Acts is heating up, leading to Paul’s arrest in Jerusalem, Peter finishes his epistles, and we will read through John’s epistles. Numbers bring us to the second Passover, silver trumpets, seventy elders, and the quail incident. Psalms bring us to David’s repentance after Bathsheba. Jeremiah is saved again from death and told by the Lord to wear a wooden yoke, another prophet takes it from Jeremiah, breaks it, and prophesies only two years until Nebuchadnezzar returns everything. BUT, he is wrong. There are seventy years until freedom from the yoke. Jeremiah is instructed to write a letter to the captives in Babylon to buy houses, marry, and seek the good of the city. In Chapter thirty God begins speaking about the restoration of Israel
Acts 17 – 23
Paul is in his second and third missionary journeys in Chapters seventeen through Chapters twenty. Paul ministers in Thessalonica, Athens, and Corinth before returning to Antioch. Acts 18:22 After this he departs to Ephesus, where within two years all who dwelt in Asia heard the word of the Lord, Jesus. After the incident with the itinerant exorcist, the word of the Lord grows mightily and prevails; but money causes the idol makers to start a riot. Here is where Paul purposes in the Spirit to go see Rome. On his way to Jerusalem to bring an offering to the brethren, Paul is testified to by the Spirit that chains and imprisonment await him in Jerusalem, but Paul will not be persuaded. He speaks to the elders of Ephesus and charges them to shepherd the church of God, which He purchased with His own blood. In Jerusalem, Paul is accused in the Temple of bringing Gentiles inside the Temple and is almost killed. He is arrested and shares his testimony with the crowd. He then stands before the Sanhedrin and testifies. A plot is devised to kill Paul but is made known, and the commander whisks Paul away at night to Caesarea.
2 Peter 3
Peter addresses what people say: God is slack concerning His promises, as God’s longsuffering who is unwilling that any should perish. Peter declares the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night and that we should be looking for and hastening the day of God. Peter charges us again to consider the long-suffering of our Lord as salvation. Luke 18 and the widow’s prayer is parallel to this chapter.
1 John 1:1-5
The love epistle is calling the church to walk in the light of His love and life. John brings us into intimate contact with the love walk. We are to walk in the light as we love one another, and God has given us eternal life and this life is in the Son. It’s all about Jesus. John has much to share about the life we now live in Christ, that as Christ is, so are we in this world.
2 John
The call to walk in the truth, walking in the command to love, knowing that many deceivers have gone into the world who do not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh.
3 John
Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers.
Numbers 3 – 11
The Levites are dedicated to the Lord instead of the firstborn, according to God saving all firstborn Israelis at Passover. The duties of the Levites are delineated. Unclean dealings with the spirit of jealousy when it comes upon a man concerning his wife. Law of the Nazirite and the priestly blessing: The Lord bless you and keep you; The Lord make His face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; The Lord lift up His countenance upon you and give you peace. Numbers 6:24-26
Offerings of the leaders, arrangement of the lamps in the tabernacle the second Passover observed, and training begins to follow the cloud whenever and wherever He goes. The silver trumpets to call the people together and God to the people in worship and war. In chapter eleven, the people complain, seventy elders are anointed with the Spirit that is on Moses, quail come, and plague follows.
Psalms 50 – 57
Psalm 51 is the focus for this week. A prayer of David in repentance after he is convicted of His sin with Bathsheba. This Psalm leads all who are willing to come out of judgment and hiding, into the joy of His salvation. Each verse leads to the next verse, there is no skipping or refusing. What matters most to David is, “Do not cast me away from Your presence, and do not take Your Holy Spirit from me.” Psalm 51:11
Jeremiah 26 – 30
Jeremiah is saved again from death and told by the Lord to wear a wooden yoke. Another prophet takes it from Jeremiah, breaks it, and prophesies only two years until Nebuchadnezzar returns everything. BUT, he is wrong. There are seventy years until freedom from the yoke. Jeremiah is instructed to write a letter to the captives in Babylon to buy houses, marry, and seek the good of the city. In Chapter Thirty, God begins speaking about the restoration of Israel. Here, God sends another curve to Jeremiah as He steps out of the immediate into the promise of full restoration after the judgments. “You shall be My people and I will be your God.” Jeremiah 30:22
