Justin Houtz

Hi. I’m Justin. I write code and things but enough about that…

Let’s talk about Jesus.

  • Daily Bible Study

    Judges 17, 2 Peter 1

    DateVersionReading Plan
    August 16, 2025ESV (2016)OT/NT Plan 2025 – 2027

    Judges 17

    Observation & Interpretation

    Judges 17:2 – Micah → his mother that the 1,100 pieces of silver was with him.

    • The amount is the same as what Delilah received from each of the lords of the Philistines in exchange for her seduction of Samson and seeing where his great strength lies (Judges 16:5).
    • Micah confesses to stealing silver from his mother. The amount echoes Judges 16:5, where the Philistines offer Delilah 1,100 pieces of silver to betray Samson. (FSB)

    Judges 17:3 – Micah’s mother dedicated the silver to the LORD from her hand for her son to make a carved image and metal image.

    • The silver was both dedicated to the LORD but also used to create a carved image; syncretism.
    • The woman dedicates the silver to Yahweh for Micah to make an idol. Micah’s mother apparently sees no problem with dedicating 200 pieces of silver to make an idol for Yahweh, a clear violation of Exod. 20:4-5 and Deut. 5:8-9. (FSB)
    • The mother did not dedicate all the silver to be made into an idol but 200 pieces of it. Any portion allotted to be made into an image, however small, is a violation of the OT commands.

    Judges 17:13 – Micah said that he knew the LORD would prosper him because he had a Levite priest.

    • Micah wrongly thought that by having a Levite priest in his house of idolatry, the LORD would prosper him.
    • From Micah’s statement in v. 13, it is clear that he viewed this Levite essentially as another idol, an attempted means of ensuring the LORD’s blessing upon himself. (CSB Notes)

    2 Peter 1

    Observation & Interpretation

    1 Peter 1:8 – Peter describes the previously listed qualities (v. 5-7) as increasing.

    • An increased yield of fruit (qualities) through sanctification.
    • There is either advance or decline in the pathway of discipleship—no standing still. There is strength and security in moving forward; danger and failure in retreat. (BBC)

    1 Peter 1:10 – Peter exhorts the brothers to be diligent in confirming their calling and election.

    • Believers play a role in confirming their calling and election
    • We cannot make our own call and election more sure than they already are; God’s eternal purposes can never be thwarted. But we can confirm them by growing in likeness to the Lord. By manifesting the fruit of the Spirit, we can provide unmistakable evidence that we truly belong to Him. A holy life proves the reality of our salvation. (BBC)

    1 Peter 1:5-7

    • Pursuing growth in holiness requires an investment of our time, resources, and energy. It must not be approached casually but requires Christians to “make every effort” to see these qualities produced in their lives. This expression communicates intentionality, passion, and diligence. One does not drift into greater measures of Christlikeness; intentional, Spirit-empowered effort must be exerted. (ESVEC – Comment)
    • As those in a covenant relationship with God through Jesus Christ, the Spirit empowers us both to proclaim God’s excellencies (1 Pet. 2:9) and to reflect them in our daily lives. (ESVEC – Comment)
    • Biblical love is not a feeling provoked by the beauty of its object but rather is a commitment of the heart, mind, and soul to produce what is best for the one being loved. Our love for others should reflect the self-sacrificial love of Christ, who laid down his life so that we might know the Father. The Spirit of that same Christ lives in us as believers to empower us to love God and others in the way he himself did. (ESVEC – Comment)

    1 Peter 1:20-21 – Prophecy does not come from one’s own interpretation because it is not produced by the will of man. Rather, it is spoken from God as the person is carried along by the Holy Spirit.

    • Peter here is dealing with the origin of the prophetic word, and not with the way men interpret it after it has been given. The point is that when the prophets sat down to write, they did not give their own private interpretation of events or their own conclusions. In other words interpretation does not refer to the explaining of the word by those of us who have the Bible in written form; rather it refers to the way in which the word came into being in the first place. (BBC)

    Application

    Text

    Prayer

    Text

    Resources

    Reading
    Listening