Reading List

Well we are getting there, we have some meaty books remaining.

Book: Completed Written by Moses  1. Genesis  Oct-13 2. Exodus  Dec-13 3. Leviticus  Mar-14 4. Numbers  5. Deuteronomy  Oct-11 OT Narratives 6. Joshua  Oct-11 7. Judges Dec-11 8. Ruth Dec-11 9. 1 Samuel Feb-12 10. 2 Samuel Mar-12 11. 1 Kings 12. 2 Kings 13. 1 Chronicles 14. 2 Chronicles 15. Ezra Apr-14 16. Nehemiah 17. Esther May-14 Wisdom Literature 18. Job Aug-14 19. Psalms Ch 1-32, Jan 2013 20. Proverbs Mar-13 21. Ecclesiastes Apr-13 22. Song of Songs Apr-13 Major Prophets 23. Isaiah Isaiah 1-35 Jun-13 24. Jeremiah 25. Lamentations 26. Ezekiel 27. Daniel Minor Prophets 28. Hosea  Sep-14 29. Joel Sep-14 30. Amos Sep-14 31. Obadiah Sep-14 32. Jonah Sep-14 33. Micah Oct-14 34. Nahum Oct-14 35. Habakkuk Oct-14 36. Zephaniah Oct-14 37. Haggai Oct-14 38. Zechariah Dec-14 39. Malachi  NT Narratives 40. Matthew Feb-14 41. Mark 42. Luke Jan-13 43. John 44. Acts Aug-13 Epistles by Paul  45. Romans  May-12 46. 1 Corinthians  May-12 47. 2 Corinthians  Jul-12 48. Galatians  Jul-12 49. Ephesians  Jul-12 50. Philippians  Aug-12 51. Colossians  Aug-12 52. 1 Thessalonians Sep-12 53. 2 Thessalonians  Sep-12 54. 1 Timothy  Sep-12 55. 2 Timothy  Sep-12 56. Titus  Sep-12 57. Philemon Sep-12 General Epistles  58. Hebrews  Oct-12 59. James  Apr-12 60. 1 Peter  Nov-12 61. 2 Peter  Nov-12 62. 1 John  Nov-12 63. 2 John  Nov-12 64. 3 John  Nov-12 65. Jude Nov-12 Apocalyptic Epistle by John 66. Revelation

Zechariah 13

7-9 "Awake, sword, against my shepherd,
    against the man who is close to me!”
    declares the Lord Almighty.
“Strike the shepherd,
    and the sheep will be scattered,
    and I will turn my hand against the little ones.
8 In the whole land,” declares the Lord,
    “two-thirds will be struck down and perish;
    yet one-third will be left in it.


I read this chapter and this section struck me, but at the same time I didn't really know why.   Just a little research showed me how this prophetic section may have already been fulfill.  It also made me want to commit more of the bible into my mind and memory.  I want to catch the little phrases on my own like "the man who is close to me"...presumably Jesus, I don't want to have to always look it up on the internet to make these connections.

I didn't connect on my own that Jesus himself quoted some of these words documented in Matthew and Mark right before his arrest.  Predicting Peter's denial  27 “You will all fall away,” Jesus told them, “for it is written:

“‘I will strike the shepherd,
    and the sheep will be scattered.’

Some historians have also pointed out that between 70-130a.d. the Romans destroyed Jerusalem and its people with the Jewish population dropping from 4.5M to 1.5M.  This could be the fulfillment of the prophecy.

I find of this history and interconnections of the bible fascinating and getting a little taste of it today fires me up to learn more but also overwhelms me for how much there is to learn.

Have a great day--and Turkey Day if by chance I fall off the map until next week its because we are headed to Belmond.  I may be on though early in the mornings trying to become just a little more knowledgeable about God's perfect Word.

knut

Zechariah 11-12

Ch12 v3 “On the Big Day, I’ll turn Jerusalem into a huge stone blocking the way for everyone. All who try to lift it will rupture themselves. All the pagan nations will come together and try to get rid of it.

Coming up short on takeaways again, I turned to Tom's post.  I have the same feelings he suggests and I bet they are only made stronger by visiting Jerusalem in person.

from tom--

I will never forget walking through the Lion Gate into the Old City of Jerusalem. I can remember the narrow streets winding like a labyrinth and open markets in the four quarters. I can still feel the tension I experienced as I walked to the Western Wall and approached the back entrance to the Dome of the Rock.

Everyone who has the opportunity to do so should visit Jerusalem at least once in his or her lifetime. There are many things that I will never understand about the prophetic words and themes of God’s Message. I listen to scholars and teachers expound on their interpretation of this and that passage and it makes my humble brain spin like I’m on the Silly Silo at Adventureland.

I have found however, that there are some unmistakeable signposts on God’s prophetic roadmap. Most clearly, I’ve come to realize that Jerusalem is at the epicenter of God’s story on Earth. When you visit the city you begin to feel it, and to see it more clearly. It is a bubbling cauldron of religious fervor, political passion, and the seething conflict the two produce. In the many years I’ve been walking this faith journey, I’ve come to understand, as Zechariah reminded me in today’s chapter, that all prophetic tributaries lead back to this one place.

I have known many people who become so preoccupied with prophecy that they seem lost in a spiritual maze. I have no desire to find myself trapped inside prophetic puzzles. Nevertheless, I heed Jesus’ warning to be alert and aware of signs of the times. For me, that means keeping one eye fixed on what is happening in Jerusalem.

thanks to Tom...again

Knut

Zechariah 10

I’ll whistle and they’ll all come running.
I’ve set them free—oh, how they’ll flourish!
Even though I scattered them to the far corners of earth,
they’ll remember me in the faraway places.

I will assume this is talking about us?  Maybe?
I find myself reading these minor prophets in multiple translations everyday.  Its tough for me to grasp what's being discussed on a chapter by chapter basis.  Perhaps we may need to read the entire book, and then write about that.  I'm finding little snipets of things, instead of big a-ha's.

My snipet for the day.......in this chapter I can feel a real love, and an ownership of God toward his people.  I find it very comforting.  Even though they continue to live a broken existence...he still claims them as his own, and has a desire to further them, and bless them.  It gives me hope.

tp

Zechariah 9

9-10 “Shout and cheer, Daughter Zion!
    Raise the roof, Daughter Jerusalem!
Your king is coming!
    a good king who makes all things right,
    a humble king riding a donkey,
    a mere colt of a donkey.

This prophecy was written 500 years or so before it happened--nailed it!  I read Tom's post on this, he had a cool perspective.  He was noting through time all the fan fair world leaders in victory parades and sports hero welcomes with ticker tape parades and riding in on fancy cars or flying in on luxury jets vs the contrast of Jesus parade on a donkey.

Then he says--
"One of the things I love about Jesus, one of the things that leads me to believe that he is exactly who He claimed to be, is that He is not like any of the others my history books describe. He is a King, though not of this world.

Jesus is nothing that I have come to expect, and everything that I’ve discovered I need."

pretty cool

knut

Zechariah 8

Well....I'm almost to the point that I can spell the name of this chapter....hahahaha....

I read in the commentary that the part about Jerusalem being a good place to grow old....it's really a reflection of the fact that famine and war had decimated the male population, and there weren't many elderly people around.  So for God to say that it would be a great place to live out the golden years, said a lot about the stability of the city.....no way....plenty of food....and so on.

¹⁶ These are the things you are to do: Speak the truth to each other, and render true and sound judgment in your courts; ¹⁷ do not plot evil against each other, and do not love to swear falsely. I hate all this,” declares the Lord.

This is really straight forward, tactical stuff.  I love instructions like these.  No interpretation needed.  It would seem that this is common sense instructions.  But, these are things we all struggle with.  The one that seems a littel out of place is the one that says, "do not love to swear falsely."  Does anyone really LOVE to do that?  I think most people hate that behaviour in themselves, but just can't seem to stop the lie-ing.

that's about all I got today.

Zechariah 7

13 “‘When I called, they did not listen; so when they called, I would not listen,’ says the Lord Almighty.

Pretty basic, go to God daily and involve him in all parts of my life.  Don't just show up on days when I have issues or needs that I have determined are beyond my own control and would like to invite him to get a little temporary assistance.

knut

Zechariah 5 - 6

I just kept reading this morning.  It's weird.  I'm not sure what I'm supposed to be gleaning here.  I read this one in a couple different translations.  It seems like a peoty trip or something.  This one will require a little research to understand what's being talked about.....because we've already established that I'm really lazy....I'm counting on you to do it!

Just kidding.  I'll poke around and see what I can find.

here's a commentary that I found.  It's easy to navigate through the chapters.
http://www.christnotes.org/commentary.php?com=mhc&b=38&c=5

It still doesn't make sense to me.
What's the message to us?

tp

Zechariah 4

6 So he said to me, “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’says the Lord Almighty.

6-7 Then he said, “This is God’s Message to Zerubbabel: ‘You can’t force these things. They only come about through my Spirit,’ says God-of-the-Angel-Armies. ‘So, big mountain, who do you think you are? Next to Zerubbabel you’re nothing but a molehill...


We can do great things in this world, but we need to be filled up first with the Holy Spirit.  

At my church we continue our search for a Pastor of Discipleship and Mission.  The gentleman we are believe is being called to Westview is so full of the Spirit, I can see how much he waits on it to direct him.  It is so inspiring and attractive to see someone that full of the Spirit, and it makes me know I need to see to be filled much more than I already am.

knut

Zechariah 3

3-4 Joshua, standing before the angel, was dressed in dirty clothes. The angel spoke to his attendants, “Get him out of those filthy clothes,” and then said to Joshua, “Look, I’ve stripped you of your sin and dressed you up in clean clothes.”

No specific take today, i just enjoyed the imagery throughout the chapter especially the thought of being pulled out of my own dirty clothes and that fresh feeling of a good shower and nice clean clothes to start a new day--all the worries of the sins staining those clothes completely washed away.

knut

Zechariah 2

¹⁰ “Shout and be glad, Daughter Zion. For I am coming, and I will live among you,” declares the Lord.

Zechariah was written around 590BC.  He is given a vision the God will be coming to live among us, and sure enough 600 years later he did.  I wonder if by the time Zechariah died if he understood this would still happen or if he thought his prophesy was just off.

I could see it being the latter if he was anything like me and much of our current world.  I tend to think of things in my time line, not His.  Last week our sermon was out of James -

-14 Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.

I wonder if Zechariah had this perspective?  If so I'm sure he was confident Jesus was still on his way, if not maybe he had doubts.  Today's chapter makes me think about events of life being on his timeline not mine.

knut

Zechariah 1

⁸ During the night I had a vision, and there before me was a man mounted on a red horse. He was standing among the myrtle trees in a ravine. Behind him were red, brown and white horses.


I got nothin, today.  But I do plan to ask God what's up with the colored horses when I see him.  I thought for sure there was some meaning there but in my brief research I find many people have tried to unlock the message but their thoughts to me appear nothing more than that...their thoughts.

I guess I don't have to wait to see him I can ask him now to show me the meaning of these colors and if he gives me a response that I understand i will share.

knut