| Date | Version | Reading Plan |
|---|---|---|
| August 19, 2025 | ESV (2016) | OT/NT Plan 2025 – 2027 |
Judges 20
Observation & Interpretation
Judges 20:18, 23 – The first two times Israel inquired of the Lord regarding going against Benjamin, the Lord responded but did not tell them that the Benjaminites had been given into their hand.
Judges 20:12-17 – The book’s second major judge, Ehud, was also a left-handed man from the tribe of Benjamin. (ESVEC – Comment)
Judges 20:26 – The Israelites fasted and also presented burnt offerings after the second defeat.
Judges 20:29-36a – The loss of over sixty-five thousand lives is certainly tragic. But it is under the sovereign providential supervision of the LORD as He administers His covenantal kingdom. The deaths put on full display the corruption and destruction caused by sin. They also demonstrate the extent to which the Lord is willing to go in order to remove sin and sinful activity from the midst of His people. (ESVEC – Comment)
1 John 1
Observation & Interpretation
1 John 1:1-4 – John “has the heart of a pastor which cannot be completely happy so long as some of those for whom he feels responsible are not experiencing the full blessings of the gospel.” (ESVEC – Comment – quoting I. Howard Marshall)
1 John 1:5 – To say that “God is light, and in him is not darkness at all” is to say that Go is utterly holy. (ESVEC – Comment)
1 John 1:9 – Those who repent and believe have been united with God in Christ and have been promised forgiveness of sins and cleansing. Because Christ has taken their punishment and has promised them his righteousness, this forgiveness and cleansing is the just and faithful thing for God to do. We then rest in the covenant promises of God. (ESVEC – Comment)