Daily Bible Reading Podcast

EZEKIEL 36-37:In chapter 34, we heard the passage that many Jews would have thought of when they heard Jesus say, "I am the good shepherd. I give my life for the sheep." In Ezekiel 34, God promised to take away corrupt shepherds, saying that He would replace them with only one shepherd— namely David's descendant who will shepherd of the flock of God forever.

ISAIAH 14:Like we heard in Ezekiel and in Isaiah, and will hear in Revelation, Babylon will be judged. That kingdom was God's tool to execute judgment, but they themselves will feel God's judgment.

HEBREWS 10a:In chapter 9 of Hebrews, details about rituals under the first covenant were given. The writer was showing by contrast how Jesus entered a greater, permanent, holy, divinely made Most Holy Place with the one-time-only sacrifice of his own blood. In our time, I think the details also show us the impossibility of our ever rebuilding a system like the Mosaic covenant. I take this opportunity to share my opinion— which I recognize will not be shared by all listeners. But here it is: Those who want to add old covenant observances to our Christian faith just add accretions of man-made ritual. It is better to study and understand how much better the new covenant is, rather than to add empty and powerless ritual and symbolism from the old to the new.

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.

EZEKIEL 34-35:In Ezekiel yesterday, we heard of how Pharaoh was to be mocked in the world of the dead. Then we heard of God's justice, which he showed by the illustration of Ezekiel as a watchman for a city.

ISAIAH 13:Yesterday's reading in Isaiah was a psalm of praise including these poetic lines:

Is. 12:2b-4b NLT The LORD GOD is my strength and my song;he has given me victory.3 With joy you will drink deeplyfrom the fountain of salvation!…4b Tell the nations what he has done.Let them know how mighty he is!

HEBREWS 9:Important conclusions from yesterday's reading include:

Heb. 8:6 NLT But now Jesus, our High Priest, has been given a ministry that is far superior to the old priesthood, for he is the one who mediates for us a far better covenant with God, based on better promises.13 When God speaks of a "new" covenant, it means he has made the first one obsolete. It is now out of date and will soon disappear.

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.

EZEKIEL 32-33:Again, as seen in the messages to Tyre and to Egypt, God was not just speaking to one king or about one kingdom, but was also speaking against the kingdom/city of Man or the world system under the rulership of Satan.

ISAIAH 12:In yesterday's reading we again heard of the righteous Branch, a shoot growing from David's root. And we heard these famous words:

Is. 11:2 NLT And the Spirit of the LORD will rest on him—the Spirit of wisdom and understanding,the Spirit of counsel and might,the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD.3 He will delight in obeying the LORD.He will not judge by appearancenor make a decision based on hearsay.4 He will give justice to the poorand make fair decisions for the exploited.The earth will shake at the force of his word,and one breath from his mouth will destroy the wicked.5 He will wear righteousness like a beltand truth like an undergarment.

HEBREWS 8:In yesterday's reading, the writer of Hebrews showed many similarities between Melchizedek and Christ, including that they are kings of righteousness and peace, they live forever, and are higher in position and better than Abraham and Moses. Christ is also better than the Levitical priests because he received his priesthood by an oath from God and because he holds his office as priest forever. These things are amazingly confirmed by that prophetic verse in Psalm 110. And very significantly, Jesus thus being our High Priest signifies a change in the Law— something that the original Jewish audience would have found surprising and controversial. Note how skillfully the writer wove in that controversial topic— which he brings to a conclusion in today's chapter.

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.

EZEKIEL 30-31:As the Lord was pronouncing doom upon the Prince of Tyre in Ezekiel 28, did you notice how the language shifted to talking about things that the human prince could not have done. The spirit-world ruler behind the prince of Tyre is really in mind— that is, Satan. The tirade against the King of Egypt could also be similarly interpreted.

ISAIAH 11:Isaiah recorded in yesterday's portion that Assyria's army would come to Judah, but that Judah would be different from the other nations that Assyria conquered. And it did indeed happen like that!

HEBREWS 7:Yesterday the author of Hebrews reminded us of Abraham and Melchizedek. We ought to have great confidence in our hope, because the God— who cannot lie, has given us both a promise and an oath. The last verse of Hebrews 6 introduces again the topic of Melchizedek:

Heb. 6:20 On our behalf Jesus has gone in there before us (that is, into the heavenly sanctuary) and has become a high priest forever, in the priestly order of Melchizedek.

NLT Translation note:Heb. 7:3 There is no record of his father or mother or any of his ancestors—no beginning or end to his life. [It appears that] He remains a priest forever, resembling the Son of God.

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.

EZEKIEL 28-29:So why were there two whole chapters against the city-state of Tyre in yesterday's reading, plus one more today?! I think we see the answer in Revelation. Tyre is very like the picture of Babylon (which in that book is a picture of Rome). All the way through the Bible— starting with the Tower of Babel, we see a contrast between the 'city of man' and the 'city of God'. The world powers will be utterly defeated, along with all the wealth of commerce that supports them now.

ISAIAH 10:Yesterday's reading included wonderful prophecies concerning Jesus that are quoted in the Gospels and in Handel's Messiah:

Is. 9:2 NLT The people who walk in darknesswill see a great light.For those who live in a land of deep darkness,a light will shine.and6 For a child is born to us,a son is given to us.The government will rest on his shoulders.And he will be called:Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

HEBREWS 6:Jesus is our High Priest, not in the order of Aaron, but Melchizedek. This chapter picks up where the last left off. Yesterday's chapter ended with the call for spiritual maturity:

12b NLT "You are like babies who need milk and cannot [yet] eat solid food."

NLT Translation note:Heb. 6:12 Then you will not become spiritually dull and indifferent. Instead, you will follow the example of those who are going to inherit God's promises because of their faith [— that is their full belief,] and endurance.

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.

EZEKIEL 26-27:Yesterday we heard a second word picture of Jerusalem as a cooking pot. This was not good news. Then Ezekiel received word that his treasure— his wife, would die. And he was commanded not to mourn as a sign of what the people would do when they heard about the slaughter in Jerusalem. Then there were messages of punishment for the nations of Ammon, Moab, Edom, and Philistia.

ISAIAH 9:In yesterday's reading, God gave Isaiah the name of his son (Maher-shalal-hash-baz, meaning "Swift to plunder and quick to carry away."), which pictures the conquest of Judah by the Assyrian army. Then there was a wonderful and often quoted part that in the New Testament identifies Jesus as the stumbling stone:

Is. 8:11-15 NLT11 The Lord has given me a strong warning not to think like everyone else does. He said, 12 "Don't call everything a conspiracy, like they do, and don't live in dread of what frightens them. 13 Make the Lord of Heaven's Armies holy in your life. He is the one you should fear. He is the one who should make you tremble. 14 He will keep you safe. But to Israel and Judah he will be a stone that makes people stumble, a rock that makes them fall. And for the people of Jerusalem he will be a trap and a snare. 15 Many will stumble and fall, never to rise again. They will be snared and captured."

HEBREWS 5:Chapter 4 contains the wonderful verse about God's word being living and active, and the encouragement to come boldly with our prayers before the throne of God.

The Greek for 4:9 literally says, "There remains a sabatismos for the people of God." GNT translated that word as "'a rest like God's resting on the seventh day." Sabatismos— a word evidently coined by the writer, could mean God resting on the 7th day or the Sabbath day observance, or both. Here is verse 9 in our PET translation, which shows how we made the concept of a 'place/land of rest' clear in Indonesian:

Heb. 4:9 PET (Phil's Plain English Translation) So this shows that there is still an opportunity for us— the people of God, to enter God's 'land of rest'— which is a spiritual calmness that can be pictured as like stopping work on the Sabbath Day.

Then the same chapter contains the wonderful verse about God's word being "living and active" and the encouragement to "come boldly" with our prayers "before the throne of God."

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.

EZEKIEL 24-25:Yesterday in Ezekiel we heard the shockingly graphic story of the two adulterous sisters, which were really the cities of Samaria and Jerusalem.

ISAIAH 8:In yesterday's reading, Isaiah was sent to Ahaz, and the message to the king contains a prophecy that probably had two fulfillments— one in King Ahaz' time and another at Jesus' birth: "The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel (which means 'God is with us')." Had the New Testament not explicitly stated that Jesus' birth was a fulfillment of this verse, the similarity would be considered just an interesting coincidence.

HEBREWS 4:In chapter 3 we read about God promising another day for the fulfillment of giving Israel a place of rest. And that other day is called 'today'!

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.

EZEKIEL 23:In yesterday's reading, we heard the Lord promise that he would refine Israel as purifying silver in a crucible. And then we heard the famous and poignant words:

Ez. 23:30 NLT "I looked for someone who might rebuild the wall of righteousness that guards the land. I searched for someone to stand in the gap in the wall so I wouldn't have to destroy the land, but I found no one.

ISAIAH 7:Yesterday we heard the story of Isaiah's vision of the glory of the Lord in the temple. Isaiah's lips were purified with a coal from the altar. Then after hearing the Lord's call, he said the famous words, "Here I am. Send me!" And the Lord revealed that his messages would not be received.

In verse 3 of today's chapter, Isaiah is told to take his son, Shear-Jashub, to go to meet King Ahaz. The name Shear-Jashub means "A remnant will return." Keep the meaning of that name in mind as we read the last part of chapter 7.

Rereading HEBREWS 3:Yesterday we heard the quote from Ps. 95 that forms the basis for this section. It is because I want the quoted content of this chapter firmly in our minds that I scheduled this chapter to be read twice. The failure of the Israelites was their refusal to believe in the Lord and what He told them. Believing is a volitional act.

NLT Translation note:Heb. 3:19 So we see that [they were unable to enter his rest because they refused to believe him.// because of their unbelief they were not able to enter his rest.]

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.

EZEKIEL 22:Yesterday we heard of the sword of the Lord, which was to come to Jerusalem, actually in the form of the army of the king of Babylon. And there would be punishment also for the Ammonites.

ISAIAH 6:In yesterday's reading, we heard one of the famous chapters that relate to Israel as the Lord's vine. This would have been in the minds of those who listened to Jesus when he gave his teaching about the vine bearing fruit in John 15. God said yesterday, "They will go into exile because they do not know me."

HEBREWS 3:In Hebrews 2 we heard the first of the writer's warnings. The writer's increasingly strong warnings are a persistent theme in this book. And for the first time we heard that Jesus is our perfect High Priest. Jesus is perfect for that position because he fully shared our human existence, and he suffered and defeated the devil's power over death.

NLT Translation note:Heb.3:19 So we see that [they were unable to enter his rest because they refused to believe him.// because of their unbelief they were not able to enter his rest.]

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.

EZEKIEL 21:Yesterday we saw that the Lord was quite offended when unrighteous leaders of Israel came to ask for a message from the Lord! And Ezekiel begged to not have to give a highly figurative message because the people complained that he was always speaking in riddles.

ISAIAH 5:Yesterday there was a temporary break in the clouds in Isaiah, and we heard the first hint about the Righteous Branch who was to come.

HEBREWS 2:Yesterday we heard the amazing prologue in the first chapter of Hebrews. Angels are nowhere approaching the majesty of Jesus. And Jesus was given many glorious promises.

GNT/NLT Translation notes:[Heb. 2:5 is one of the most frequently misunderstood verses in this book! (To show the misunderstanding, I quote the NLT below. The GNT fixes the problem for both readers and listeners.) People are so used to understanding the title 'the Son of Man' as referring to Jesus, that they they don't realize that that is NOT the meaning here! I believe that this is the only place in the New Testament where the main Hebrew meaning of 'son of man' is used— which simply means 'an ordinary human' (or 'mortal man' as God calls Ezekiel in the GNT). In this chapter, the author was highlighting the difference between us and angelic beings.]5 NLT And furthermore, it is not angels who will control the future world we are talking about. 6 For in one place the Scriptures say,"What are mere mortals that you should think about them,or a son of man [— an ordinary human,] that you should care for him?[Note that NLT has 'son of man' without capitals. But only one actually viewing the text can see the capitals. Listeners can't see them.]7 GNT Yet you made them [— humans,] only a little lower than the angels and crowned them with glory and honor.8 You gave them authority over all things…"Now when it says "all things," it means nothing is left out. But we have not yet seen all things put under [the authority of mankind//their authority].

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.