DBRP_282 2CH.35 ECC.11 MAT.22.23-46

2CHRONICLES 35:
It is simply amazing that we have books like Deuteronomy, since we see that it (or perhaps Leviticus) was almost lost. And it shows how far Judah had slipped that they didn’t know of any copies. Josiah sincerely repented after hearing God’s Word.

Translation note:
15 [NET The musicians, the descendants of Asaph, manned their posts, as prescribed by [King] David, Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun the king’s prophet.// GNT The following musicians of the Levite clan of Asaph were in the places assigned to them by King David's instructions: Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun, the king's prophet.] The guards at the Temple gates did not need to leave their posts, because the other Levites prepared the Passover for them.

ECCLESIASTES 11:
Yesterday’s chapter of Ecclesiastes was mainly separate proverbs. As an example I quote verse 3, which I like in the NLT:

3 You can identify fools just by the way they walk down the street!

Translation note:
3 GNT Their stupidity will be evident even to strangers they meet along the way; they let everyone know that they are fools.
[One can be sure that ESV is overly literal with the last phrase, “he says to everyone that he is a fool.” I’ve met plenty of fools, and such a person doesn’t actually “let everyone know” (GNT) that he/she is a fool. CEV is probably right that ‘walking’ also is to be taken in its other more general meaning of ‘live’.]
3 CEV Fools show their stupidity by the way they live; it’s easy to see they have no sense.

MATTHEW 22b:
Jesus told a pointed parable yesterday in the one about the King’s wedding feast for his son. And the people sent by the Pharisees with friends of King Herod failed miserably to trap Jesus. And why did the man at the wedding feast get thrown out for not wearing wedding clothes? If you don’t know the answer, there’s a golden treasure there waiting for you to find it.

Translation note:
1 NLT That same day Jesus was approached by some Sadducees— [who are] religious leaders who say there is no resurrection from the dead. They posed this question:// GNT That same day some Sadducees came to Jesus and claimed that people will not rise from death.]
45 If, then, David called him ‘[my] Lord,’ how can the Messiah [just] be David's descendant?”

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DBRP_281 2CH.34 ECC.10 MAT.22.1-22

2CHRONICLES 34:
We are definitely in the back-and-forth pendulum period of Judah. After one fantastic king, the next two were terrible. And now Josiah is again like David.

ECCLESIASTES 10:
Here is a highlight from yesterday’s reading:

11 I realized another thing, that in this world fast runners do not always win the races, and the brave do not always win the battles. The wise do not always earn a living, intelligent people do not always get rich, and capable people do not always rise to high positions. Bad luck happens to everyone.

MATTHEW 22a:
With the parable of the two sons and the parable of the evil farmers, we are in the portion of Jesus’ teaching where he both warns and confronts his enemies, showing divine wisdom that none can refute.

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DBRP_280 2CH.33 ECC.9 MAT.21.23-46

2CHRONICLES 33:
The account in 2 Chronicles of Hezekiah’s victory through prayer over the vast Assyrian army is summarized. It is much more dramatically related in 2nd Kings. Hezekiah’s experience with the envoys from Babylon can also be used as a spiritual parable for us. We need to be careful what we just accept as fate, without asking God for something better.

ECCLESIASTES 9:
A nugget of exceptional wisdom from Solomon was in yesterday’s reading, and it brings with it a problem in translation. I like how GNT made the overall pessimistic meaning clear by including quote marks in 12-13. NLT does not interpret that part as an argumentative quote and casts the meaning in an optimistic light.

11 Why do people commit crimes so readily? Because crime is not punished quickly enough.
12 A sinner may commit a hundred crimes and still live. Oh yes, I know what they say: “If you obey God, everything will be all right,
13 but it will not go well for the wicked. Their life is like a shadow and they will die young, because they do not obey God.”
14 But this is nonsense. Look at what happens in the world: sometimes the righteous get the punishment of the wicked, and the wicked get the reward of the righteous. I say it is useless.

MATTHEW 21b:
In yesterday’s reading in chapter 21, we heard of the triumphant entry, Jesus cleansing the Temple and cursing the fig tree, and the question about what right he had to do such a thing like cleansing the Temple.

Translation note:
32 [NLT 32 For John the Baptist came and showed you the right way to live, but you didn’t believe him, while tax collectors and prostitutes did. And even when you saw [that miraculous thing//this] happening, you refused to believe him and repent of your sins.//For John the Baptist came to you showing you the right [way to live//path to take], and you would not believe him; but the tax collectors and the prostitutes believed him. Even when you saw [that miraculous thing//this], you [refused to believe him and repent did not later change your minds and believe him.]

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DBRP_279 2CH.32 ECC.8 MAT.21.1-27

2CHRONICLES 32:
Following that special Passover, the people went home and destroyed all the pagan shrines. And a good summary of chapter 31 is the last verse:

21 He was successful, because everything he did for the Temple or in observance of the Law, he did in a spirit of complete loyalty and devotion to his God.

ECCLESIASTES 8:
Yesterday’s chapter of Ecclesiastes included quite a variety of Solomon’s proverbs, including:

5 It is better to have wise people reprimand you than to have stupid people sing your praises.
20 There is no one on earth who does what is right all the time and never makes a mistake.

MATTHEW 21a:
The first will be last, the last first. I think we will be amazed at the justice of God’s rewards. And in some sense, we all will receive “a fair day’s pay.” The meaning of that parable was matched and furthered by the story of the mother of James and John and what Jesus said to them.

Translation note:
1 As Jesus and his disciples approached Jerusalem, they came to Bethphage at the Mount of Olives. There Jesus sent two of [us//the] disciples on ahead
16 So they asked Jesus, “Do you hear what they are saying?” “Indeed I do,” answered Jesus. “Haven't you ever read this scripture [when the writer said to God]? ‘You have trained children and babies to offer perfect praise.’”

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DBRP_278 2CH.31 ECC.7 MAT.20

2CHRONICLES 31:
A sign of how far Judah and Israel had wandered from the Lord was that even the Passover was not celebrated. When Hezekiah reinstituted the Passover celebration, it was the start of a real revival.

ECCLESIASTES 7:
I find it interesting that Solomon would say that everything has been decided beforehand. GNT certainly implied Who it was who decided beforehand, but NLT makes that explicit:

10 Everything has already been decided. It was known long ago what each person would be. So there’s no use arguing with God about your destiny.

Not about the issue of destiny, but about another key point presented in chapter 6, I think that Solomon would have taken back some of his words if he could have listened to what Jesus taught in yesterday’s reading in Matthew.

MATTHEW 20:
In yesterday’s reading, Jesus taught how evil divorce is, He blessed children (because they are so close to the kingdom of God), and He taught about the difficulty for rich people in this world to enter the Kingdom of God. And at the end of chapter 19, he gave that promise that all missionaries love, the one about the eternal rewards that will be given to those who leave their families and possessions for the Kingdom of God.

Translation notes:
7 ‘No one hired us,’ they answered. ‘Well, then, you go and work in [my//the] vineyard,’ he told them.
16 And Jesus concluded, “[Even so, at the end//So] those who are [now] last will be first, and those who are first will be last.”
17 As Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, he took [us,] the twelve disciples[,] aside and spoke to [us//them] privately, as [we//they] walked along.
18 “Listen,” he told [us//them], “we are going up to Jerusalem, where [I,] the Son of Man[,] will be handed over to the chief priests and the teachers of the Law. They will condemn [me//him] to death
19 and then hand [me//him] over to the Gentiles, who will make fun of [me//him], whip [me//him], and crucify [me//him]; but three days later [I//he] will be raised to life.”
22 “You don't know what you are asking for,” Jesus answered the [two] sons. “Can you drink the cup of suffering that I am about to drink?” “We can,” they answered.
28 [For even [I,] the Son of Man,//like the Son of Man, who] did not come to be served, but to serve and to give [my//his] life to redeem many people.”
32 Jesus stopped and called [to] them [to come and then asked them,//.] “What do you want me to do for you?” [0//he asked them.]

 

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DBRP_277 2CH.30 ECC.6 MAT.19

2CHRONICLES 30:
Hezekiah led a wonderful spiritual revival which included the reopening and cleansing of the temple and the resumption of sacrifices. And he wasted no time in doing those things.

ECCLESIASTES 6:
Solomon gave wonderful conclusions about happiness in yesterday’s reading. And he also observed that we leave the world as naked and empty-handed as when we came into the world.

MATTHEW 19:
Yesterday’s portion of Matthew 18 included the important parable about the king and the forgiven servant who did not forgive the debt of his fellow servant.

Translation notes:
13 Some people brought children to Jesus for him to place his hands on them and to pray for them, but [we//the] disciples scolded the people.
25 When [we//the] disciples heard this, [we//they] were completely amazed [and asked]. “Who, then, can be saved?” [0//they asked.]  
26 Jesus looked straight at [us//them] and answered, “This is impossible for human beings, but for God everything is possible.”
28 Jesus said to [us//them], “You can be sure that when [I,//the] Son of Man [sit on my//sits on his] glorious throne in the New Age, then you twelve followers of mine will also sit on thrones, to rule the twelve tribes of Israel.

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DBRP_276 2CH.29 ECC.5 MAT.18.15-35

2CHRONICLES 29:
Ahaz’s rule was one of the darkest chapters in Judah’s history. The people didn’t even bury him in the royal cemetery. He closed the temple and put up places to worship Baal all over the country. Even when under severe punishment from the Lord, he never turned to the Lord for help.

ECCLESIASTES 5:
In yesterday’s chapter, I really like the passages that talk of having the companionship of 2 (or perhaps 3) people. And that idea was echoed by Jesus’ teaching about 2-3 gathered to promote Jesus’ cause.

Translation note:
6 Don't let your own words lead you into sin, so that you have to tell God's priest that you didn't mean [something//it]. Why make God angry with you? Why let him destroy what you have worked for?
9 Even [the//a] king depends on the harvest.

MATTHEW 18b:
Yesterday we heard the passage that deals with following Jesus with child-like faith. And we heard instructions for restoring broken relationships, and what to do if reconciliation is not achieved.

Translation note:
20 For where two or three [of you] come together [because you want to glorify Me//in my name], I am there with [you//them].”

 

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