| Date | Version | Reading Plan |
|---|---|---|
| August 20, 2025 | ESV (2016) | OT/NT Plan 2025 – 2027 |
Judges 21
Observation & Interpretation
Judges 21:13-15 – The people had compassion on Benjamin because the LORD had made a breach in the tribes of Israel
- Once again the author makes clear that it was the LORD himself that sanctioned the complete destruction of Benjamin, just as he had with the Canaanites, who were also to be completely removed from the land because o their abominable practices. One of the major points of this final conclusion to Judges is that Israel’s progressive corruption and sin eventually result in her own destruction and exile. (ESVEC – Comment)
Application
Judges 19:1-21:25 – Idolatry does not consist simply of worshiping other gods; it also takes the form of living like those people who worship other gods…Israel will reject the Lord as her King and ask for a king like all other nations. The Lord will give them exactly what they ask for, a king from the tribe of Benjamin, a Canaanite tribe like the other nations. (ESVEC – Response)
1 John 2
Application
1 John 1:5-2:2 – We must begin with the absolute holiness of God so that we are reminded that the standards of holiness do not depend on our whims. (ESVEC – Response)
1 John 2:18-27 – No one truly knows or worships Yahweh if he denies the Son. That is, if one does not accept Jesus as Messiah and divine Son, such a person does not worship Yahweh. Thus Jews and Muslims do not worship the same God as Christians. Of course Jews use the same name for God as believers do, but they use they use the proper name for a wrong conception of him. (ESVEC – Response)