The Bible Reading Challenge Presented by VCY

TODAY’S BIBLE READING CHALLENGE:
  1 Samuel 22:1-23:29
  John 10:1-21
  Psalm 115:1-18
  Proverbs 15:18-19

1 Samuel 22:5 — Sometimes you’re hurt by people who claim to be Christians, and as a result you want to swear off dealing with Christians ever again. Perhaps in response you just want to deal with “honest pagans.” But even though you can be hurt again, God calls us to fellowship with other believers (Hebrews 10:25) because no matter how much we think our situation is beyond hope, God is in control!

1 Samuel 22:8 — The King of Israel is sad that “there is none of you that is sorry for me.”

1 Samuel 22:18 — If Jesus was comparing the Pharisees to Doeg, Doeg had shed the blood of 85 priests who stood helplessly, as well as the entire city of Nob. What did the Pharisees do to the Son of God?

1 Samuel 23:4 — Notice the patience of the LORD. The same God who was so patient with Gideon, is also patient with David. God spoke to him and promised him victory twice, even though David was afraid.

1 Samuel 23:21 — Blessing people in the name of the LORD for helping you kill your loyal subject that you have made into an adversary … huh?

John 10:1-21 — Notice some of the characters in this parable:

• The thief/robber – introduced in vs. 1
• The hireling – introduced in vs. 12
• The shepherd – introduced in vs. 2

Have you noticed the similarities between this and the parable of the wicked husbandmen (Matthew 21:33-46, Mark 12:1-12, Luke 20:9-19)?

In John 10:10-11 we see the action. The hireling flees, the thief kills, and the Shepherd dies. Yet, unlike the other parables, we are told the end of the story: in John 10:17-18 the Shepherd rises again!

Some other takeaways from this passage:

• John 10:8, 16 – Who you hear indicates what you are
• John 10:9-10 – Who you follow indicates where you go

Mr. Rogers of PBS fame asked his wife before he died, “Am I a sheep?” On the internet you have two responses (notice which incorporates more Scripture):

• “Love yourself”, or
• “Your goodness isn’t enough”

John 10:4 — Young Samuel didn’t know God’s voice, but then he had a personal encounter with the LORD. Eventually, he was able to recognize His voice.

John 10:18 — Jesus is prophesying His death and resurrection, and yet the disciples that He loved did not realize this.

Psalm 115:1 — A good admonition against pride.

Psalm 115:13 — If I want God’s blessing, what should I do?

Proverbs 15:18 — Let’s be peacemakers!

Share how reading through the Bible has been a blessing to you! E-mail us at 2018bible@vcyamerica.org or call and leave a message at 414-885-5370.

TODAY’S BIBLE READING CHALLENGE:
  1 Samuel 20:1-21:15
  John 9:1-41
  Psalm 113:1-114:8
  Proverbs 15:15-17

1 Samuel 20:13 — David’s son Solomon would discuss the behavior of kings often. Proverbs 16:14 encourages wise men to pacify their king’s wrath.

1 Samuel 20:30 — This is a very strong phrase (cuss-level) used by Saul against his own son.

1 Samuel 21:4 — Jesus cited this as justification for his disciples plucking grain on the Sabbath (Mark 2:23-28). One theory advanced on StackExchange.com is that Jesus is comparing the Pharisees to Doeg the Edomite.

1 Samuel 21:10 — From Matthew Henry:

God’s persecuted people have often found better usage from Philistines than from Israelites. David had reason to put confidence in Achish, yet he began to be afraid. His conduct was degrading, and discovered wavering in his faith and courage. The more simply we depend on God, and obey him, the more comfortably and surely we shall walk through this troublesome world.

John 9:28 — We see the running line of authority contrast: the Jews claim Mosaic authority (which Jesus attacked by claiming Abrahamic authority). Jesus claims even greater authority (from God the Father), but the Jews claim not to know “from whence He is.”

Psalm 113:3 — How long are we to praise the LORD? All the time!

Psalm 113:9 — God is in control of everything!

Psalm 114:7 — People are nervous to meet a Governor, a President, or the King of England. How much more should we be nervous at the majesty of the Lord, the God of Jacob! How much more should we desire to spend time with Him who asked us to call upon Him!

Proverbs 15:16 — We’ve seen the fear of the Lord referenced before … but do we realize how valuable it is? Too often we have the wrong priorities.

Share how reading through the Bible has been a blessing to you! E-mail us at 2018bible@vcyamerica.org or call and leave a message at 414-885-5370.

TODAY’S BIBLE READING CHALLENGE:
  1 Samuel 18:5-19:24
  John 8:31-59
  Psalm 112:1-10
  Proverbs 15:12-14

1 Samuel 18:10 — Why is God sending an evil spirit? GotQuestions.org suggests it was part of God’s judgment on Saul.

First, the evil spirit was “from” the Lord in that it was allowed by God to harass Saul. Ultimately, all created things are under God’s control. It is likely that this evil spirit was part of God’s judgment upon Saul for his disobedience. Saul had directly disobeyed God on two occasions (1 Samuel 13:1–14 and 1 Samuel 15:1–35). Therefore, God removed His Spirit from Saul and allowed an evil spirit to torment him. Likely, Satan and the demons had always wanted to attack Saul; God was now simply giving them permission to do so.

1 Samuel 18:14 — A great commendation for anyone.

1 Samuel 19:24 — The sad descent of Saul from humility:

• to arrogant appropriation of the job of the priest
• to hubris
• to two attempted assassinations of David (1 Samuel 18:11)
• to an assassination attempt using the Philistines (1 Samuel 18:17) – which sounds a bit like what David did to Uriah the Hittite (2 Samuel 11:15)
• to a general assassination order (1 Samuel 19:1)
• to another specific personal assassination attempt (1 Samuel 19:10)
• to a delegated assassination attempt (1 Samuel 19:11)
• to the four waves of assassins he sent to Ramah (1 Samuel 19:20-24).

John 8:31 — How can we be identified as disciples of Jesus? Paul reiterates the importance in 2 Corinthians 13:5. Not all who appear as real are actually real disciples:

My best friend in high school, we did gospel evangelism together as high school kids. Went away to college and declared himself an atheist. My best friend in college, we were co-captains of the football team, was headed for seminary. He essentially denied the faith and walked away. One of my best friends in seminary, his father was the dean of the seminary. After he graduated, he set up a Buddhist altar in his house. So we all deal with this. We all are asking the question all the time who is real? Who is genuine?

John MacArthur

By the way, notice that this antagonistic dialogue is with the Jews which believed on him. MacArthur quotes J.C. Ryle:

This is the most dangerous spiritual condition any person can ever be in where you’re halfway to Christ; inclined to Jesus, inclined to the truth about Jesus, wanting what Jesus provides and what He offers, but not willing to give in to the full demands that He lays on the sinner of repentance and faith in Him, declaration of His lordship, turning from sin toward righteousness

John MacArthur

John 8:48-51 — Also from John MacArthur:

Three phases appear in this dialog, and they flow through a kind of a consistent pattern. First comes blasphemy from them. Then Jesus speaks truth, and then He gives a gracious invitation. So the first one: blasphemy, truth, gracious invitation. Second one: blasphemy, truth, gracious invitation.

John MacArthur

Psalm 112:1 — Another blessing on those who obey the Lord! May you be one of those blessed!

Proverbs 15:14 — If you have free time, instead of turning on the TV set, grab a book!

Share how reading through the Bible has been a blessing to you! E-mail us at 2018bible@vcyamerica.org or call and leave a message at 414-885-5370.

TODAY’S BIBLE READING CHALLENGE:
  1 Samuel 17:1-18:4
  John 8:21-30
  Psalm 111:1-10
  Proverbs 15:11

1 Samuel 17:37 — From our friend Patch the Pirate:

1 Samuel 18:1 — A good choice of friends for Jonathan (Proverbs 13:20). We will see that Rehoboam made the wrong choice of friends as a prince (1 Kings 12:8).

John 8:21 — A not so seeker-friendly message – “… ye shall die in your sins” repeated 3x (John 8:24). These statements echo Ezekiel’s warning that “the soul that sinneth, it shall die” (Ezekiel 18:4, 18:18, 18:20).

Psalm 111:1 — Why praise the LORD? His works are great (Psalm 111:2), honorable (Psalm 111:3), glorious (Psalm 111:3), memorable (Psalm 111:4), powerful (Psalm 111:6), verity (Psalm 111:7), and judgment (Psalm 111:7).

Psalm 111:10 — Echoed in Proverbs 9:10.

Share how reading through the Bible has been a blessing to you! E-mail us at 2018bible@vcyamerica.org or call and leave a message at 414-885-5370.

TODAY’S BIBLE READING CHALLENGE:
  1 Samuel 15:1-16:23
  John 8:1-20
  Psalm 110:1-7
  Proverbs 15:8-10

1 Samuel 15:6 — Who were the Kenites?

This tribe, as may be inferred from the fact that Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, the priest of Midian (Exodus 3:1), is called a Kenite in Jdg 1:16, was an offshoot from the Midianites. The services done to Israel by Jethro and his son Hobab (Exodus 18; Numbers 10:29-32) led to a firm alliance. The Kenites accompanied the Israelites on their march as far as Jericho (Jdg 1:16), and then went and dwelt among the Amalekites in the desert to the south of Judah. They are mentioned again in 1 Samuel 27:10, 1 Samuel 30:29, as the friends of Israel. Famous among the Kenites was Jael, whose husband Heber had migrated into northern Palestine (Jdg 4:11); and the Rechabites who belonged to this tribe (1 Chronicles 2:55) long preserved the nomad habits of their ancestors (Jeremiah 35:7-10).

Cambridge Bible

1 Samuel 15:9 — Who was a descendant of Agag? Esther 3:1 says Haman was. Our good friend Dexter Penwell has these observations:

Saul’s failure to kill all the Amalekites resulted in many things later on. 1. The man who brought David the crown of Saul, and who falsely said he killed Saul was an Amalekite. 2. The men who burned Ziklag & took the families and goods of David’s men were Amalekites (there were 400 that even escaped David at that time (That was at the time of Saul’s death.) 3. Haman was an Agagite. So, he would not have been alive to try and kill all the Jews at the time of Esther.

1 Samuel 15:11 — That’s compassion … Samuel cried all night about Saul’s disobedience!

1 Samuel 15:13 — Saul insists he performed the LORD’s commands and again in 1 Samuel 15:20.

Rather than owning up to his sin, Saul tries to justify his actions. (1 Sam 15:15) … David took ownership of his sin rather than making excuses. However, David describes in detail the thoughts and emotions he was experiencing during this time in a beautiful song, Psalm 51.

Justin Deeter

1 Samuel 15:7 — Patch the Pirate wrote a song based on this verse, “God Sees the Heart“:

1 Samuel 15:22 — Here’s a memory verse song for this verse:

1 Samuel 16:18 — We think of David as a quiet shepherd boy, but he had a reputation for developing the talents that God had given him.

John 8:6 — I believe it was Tony Evans who gave what I consider the best answer to what Jesus wrote in the ground. He thinks that Jesus wrote out Leviticus 20:10, which requires that the “adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death.” If they caught the adulteress “in the very act” (John 8:4) then there must have been an adulterer there in the very act as well. Jesus is essentially saying, “Why are we stoning the woman but not the man?” Obviously, they knew who the man was! So, Jesus says to the Pharisees, “He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her (John 8:7).” Was He referring to sin in general? Maybe. But we know that they left not in mass, but “one by one” from the eldest to the youngest (John 8:9). Why would they leave one by one? They came in one group, but leave individually? What did Jesus do that changed their behavior? He wrote on the ground (John 8:8). Was He writing out all their sins? Possibly, but that would take a while. Or was He just writing down something that would stick out strongly? Perhaps names like Sapphira, Berenice, and Salome. The names of the women that they had committed adultery with. By John 8:10, there were no witnesses to the crime which broke the requirement of Deuteronomy 17:6 (two witnesses were necessary, a fact that Jesus reiterates in John 8:17). And the witness must be the first one to cast a stone (Deuteronomy 17:7). Jesus was not abrogating Mosaic Law – He was fulfilling Mosaic Law. As a non-witness, He was forbidden under Mosaic Law to stone her.

John 8:12 — This is the second “I AM” saying of John. From Earl Martin:

John 8:20 — The Pharisees were a bit gun shy after He exposed them (John 8:9).

Psalm 110:1 — Who is David’s Lord? He’s different from the LORD being addressed (Matthew 22:44)? Who is the priest forever after the order of Melchizedek (Psalm 110:4 and Hebrews 7:17)?

Proverbs 15:8 — This echoes what we read today in 1 Samuel 15:22.

Share how reading through the Bible has been a blessing to you! E-mail us at 2018bible@vcyamerica.org or call and leave a message at 414-885-5370.

TODAY’S BIBLE READING CHALLENGE:
  1 Samuel 14:1-52
  John 7:31-53
  Psalm 109:1-31
  Proverbs 15:5-7

1 Samuel 14:3 — The High Priest’s Uncle Ichabod – we’ve met him earlier.

1 Samuel 14:6 — This is an incredible verse – the king’s son decides to go rogue. He invites his bodyguard, and the bodyguard isn’t afraid to die (1 Samuel 14:7). Is it faith in the LORD or just loyalty to his liege? Maybe just the latter but the bodyguard would see how God would provide! Can God provide?

1 Samuel 14:24 — While Saul had good intentions, his actions made it easier for Israel to commit a worse sin (1 Samuel 14:32). We’ve seen earlier that eating blood was forbidden for the Israelites!

John 7:45 — “Why have you not brought Him?” Jesus is superior to the plans and schemes of man. He willingly laid down His life.

Psalm 109:22 — Deliverance is available only to those who acknowledge they are poor and needy.

Psalm 109:27 — Deliverance is soli deo gloria (glory to God alone)!

Proverbs 15:6 — True treasure is found in the house of the righteous!

Share how reading through the Bible has been a blessing to you! E-mail us at 2018bible@vcyamerica.org or call and leave a message at 414-885-5370.

TODAY’S BIBLE READING CHALLENGE:
  1 Samuel 12:1-13:23
  John 7:1-30
  Psalm 108:1-13
  Proverbs 15:4

1 Samuel 12:5 — If we are going to speak for God, we must make sure that nobody can accuse us of wrong.

1 Samuel 12:14 — Thirty-eight times in the Old Testament we see emphasized the need to obey the voice of the LORD. Obedience brings blessing. Disobedience brings judgment. If you don’t know what God wants you to do, memorizing the Ten Commandments is a great way to start!

1 Samuel 12:20 — Obedience not only conveys a parent-child relationship, but it also implies a master-slave relationship. Sixty-eight times in the Old Testament it refers to serving the LORD. The name Adonai (Hebrew) or Kurios (Greek) that’s translated “Lord” (lower case) in our English versions actually means “Master.” While He has adopted us as sons (Galatians 4:5, Ephesians 1:5), sonship is only for those who have called upon Him as their Lord/Master (Romans 10:13, Acts 2:21). Samuel reiterates this in 1 Samuel 12:24.

1 Samuel 12:24 — Here’s a memory song to help you memorize this verse!

1 Samuel 13:14 — Just a seemingly slight disobedience (and completely rational), but it cost Saul the kingdom. How much does your sin cost you?

1 Samuel 13:16 — Interesting that Saul followed Samuel to Gibeah.

John 7:19 — Jesus uses the phrase “keep the Law.” In addition to obeying the Lord and serving the Lord, we have twenty-five references in the Old Testament about keeping the Law.

Psalm 108:2 — This is a difficult command for me – to awake early. But there is blessing to those who arise early to seek the Lord (Psalm 63:1)!

Psalm 108:5 — This is the fourth time in the Psalms we see this phrase (Psalm 21:13, Psalm 57:5, Psalm 57:11). May we sing “Be Thou Exalted, Forever and Ever!”

Proverbs 15:4 — Yet another verse about the tongue – and we’re not even to James!

Share how reading through the Bible has been a blessing to you! E-mail us at 2018bible@vcyamerica.org or call and leave a message at 414-885-5370.

TODAY’S BIBLE READING CHALLENGE:
  1 Samuel 10:1-11:15
  John 6:43-71
  Psalm 107:1-43
  Proverbs 15:1-3

1 Samuel 10:2 — Rachel died around 1900 BC, we’re now at 1050 BC.

1 Samuel 10:9 — “He gave him such virtues as were fitting for a king.” (per Geneva Bible)

1 Samuel 10:26 — After reading through the gross sins of Judges and the failure of the sons of Eli and Samuel, it’s refreshing to hear of the men “whose hearts God had touched.”

1 Samuel 11:13 — Often when we think of King Saul, we think of his wild later years, but we forget that he started out merciful and grateful to the LORD.

1 Samuel 11:15 — What’s significant about Gilgal? The kingdom was renewed where Joshua entered the land 350 years earlier (Joshua 4:19). Gilgal was the place of the first Passover in the Promised Land (Joshua 5:10), and it was Joshua’s base of operations (Joshua 9:6, Joshua 10:6, Joshua 10:15, Joshua 10:43, Joshua 14:6). The Angel of the LORD descended first in Gilgal (Judges 2:1).

John 6:43 — Yesterday we read how the Jews murmured. Nine times in the Gospels does someone murmur. Throughout the Old Testament we read of the problem of murmuring.

John 6:53 — Jesus seems to be deliberately provoking His audience. At multiple times in the Old Testament – not to mention the New Testament (Acts 15:20, Acts 15:29, Acts 21:25) – God clearly prohibits eating blood. Jesus used a difficult analogy to Nicodemus when He talked about being born again (John 3). Now, He’s provoking the audience with an idea of cannibalism when He urges them to be eating the Living Bread (John 6). Jesus is fulfilling the almost 1,500-year-old Mosaic Code that pointed to Him. What was different from the blood of Jesus compared to the blood of every other creature on the earth? It was the blood of the New Testament (Matthew 26:28, Mark 14:24, Luke 22:20). His blood was shed on the cross (John 19:34). It is by faith in His Blood that we have a propitiation (Romans 3:25). We are justified by His blood (Romans 5:9). We have redemption through His blood (Ephesians 1:7, 1 Peter 1:19, Revelation 5:9). We are made nigh by His blood (Ephesians 2:13). We have peace through His blood (Colossians 1:20). We are purged by His blood (Hebrews 9:14). We have boldness by His blood (Hebrews 10:19). We are sanctified by His blood (Hebrews 13:12). We are cleansed by His blood (1 John 1:7). We overcame by His blood (Revelation 12:11). And yes, we are washed in the blood of the Lamb (Revelation 1:5)! Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb?

Psalm 107:8 — Let us give thanks (Psalm 107:1) and say so (Psalm 107:2) and praise Him (Psalm 107:8)! By the way, if you memorize this verse it counts 4x (Psalm 107:8, 15, 21, and 31). If a teacher in school repeats something – it’s usually because it will be on the test. Let’s pass God’s test!

Proverbs 15:1 — So many times when we’re tempted to fight back (either verbally or on Facebook), remember this verse!

Share how reading through the Bible has been a blessing to you! E-mail us at 2018bible@vcyamerica.org or call and leave a message at 414-885-5370.

TODAY’S BIBLE READING CHALLENGE:
  1 Samuel 8:1-9:27
  John 6:22-42
  Psalm 106:32-48
  Proverbs 14:34-35

1 Samuel 8:3 — Wasn’t this the issue with Eli’s kids? Sadly, this happened to Billy Sunday’s children as well. From Rick Grubbs:

Billy Sunday was the most famous and successful evangelist of the early 1900’s. He was a flamboyant professional baseball player who met Christ at Pacific Garden Mission in Chicago. Within a few years he had formed a very successful crusade team which captured media attention all over the country. He is remembered as a colorful preacher who not only led multitudes to Christ, but also led the fight against ending prohibition. Billy Sunday would be considered a success by almost any standard. Yet he lamented, “The great tragedy of my life is that though I have led thousands to Christ, my own sons are not saved.” Indeed his sons mocked their father’s ministry and were drunks with horrible family lives, one of whom ended his life by suicide. It was the practice of the Sundays to leave their children in the care of a nanny while they pursued their ministry. Maybe we should note that fact as we discern what truly is redeeming the time.

1 Samuel 8:5 — As prophesied in Deuteronomy 17:14.

1 Samuel 8:15 — A king that only took 10% of our vineyards and sheep? Our kings take 29%.

1 Samuel 9:16 — Even though Saul would sin greatly, he was still sent by God and anointed.

John 6:38 — From Earl Martin (For I Came Down):

John 6:41 — Relying on human logic, the people searched for Jesus. Jesus told them that they just wanted another earthly dinner – He came to provide an eternal dinner! They wanted works of God – Jesus told them to just believe on Him. They wanted a sign – He discouraged them by saying they didn’t believe. At the end, they refused to believe He was from heaven because they still relied on human logic.

Psalm 106:37 — Speaking of unbelieving people, this verse tells us where sin leads to: sacrificing one’s sons and daughters to idols. But note Psalm 106:43 – many times did He deliver them! Why? Because of the multitude of His mercies (Psalm 106:45). Let us rejoice with the Psalmist and say “Amen! Hallelujah!” (English: Praise ye the LORD).

Proverbs 14:35 — We’ve seen today what sin does to a people. And the Israelites are not the only people to slaughter their children (e.g. Roe v. Wade).

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TODAY’S BIBLE READING CHALLENGE:
  1 Samuel 5:1-7:17
  John 6:1-21
  Psalm 106:13-31
  Proverbs 14:32-33

1 Samuel 6:3 — The Philistine priests were wiser than the Israelite priests – they knew they had sinned and needed reconciliation.

1 Samuel 6:6 — Apparently word got around about the Egyptians.

1 Samuel 6:15 — Scholars have noted the differences between the Israelites and the Philistines in Beth-Shemesh based on their diet.

1 Samuel 7:12 — Have you raised an Ebenezer?

John 6:14-15 — After which miracle did the crowd want to make Him King? Not His baptism (John 1:32), His identification as the Lamb of God (John 1:36), His cleansing of the temple (John 2:15), His dialogue on salvation with a leading Pharisee (John 3:36), His confronting the Samaritan woman (John 4:39), or His theological dialogue with the Jews in Jerusalem (John 5:19-47). They wanted to make Him king only after they had enjoyed a good meal (John 6:13). What did Jesus know about the crowd?

Psalm 106:13 — Just like the Israelites of old, “they soon forgot His works” (re-iterated in Psalm 106:21). Yes, the crowd that wanted to crown Him King would soon cry “Crucify!” (John 19:15)

Proverbs 14:32 — From the Pulpit Commentary:

Even in the greatest danger the good man loses not his trust in God. It is like Job’s word (if our reading is correct, Job 13:15), “Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him;” and the psalmist, “Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me” (Psalm 23:4). Thus the Christian martyrs went joyfully to the stake, and gentle women and little children smiled on the sword which sent them home

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