The Mirror of God is the Word of God—Where we see the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
Beholding Christ, we are changed into His likeness from glory to glory from the Lord the Spirit. The Spirit of the Lord and the word of truth bring sanctification (holiness, consecration, purification) into His glory. Our reading of the scriptures places us before the mirror of God’s word. The Holy Spirit brings revelation into transformation.
This week we will finish Mark, enter into Luke’s gospel, finish 1 Corinthians, and begin 2 Corinthians. We finish 2 Kings and begin the Song of Solomon, which is a beautiful picture of transformation through beholding, the very love language of our King. Micah closes and Nahum begins.
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GOSPELS
Mark 15 – 16
The King is on the cross and mocked by all. All the earth is covered in darkness as the Father becomes Judge, and judges sin and its consequences on His Son. Resurrection follows as Jesus appears to His disciples and charges us with His great commission.
Luke 1 – 5
The first two chapters give us insight into our Lord’s birth. Zacharias and Mary are both visited by Gabriel with outstanding news. John the Baptist prepares the way for Jesus in Chapter 3, leading to His baptism. Then in Chapter 4, Jesus is led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil and returns in the power of the Spirit. Chapter 5 is the beginning of Jesus’ public ministry.
EPISTLES
1 Corinthians 16
This is Paul’s wrap-up chapter, sharing personal plans and a timeless exhortation: “Watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong. Let all that you do be done with love” (1 Corinthians 16:13-14).
2 Corinthians 1 – 8
In this follow-up letter of Paul to the Corinthians, he shares insights into the maturity of the Church and his own heart struggles. In Chapter 1, he shares the trouble that came to him in Asia to the point that he wanted to die, yet God had another purpose: “Yes, we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves but in God who raises the dead” (2 Corinthians 1:9). Many personal connections always point to the Lord Jesus and His triumph.
Chapters 3 and 4 share the New Covenant of the Spirit in detail and power. Read slowly and allow the Holy Spirit to reveal His truths with an unveiled face. Chapter 5 is all about what happens after we die in Christ and the truths of the new creation. Chapter 6 is the call to live in the grace of God in fruitfulness and not in vain. Chapter 7 Paul’s follow-up regarding the discipline he gave in Chapter 5 of 1 Corinthians. Note: the difference between godly sorrow and world sorrow in verse 10.
Chapter 8 (and Chapter 9) speaks of the grace of giving and the promises that follow our giving. Here we imbibe the grace of the Macedonian church and the call to follow.
HISTORY
2 Kings 17 – 25
In Chapter 17, we witness Israel carried captive to Assyria and exiled into foreign lands. Assyria resettled Samaria with people of other conquered nations. Chapters 18 through 20 are all about Hezekiah, king of Judah, and His reign in Judah. Chapters 21 to 23 cover the reign of Manasseh, Hezekiah’s son who is by far the most wicked king in Judah’s history, to the reign of Josiah, Hezekiah’s great-grandson. Josiah restores worship, finds the book of the law, and is moved with a tender heart toward God. Chapters 24 and 25 are the end of Judah, beginning with Nebuchadnezzar capturing Jerusalem. He places kings over the land—last of all, Zedekiah, who rebels against Nebuchadnezzar leading to Jerusalem’s total destruction.
POETRY
Song of Solomon 1 – 5
I love Song of Solomon. It is a love poem recorded between Solomon and the Shulamite. Love is present inside the marriage as we witness the Shulamite being transformed from a self-conscious bride to one leaning on her Beloved, ascending out of the wilderness. Even in all the Shulamite’s missteps, Solomon speaks gracious words and never a cross word. This is a picture of the mirror of God’s word in the ministry of the Spirit.
PROPHETS
Micah 7
Micah ends with the promise of God’s restoration of Israel. Israel will repent, nations will be judged, and the Lord will be glorified in His mercy: “He will again have compassion on us and will subdue our iniquities. You will cast our sins into the depths of the sea. You will give truth to Jacob and mercy to Abraham, which You have sworn to our fathers from days of old” (Micah 7:19, 20).
Nahum 1 – 3
One hundred years after the preaching of Jonah and the repentance of Nineveh, the capital of Assyria, Micah must prophesy the destruction of all of Assyria by Babylon. Nineveh has turned back to its wickedness and forgotten the Lord and the awakening they experienced a century before.
