| Date | Version | Reading Plan |
|---|---|---|
| @June 22, 2024 | ESV (2016) | M’Cheyne Plan 2024 |
Deuteronomy 27:1-28:19
Deuteronomy 27:11–13 (ESV) 11 That day Moses charged the people, saying, 12 “When you have crossed over the Jordan, these shall stand on Mount Gerizim to bless the people: Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Joseph, and Benjamin. 13 And these shall stand on Mount Ebal for the curse: Reuben, Gad, Asher, Zebulun, Dan, and Naphtali.
God through Moses assigned specific tribes to either bless or to curse once they had crossed over the Jordan. Looking at a couple of commentaries, it seems as though this was a proclamation of acknowledgement and confirmation of the blessings and cursings that would be upon the people for their faithfulness (or lack thereof) to the Lord, His commandments and the covenant He established with them. The CSB Notes states that, “Like a great antiphonal chorus, the tribes on Mount Gerizim would shout out the blessings and the tribes on Mount Ebal would shout the curses of the covenant commitments in the hearing of the Levites in the valley below ([Deut. 27:] 14).”
Psalm 119:1-24
Psalm 119:9–10 (ESV) 9 How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to your word. 10 With my whole heart I seek you; let me not wander from your commandments!
The way in which a man keeps his way pure is to guard it according the to Word of God. Reading and meditating on God’s Word reveals God for who He is, who we are in relation to Him and what He has for us. This keeps us where we need to be, in humility and in full surrender to our Creator and Savior. We have been given this special revelation in order to see Him, to know Him and His masterful work of creation, restoration, redemption and consummation. By our diligence in remaining close to God through His Word, we grow in our affections for Him along with our joyful desire to keep His commandments. Let us then seek Him wholeheartedly, never to wander from His commandments that we may keep our way pure.
Isaiah 54
Isaiah 54:7–8 (ESV) 7 For a brief moment I deserted you, but with great compassion I will gather you. 8 In overflowing anger for a moment I hid my face from you, but with everlasting love I will have compassion on you,” says the LORD, your Redeemer.
God is depicted as a husband who abandoned His wife, Israel, for a time, but now will be taking her back. His anger overflowed and was expressed for a moment, but He had compassion and everlasting love for His bride. It is incredible how much of God’s perfect spectrum of righteous anger and faithfulness we see in these verses. We languish and wane in our attentiveness toward Him, but He never does of us. He responds in anger toward His wayward bride, the church, as is right for a husband to do, but His love for her never falters. He is steadfast in His devotion to the covenant promise, sure to complete the work of freeing His beloved from every blemish and spot when she presented to Him.
Matthew 2
Matthew 2:5, 17, 23 (ESV) 5 They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet: … 17 Then was fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet Jeremiah: … 23 And he went and lived in a city called Nazareth, so that what was spoken by the prophets might be fulfilled, that he would be called a Nazarene.
Numerous instances in this chapter, we see the events surrounding Jesus as being a fulfillment of prophecy. Reflecting on the number of prophecies fulfilled by Jesus, it really is staggering. On GotQuestions.org, they speak of how “One scholar, J. Barton Payne, has found as many as 574 verses in the Old Testament that somehow point to or describe or reference the coming Messiah. Alfred Edersheim found 456 Old Testament verses referring to the Messiah or His times. Conservatively, Jesus fulfilled at least 300 prophecies in His earthly ministry.” With a conservative estimate in the hundreds, it cannot be relegated to mere coincidence but an undeniable certainty that Jesus is the promised Messiah.