You Can Read the Bible Bible Only Podcast

In the first two chapters of his book, Matthew establishes continuity between Jesus’ story and the story of Abraham’s descendants – the children of Israel.  Matthew makes sure we know that Jesus was a true descendant not only of Abraham but also of David – the king whom the LORD promised an everlasting throne.  He recounts the words of Israel’s prophets showing how Jesus’ early journeys had been foretold.  And Matthew bakes Jesus’ experiences within contextual comfort food: an unconventional birth story; angels appearing in dreams; inordinate danger from an unhinged ruler; and Egypt, as a place of refuge. 

In today’s reading Matthew begins to establish Jesus’ message and intentions.  In chapter 3 the message is presented by John the Baptist: first generally, and then directly at the Jewish leaders.  In chapter 4 the message is proclaimed by Jesus, through his encounter with the Tempter, in his early preaching, in his call to the first disciples and through the healings He performed. 

Pay attention to the geography.  As a child, Jesus’ parents had avoided Judea and lived in Nazareth, a town in the northern province of Galilee.  Jesus will return to the North after his baptism, settling in the city of Capernaum, originally part of the ancestral lands of Zebulun and Naphtali but now occupied by foreigners.  John was preparing the way in the southern region of Judea, around Jerusalem.  It might not be accidental that Matthew highlights the varied locations in which the kingdom of God was present and preached. 

Pay even more attention to the dialogue, especially to the first lines of dialogue for each character.  There’s John the Baptist’s bold exhortation: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”  There’s Jesus’ obedience: “Let it be done so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.”  The voice from heaven: “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased.”  And the Tempter: “If you are the Son of God…”

Also follow Jesus’ responses to the Tempter in chapter 4: He quotes the Jewish Scriptures.  Not only does this strengthen Matthew’s claim that this Jesus is not disconnected from Israel’s past, but it also, emphatically, shows Jesus’ own commitment to God’s word.  When tested, Jesus responds with the strongest weapon at His disposal: “It is written…”

Our verse for this week is Isaiah 40:31: “But they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.”

Matthew chapters 3 and 4.  Now let’s read it!

If you’ve been with us on this journey at You Can Read The Bible, you have just watched the nation that the LORD had created get swept away into exile, to Babylon.  The kingdom dismantled; Jerusalem in ruins; the Temple burned.  Yet at the end of 2 Kings, there was a glimmer of hope, as Judah’s king – David’s heir – is at least alive, and even elevated to some prominence in exile. 

Today we’ll take another break from the Old Testament and begin reading two Gospels: Matthew and Luke.  While many of the accounts that these authors present will overlap, they each have distinct purposes and a unique story to tell.  

Matthew’s gospel begins with Jesus’ genealogy, and for him the story of Jesus begins with Abraham.  If you’ve been reading along from the beginning, there are a lot of names you’ll recognize in the first two-thirds of this genealogy.  Except for those born in Egypt, you can almost trace the line from Genesis through 2 Kings.  There are shepherds, there are kings, and later, there are exiles. 

There are also women – four of them in fact – and none who had an easy life.  Tamar, who posed as a prostitute, and Rahab, who really was a prostitute.  Ruth, who clung to Naomi, and Bathsheba, who is identified not by name, but by her story. 

Keep these four names in the background as Matthew introduces Mary, though betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit.  The author has already let us know that hers will not be an easy life either. 

The majority of real estate in these chapters, however, is devoted to Joseph.  Try to put aside what you already know about Jesus’ birth story and focus on what holds Matthew’s attention.  Today Joseph’s name is mentioned twice as often as Mary’s.  The genealogy flows through him.  In Matthew’s account, the angel appeared to him in a dream three times; never to Mary.  And Joseph’s fears drive the plot: fears about Mary’s pregnancy, of Herod, and of Herod’s son. 

Pay attention as always to how repetition reveals themes and as dialogue both pushes the story along and reveals character.  Notice that there are at least four direct references to prophecy in these two chapters.  And consider the purpose Matthew has in citing these prophecies: is it just his curiosity, or is he making a point? 

Our verse for this week is Isaiah 40:31: “But they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.”

Matthew chapters 1 and 2.  Now let’s read it!

“Do not be afraid; you have done all this evil. Yet do not turn aside from following the LORD, but serve the LORD with all your heart. And do not turn aside after empty things that cannot profit or deliver, for they are empty. For the LORD will not forsake his people, for his great name's sake, because it has pleased the LORD to make you a people for himself… Only fear the LORD and serve him faithfully with all your heart. For consider what great things He has done for you. But if you still do wickedly, you shall be swept away, both you and your king.”
- 1 Samuel 12:20-25

“…As for you, if you will walk before me, as David your father walked, with integrity of heart and uprightness, doing according to all that I have commanded you, and keeping my statutes and my rules, then I will establish your royal throne over Israel forever, as I promised David your father, saying, ‘You shall not lack a man on the throne of Israel.’ But if you turn aside from following me, you or your children, and do not keep my commandments and my statutes that I have set before you, but go and serve other gods and worship them, then I will cut off Israel from the land that I have given them…”
-1 Kings 9:4-7

“Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel: Behold, I am bringing upon Jerusalem and Judah such disaster that the ears of everyone who hears of it will tingle.  And I will stretch over Jerusalem the measuring line of Samaria, and the plumb line of the house of Ahab, and I will wipe Jerusalem as one wipes a dish, wiping it and turning it upside down. And I will forsake the remnant of my heritage and give them into the hand of their enemies...” 
- 2 Kings 21:12-14

“…The surviving remnant of the house of Judah shall again take root downward and bear fruit upward.  For out of Jerusalem shall go a remnant, and out of Mount Zion a band of survivors. The zeal of the LORD will do this.     
- 2 Kings 19:30-31

Our verse for this week is Isaiah 40:31: “But they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.”

2 Kings 24 and 25.  Now let’s read it!

“And the man cried against the altar by the word of the LORD and said, “O altar, altar, thus says the LORD: ‘Behold, a son shall be born to the house of David, Josiah by name, and he shall sacrifice on you the priests of the high places who make offerings on you, and human bones shall be burned on you.’”  - 1 Kings 13:2

Today’s reading will offer a respite from the turmoil of the past few weeks.  Josiah’s father Amon had died at the hands of his servants, but this coup was quickly trampled by the citizens of Judah.  And eight-year-old Josiah, a child born to Amon at the age of sixteen, is established on the throne. 

The author spends most of his time on the subject most important to him, to Judah, and the LORD: the rediscovery of the Book of the Law.  Josiah’s righteousness is illustrated by his response to the Law’s reading: he tore his clothes.  Beyond this initial conviction he calls the priests to inquire of the LORD for me, and for the people, and for all Judah… For great is the wrath of the LORD that is kindled against us, because our fathers have not obeyed the words of this book…”

Josiah initiates a systematic reform of life and worship.  He commands that all the vessels made for Baal, for Asherah, and for all the host of heaven be brought out of the Temple and burned outside Jerusalem.  He tears down the high places throughout Judah, and listen closely as he destroys, once and for all, the sin of Jeroboam.  And for the first time since the days of the judges who judged Israel, the Passover was kept in Jerusalem. 

Almost 400 years have passed David’s line had been established, and Judah had existed independently for 300 years.  Josiah’s reforms were possible because of an era of peace: Assyria was crumbling. 

However, Josiah’s peaceful reign will be the last for Judah.  His fateful decision to engage in the great battle between Egypt and Assyria not only ends his own life but ultimately proves fruitless, for lurking silently in the background is a power greater than any before: Babylon.

Josiah’s son Jehoiakim takes the throne as a puppet of Egypt in 609 B.C.  Jerusalem will fall in 586 – only two decades away. 

Our verse for this week is Isaiah 40:31: “But they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.”

2 Kings 22 and 23.  Now let’s read it!

Chapter 19 picks up the story of Assyria’s siege of Jerusalem.  Sennacherib has sent Rabshakeh to taunt Jerusalem into submission.  King Hezekiah’s first response is to tear his clothes, cover himself with sackcloth, and go into the house of the LORD.  He then sends for Isaiah the prophet with this plea: “This is a day of distress, of rebuke, of disgrace…It may be that the LORD your God has heard…and will rebuke the words that the LORD your God has heard; therefore, lift up your prayer for the remnant that is left.”

While sending for a prophet might appear to be a wise action, remember that no king has truly sought the word of the LORD for centuries.  They’ve toyed with the prophets, executed the prophets, or added the LORD’s prophets to their collection of seers and the LORD to their quiver of gods.  Though facing annihilation and with no model for such faithfulness, Hezekiah seeks none but the LORD. 

You’ll hear the name of Isaiah prominently today.  Isaiah first spoke to Hezekiah’s father almost thirty years ago, failing to convince him that the Syria-Israel coalition would not last (this is recorded in Isaiah chapter 7).  Instead of trusting Isaiah and the LORD’s promise, Ahaz requested aid from Assyria, which we read about yesterday.  Today Isaiah is the LORD’s mouthpiece to one who will listen. 

This promising outlook follows Hezekiah almost to the end of his life.  In chapter 20, Hezekiah receives emissaries from Babylon, which Hezekiah describes as a far country, and presumably a safe one, especially because they are also attempting to thwart Assyria.  Whether for pride alone, or because the king fails to seek the LORD, or because of Judah’s attempt to forge yet another alliance with yet another foreign power, the LORD pronounces judgment: not simply on Hezekiah, but on his house. 

In this pivotal episode, a disconcerting possibility emerges: the line of David might be under threat.  This threat becomes more tangible as Hezekiah is succeeded by a son who led Judah astray to do more evil than the nations had done whom the LORD destroyed before the people of Israel…

Our verse for this week is Romans 8:28: And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.

2 Kings 19 through 21.  Now let’s read it!