Daily Readings in the Bible 1 Samuel 4-8

“Hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee: for they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me, that I should not reign over them” (1 Sam. 8:7). That was the Lord’s response to Samuel when Israel demanded a king. They hadn’t rejected Samuel’s leadership, they had rejected […]

Daily Readings in the Bible 1 Samuel 1-3

Hannah wanted a son, and Israel needed a prophet. That’s how First Samuel opens. Hannah was barren, unable to have children. Israel, on the other hand, was spiritually barren. The answer for both Hannah and Israel was Samuel. Samuel would be the son that Hannah desperately desired; and he would be the prophet that would […]

Daily Readings in the Bible Ruth 1-2

The period of the Judges lasted 450 years (Acts 13:20). Thirteen judges ruled in all. The theme of the book of Judges was that men did what was right in their own eyes (Jud. 21:25). During the period of the Judges a famine befell Canaan, and was felt in the fertile areas of Judah.   […]

Daily Readings in the Bible Judges 19-21

“In those days there was no king in Israel: every man did that which was right in his own eyes” (Jud. 21:25). That’s how the writer of Judges concludes his book. Life without a king. Israel failed to remove their enemies from their land and disobeyed God (Jud. 1-3). That’s life without a king. Israel […]

Daily Readings in the Bible Judges 10-12

After the awful war between Abimelech and Jotham, Israel had peace under the leadership of Tola and Jair. But once again, Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord and worshiped idols. The Lord sold them into the hands of the Philistines, and the Ammonites, and they were oppressed for eighteen years (Jud. 10:1-9). […]

Daily Readings in the Bible Joshua 23-24

Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel at Shechem for one final address. He began by recounting God’s redemptive acts in Israel’s short history. Joshua wanted to make sure the people understood their history, their present, and their future. Had God not revealed Himself to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; worked mightily through Moses to bring […]

Daily Readings in the Bible Joshua 19-22

You might remember from our reading in Numbers how the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and a portion of Manasseh requested to settle in the land east of the Jordan River (Num. 32:1-42). Moses granted their request as long as they fought with the others tribes during the Canaan conquest. After the death of Moses, they […]

Daily Readings in the Bible Deuteronomy 30-32

For forty years the people of Israel wandered the wilderness. The Lord, during that span of time, graciously provided for their every need. He provided water when they were thirsty, and manna when they were hungry. Furthermore, their shoes and clothes didn’t wear out despite the conditions of the environment, and length of time (Deut. […]

Daily Readings in the Bible Deuteronomy 23-26

The children of Israel were a privileged people. They were the only nation that could claim to be the people of God. God made provision for Gentiles to become Hebrews, if they were willing to submit to circumcision (Ex. 12:48). There was, however, a distinction between living as a Hebrew and worshiping as a Hebrew. […]

Daily Readings in the Bible Deuteronomy 7-10

Why did the Lord choose Israel? You might have asked that question a few times since we read of their departure from Egypt. Today’s reading gives us the answer to this question. God didn’t choose Israel because they had the biggest population (Deut. 7:7). They were larger nations that had been around a lot longer […]