the work of our hands with the assurance that You love us, are pleased with us, and bless us in our daily lives for the sake of Christ, whose hands were pierced as He took away the sin of the whole world.  Amen.
• …10-14: After being attacked by the world in forceful ways, Sanballat and crew attack Nehemiah through a false prophet.  Nehemiah tests the claims of Shemaiah with what he knew to be true: the Lord forbid him to enter the temple.
  • PRAY: O Lord, grant us wisdom to test the claims of all pastors.  Remind us that we do not get relief from the devil simply by listening to someone claiming to preach Your Word.  The devil, in fact, attacks us quite heavily with false doctrine. You have not left us without something to test all claims against.  You have given us Your Word. Protect Your Word, protect my heart and ears from all false teaching that leads to shame, vice, or despair, and bless all pastors to preach Your Word faithfully for the edification of all Your people.
• …15-19: The wall is finished and the enemies are afraid because “they perceived that this work had been accomplished with the help of God.”
  • PRAY: Lord Jesus, grant me faith to believe Your promise that You never leave nor forsake me, that nothing can separate me from Your love, that the gates of hell will not overcome the Church and that if I have been united with You in a death like Yours how much more will I be united with You in a resurrection like Yours.  These promises give me confidence to live in a fallen and sinful world and struggle with my own sin in repentance and faith.  I live, move, and have my being by Your grace and help.  Amen.

Thoughts? Comments? Questions? Post below, or join the conversation in our Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/dailybiblemeditation/ or if reading on facebook, check out the blog: https://rightlydividedbible.wordpress.com/

Christopher Stout, Pastor of Mount Calvary Lutheran Church, Kannapolis, NC & Abundant Life Lutheran Church, Charlotte, NC

Psalm 18: I Love You, O Lord, My Strength

(50 verses, 4:47 to read)

READ & LISTEN

What I am about to READ 

• You can’t get any better than the introduction David actually places with this Psalm.  Read that.

MARK

• Introduction to vs. 3: The Lord rescues and is strong both in deliverance and protection
• 4-19: David’s distress, prayers, God hears, God acts, God rescues and brings David into safety
• 20-28: This is taken from Pastor Wolfmuellers meditation on this Psalm:  “David seems to boast in his goodness, but compare this with 18:27. David’s righteousness is the righteousness of faith in the Gospel, shown forth in his life.”
• 29-42: Further confession that God receives the glory for the rescue of David as well as David’s blamelessness
• 43-50: Hope for the future: The Lord lives and will thus continue to rescue and defend.

LEARN

• The very first words after the instructions and context are so beautiful.  “I love you, O Lord….”  This love is indeed a love that is from both God to David and from David to God.  However, the rest of the Psalm gives voice against any thought that this love is quantitatively or qualitatively equal.  David’s love for God, as our love for God, wavers and is always beginning.  God’s love for David and us is rock solid.  It is a love that defends us (fortress, shield, stronghold) and rescues us (deliverer, He bowed down the heavens and came down, he took me, he drew me out, etc).
• Read vs. 43, 46-50 as a prayer of Christ to His Father after His victorious death, resurrection & ascension.
• vs. 25 & 26, “With the merciful you show yourself merciful… and with the crooked you make yourself seem tortuous.”  The name of Jesus and confession that He is judge brings great comfort to the Christian and great terror to those who do not confess that the Lord lives as the head of all nations.

MEDITATE

• vs. 17, “He has rescued me from my strong enemy and from those who hated me, for they were too mighty for me.”  Your enemy is strong, dear saints.  He is much too strong for you.  Confess your weakness.  But your Jesus is the stronger man (Luke 11:21-22).  He has rescued you.  The Lord lives and He is your rock.  Confess your strength.  Pray: “I love you, O Lord, my strength.”

Thoughts? Comments? Questions? Post below, or join the conversation in our Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/dailybiblemeditation/ or if reading on facebook, check out the blog: https://rightlydividedbible.wordpress.com/

Christopher Stout, Pastor of Mount Calvary Lutheran Church, Kannapolis, NC & Abundant Life Lutheran Church, Charlotte, NC

Revelation 10: God’s Word Bitter and Sweet

Reposted from Rev. Ross:

READ and LISTEN

(11 verses, 2:00 to read)

What I am about to READ

John sees an angel with the little scroll, its mysteries yet to be revealed.

MARK and LEARN

The angel that appears to John could be the Christ, as he is described in images which bring to mind the presence of God in the old testament by cloud and by fire.  The angel announces that the prophecies of God’s messengers are yet to be totally fulfilled, alluding possibly to the last day and Christ’s coming.  The contents of the scroll that the angel bears are never revealed.  The sounds of thunder and the swearing before the Father indicate the gravity of the scroll’s contents.

John is told to eat the scroll which in his mouth is sweet and in his stomach bitter.  God’s word is both bitter and sweet as it points out our sin and our need for repentance (law) and also sweet in its testimony to the forgiveness of sins in Jesus (gospel).  John ingests these two messages that come in God’s word that he would prophecy and preach to the world.  John is commissioned here in this episode to not only bear witness to and write down what he sees, but to preach and prophecy himself.

MEDITATE

Lord, you send prophets, apostles, evangelists, and pastors into the world to proclaim your bitter and sweet words of law and gospel.  Give to us faithful shepherds who would preach your word faithfully that we would be convicted and comforted by your word.  Amen.

Peace,

Pr. Ross