THE LORD LISTENS TO AND HEARS THOSE WHO FEAR HIM
“Then those who feared the Lord spoke to one another and the Lord listened and heard them;” (Malachi 3:16)
Praise You Lord for this incredible promise!
We are wrapping up an entire year of reading through the Bible together. Well done! For those of you who were diligent to read daily, praise Him! For those who were hit-and-miss, praise Him! For those who were somewhere in between, praise Him!
This week’s readings are very inspirational. They each reveal great faithfulness in the midst of great pressure and trials among those who love and fear the Lord. Whatever the circumstances you may find yourself at the close of this year, may you be inspired by Paul’s, John’s, Nehemiah’s, Esther’s, and Malachi’s journeys to observe Proverbs 3:5-6:
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your path.”
We begin Revelation in Chapter 15 where John (in exile) has a vision of a great worship service before the King of Kings of those who had victory over the beast:
“Great and marvelous are Your works, Lord God Almighty!
Just and true are Your ways, O King of the saints!
Who shall not fear You, O Lord, and glorify Your name?
For You alone are holy.
For all nations shall come and worship before You,
For Your judgments have been manifested.” (Revelation 15:4)
Let us finish 2023 in praise and begin 2024 in praise as well! And then let’s start again at the beginning of the Bible, intent to encounter the Lord on every page!
Merry Christmas to you all! Rejoice for our Lord has come!
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OVERVIEW
A book of remembrance was written for those who fear the Lord and meditate on His name.
In this, our last week of the year, we have included an eighth day to complete our Bible-in-a-year adventure. We will come to many glorious finishes so that, thanks be to God, we can start the same journey again next year. The entirety of the scriptures—although they contain much information, historical accounts, and a record of the Lord’s workings—is about Jesus and when read aloud or listened to, will open doors of encounters with Jesus and His salvation. It’s God who will write a book of remembrance concerning us, who fear the Lord and meditate on His name.
Acts brings Paul through the storm at sea, to Rome. He is carried there by a promise given to him in Jerusalem, that he must testify of Jesus in Rome. Oh, the power of a promise to carry us through life’s storms!
Revelation 15 begins with glorious worship as the prelude to the bowls of wrath being poured out on the earth. Babylon is judged, the marriage supper of the Lamb celebrated, and the earth enters the millennial reign of Christ. We finish with a new heaven, a new earth, and the New Jerusalem.
Nehemiah finishes with strong words of rebuke to the remnant after they had broken every promise they made during the revival. Law only empowers sin. Malachi is the corresponding and last prophet in the Old Testament. Some call his writing the “fifth gospel” or liken it to James’ epistle.
Esther is our last history book, and a promise to all Jews and believers in Jesus Christ, that God will always be present and a million steps ahead of wicked devices.
ACTS
Acts 24 – 28
Paul is kept in Caesarea for two-plus years while the Jews seek to find a way to get him back to Jerusalem to kill him. Paul testifies to King Agrippa of his testimony and ministry before he is sent to Rome. On his way to Rome, a storm tries to drown him, but his promises keep him and the ship afloat. He had to pray, and not get into fear, or anger that they had not listened to his warnings, but He prayed, and the Lord sent His angel with these words, “Do not be afraid, Paul; you must be brought before Caesar; and indeed God has granted you all those who sail with you” (Acts 27:24).
REVELATION
Revelation 15 – 22
Again, before the next move on the earth with the bowls of the wrath of God, worship is seen in heaven with greater revelation of Lord God Almighty! Seven bowls are poured out leaving the earth shaken. Hail the size of boulders come down from heaven, while men blaspheme God because of the plague of hail. Babylon is judged and the marriage supper of the Lamb is celebrated with Babylon in smoke, as a backdrop for the honeymoon. Jesus, King of Kings and Lord of Lords, is returning on His white horse with the armies of heaven. Chapter 20 is the millennial reign of Christ and Chapter 21 is the new heaven, the new earth, and the new Jerusalem. Chapter 22 ends in the Throne Room, where the words of the prophecy were first given. There, we have the epilogue of the revelation charged to be kept, neither adding to nor taking from these words. (Revelation 22:8-21)
HISTORY
Nehemiah 10 – 13
Promises are made after they confess their sin in Chapter 9. Now in Chapter 10, a covenant is made to observe the Lord and His ways that are currently being assailed by the culture surrounding them. People moved into Jerusalem to build, occupy, and plant themselves. Priests and Levites are set apart and promised care from Israel as they minister in the house of the Lord. In Chapter 12, the wall is dedicated with great joy and promise. But in Chapter 13, after Nehemiah had been absent for some time attending to his other job as cupbearer to King Artaxerxes in Shushan Persia, he returns to find that Israel has broken every specific promise they made in covenant to the Lord and promise to the priesthood. And like the Holy Spirit, Nehemiah must now clean house.
Esther 1 – 10
Like a beam of sunshine on a dark day, like spring coming forth after a long winter, Esther is a book of God’s sovereignty and care. Though His name is not mentioned in the entire book, His handwriting is everywhere. Exiled inside of the kingdom of the Persians and Medes, which stretched from Ethiopia to India, ruled by King Ahasuerus, a young Jewish girl named Esther became Queen. Her uncle Mordecai raised her and instructed her to conceal her Jewish identity. Meanwhile, Hamman is so upset at Mordecai’s lack of respect toward him that he devises a plan to exterminate all the Jews who dwelt in all 127 providences.
Mordecai hears of this and sends Esther to intervene. After back-and-forth messaging, Esther asks for a fast to be declared and then moves in her knowledge of the ways of the king to win his heart’s approval and trap Haman in his wicked scheme. Chapter 6 is something of the movies: a sleepless night for the king, an anxious Haman who cannot rest until Mordecai is hung, and the turn of events that lead to Haman’s humiliation and finally his hanging.
Purim is the feast that is celebrated every year since this victory!
PROPHETS
Malachi 1 – 4
Malachi must address a priesthood that has again become corrupt. They have become like they were before the exile. They despise the offerings and call the table of the Lord contemptible, giving the Lord the lame and sick animals in sacrifice rather than the best, fulfilling vows with what is blemished. In other words, they give the Lord the leftovers and not the first. Additionally, they are dealing treacherously with their wives, while wearying the Lord with their words in prayer.
Malachi is led to ask question after question to help them see the sins they are unaware of. A messenger is coming, the Lord! But who can endure the day of His coming? He gives a call to not rob God nor speak with harsh words against the Lord. Every question brings the answer the Lord is seeking so there can be no mistaking His intent. Finally, a book of remembrance is written for the Lord for those who fear Him. He writes for those who fear Him and meditate on His name.
