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Daily Bible Reading Podcast
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NL-Day212 Jeremiah 21-22; Psalm 148; 1 Corinthians 4:14-5:13
2w ago00:19:16Tap to summarizeJEREMIAH 21-22:These verses from Jeremiah 20 have been often quoted as a reason for memorizing Scripture: Jer. 20:9 NLT But if I say I'll never mention the LORDor speak in his name,his word burns in my heart like a fire.It's like a fire in my bones!I am worn out trying to hold it in!I can't do it! Remember the priest Pashur who put Jeremiah in stocks. The Passhur that time was the son of Immer. Today it is evidently a different Passhur who visits Jeremiah, the son of Malchiah. PSALM 148:The ending psalms just keep getting more and more exuberant in praise 1CORINTHIANS 4:14—5:13Paul is about to drop a bombshell in chapter 5, and it is good to see the transition from chapter 4. NLT Translation notes:1Cor. 5:2 You are so proud of yourselves, but you should be mourning in sorrow and shame. And you should remove [that/this] man from your fellowship.3 Even though I am not with you in person, I am with you in the Spirit. And as though I were there, I have already passed judgment on [that/this] man 5 Then you must throw [that/this] man out and hand him over to Satan so that his sinful nature will be destroyed and he himself will be saved on the day the Lord returns.6 [Given that situation] Your boasting [0//about this] is terrible. Don't you realize that this sin is like a little yeast that spreads through the whole batch of dough?[There is no "about this" in the Greek, and this is a place where one would not want to claim this as added implicit information. They were boasting about other things and sweeping this under the rug. And I find it very silly to use 'person' instead of 'man' a little further on. Gender sensitivity has become a bit too sensitive.]7 Get rid of the old "yeast" by removing [that wicked man//this wicked person] from among you. Then you will be like a fresh batch of dough made without yeast, which is what you really are. Christ, our Passover Lamb, has been sacrificed for us.10 But I wasn't talking about unbelievers who indulge in sexual sin, or are greedy, or cheat people, or worship idols. You would have to leave this world to avoid [everyone/people] like that.12 It isn't [our/my] responsibility to judge outsiders, but it certainly is your responsibility to judge those inside the church who are sinning. [Paul uses a rhetorical question here, "What have I to do with judging outsiders?" It is a good idea to translate this as a statement. I think that Paul's intent is not just about himself judging, and the change of pronouns in the next sentence seems jarring to me as I read the NLT.] Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
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NL-Day211 Jeremiah 19-20; Psalm 147; 1 Corinthians 3:10-4:21
2w ago00:21:59Tap to summarizeJEREMIAH 19-20:In yesterday's reading, we again heard some often-quoted verses. These verses come just after verses in chapter 17 where the Lord himself beautifully paraphrased Psalm 1: Jer. 17:9 NLT "The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is? 10 But I, the Lord, search all hearts and examine secret motives. I give all people their due rewards, according to what their actions deserve." Then in chapter 18, we also heard the famous passage about the Lord being like a potter, which Paul refers to in Romans 9. PSALM 147:Again this is quite a contrast with Jeremiah's feelings which we just read! This is our second Hallelujah psalm. And hallelujah has been translated according to its meaning here as "Praise the LORD." This psalm has incredible depth. 1CORINTHIANS 3:10—4:21Paul is still 'going on about' the same thing. He is going to return to the subject of himself and Apollos in chapter 4— which summarizes the division in the Corinthian church. To give the connection, let's start reading at chapter 3 verse 10. NLT Translation notes:1Cor. 4:7 For what gives you the right to make such a judgment? What do you have that God hasn't [just] given you? And if everything you have is from God, why boast as though it were not a gift?10 Our dedication to Christ [paradoxically] makes us look like fools, but you claim to be so wise in Christ! We are weak, but you are so powerful! You are honored, but we are ridiculed.13 We appeal gently when evil things are said about us. [0/Yet] we are treated like the world's garbage, like everybody's trash—right up to the present moment. Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
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NL-Day210 Jeremiah 17-18; Psalm 146; 1 Corinthians 3
2w ago00:19:19Tap to summarizeJEREMIAH 17-18:One catches so clearly how trapped Jeremiah was in the time of God's judgment, and how hot God's anger was against Judah. Jeremiah's audience would not have appreciated him telling them where the Lord said they could 'go'! No wonder he so often weeps and cries out in despair. God's verdict in 15:2, which shows his sovereign choices, is repeated in Revelation: Jer. 15:1 Then the Lord said to me, "Even if Moses and Samuel were standing here pleading with me, I would not show these people any mercy. Make them go away; make them get out of my sight. 2 When they ask you where they should go, tell them that I have said:Some are doomed to die by disease—that's where they will go!Others are doomed to die in war—that's where they will go!Some are doomed to die of starvation—that's where they will go!Others are doomed to be taken away as prisoners—that's where they will go! PSALM 146:This is the first of five Hallelujah psalms. In the GNT, 'hallelujah' is translated, "Praise the Lord." 1CORINTHIANS 3:The topic of this chapter is still related to that verse from Jeremiah that Paul quoted about boasting, but only boasting about knowing the Lord. And this chapter builds on what Paul has just said about wisdom, as he moves into discussing how to think about different Christian leaders. NLT Translation notes:1Cor. 3:17 God will destroy anyone who destroys [his/this] temple. For God's temple is holy, and you [(as a group)] are that temple.22 [(Implicit info) because of your unity with Christ, that includes/whether] Paul [and/or] Apollos or Peter, or the world, or life and death, or the present and the future. [Yes, in unity with Christ,] Everything belongs to you, Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
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NL-Day209 Jeremiah 15-16; Psalm 145; 1 Corinthians 1:18-2:16
2w ago00:22:10Tap to summarizeJEREMIAH 15-16:Yesterday the dialog between the Lord and Jeremiah continued. We heard of the drought. And the Lord forbid Jeremiah to pray for the people of Judah. PSALM 145:This is an acrostic psalm in Hebrew, and it gives us a great place to start when praising God. 1CORINTHIANS 1:18—2:Let's not allow the chapter division here to interrupt what Paul teaches us about God's wisdom! So let's start reading in chapter 1 verse 18. NLT Translation note:Jer. 15:2And if they say to you, 'But where can we go?' tell them, 'This is what the LORD says:"'Those who are destined for death, will die;those who are destined for war, [will die in//to] war;those who are destined for famine, [will die in//to] famine;those who are destined for captivity, [will die in//to] captivity.'====1Cor. 2:2 For I decided that while I was with you I would forget everything except Jesus Christ, [and the fact that He//he one who] was crucified.6 Yet when I am among mature believers, I do speak with words of wisdom, but not the kind of wisdom that belongs to this world or to the rulers of this world, who [will quickly pass away//are soon forgotten]. Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
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NL-Day208 Jeremiah 13-14; Psalm 144; 1 Corinthians 1
2w ago00:23:27Tap to summarizeJEREMIAH 13-14:In yesterday's reading, Jeremiah complained to the Lord, 12:1 "Lord, if I argued my case with you,you would [be shown//prove] to be right.Yet I must question you about matters of justice.Why are the wicked so prosperous?Why do dishonest people succeed? And the Lord replied in an answer that bears reading in context and needs some thinking about, "Jeremiah, if you get tired racing against people,how can you race against horses?If you can't even stand up in open country,how will you manage in the jungle by the Jordan? PSALM 144:This poem is quite a contrast with what we have just heard in Jeremiah. This is the joyful prayer of a king who is leading his people according to the will of God. 1Corinthians 1:In Paul's day, Corinth was a metropolis on the Mediterranean Sea with a population of between one hundred and fifty thousand and three hundred thousand Roman citizens and about 460,000 slaves. There was evidently a healthy criminal population, and the city was a center of banking, so there were incredibly wealthy people there. The city was full of idol shrines of deities from Egypt, Greece, and Rome, and there was cult prostitution. Some commentators claim that 1 Corinthians contains parts of two letters from Paul, so that 2nd Corinthians might actually be a third or fourth letter. I don't buy that. Key topics of the letter include the divisions in the church, the obstacles to sharing the Gospel, God's wisdom as it appears to Greeks and Jews, partnership among apostles of Christ, vice in the church, various instructions about marriage, the Lord's supper, food sacrificed to idols, Paul not cashing in on his rights as an apostle, spiritual gifts and the spiritual fruit of love, and the resurrection of Christ. NLT Translation notes:1Cor. 1:12 Some of you are saying, "I am a follower of Paul." Others are saying, "I follow Apollos," or "I follow Peter,d" or [even] "I follow only Christ."17 For Christ didn't send me to baptize, but to preach the Good News—and not with clever speech, [so//for fear] that the cross of Christ would lose its power.22 It is [foolishness/foolish] to the Jews, who ask for signs from heaven. And it is [foolishness/foolish] to the Greeks, who seek human wisdom.27 Instead, God chose things [and people] the world considers foolish in order to shame those who think they are wise. And he chose things that are powerless to shame those who are powerful.30 God has [joined you as one//united you] with Christ Jesus. For our benefit God made him to be wisdom itself. Christ made us right with God; he made us pure and holy, and he freed us from sin. Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
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NL-Day207 Jeremiah 11-12; Psalm 143; John 21
3w ago00:20:56Tap to summarizeJEREMIAH 11-12:Yesterday we heard important verses in chapter 9:23-24, verses that Paul quotes more than once: "Don't let the wise boast in their wisdom,or the powerful boast in their power,or the rich boast in their riches.But those who wish to boastshould boast in this alone:that they truly know me and understand that I am the LORD … PSALM 143:It seems that prayer is very neglected these days. Oh yes, we might hear something vague about praying for victims right after some tragedy strikes. But it seems that every church has trouble keeping a prayer meeting going. I myself have trouble keeping my prayer life going. David shows in this psalm that he has learned secrets of effective prayer. Note how his prayer is very like how Jeremiah felt in the two chapters we just read. JOHN 21:This is one of my favorite chapters. John again tells us important information not given in the other gospels. Note that there is a famous exegetical fallacy here. John does use two different words for 'love' in the dialog between Jesus and Peter. But this should NOT be taken— as has been so frequently taught, as showing a play on words, or that John was intending different shades of meaning. Instead the use of synonyms is just a feature of John's style in writing. John does this for poetic variation, like the parallelism in Hebrew poetry. Another example of this in this same passage is the variation of 'little lambs' and 'sheep'. NLT Translation notes:John 21:7 Then [I—//0] the disciple Jesus loved said to Peter, "It's the Lord!" When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his tunic (for he had stripped for work), jumped into the water, and headed to shore. [Although John has thinly concealed his identity since chapter 1, it becomes clear in this chapter that he wants to make it clear that the eyewitness he has referred to as 'the disciple Jesus loved' was himself. (John did not want to boast of having been a disciple of Jesus, yet at the same time he wanted to show that this book is an eyewitness account.) Using this literary device is odd enough in English. In some languages of the world, translating this device literally would be so confusing that it is better to rephrase these passages so that John speaks in the first person. Translators who do this will add a footnote explaining why John used the third person instead of the first person. In my opinion, for a podcast like this, it will be much clearer for listeners to use the same technique, and this is my footnote explaining my changes to the NLT text.] Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
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NL-Day206 Jeremiah 9-10; Psalm 142; John 20
3w ago00:22:25Tap to summarizeJEREMIAH 9-10:Being a prophet is not exactly an easy job. In 7:27 God told him, "Tell them all this, but do not expect them to listen. Shout out your warnings, but do not expect them to respond." We'll find that God told the same thing to more than one prophet around this same time. PSALM 142:When you are discouraged, here is a psalm to pray! JOHN 20:There are so many fulfillments of Scripture that happen in the crucifixion chapters in the Gospels that many times the authors didn't take the time to highlight each one of them. The Jewish readers would have picked up on them without the need for an explanation. In verse 36, John highlighted one fulfillment, saying, "This was done to make the scripture come true: 'Not one of his bones will be broken.'" I hope you remember what that was about! See Ps. 34:20, Ex. 12:46, Num. 9:12. If you don't know, I hope this teaser will encourage you, because this is a golden gem. And Jesus' death did not mean that he stopped fulfilling Scriptures. NLT Translation note:Jer. 9:10 But [YOU/the] LORD [are/is] the only true God.[You are//He is] the living God and the everlasting King!The whole earth trembles at [your/his] anger.The nations cannot stand up to [your/his] wrath.====Ps. 142:1 I cry out to [You, O/the] LORD;I plead for [your/the LORD's] mercy.2 I pour out my complaints before [You/him]and tell [You/him] all my troubles.====John 20:1 Early on Sunday morning,a while it was still dark, Mary [— the woman from the village of Magdalene//Magdalene] came to the tomb and found that the stone had been rolled away from the entrance. 3 Peter and [I, John,//the other disciple] started out for the tomb. [This is so strange in many languages that it is translated in the first person. It is clear that John wanted that people know that this is an eye-witness account. This change I am making goes through this paragraph.]27 Then he said to Thomas, "[Thomas,] Put your finger here, and look at my hands. Put your hand into the wound in my side. Don't be faithless any longer. [Instead] Believe!"31 But these are written so that you may continue to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing in [Jesus/him] you will have life [through His power//by the power of his name]. Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
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NL-Day205 Jeremiah 7-8; Psalm 141; John 19:14-42
3w ago00:22:29Tap to summarizeJEREMIAH 7-8:In this and several other prophetic books, it is important to observe where quotes begin and end, and who is speaking. The section headings are also very helpful to our understanding. Modern translators and editors use the heading to help modern readers understand such things as ancient poetic imagery. Yesterday's reading had this ironic statement spoken by the Lord: 5:19 When they ask why I did all these things, tell them, Jeremiah, that just as they turned away from me and served foreign gods in their own land, so they will serve strangers in a land that is not theirs." PSALM 141:David received the answer to his prayer in verse 5, if this was written before his affair with Bathsheba. Nathan did what David prayed for here. This psalm contains gems that are well worth digging for and meditating on. JOHN 19b:I believe that John saw, and wanted us to feel, the extreme irony in many events that we have read. The ironic events and statements also didn't happen by accident. It was not an accident that the mob who came to arrest Jesus stumbled back and fell when he said, "I am He." That was— and still is, a sign from God. All of the statements of Pilate and the chief priests drip with irony which they could not see, but which we can. "I find no fault with this man!" "Behold your king!" "We have no king but Caesar!" "What is truth?" "Don't release him, we want Barabbas!" NLT Translation notes:Jer. 7:8 "'Don't be fooled into thinking that you will never suffer because the Temple is here. [That's/It's] a lie! 11 Don't you yourselves admit that this Temple, which bears my name, has become a den of thieves? Surely I see all the evil going on [here/there]. I, the LORD, have spoken!====John 19:3"Hail[ to you,!] King of the Jews!" they mocked, as they slapped him across the face.12 Then Pilate tried to release him, but the Jewish leaders shouted, "If you release this man, you are no 'friend of [the high king] Caesar.'b Anyone who declares himself a king is a rebel against Caesar."24 So they said, "Rather than tearing it apart, let's throw dicee for it." This fulfilled the Scripture that says, "They divided my garments among themselves and threw dice for my clothing."f So that is what they did [(without knowing they were fulfilling Scripture)].26 When Jesus saw his mother standing there beside the disciple he loved, he said to her, "Dear woman, [there/here] is your son."[Here and in verse 27, the literal Greek is "See-imperative." It is a matter of interpretation whether in the first instance Jesus could be saying, "See what I have become," or, "Look at that guy next to you. He is your son." The difference would be a nod of the head or a motion of Jesus' eyes. I think that Jesus' intention was correctly interpreted by John in 27b.]27 And he said to this disciple, "[That/Here] is your mother." And from then on this disciple took her into his home.31 It was the day of preparation, and the Jewish leaders didn't want the bodies hanging there the next day, which was the Sabbath (and a very special Sabbath, because it was the Passover). So they asked Pilate to hasten [the deaths of the crucified men//their deaths] by ordering that their legs be broken. Then their bodies could be taken down.35 ([John writes a parenthetical comment:] This report is from an eyewitness giving an accurate account. [I speak/He speaks] the truth so that you also can believe.) Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
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NL-Day200 Jonah 1-2; Psalm 136; John 17
4w ago00:18:27Tap to summarizeJONAH 1-2:For quite a few years when I was just reading the Bible without a set reading plan, I enjoyed a break from reading the books of history after Second Kings, moving to the prophets. And our first is Jonah, who was mentioned back in 2 Kings 14. Note that the little story of Jonah is masterfully written. Little details poke out everywhere. Jonah has a downward journey. He goes down from Jerusalem to Joppa, then down again into the hold of the boat, and then down into the underworld of the ocean. He wasn't just being disobedient. He was saying, "I'm turning in my prophet's mantle." Bob Deffinbaugh: "Let's face it, don't you find that our text has reversed the heroes and the villains? … we would have expected Jonah to be the hero, while the heathen sailors would certainly have been expected to be the villains. This was certainly the perspective of Jonah, and of the Israelites, whom he typified. Yet in our text it is the sailors who pray, while Jonah does not. The sailors sought to deal with sin on the ship, not Jonah. The sailors end up worshiping God, [Jonah grumbled against God//not Jonah]. The sailors have compassion on Jonah, while he seems to have little concern for the danger in which he has put them. Clearly this chapter turns our expectations inside-out." Even the fish comes out better than Jonah. He obeyed. The pagans of Nineveh and their king also come out looking better than Jonah. They repent. PSALM 136:This is the most famous antiphonal psalm. If it won't bother anyone around you while you are listening, I invite you to join me on the antiphonal response: His love is eternal. JOHN 17:Jesus' high priestly prayer is considered the pinnacle of the upper room discourse. NLT Translation notes:Ps. 136:6Give thanks to him who placed the earth [upon/?in between/among] the waters.His faithful love endures forever.====John 17:1 After saying all these things, Jesus looked up to heaven and said, "Father, the hour has come. Glorify [Me— ]your Son[,] so [that I//he] can give glory back to you. 2 For you have given [Me/him] authority over everyone. [I give//He gives] eternal life to each one you have given [to Me//him]. 3 [Parenthesis by John:] And this is the way to have [that] eternal life—to know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, the one you sent to earth. 11 Now I am departing from the world; they are staying in this world, but I am coming to you. Holy Father, [you have given me your power. Now protect them by your power and for the sake of your reputation.//you have given me your name;b now protect them by the power of your name so that they will be united just as we are.]12 During my time here, I protected them by the power you gave me.c I guarded them so that not one was lost, [0//of the name]except the one headed for destruction, as the Scriptures foretold.21 I pray that they will all be one, just as you and I are one—as you are [joined together with/in] me, Father, and I am [joined with//in] you. And may they be [joined as one with/in] us so that the world will believe you sent me.23 I am [joined together with//in] them and you are [joined together with//in] me. May they experience such perfect unity that the world will know that you sent me and that you love them as much as you love me.25 "O righteous Father, the world doesn't know you, but I [know you//do]; and these disciples know you sent me. 26 I have revealed you to them, and I will continue to do so. Then your love for me will be in them, and I will be [joined together as one with//in] them." Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
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NL-Day199 2 Kings 24-25; Psalm 135; John 16
4w ago00:21:23Tap to summarize2KINGS 24-25:In yesterday's reading, we heard of Josiah's reforms, leading the people to renew the covenant with God. That chapter had this telling comment about the Passover: 2Kings 23:22 There had not been a Passover celebration like that since the time when the judges ruled in Israel, nor throughout all the years of the kings of Israel and Judah. Many times I think people make the naive assumption that the people of Israel customarily performed all sorts of difficult commands in the Law— like the one about the Year of Jubilee. In my opinion, no way! PSALM 135:Olsen's book gives the title for the chapter on this psalm as, "What kind of God do you have?" That's a great question to ask to introduce this psalm! JOHN 16:At the end of chapter 14, Jesus mentioned leaving that 'place'— the upper room, but Jesus' teaching in chapters 15-16 fit so well with chapter 14 that they may have taken place in the upper room. This chapter includes more important teaching about the Holy Spirit— our Advocate, and important key concepts about prayer. NLT Translation notes:John 16:23 At that time you won't need to ask me for anything. I tell you the truth, you will ask the Father directly, and he will grant your request because you [pray for the sake of my glory//use my name].24 You haven't done this before. [Make requests for the sake of my glory//Ask, using my name], and you will receive, and you will have abundant joy.26 Then you will [make requsts/ask] [for the sake of my glory//in my name]. I'm not saying I will ask the Father on your behalf,31 Jesus [said/asked], "Do you finally believe?33 I have told you all this so that you may have peace [because of being joined with//in me]. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world." Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
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