The Book of John (The Smart Guide to the Bible Series)

In some sense, one of the things I really realized that the museum brought home for me was that all books grew out of the in some profound sense, particularly in the West. All books grew out of the Bible.

And maybe that's maybe that's a claim that you could make about wanting to understand any book because if you mapped out the relationships between all the books that there are you'd find that the most fundamental book is the biblical library.

And so it seems to me that you I think you can make a pretty damn strong case maybe on scientific grounds that you can't see the world except through the lens of the Bible, like literally you actually can't see it.

you probably should have read the Bible.

to be people of the book means that we're all inhabited by the same book or but it's probably more complicated than that like it's not just the Bible because there's lots of books it's the biblical corpus which is a library and it's the relationship between all the texts in that book to one another and then it's the whole structure of the relationship between all the texts that grew out of that and you could imagine a map of that.

it isn't easy to read a book like the Bible literally because it's full of of literal contradictions and it whatever it is especially the really archaic stories in in Genesis whatever it is it's not. It's not it's not history the way we think of history and so that's hard for people. It's hard for people to see how that might still be true.

If it's not literal how can it be true and this is a discussion that I tried to have with Sam Harris a lot because the atheist types the rationalist types there's something they miss and what they miss is that. Fiction isn't false it's not a lie right it's not literal but it's not a lie and great fiction is true but it never happened so how can it be true.

They look for scientific knowledge in the Bible, not paying attention to how it cultivates wisdom.

And in the book of John, it says greater love have no man than to lay down his life for his friends. And Johnny fulfilled that. And he's an example to all of us gone too soon.

The wisdom of the Bible has stood the test of centuries, and reading it is well worth everyone's time. That's why Dwell exists. This five-star audio Bible app makes it so easy to get into the Bible by providing a worldclass listening experience of this timeless book.

I remember if you look at even like the story in the Bible and even if you don't believe in the Bible which is fine if you don't but if you just look at it as a as a fable as a you know as a example you know, they had Cain and Abel that Adam and Eve Cain and Abel for people on earth and One of the brothers killed the other one, you know Cain killed Abel I believe so at one point yet four people and And one of them killed What another person that's four people? So at one point you only have four people what I'm a murderer, you know, like That's risky bro. That's risky.

She was just sitting in my tent reading the Quran, which is like the Holy book, like reading the Bible.

It was believed that isolation would bring the inmate closer to God so you would be locked up with one book guess what book Bible obviously and You were not allowed to talk but you were to reflect upon your sins basically

guess what book? Bible obviously and You were not allowed to talk but you were to reflect upon your sins basically

I only knew one other book that looked like that and that was the Bible. The Bible said Holy Bible, King James edition. And that's all I had on the cover.

So he was, you know, upset. Not really, but you know, disappointed.

the punishment was I need to read the Bible

he made me do a book report on the story of Job

One of my favorite sci-fi books is based on the story of Job.

And so these two guys were talking and there's Job. He's got family and a farm and whatnot. And the devil says to God is all like, Hey, you're not as good as you think you are. Your people don't believe in you as much as they do. You think you, they do. And I bet that I can get one of them to swish on you at a heartbeat, even the most devout. And God was like, well, there's Job. He's uh, he's happy. Fuck up his life. He'll still believe in me. And so the devil did that.

In this story we learn about the dark ages of Israel, where everybody did what was right in their own eyes.

We follow the life of Micah, a man struggling to find peace in the tribe of Dan, a tribe struggling to find home, inspired by the Book of Judges.

We begin today's reading with Micah, a young man in Ephraim, and right out of the gate our protagonist admits to theft. He seems to be convicted by his own conscience when he hears his mother curse the silver that was stolen. So he tells his mother that he is stolen it and gives it back to her.

Micah's mother then melts some of the silver and has it turned into a graven image, an idol which she dedicates to God and her son. Micah in turn places the image in a shrine in his house filled with other religious symbols and household gods.

In those days there was no king in Israel, everyone did what was right in his own eyes. There are perhaps no more dangerous words for a society than that last sentence. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes. That is a recipe for disaster. This is a recipe for judgment. That is where Israel finds itself looking not to God for governance and guidance or morality, but to whatever seem right to every person. It was moral relativism.

Let us pray. And at the end of the days, by Nebuchadnezzar, lifted up my eyes unto heaven and my understanding returned unto me. Daniel 4-3

In our last story, Shadrack, Mishak and a bedna go refused to worship the statue Nebuchadnezzar set up and were thrown into the fire as punishment.

In this story, Nebuchadnezzar will come and contact with his inner beast and come to realize the true nature of his relationship with God inspired by the book of Daniel.

He is the most high God. His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom.

His dominion is an eternal dominion, his kingdom endures from generation to generation.

This Biblical Audio Experience will help you master wisdom from the world's greatest book.

Daniel 5.17 Dear Heavenly Father, through today's reading, I can see that the writing is on the wall.

Inspired by the book of Daniel.

But you, Belshazzar, his son, have not humbled yourself. Though you knew all this, instead you have set yourself up against the Lord of heaven. And we read in Daniel 5, 22 and 23.

As we read in Daniel 5, 22 and 23.

He had no interest in any of the rewards the king offered, but he agreed to interpret the writing.

He is taken up by his spirit and shown an image of Israel's dead souls coming back to life, inspired by the book of Ezekiel.

We thank you for the truth of the Bible.

inspired by the book of 2 Kings.

As we read God's Word today, we find Elijah and his apprentice, Elijah, walking together on the road from Gilgal.

If you enjoyed this podcast, share it with someone you love. Let someone know, because by sharing this podcast, you can truly make a difference in someone's life.

Let us pray. And God gave Solomon wisdom and understanding exceeding much, and largeness of heart, even as the sand is on the seashore. 1 Kings 4.29 Heavenly Father, I thank You...

Inspired by the book of 1 Kings and 2 Chronicles.

Listen to what he said in 1 Kings 3 verse 9. Give your servant, therefore, an understanding mind to govern your people...

We thank you for today's scripture, as always for your word, which is light and life to our lives.

Now we watch the heart of Solomon connected to the heart of God in a unique way... Inspired by the book of 1 Kings and 2 Chronicles.

as inspired by the book of 2 Samuel.

the book of Proverbs opens with the truth that blessed are those who do not walk in the counsel of the wicked.

Continue your time with God by listening to today's Bible story.

Now we learn of Saul's troubled mind resurfacing... as inspired by the book of 1 Samuel.

Hear the Bible come to life as Pastor Jack Graham leads you through the official BibleinaYear.com podcast. This Biblical Audio Experience will help you master wisdom from the world's greatest book.

because Christ is in the Bible and the Bible is all about Jesus.

Genesis 34-11

inspired by the book of Genesis

So he fled with all that he had, and he rose up and passed over the river, and set his face toward the Mount Gilead. Genesis 31-21

Continue your time with God by listening to today's Bible story.

Now we will learn about Jacob leaving, Laban's anger at Jacob, and their treating inspired by the book of Genesis.

Now, we will learn about Rebekah and Jacob tricking Isaac into giving Jacob his blessing, inspired by the book of Genesis.

as inspired by the book of Genesis.

Hello, I'm Pastor Jack Graham with today's episode of the Bible in a Year podcast.

inspired by the book of Genesis.

As I meditate on the Book of Genesis, I will be reminded that this name means the beginning.

The creation. In this Bible story, we discover the beginning of the universe. ... Inspired by the Book of Genesis.

Genesis is the beginning of our story.

No matter how many times I read it, the creation account never gets old.

Listen to Genesis 1, 3, and 4 again.

In Acts 20-24, we read these words from Paul, some of my favorites in all of the book of Acts and in the Bible itself.

Inspired by the book of Acts.

Let's listen now to today's reading from the book of Acts.

the world's greatest book.

Greed that will not be tolerated, inspired by the book of Acts.

Let us pray. And He taught, saying unto them, Is it not written, My house shall be called of all nations the house of prayer? But ye have made it a den of thieves. Mark 11.17

And in Mark 11, 17 to 18, here's what we read. And he was teaching them and saying to them, Is it not written, My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations, but you have made it a den of robbers?

And the chief priests and the scribes heard it and were seeking a way to destroy him, for they feared him, because all the crowd was astonished at his teaching.

To learn more about the Bible, stay tuned for today's story.

If anyone is in Christ, the Bible says, he is a new creation.

...the book of John is transformational because it is the clearest about Christ's divinity the Christ divinity is expressed in all all gospels but it is by far the clearest in John the seven I am statements and then just John one that in the beginning was the word and the word became flesh that is so deep and heavy...

If you're familiar with the composition of the Bible, it is the greatest book ever to exist in the history of the world.

The most important book ever to exist in the history of the world and I believe it is the word of God, not just the piece of literature.

we have answers those questions in the holy Bible we have an answer to the question of who you are does God exist what is love how should society be organized how should I act we have answers to all those questions.

just read the Bible for five minutes and then ask yourself the question how could these authors be so committed that this is true and I could be on the opposite side of it maybe there's something that's in it that's true

if you think you're better than the Bible you're not it's the most important most instructive most informed a book ever to exist in history of the world

I think they were like you can only have the Bible I read something every year but I have a book you could have a magazine.

If someone insists on having the Bible I'm religious they'll be like fine.

If you were stranded on an island and could only bring one book it would be the Bible.

He even released an audiobook few could pull off. James Earl Jones reads the Bible.

The Bible.

he that cometh to me shall never hunger and he that believeth in me shall on me shall never thirst.

Well, only number two behind the Bible. Well, only after one takes out all that mythical nonsense with the miracles and the resurrection.

the most seminal books in the Bible and it's as illuminating and thoughtprovoking as you would expect.

I'm of course referring to, uh, Johnny the Walrus. Now I'm referring to the Bible, actually.

It is the most influential book in all of history and hopefully people can walk away with at least a sense of that.

The pastor's home was the first school and every morning it would begin with singing. The Christian faith is a singing religion. Probably 80% of scripture memorization today exists only because of what is sung.

there's one book that has done more for literacy than any other book? It has shaped literature, art, culture, government, and countless lives. I'm of course referring to the Bible.

The Bible, Bible printed on the press of Johann Gutenberg. Science and religion are opposing forces in the world, but historically that has not been the case.

The Bible may be taught as literature, which makes sense given that it's the most influential book in the history of the world. It's impossible to fully understand and appreciate much of classic literature if you don't know anything about the Bible because so many of the themes and references come from the Bible.

What is both the best-selling book of all time and the best-selling book each and every year? My book, Johnny the Walrus. No, I'm just kidding. It's actually the Bible.

And I think we all have to recognize the wisdom of the Bible and that has stood the test of time and we also should know that it's well worth everyone's time to read this jewel of a book.

That's why the audio Bible app Dwell exists. That's why I use it every day.

what is both the best-selling book of all time and the best-selling book each and every year? You might be surprised to hear that even today it is still the Bible.

I think we all recognize that the wisdom of the Bible has stood the test of time and we also know that it's well worth everyone's time to read this jewel of a book.

That's why the audio Bible app Dwell exists.

and begin your journey of rediscovering wisdom and truth found in this timeless book.

watch this if that looked like a bible they were burning ... we have now officially reached the book burning phase of things

if the bible is the most important book ever written ... i agree that the bible is the most important book ever written

Romans is actually a great example so it's good that the person quoted it even though the person who quoted it obviously had never read the entire letter because if you read the entire letter of Romans you would see that in the very same letter Paul ... affirms the state's authority to wield the sword and take lives.

What the bible tells us is that we as individuals do not have the authority to go out and kill in the name of justice; we can kill in selfdefense or for those we love, but the government is empowered to do that.

the bible is a book with many different genres saying and doing many different things it's not one book written by one person and with every page and every chapter and every book within it trying to do and communicate and say the exact same thing

the bible like a selfhelp book I run into this all the time you know Christians who think of the bible as a selfhelp book

the bible is a library of a whole bunch of different books and genres and forms and styles written over of course a thousand of a thousand years at least hundreds of years maybe a thousand years by dozens of different authors who are all trying to do different things

the book that we now call the bible and we have to understand that we have to understand what it is and what its many different functions are and were and were supposed to be or else we're setting ourselves up for a crisis down the line

if you really open the bible at random and you stack the deck in your favor because you kind of know where the Psalms are or you could kind of flip it maybe and try to land on Matthew chapter five get to the Sermon on the Mount or you flip all the way back to the epistles you try to get somewhere Romans or Corinthians and then yeah you'll find a lot of inspiration that's very relevant to your life today but if you're really opening at random there's a good chance you're going to land on a six page long genealogy or a long dense discourse on Jewish ceremonial law or dietary restrictions or a description of some violent siege that took place

I think Barack Obama claimed famously, what was it that he said? If I remember correctly, he said, it's easier to get a gun than a library book or something.

This kind of comparison where it's harder to get X than a gun, liberals are doing this all the time, and the comparisons just keep getting more and more ridiculous.

Harder to get a book than a gun.

the Bible is a very big book with a lot of books inside it and a lot of words, a lot of sentences, a lot of verses, a lot of chapters.

why would you go to someone and say yeah you should really read the Bible when their ultimate destination has already been determined whether they read it or not doesn't matter.

why read it? why encourage anyone else to read it if you can't choose whether it matters?

the Bible itself, the actual book, like the book that I've got several of them on the shelf back there, those books back there, they are not God. I don't have God on the shelf. I have a book on the shelf.

the Bible is not meant to be that. God didn't give us the Bible as a science textbook. And that's okay. It's also not a logic 101 course either.

the Bible is not the source of science. Scientists don't look at the Bible and then make scientific discoveries.

the Bible really is not used and has never been used as a reference point for science, because that's not the point of the Bible.

the Bible, the actual book with everything compiled, that actual thing did not exist for thousands of years of human history and people still engaged in logic.

Senator, I'd be careful what you read in books and believing it, except for the Bible.

They're ... Christianity, which is the book, Old Testament and New Testament, and that is the whole religion.

The Bible thumpers, the majority of American public that believe all of the Bible is true and real.

You mentioned the Bible. You've been talking about how it's your favorite book.

I wouldn't want to get into it, because to me, that's very personal. You know, when I talk about the Bible, it's very personal. So I don't want to get into this.

The Bible means a lot to me, but I don't want to get into specifics.

An Old Testament guy or New Testament? Probably equal.

But at the same time, one of the Ten Commandments is thou shalt not be a bitch ass.

The Book of the Prophet Jeremiah chapter 4.

The Book of the Prophet Ezekiel, Chapter 31 The Towering Cedar

Chapter 32. Lamentation over Pharaoh

The Book of Proverbs chapter 14 verses 17 through 20.

So here's Ezekiel and he's speaking to Pharaoh, King of Egypt... he's also speaking to the people of God, right? The Jewish people who are in exile in Babylon.

The Bible translation that I'm reading from is the revised standard version, 2nd Catholic Edition. I'm using the Great Adventure Bible from Ascension.

Jeremiah is known as the prophet of doom it says in the great adventure bible notes he's also known as the weeping prophet because Jeremiah has a he has a sensitive heart to the people he loves them is a sensitive heart to the Lord he loves God yet God and in this incredible call we heard it today we heard God speaking over Jeremiah and saying before I formed you in the womb I knew you and before you were born I consecrated you I appointed you a prophet to the nations.

incredible beautiful powerful you know that the Lord sees you he knows you he loves you he's commissioned you for a great task and yet you will go to them and they will not listen to you and so Jeremiah preaches I think for 50 years five zero preaches for 50 years over the course of what it says in the very first couple verses in the book of prophet Jeremiah he was there when Josiah was the king he was there when Jehoiakim was the king he was there when Zedekiah was the king and for 50 years Jeremiah preached this word of repentance to the people of Israel people of Judah and they did not listen.

God before he formed you in the womb he knew you and before you were born he consecrated you and we don't know I don't know what his mission is for you but belonging to the Lord basically means saying I am yours no matter what I will do what you ask of me no matter what

Jeremiah doesn't marry and one of the ideas behind this is that Jeremiah's life is too marked with pain for him to get married like it's it's one of those people have posited this right people have offered this as that maybe this is the idea that Jeremiah's life is so marked by pain that God is sparing the wife of Jeremiah and saying I'm going to limit them out of pain he goes through just one person I'm not going to have it be he and his wife.

He who walks with wise men becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm.

We walk with wise people, we become wise. We walk with holy people, we become holy.

Those who walk with the wise become wise. And those who, as it goes on to say, because there's the negative part too, but the companion of fools will suffer harm.

And I sought for a man among them who should build up the wall and stand in the breach before me for the land that I should not destroy it, but I found none.

We are reminded of upcoming Jesus who stands in the breach.

The Bible translation I'm reading from is the revised standard version, the second Catholic edition.

I'm using the Great Adventure Bible from Ascension.

we're reading today from Jeremiah chapter 24 and 25, also Daniel 6 and 7, and Proverbs chapter 16 verses 5 through 8.

we can look at this and say wait a second how is Nebuchadnezzar the servant of the Lord Nebuchadnezzar is not a good king he's a bad guy he's conquered the entire world he's enslaved a lot of people he's killed a lot of people he's not a friend of the Jews how can God the God of the Jews how can the God of the universe say that Nebuchadnezzar is my servant well because God is able to use even bad people to accomplish his ends

we can say this in the similar way I heard someone describe this in terms of like Judas we know that Judas truly was a betrayer like he wasn't like Judas is actually the hero of the story but God was able to use this broken man Judas to accomplish the salvation of the world by his betrayal of Jesus

The Bible translation that I'm using is the Revised Sinai Version, Second Catholic Edition.

If you want to download your own Bible in a year reading plan, you can visit ascensionpress.com slash Bible in a year.

We are on day 253, reading Jeremiah chapter 45 and 46, Lamentations 1, Proverbs chapter 17 verses 21 through 28.

It was horrible. There was so much death and destruction and hunger. There was cannibalism. There was just horrible, horrible, horrible.

This is the look of Lamentations of Jeremiah as he walks around the city in the middle of the siege. It's just heartbreaking for the next four days for us because it was heartbreaking, life-breaking for the Jewish people there in Jerusalem.

The book of the prophet Jeremiah chapter 41, Insurrection against Gedalia.

The Book of Judith, Chapter 12.

Chapter 13.

Chapter 14.

The Book of Proverbs chapter 17 verses 13 through 16

He who forgives an offense seeks love, but he who repeats a matter alienates a friend.

He who repeats a matter alienates a friend.

A rebuke goes deeper into a man of understanding than a hundred blows into a fool.

When Jerusalem was taken, all the princes of the king of Babylon came and sat in the middle gate.

This is the final wave of destruction, the final wave of exile where finally Nebuchadnezzar and his troops had surrounded Jerusalem.

many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life and some to shame and everlasting contempt.

the story of Susanna and her virtue, her righteousness, and her goodness, and of course Daniel's wisdom.

the Lord heard her cry.

oh eternal God, who discern what is secret, who are aware of all things before they come to be, you know that these men have borne false witness against me and now I'm to die, yet I have done none of the things that they have wickedly invented against me.

we have to look at the perversion that says of these two elders, that it says essentially that they did not, they looked upon Susanna and allowed themselves to look upon Susanna who was beautiful and what happened was that their hearts were, it says this, the two elders used to see her every day going in and walking about and they began to desire her and they perverted their minds and turned away their eyes from looking to heaven or remembering righteous judgments.

For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord...plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.

I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for a future full of hope, for a welfare not for woe.

Those who know their God shall stand firm and take action.

Those who know their God shall stand firm and take action.

Righteous lips are the delight of a king, and he loves him who speaks what is right.

Nebuchadnezzar is not a great guy, right? He's not, not a hero.

that's in chapter 27 verse 6, that Nebuchadnezzar my servant, I have given him also the beast of the field to serve him.

I will punish that nation with the sword, with famine and with pestilence, until I have consumed it by his hand.

and that's why here is Jeremiah, who says one of the least popular things he's ever going to say as a prophet, which is, he's calling the people to surrender to Nebuchadnezzar.

do not turn, do not flee to Egypt, do not try to stay here in Jerusalem, but allow Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon to take you into custody, because that is actually what you need to do.

I just even realized just for right now, not only the gift of being able to journey as a part of this community through the Bible in a year, but also the gift of being able to every day whenever you've pressed play to be able to just hear God's word in your ear and in our hearts.

commit your work to the Lord and your plans will be established

am I God at hand, says the Lord and not a God afar off?

can a man hide himself in secret places so that I cannot see him? Do I not feel heaven and earth?

I have heard what the prophets have said who prophesied lies in my name saying, I have dreamed, I have dreamed.

In Jeremiah and Ezekiel, remember, keep in mind the context. Jeremiah, he's got to preach for another 40 years or so. Ezekiel, he's coming to the end of this book of Ezekiel. And the same call is the same, right? It's to come back to the Lord. It's to recognize that at some point time is running out.

I love this. In chapter 14 of Jeremiah, the word of the Lord comes to Jeremiah and he says, here's Judah mourns, right? Remember, Judah. Here's Jerusalem. Here's the South. This kingdom that lasts, that's still present, that's going to be attacked. The Babylonians are going to conquer it. They're going to bring the people into exile.

And yet it says this, it says, her nobles send their servants for water. They come to the cisterns, but they find no water and return with their vessels empty.

And that's the thing is like this, that sense of because we've been faithless to the Lord, there is no fruit to find. Because, because gosh, how many times has God said, if you're faithful to me, come back to me, and there'll be fruitfulness in the land, there'll be strength in the land, there'll be abundance in the land.

And what have the people chosen to do? They've chosen as it goes on to say in this very, very same chapter, it talks about the false prophets and the lying prophets. Here's Jeremiah says, he says, Oh Lord God, behold, this is chapter 14 verse 13 says, Lord God, behold, the prophets say to them, you shall not see the sword. You won't have famine. I'll give you assured peace in this place. And God is saying, no, those are lies.

The Bible translation that I'm reading from is the revised, standard version, 2nd Catholic edition.

Jeremiah complains to God, Righteous are you, O Lord, when I complain to you, yet I would plead my case before you. Why does the way of the wicked prosper? Why do all who are treacherous thrive?

If you have raced with men on foot and they have wearied you, how will you compete with horses? And if in a safe land you fall down, how will you do in the jungle of the Jordan?

Behold, I will pluck them up from their land, and I will pluck up the house of Judah from among them. And after I have plucked them up, I will again have compassion on them, and I will bring them again each to his heritage and each to his land.

For as the wastecloth clings to the loins of a man, so I made the whole house of Israel, and the whole house of Judah cling to me, says the Lord. That they might be for me a people, a name, a praise, and a glory, but they would not listen.

I know, O Lord, that the way of man is not in himself, that it is not in man who walks to direct his steps.

Correct me, O Lord, but in just measure, not in your anger lest you bring me to nothing.

The Lord made it known to me and I knew then you showed me their evil deeds. I was like a gentle lamb led to the slaughter.

They devised schemes saying let us destroy the tree with its fruit. Let us cut him off from the land of the living that his name be remembered no more.

Saint Augustine once said that the Old Testament is revealed in the New and the New Testament is hidden in the Old.

The Bible translation that I'm using is the Revised Sinai Version, Second Catholic Edition. I'm using the Great Adventure Bible from Ascension.

The book of Jeremiah chapter 45, a word of comfort to Baruch.

Lamentations chapter 1, if you remember the context, is when the Babylonians were besieging the city of Jerusalem, it was horrible. There was so much death and destruction and hunger. There was cannibalism. There was just horrible, horrible, horrible.

And so we need to take it personally. But here is the word of the Lord that came to Jeremiah for Baruch. Behold, what I have built, I'm breaking down. What I've planted, I'm plucking up. That is the whole land. And you seek great things for yourself? Seek them not. For behold, I'm bringing evil upon all this is what's coming, even more destruction. But I will give you your life as a prize of war and all the places to which you may go.

The Lamentations of Jeremiah Chapter 1. The Deserted City How lonely sits the city that was full of people! How like a widow has she become, she that was great among the nations! She that was a princess among the cities has become a vassal.

The Lord could no longer bear your evil doings and the abominations which you committed.

They turned away from the living God. That's why you're in bad shape, not because you stopped worshiping the Queen of Heaven, not because you stopped worshiping Ishtar or Astarte, Ashtoreth.

We refer to her as the Queen of Heaven and Earth. In fact, the fifth glorious mystery of the Rosary is the coronation of Mary as Queen of Heaven and Earth.

Why would you claim that Mary is the Queen of Heaven that proves that the Catholic Church is a false cult kind of a situation?

You sent forth your spirit and it formed them.

The book of the prophet Jeremiah chapter 41, Insurrection against Gedalia.

The Book of Judith, Chapter 12.

Chapter 13.

Chapter 14.

The Book of Proverbs chapter 17 verses 13 through 16

that's in chapter 27 verse 6, that Nebuchadnezzar my servant, I have given him also the beast of the field to serve him, all the nations shall serve him and his grandson, until the time of his own land comes

but if any nation or kingdom will not serve this Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and put its neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon, I will punish that nation with the sword, with famine and with pestilence, until I have consumed it by his hand

this is Nebuchadnezzar in the role of Judas here right, so that this is not God's, I would say follower, this is not someone doing the right thing, but this is God saying, I'm willing to use these people doing evil things, not that he's making them do evil things, but he's allowing them to do these evil things in order to get his people back, in order to win his people back to him

he's calling the people to surrender to Nebuchadnezzar, that be basically, he's saying, let remember the basket of good figs and bad figs we heard about the other day, he's saying, it will be good for you, better for you in fact, for you to be brought to Babylon than to stay here, do not turn, do not flee to Egypt, do not try to stay here in Jerusalem, but allow Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon to take you into custody, because that is actually what you need to do, you need to surrender

when it comes to prophecy, is that it is always shrouded in mystery, and it's always shrouded in imagery, because it almost always means something more than we just see on the surface, now at the same time, it also means what we see on the surface, which is here are these empires, nations as we've mentioned many times, rising and falling, but also God gives this word of hope, and that word of hope is that this power, whether the Medo Persian Empire, or whether the Greek Empire, or doesn't mention Rome in these sections, but we have already heard about that, they're going to come to an end, and when they come to an end, God actually gives a timeline at this point, and the timeline talks about these 70 weeks, talks about the almost 500 years, and then the anointed one is going to come

I'm using the Great Adventure Bible from Ascension.

If you want to download your own Bible in a year reading plan, you can visit AscensionPress.com slash Bible in a year.

As I said, it's day 240. We're reading Jeremiah chapter 23, Daniel chapter 4 and 5 in Proverbs chapter 16 verses 1 through 4.

Chapter 16 verse 3 of Proverbs is one of those that I have had on a bookmarker ever since I was a little kid. There's two Proverbs that I've had in front of me virtually my entire life and chapter 16 verse 3 is one of those, commit your work to the Lord and your plans will be established.

Commit your work to the Lord and your plans will be established. That sense of just being able to say God, this is for you and everything I do I want to do it for you.

One of the most...one of my favorites of all time passages in all of the Bible happened today in Daniel, Chapter three.

I love this. He is when you hear the sound, you better bow down and worship. If you do not worship, you shall immediately be cast into a burning, fiery furnace and he asked the question, and who is the God that will deliver you out of my hands?

We have no need to answer you in this matter. If it be so, our God whom we serve is he's able to deliver us from the burning, fiery furnace. Yeah, God can save us and he will deliver us out of your hand, O King.

But even if he doesn't, but even if he will not deliver us out of the fiery furnace, so good. But even if he doesn't be it known to you, O King, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image which you have set up.

It's one of the reasons it's one of my favorites of all time, because they declare their faith in the Lord God and he can save us. But even if he doesn't, we're not going to be unfaithful to him.

is the revised, standard version, 2nd Catholic edition.

I'm using the Great Adventure Bible from Ascension.

Jeremiah complains to God,

the foolish doesn't want to be reproved the foolish doesn't want to be taught

he continues to correct us and only if we're open to being corrected we can we can apply it to someone else

I know, O Lord, that the way of man is not in himself, that it is not in man who walks to direct his steps.

Correct me, O Lord, but in just measure, not in your anger lest you bring me to nothing.

The Lord made it known to me and I knew then you showed me their evil deeds. I was like a gentle lamb led to the slaughter. I did not know it was against me. They devised schemes saying let us destroy the tree with its fruit. Let us cut him off from the land of the living that his name be remembered no more.

we must observe that in the spiritual building one entrance lies open to the east another to the north and another to the south just as the cold of the north denotes sinners so the southern way stands for the fervent and spirit who kindled by the heat of the Holy Spirit grow up in virtues as in the noonday light then let the gate lie open to the east so that those who after the beginning of heat and light have relapsed in the coldness and darkness of their sins may through the work of penitence return to pardon and recognize what is the true rejoicing on inward recompense let the gate lie open to the south so that those who burn in virtues with holy desires may daily penetrate the mysteries of inward joy with spiritual understanding

Every man is stupid and without knowledge, every goldsmith is put to shame by his idols for his images are false and there's no breath in them. They're worthless work of delusion.

Oh that my head were waters and my eyes a fountain of tears that I might weep day and night for the slain of the daughter of my people.

Oh, that I had in the desert a wayfarer's lodging place that I might leave my people and go away from them.

Let our eyes they run down with tears and our eyelids gush with water.

Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom. Let not the mighty man glory in his might. Let not the rich man glory in his riches, but let him who glories glory in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord who practice steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth, for in these things I delight, says the Lord.

They shall forget their shame and all the treachery they have practiced against me when they dwell securely in their land with none to make them afraid.

The Gospel of John, chapter 7.

The Book of Proverbs chapter 5 verses 15-23.

And so for the last three days you might have been thinking, okay, so it doesn't really apply maybe in your life or the lives of the people that you are listening to this with.

But for all of us, this is advice about the people we want to associate with and that recognition is, okay, regardless of whether this is a romantic relationship or a not romantic relationship.

Proverbs chapter 5 verses verse 23, he dies for lack of discipline and because of his great folly he's lost.

We're reading from first Samuel, chapters 3, 4 and 5.

We're also praying Psalm 150 which is the last Psalm in the Book of Psalms.

We're praying and reading from the revised standard version, second Catholic edition.

I'm using the great adventure Bible from Ascension.

Once again, we're reading today on day 97 from 1 Samuel, chapters 3, 4 and 5, and praying Psalm 150.

I'm using the Great Adventure Bible from Ascension.

If you want to download your own Bible in a Year reading plan, you can visit AscensionPress.com slash Bible in a year.

As always, the Bible translation that I am reading from is the revised Standard Version, Second Catholic Edition.

We talked about the Nazarete vow back in Leviticus.

We get John the Baptist, and maybe maybe maybe Samuel, who is in the first book of Samuel.

The Book of Joshua, chapter 12, the Kings conquered by Moses.

If you remember back in Leviticus chapter 18, there are two kinds of corrupt from the head at least two kinds of corruption.

also it wasn't just in their sexual lives in Deuteronomy chapter 12 if you remember this.

God is calling for the destruction of everybody. He says destroy everyone through Moses.

but then he also says but also don't marry them or do business with them and you think oh wait so the scripture itself is giving us a clue into the fact that okay so maybe this is hyperbole when you say destroy everyone and also don't marry them or do business with them be very hard to do business with someone or marry someone that has been completely destroyed.

The Bible translation that I am reading from is the revised standard version, Second Catholic Edition.

It's day 84 reading Joshua 10 and 11 and Psalm 128.

The book of Joshua, chapter 10.

We have only two days left including today until we're completed with the book of numbers and the book of Deuteronomy and moving on to the next time period, the conquest and judges.

The book of Numbers chapter 34, Boundaries of the Land of Canaan

The book of Deuteronomy chapter 33 Moses's final blessing

And some 120 marks the beginning of what is called the Psalms of Ascent.

The Psalms of Ascent are from Psalm 120 to 134 and these are the Psalms typically associated with the three major feasts in the life of the people of Israel.

The Bible in a Year podcast is brought to you by ascension.

We're reading Numbers chapter 33 Deuteronomy chapter 32, the song of Moses we heard about yesterday that was going to be proclaimed and sung again and against the people of Israel would not forget and we're also praying Psalm 118.

The Book of Numbers chapter 33 the stages of Israel's journey from Egypt

The Book of Deuteronomy, Chapter 32, The Song of Moses.

So number 33, little recap of all the journeys which is great. If you ever have a map, this is one of the reasons why we know what the journey of the children of Israel was like in the wilderness, from Egypt all the way to the Promised Land. Because in chapter 33 of Numbers we have the recap of where they journeyed.

The Bible translation we are reading from is the revised standard version second Catholic edition.

we are reading today from numbers chapter 29 and 30 Deuteronomy chapter 29 and as I said Psalm 113

the book of Deuteronomy, chapter 29

Psalm 113, God the helper of the needy

The Book of Numbers chapter 14, the people rebel.

The Book of Deuteronomy 12 Pagan shrines to be destroyed.

This Deuteronomy is Moses's last speech it says last preaching teaching to the people of God and numbers is telling us the story.

When it comes to Deuteronomy chapter 12 the Lord God through Moses commands that the pagan shrines be destroyed which makes a complete sense but he also says that prepare yourselves for the fact that there's going to be one place where I'm asking you to worship.

Psalm 95 A call to worship and obedience.

As we noted before the center of the camp is the tabernacle right? The presence of God and right around them right around that where the presence of God are the Levites and that then to the east to the west to the north and to the south are the 12 tribes of Israel and we got the numbering of them but also it's important to know not just the numbering of them but to note the order.

You might have noticed this and we talked about this back in the book of Genesis that the first of the tribes was Judah. In fact you might have even recognized the name of the leader of the tribe of Judah. He was Nashon the son of Amminadab and you're like how would I recognize that name?

Well you'd recognize that name if you knew Matthew's gospel. At the opening of Matthew's gospel Matthew gives a genealogy and the genealogy is from Abraham all the way down to Joseph all the way down to Jesus essentially and they go through a list of names of the tribe of Judah because here's Jesus who comes from the tribe of Judah and so that first tribe remember Judah was the fourth of Israel's sons.

He wasn't the first son and yet he was selected as the one who would receive essentially yeah that birthright blessing that the blessing to the whole world would come through the tribe of Judah but it's interesting to note I don't know if I mentioned this before but you note that Judah was first on the east next to the tabernacle but also Judah would be the first to march.

They'd be the first to march whenever they would go up into battle. They'd be the first to march as they go out into the wilderness and there's that phrase I remember Jeff Caven's teaching me this years ago the phrase let Judah go up first and so Judah goes up first.

Some of this is going to sound familiar. You've already heard this in Exodus and you've heard this in Leviticus. That's why, God, he's just repeating these instructions, which one of the things that reminds me is not just that, wow, this is kind of repetitive, but that it's important.

It's so important because what we're talking about is worship of God we're talking about is the dimensions of the tabernacle we're talking about the the fine jewels and the fine resources that go into creating not only the tabernacle but also what's inside the tabernacle what's what the the priests are wearing like all of these things are super important.

It's not just resting it's not just affirming you're no longer slaves although that's a massive piece we're going to come back to that in the next couple weeks but it's also affirming okay god i trust you it's confirming and affirming okay god i know that you are just and so i have to be like you i have to be just

The reality of life is that there is i mean back then let's talk about the early world slavery was just as much a part of business just as much part of how you would run the economy as we have contracts right now so you have this okay i i need job and someone's willing to hire me as an indentured servant someone's willing to hire me as their slave so i'll sell myself into slavery.

The bible is not meant to be straightforward the bible is oftentimes an account of reality and it's not always the best it's not always the easiest it's not always the most straightforward but it is true and it is good even if we have to read between the lines to understand what it is that god is allowing and what it is that god is saying and what it is that god is trying to teach us today.

The wording was that it would be for God's beauty and for glory.

That these garments would be made not for Aaron, they're not for his sons, but they're for glory and for beauty.

They're meant to highlight the Lord's glory. They're meant to highlight the beauty of God himself.

What matters is the identity of Jesus Christ.

So the next time you go to mass, you recognize the priest and he's wearing his vestments or even when you see a bishop and he has the bishop's hat, the miter.

The third book of Moses commonly called Leviticus chapter one.

The scripture says life is in the blood.

And that's what the heart of the mass is. It's the point of the masses for the glory of God, for the salvation of the people.

That's one of the reasons why we need to become familiar with this book we're reading, not only Exodus, but also Leviticus, because it is going to be so important.

There are a bunch of connections with how God is asked to be worshipped in the Old Testament and how God asks to be worshipped right now in the new dispensation, in the New Testament, in the new covenant where we are right now.

The Lord was with him and yet the Lord was with him. Here's Joseph rejected and yet the Lord was with him. Here's Joseph falsely accused and forgotten and abandoned and yet the Lord was with him.

God never gives a why of like, here's why I allow suffering to happen.

But God has spoken definitively, especially when it comes to suffering, by offering himself, and this is the mystery of the cross, this is the mystery of the crucifixion, that God could give us a reason why.

That just like God responded to Job by showing Job his face, God has responded to all of us by showing us the face of Jesus, particularly the broken and rejected, the beaten and the crucified face of Jesus.

And he gives himself to us today as well.

If you want to know, I am reading from the Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition of the Bible. I'm also actually reading from the Great Adventure Bible from Ascension.

As I said today, we are reading from Genesis chapter 47 and 48, Job 39 and 40 in Psalm 16.

We are going to be reading from Genesis chapter 41 and 42. We're going to continue following our new friend, Joseph. We are also going to be walking with our old friend, Job, in chapters 33 and 34. And we'll be reading from the fourth chapter of Proverbs verses 1 through 9.

We're also reading from the Bible translation called the Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition and I'm using the Great Adventure Bible from Ascension, which is super helpful because it has the eras, you know, the stages of the timeline that are built into like color coded into the Bible.

We're going to read from Genesis chapter 41 and 42 following our young friend, our new friend Joseph.

The book of Job chapter 33 and 34. Elihu addresses Job.

Proverbs chapter 4 verses 1 through 9.

The Bible translation that I'm reading from is the Revised Standard Version, Catholic Edition. And I'm using the Great Adventure Bible from Ascension.

If you want to be able to follow along, not just kind of listen along, but also see, you can download your Catholic Bible in a Year reading plan by visiting ascensionpress.com slash Bible in a Year.

As I said, we are reading today day 16 from Chapter 31 and 32, Job 21 and 22 and Proverbs 3, 9 through 12.

So there's that sense if we sow sin, then we reap sin. If we sow sin, we reap the consequences of sin. And so Eliphaz is saying that that must be the thing.

And we know the story because we've been reading from chapter one in the book of Job that he was righteous. He was wise.

When the Lord saw that Leah was hated, he opened her womb.

because the Lord has looked upon my affliction, surely now my husband will love me.

because the Lord has heard that I am hated, he has given me this son also.

now this time my husband will be joined to me because I have born him three sons.

This time I will praise the Lord. Therefore she called his name Judah.

As you know, the Bible translation that I'm reading is the Revised Standard Version, Catholic Edition.

I'm using the Great Adventure Bible from Ascension. It's just fantastic.

All the notes, especially as we journey through the narrative books and how everything fits together, there are some fantastic notes in the Great Adventure Bible from Ascension that is just super helpful.

regardless of what Bible you are using, if you want the Catholic Bible in a Year reading plan so you can see it and follow along, know what's coming up in the future, you can visit ascensionpress.com slash Bible in a Year.

So they call Abraham the father of the faith, the father of our faith. In fact, not only our Jewish brothers and sisters, but also in the catechism of the Catholic church, there's a whole section on prayer where it refers to Abraham as the father of faith.

Quick reminder, the Bible translation that I'm using is the revised standard version, Catholic edition. It's the Great Adventure Bible from Ascension.

And also you can track us and track how far you're coming and track where you're headed by downloading your Catholic Bible in a Year reading plan by visiting ascensionpress.com slash Bible in a Year.

Reading from the book of Proverbs chapter 1 verses 8 through 19.

This is god's love letter to you which is why we're proclaiming it to you in your ears this is why we want you to know that you can please join us every single day as we continue to travel throughout the course of this year with this catholic bible in your podcast man what a gift.

once again um if you're interested in downloading your own catholic bible into your reading plan please visit ascensionpress.com slash bible in a year you can subscribe in your podcast app and get the updates daily and you can also sign up for our email list by texting the word catholic bible all one word catholic bible to the number three three seven seven seven again catholic bible to the number three three seven seven seven

The Bible is not only a document, the Bible is a living thing and it's God's living voice continuing to speak to us now.

There are 73 books in the Old Testament and New Testament, 73 books in the canon of scripture and they are a mix of literary genres.

Some of the books are historical. Some of the books have a narrative that we follow...There's some books that are legal. There's a legal book like Leviticus.

Then we have the Gospels and not only do we have the Gospels that are like basically a history but kind of like a biography but kind of not like a biography of Jesus a unique kind of biography but even in the Gospels there are genres like parables where Jesus tells a parable which is not meant necessarily to be taken literally or not necessarily meant to be taken as how would you say it? universally applicable.

One of the first books we're gonna look at in this Bible in a year podcast is the book of Job and you can look at this and say wow Did God just like visit all this destruction upon Job for no reason is God evil as God cruel?

It's taking the Bible that is, some would argue, it's the most complex book in the world.

It's going way back into creation, all the way to Revelation.

And for some people, it's very difficult to read. They don't know how to read it.

And what you're gonna be doing, and I'm gonna assist in any way that I can, is that you're gonna take people through that entire journey from Genesis to Revelation, not just reading it like it is in the Bible, but you're gonna read it in chronological order so that they basically get the story.

And I think that that's what's gonna make this so different and so unique is that for a year, people are gonna soak themselves in God's Word and really get a hold of the story, not just the stories, which you and I could talk about the stories day and night, but it's the story.

And it even says, I would have liked to keep Onesimus here as my brother, as my fellow coworker, but there's a justice here.

And the justice is I'm asking you to receive him back, but receive him back not as a slave, but as a brother.

And there's just something just really powerful about this. Because again, one of the claims that's leveled is that people tried to use the scriptures to validate or endorse slavery.

And at the same time, what do we have in the scriptures? We've heard this from the very beginning all the way back in the Old Testament. What we've heard is there is this, it was mutually agreed upon service, right? Is the idea behind this.

Especially in Christian, this, how would we want to say it? Like Christian slavery. It's basically when Christians owned slaves, what they were instructed to do, commanded to do was to treat their slaves as brothers and sisters essentially.

All scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.

The entire Old Testament is pointing to the new. In fact the New Testament is hidden in the old and the old is revealed in the new.

It is about strengthening the church through the worship that happens in the mass.

I would rather that you would be cold or hot but because you're lukewarm I will vomit you out of my mouth.

I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.

James is, as he says, servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ.

It's almost like the new Testament version of the book of Proverbs where almost every line is another little gem, another little, as Jeff talks about it, another pearl where we can take and just apply to our lives.

If anyone thinks he's religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, that man's religion is vain.

Religion that is pure and undefiled before God and the Father is this, to visit orphans and widows in their affliction and to keep oneself unstained from the world.

faith without works is dead and that faith cannot save us.

As always, the Bible translation I'm reading from is the Revised Standard Version, Second Catholic Edition.

I'm using the Great Adventure Bible from Ascension.

We're reading the last chapter of the book of Acts of the Apostles, that's Chapter 28, as well as beginning the first two chapters of St. Paul's letter to the Philippians, Chapters 1 and 2.

We're also reading Proverbs Chapter 29, verses 25 through 27.

I know a man in Christ who 14 years ago was caught up to the third heaven, whether in the body or out of the body. I do not know God knows.

And I know that this man was caught up into paradise, whether in the body or out of the body. I do not know God knows.

And to keep me from being too elated by the abundance of revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from being too elated.

But he said to me, my grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.

I will all the more gladly boast of my weaknesses, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

To show partiality is not good, but for a piece of bread a man will do wrong.

being a Christian is not the result of an ethical choice or a lofty ideal...being a Christian is the result of an encounter with a person.

When Timothy comes, see that you put him at ease among you for he's doing the work of the Lord as I am. So let no one despise him.

do not be afraid, but speak and do not be silent for I am with you. And no man shall attack you to harm you for I have many people in this city.

Be watchful, stand firm in your faith, be courageous, be strong. Let all that you do be done in love.

As always, the Bible translation I'm reading from is the Revised Standard Version, Second Catholic Edition.

I'm using the Great Adventure Bible from Ascension.

If you want to download your own Bible in a Year reading plan, you can visit ascensionpress.com/Bible in a Year.

We're reading Acts 15, 1 Corinthians, Chapters 11 and 12, as well as Proverbs, Chapter 28, verses 10 through 12.

The only place in the world, the only religion in the world, the only philosophy in the world that's ever taught that is this, the books we've been reading, these 73 books that we're reading in this one year.

It starts right here in chapter 10 of the Acts of the Apostles where Peter has this vision that in the voice of the Lord speaks to him and says, rise, Peter, kill, and eat. And what God has cleansed you must not call common.

And this is the end, the fulfillment of the kosher laws in the Old Testament, in the Old Covenant are now replaced by this expansion of God's embrace to the Gentile peoples and to all the foods of the earth.

And that is a symbol for what happens next, which is the fact that Peter was essentially called to go to Cornelius, a centurion, right? Roman centurion's house.

And so they get baptized and it's incredible, just bananas. What is happening in the Acts of the Apostles? What God is doing to these ordinary human beings and he keeps showing his boundless love is just bananas.

So Paul resolves, he leaves Athens at one point and he goes to Corinth. And the kind of the understanding here is that Paul leaving Athens, he made all these incredible arguments, these really great arguments using Greek wisdom and using Roman logic and whatnot.

I appeal to you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may prove what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Spirit.

For if God did not spare the natural branches, neither will he spare you.

...we have been grafted onto the tree of Israel...we're not by nature Israelites but we have...spiritually we are all Jewish because we've been grafted onto the tree...

they were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection of the dead.

The Sadducees didn't believe in angels. The Sadducees did not believe in the resurrection of the dead.

and there is salvation in no one else for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.

the more sin the more grace that the more we need God's grace because of our sin the more he gives his grace because of our need

we know that our former man was crucified with him so that the sinful body might be destroyed and that we might no longer be slaves of sin

We're reading Acts of the Apostles, chapter 1. We're reading the letters of Saint Paul to the Romans, chapter 1, as well as Proverbs 26 verses 24 through 26.

For I am not ashamed of the gospel.

It is the power of God for salvation to everyone who has faith, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.

We just went through four gospels right over the course of this last 300 plus days.

And now today we picked up again in the middle of chapter 22.

It's one of the things that he reveals Jesus doing, I don't want to say more than anything else or more than anyone else, but it is very, very clear that Luke is revealing a Jesus who prays regularly.

I love this because I highlight this all of the time in the Garden of Gethsemane. Jesus' prayer is honest and it's trusting.

What does he say? He says these three words in Luke's gospel...Father forgive them for they know not what they do...Truly I say to you today, you'll be with me in paradise...Father into your hands, I commit my spirit.

As always, the Bible translation I'm reading from is the Revised Standard Version, 2nd Catholic Edition.

I'm using the Great Adventure Bible from Ascension.

We're reading Luke chapter 20 to chapter 22, verse 38, as well as Proverbs 26 verses 17 through 19.

This is chapter 26 and Proverbs 17 through 19. That's two Proverbs.

Oh my gosh. How crazy is that? How, how accurate is that? You think that you're the book of Proverbs written all the way back, you know, maybe in the time of Solomon and you think, Holy smokes, we still do that. We do that all the time.

We're reading Luke chapter 6, 7 and 8.

And we're reading Proverbs chapter 26, verses 1 through 3.

It's almost like a riddle. I don't know if you caught on to chapter 10 and the deeds of wisdom, because they're describing these characters from the old Testament that you and I know, but not naming them.

wisdom protected the first form father of the world when he alone had been created. She delivered him from his transgression and gave him strength to rule all things. Who is that my friends? That's Adam, of course.

I recognize the righteous man preserved in blameless before God, kept him strong in the face of his compassion for his child. She, wisdom, rescued a righteous man when the ungodly were perishing. He escaped the fire that descended on the five cities. Who would that be? Well, that would be Abraham, right?

In the structure of Sodom and Gomorrah, even talking about the pillar of salt standing as a monument to an unbelieving soul. Rewind a little bit and you have the story of Cain and Abel in verse three. You have the story of Noah in verse four, when the earth was flooded because of him, wisdom again saved it, steering the righteous man by a paltry piece of wood, which I like the description of the ark of Noah, not the ark of the covenant, Noah's Ark.

going on, talking about the righteous man fleeing from his brother's wrath. Who was that? Probably Jacob fleeing from Esau's wrath, prospered him in his labors, prospered him in his labors. What are you talking about? Well, remember he worked for his uncle Laban for seven years times two. So for 14 years, he worked for his uncle Laban and this, that recognition going on when a righteous man was sold, wisdom did not desert him, but delivered him from sin. She descended with him into the dungeon. And when he was in prison, she did not leave him. Who is that? That is Joseph who had that amazing technicolor dream coat, but just what a gift to be able to then go send to Moses who and wisdom led them through the red sea.

God did not make death and he does not delight in the destruction of the living.

He does not delight in the death of the living for he created all things that they might exist.

but ungodly men with their words and deeds, summoned death, considered him a friend. They pined away and they made a covenant with him.

God did not make death the end of chapter two reasserts this for God created man for incorruption and made him in the image of his own eternity.

But through the devil's envy, death entered the world and those who belong to his party experience it.

Hopefully that your first journey through the book of Sirach was filled with enlightenment.

And that thing is the pursuit of wisdom.

The pursuit of wisdom being the way, the way that we're called to live, the way that we're called to belong to him is just the echo of the entire book of Sirach as well as the next book we're going to talk about, the book of wisdom.

Do not rejoice when your enemy falls and let not your heart be glad when he stumbles.

It's a German word called schadenfreude, right? That pleasure we take in seeing other people get hurt, go in disgrace.

To the holy his ways are straight just as they are obstacles to the wicked.

From the beginning good things were created for good people just as evil things for sinners.

Basic to all the needs of man's life are water and fire and iron and salt and wheat flour and milk and honey the blood of the grape aka wine and oil and clothing all these are for good to the godly just as they turn into evils for sinners.

The works of the lord are all good and he will supply every need in its hour.

No one can say this is worse than that for all things will prove they're good in their season.

Each man sat under his vine and his fig tree and there was none to make them afraid.

The sacrifice of a righteous man is acceptable and the memory of it will not be forgotten.

Glorify the Lord generously and do not stint the first fruits of your hands.

Give to the Most High as He has given, and as generously as your hand has found.

Do not offer Him a bribe, for He will not accept it.

He who loves his son will whip him often, in order that he may rejoice at the way he turns out.

Do not withhold discipline from a child. If you beat him with a rod he will not die.

If you beat him with the rod, you will save his life from Sheol.

The first book of Maccabees chapter 10, Revolt of Alexander Epiphanes.

The Book of Sirach, chapter 26.

The book of Proverbs chapter 23 verses 4 through 8.

I'm using the Great Adventure Bible from Ascension.

As always, the Bible translation I'm reading from is the Revised Standard Version, Second Catholic Edition.

Never repeat a conversation and you will lose nothing at all.

One who trusts others too quickly is light-minded.

One who rejoices in wickedness will be condemned. And for one who hates gossip, evil is lessened.

Have you heard a word? Let it die with you. Be brave, it will not make you burst.

An ungracious man is like a story told at the wrong time, which is continually on the lips of the ignorant. A proverb from a fool's lips will be rejected for he does not tell it at its proper time.

The Bible translation that I'm reading from is the Revised Standard Version, the Second Catholic Edition. I'm using the Great Adventure Bible from Ascension.

We're reading today Nehemiah chapter 12, as well as the conclusion of Esther, Esther 9 through 11. We're also reading Proverbs chapter 21 verses 21 through 24.

We journeyed with Abraham. We started even before Abraham. We started with Adam and Eve and then we went through Abraham and God is promising Abraham or Abram, right? That he would have a kingdom.

How in the world are you going to do this? How are you going to make things right? How in the world are you going to bring the kingdom to this earth?

We know that he is going to save us. He is going to redeem us. He is going to fight for us and we have faith because of our ancestors, our forefathers because we've been, as Christians, we've been grafted onto the tree of the people of the covenant, the Jewish people.

The Book of Nehemiah. The Conclusion of Chapter 9, Verse 38.

The Signing of the Covenant. Because of all this, we make a firm covenant and write on it, and our princes, our Levites, and our priests set their seal to it.

And then at the end of chapter nine, it says, because of all this, we make a firm covenant and write it. Our princes, our Levites and our priests set their seal to it. And then chapter 10, of course, is the names of all the people who signed this.

And the most incredible thing, well, I don't know what's the most incredible thing, but something that's really, really powerful and really beautiful. Remember in the divided kingdom, there was so much idolatry. There was so much falseness when it came to how quick the people of Israel who had been brought into covenant with the Lord God, how quick they were to turn their back on God.

And it was kind of like one of those things where we've inherited this, but you know, we might as well just turn to the local gods. We might as well just turn to the gods of our neighbors. We might as well just live like everyone else.

I am doing a great work and I cannot come down.

They all wanted to frighten us thinking their hands will drop from the work and it will not be done.

But now, Oh God, strengthen my hands.

Every way of a man is right in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the heart.

Everyone did what was right in their own eyes. That sense of relativism, that sense of if it works, let's try it. If it doesn't work, we'll just try again.

The book of Nehemiah chapter four hostile plots frustrated.

The book of Esther Chapter 11 Mordecai's Dream

The Book of Proverbs chapter 20, verses 27 through 30.

It says the glory of young men is their strength, but the beauty of old men is their gray hair.

The glory of young men is their strength, but the beauty of old men is their gray hair.

The Bible translation I'm reading from is the Revised Standard Version, the Second Catholic Edition. I'm using the Great Adventure Bible from Ascension.

We're reading Nehemiah 1 and 2, Zechariah 12 and 13 and Proverbs chapter 20 verses 20 through 22.

The book of Nehemiah. Chapter 1, Nehemiah's prayers.

The Book of Proverbs chapter 20 verse 20 through 22.

And it's remarkable that that prophecy that is ultimately made complete in Jesus on the cross out of love for you and love for me, which is another thing.

Ezra and Nehemiah--Nehemiah is the book we're going to start today after tomorrow--is actually the same scroll. So it's the same story. It's kind of part one and part two.

So there we go. I got to say it and got to work it in better than Ezra.

The Book of Ezra, Chapter 7. The Arrival and Work of Ezra.

The Book of Zechariah, chapter 7. Hypocritical Fasting Condemned

The book of Proverbs chapter 20 verses 12 through 15, the hearing ear and the seeing eye.

We're reading Ezra chapter one and two, which is our historical book, as well as Haggai chapter one and two, which is a prophetic book.

We're also reading Proverbs chapter 20 verses one through three.

As always, the Bible translation I'm reading from is the revised standard version, second Catholic edition.

Wine is a mocker, strong drink a brawler, and whoever is led astray by it is not wise.

It is an honor for a man to keep aloof from strife, but every fool will be quarreling.

The Bible translation I'm reading from is the Revised Standard Version, Second Catholic Edition.

I'm using the Great Adventure Bible from Ascension.

We're reading today Matthew 27 and 28, the conclusion of the Gospel according to St. Matthew, as well as Proverbs chapter 19, verses 25 through 29.

Jesus is quoting Psalm 22.

all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me go therefore and make disciples of all nations baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you and behold I am with you always to the close of the age

We're reading the conclusion of Jeremiah chapter 52, Obadiah and Proverbs 18 verses 13 through 16.

And this last piece of Jeremiah almost goes back to story, right? It goes back to narrative.

We've heard a bunch of words of condemnation against Babylon and against the other nations, against the Ammonites and the Philistines and whatnot.

And here in chapter 52, we have the end story.

And so I don't know. I know this. I know it's so easy to say that, so easy to say that we got to choose to love each other as family and it's so difficult to actually do that and so we get to... I'm not telling you what to do. I'm just noting that these are some things that I have to do.

A fool takes no pleasure in understanding, but only in expressing his opinion.

I think we can put that on a, stitch that on a pillow. I'm gonna put that on a t-shirt somewhere.

I don't necessarily need to know, I just wanna let you know what I think.

God loves his people so fully. In fact we know this, he loves perfectly, he loves infinitely. There is no stopping his love.

If the Lord doesn't bring judgment to the United States of America then he owes Sodom and Gomorrah a huge apology.

Lamentations chapter 1, if you remember the context, is when the Babylonians were besieging the city of Jerusalem, it was horrible.

It's just heartbreaking for the next four days for us because it was heartbreaking, life-breaking for the Jewish people there in Jerusalem.

Is it nothing to you? All who pass by, look and see if there is any sorrow like my sorrow, which was brought upon me, which the Lord inflicted on the day of his fierce anger.

All her people groan as they search for bread, they trade their treasures for food to revive their strength. Look, O Lord and behold, for I am despised.

And so we wonder, yeah, is that possible? And we recognize, yes, it is possible. There is a grief that you know. There is suffering that you know.

The book of Jeremiah chapter 43, Jeremiah warns of judgment.

The book of Judith chapter 15. The Assyrian army flees.

Chapter 16 The Song of Praise of Judith

The Book of Proverbs 17-20

We're reading Jeremiah 37 and 38, introduced to Judith herself in Judith 8 and 9 and Proverbs chapter 17 verses 5 through 8.

The book of the prophet Jeremiah chapter 37.

The Book of Judith Chapter 8 The Character of Judith

The book of Proverbs chapter 17 verses 5 through 8.

And I invite you to go back and to read the prayer of Judith.

The crucible is for silver and the furnace is for gold, and the Lord tries hearts.

the crucible you know it's not for unprecious things like the crucible is not for things of no worth the crucible is for silver and the furnace that's not just for wood it's not just for that's not for dirt that's for gold and the lord will try hearts the lord will purify hearts

just like the crucible purifies silver so it's precious even more precious and the furnace purifies gold so it's even more precious so the lord allows us to be tried so that our hearts can become more and more clean which is so good

the temptation is going to be I'm going to cut those out just going to ignore those as opposed to I'm going to allow that to cut me to the heart

the result of this is is Jehoiakim you're gonna you're gonna be destroyed you're not just gonna be cut to the heart you're gonna be cut out you're gonna be not just spiritually dead you're gonna be dead dead as well

He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city.

A hoary head is a crown of glory; it is gained in a righteous life.

This city shall be to me a name of joy, a praise, and a glory before all the nations of the earth who shall hear of all the good that I do for them.

In this place which you say it is a waste without man or beast...there shall be heard again the voice of mirth and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride...

Call to me and I will answer you...

For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.

Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.

I will be found by you says the Lord and I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations and all the places where I've driven you. And I will bring you back to the place from which I sent you into exile.

I know the plans I have for you plans for a future full of hope for welfare, not for woe.

...but the people who know their God shall stand firm and take action.

The book of the prophet Jeremiah chapter 24, two baskets, good and bad figs.

The book of Daniel chapter 6, a plot against Daniel.

The book of Daniel chapter 7, Visions of the Four Beasts and the Ancient of Days.

The book of Proverbs chapter 16 verses 5 through 8.

Jeremiah 22 is incredible. Daniel chapter three is kind of like 12 chapters in one.

Jeremiah's exhorting the people to repentance, right? And he makes it very, very clear. He's speaking to the kings, to the king of Judah.

I love this, he goes, when you hear the sound, you better bow down and worship. If you do not worship, you shall immediately be cast into a burning fiery furnace.

Oh, Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. If it be so, our God whom we serve, he's able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace.

But even if he doesn't, be it known to you, oh king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image which you have set up.

The book of the prophet Jeremiah chapter 20.

The Book of Daniel Chapter 1.

Chapter 2.

The book of Proverbs chapter 15 verses 25 through 28.

The Lord tears down the house of the proud, but maintains the widow's boundaries. The thoughts of the wicked are an abomination to the Lord. The words of the pure are pleasing to him. He who is greedy for unjust gain makes trouble for his household, but he who hates bribes will live. The mind of the righteous ponders how to answer, but the mouth of the wicked pours out evil things.

Better is a dinner of herbs where love is than a fatted ox and hatred with it.

A wise son makes a glad father, but a foolish man despises his mother.

You're only as happy as your least happy child.

God made it very clear to Jeremiah that he would not have a wife and he wouldn't have kids.

It costs to love your spouse when your spouse isn't very lovely. And it costs to love your children when your children are in pain.

The word of the Lord which came to Jeremiah concerning the drought, Judah mourns and her gates languish.

They're ashamed and confounded and cover their heads because of the ground which is dismayed since there is no rain on the land.

ah, Lord God, behold, the prophets say to them, you shall not see the sword nor shall you have famine, but I will give you assured peace in this place.

And God is saying, no, those are lies.

Better is the little with the fear of the Lord than great treasure and trouble with it.

I know, O Lord, that the way of man is not in himself, that it is not in man who walks to direct his steps.

correct me, O Lord, but in just measure, not in your anger, lest you bring me to nothing.

I was like a gentle lamb led to the slaughter.

The Old Testament is revealed in the new and the New Testament is hidden in the old.

we must observe that in the spiritual building, one entrance lies open to the East, another to the North and another to the South, just as the cold of the North denotes sinners, so the Southern way stands for the fervent in spirit who kindled by the heat of the Holy Spirit grow up in virtues as in the noonday light.

The Bible translation I'm reading from is the Revised Standard Version, Second Catholic Edition.

I'm using the Great Adventure Bible from Ascension.

The bones of the kings of Judah, the bones of its princes, the bones of the priests, the bones of the prophets and the bones of the inhabitants of Jerusalem shall be brought out of their tombs and they shall be spread before the sun and the moon and all the host of heaven, which they have loved and served, which they have gone after and which they have sought and worshipped.

The hand of the Lord was upon me and he brought me out by the spirit of the Lord and set me down in the midst of the valley. It was full of bones and he led me round among them and behold, there were very many upon the valley and behold, they were very dry.

My servant, David shall be king over them and they shall all have one shepherd.

Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, amend your ways and your doings, and I will let you dwell in this place.

Do not trust in these deceptive words, 'The temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord.'

The first two movements of conversion are distrust of self and trust in the Lord.

I will give you a new spirit. I will put within you; I will take out of your flesh the heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. I will put my spirit within you and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to observe my ordinances.

It is not a new heart that I can do whatever I want now. It is a new heart so I can do what I ought.

Remember Isaiah and Ezekiel, different times. And this is so important for us because not only, oh my gosh, this is so incredible.

And it's really important for us to recognize this because what does God continue to do in this book of consolation in Isaiah? The beginning of chapter 43, for crying out loud, here is God who says, fear not, I redeemed you.

I've called you by name. You are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you. Through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you. Walk through fire, you shall not be burnt.

But fear not for I've redeemed you. I've called you by name. You're mine.

That's a double, it's like a double claim of the Lord upon his people. And that is, it's necessary. It's important. It's incredible, but it's also coming before the siege is coming before the exile.

Comfort, comfort my people, says your God.

God gives power to the faint and to him who has no might, he increases strength. Even youths shall faint and be weary and young men shall fall exhausted, but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength.

He who troubles his household will inherit wind, and the fool will be servant to the wise. The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, but lawlessness takes away lives.

If the righteous is repaid on earth, how much more the wicked and the sinner.

In the thirtieth year, in the fourth month, on the fifth day of the month, as I was among the exiles by the river Chabar, the heavens were opened, and I saw visions of God.

Woe to the rebellious children, says the Lord, who carry out a plan but not mine, who make a league but not of my spirit, that they may add sin to sin, who set out to go down to Egypt without asking for my counsel, to take refuge in the protection of Pharaoh, and to seek shelter in the shadow of Egypt.

Therefore the protection of Pharaoh shall turn to your shame, and the shelter in the shadow of Egypt to your humiliation.

Egypt's help is worthless and empty, so therefore I've called her Rahab who sits still.

They are a rebellious people, lying sons, sons who will not hear the instruction of the Lord who say to seers see not and to prophets prophesy not to us what is right but speak to us smooth things, prophesy illusions, and let us hear no more of the Holy One of Israel.

On that day you shall not be put to shame, even because of the deeds by which you have rebelled against me. And I will change their shame into praise and renown in all the earth.

The Bible translation that I am reading from is the Revised Standard Version, the Second Catholic Edition. I'm using the Great Adventure Bible from Ascension.

The Book of the Prophet Isaiah chapter 28. Warning to Jerusalem.

The Book of Zephaniah Chapter 1 The Day of the Lord

In the book of Proverbs chapter 11 verses 9 through 12.

In 1 Peter chapter 2 verse 6, he talks about this. He quotes this and says, Actually Jesus is at the cornerstone.

He said with the cutting locust left, the swarming locust has eaten. With the swarming locust left, the hopping locust has eaten. With the hopping locust left, the destroying locust has eaten.

The Lord utters his voice before his army for his host, meaning army is basically battalion is exceedingly great. He that executes his word is powerful for the day of the Lord is great and very awesome. Who can endure it?

Yet even now, says the Lord, return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping and with mourning, tear your hearts and not your garments.

I will restore to you the years which the swarming locust has eaten.

I'm going to restore the time you lost. And that's something so powerful, this promise of God that when we come back to him and when we were his again, the restoration isn't just, here's your stuff back. It's I'm restoring to you all that you lost and more.

The book of the prophet Isaiah is hit after hit. I mean, it's so good.

The book of the prophet Isaiah can kind of sort of be divided into, we'll say two main sections. Some people divide it into three. We're gonna divide it into just two main sections. The book of condemnation, you might call it the book of woe, yeah, book of woe, we'll call it book of woe and the book of consolation.

There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse and a branch shall grow out of his roots. What is that? Well, Jesse, remember Jesse is the father of David, the king and the promise of God was that the kingdom, the dynasty of David would not fail, that the Messiah ultimately would come from the line of David that that kingdom would endure forever.

And the spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord and his delight shall be in the fear of the Lord.

it's a prayer that most priests and deacons and religious sisters and religious brothers and a lot of lay people pray on a regular basis, but we don't necessarily have a context when we pray it on a regular basis.

The book of the prophet Isaiah, chapter 5, the parable of the vineyard.

The book of tobit chapter 5 the angel raphael then tobias answered him father i will do everything that you have commanded me but how can i obtain the money when i do not know the man

the book of proverbs chapter 10 verses 1 through 4 wise sayings of solomon the proverbs of solomon

the book of tobit chapter 6 a miraculous fish now as they proceeded on their way they came at evening to the tigris river and camped there then the young man went down to wash himself a fish leaped up from the river and would have swallowed the young man and the angel said to him catch the fish

we have very we have clear and accurate timing so we knew it we know when huzziah died and what happened in that moment what happened that moment is isaiah is getting a commission and his commission of being a prophet in a unique way where he has seen the glory of the lord and this is remarkable

We're in Isaiah chapter 1 and 2. We're in Tobit chapter 1 and 2 and we're in Proverbs chapter 9 verses 7 through 12.

Isaiah is one of the first actually he's probably noted as the most major of the major prophets remember that we have some minor prophets as well we had some early prophets those early prophets are things that you've already heard that's judges is considered one of the early prophets in the hebrew tradition and the jewish tradition samuel kings those books that we just came through those are considered to be somewhat prophetic books we would look at them and thinking they're historical books but in the jewish way of understanding they would be the early prophets

Now these are the later prophets and a couple things to keep in mind we did hear from prophets beforehand right before before this we heard from hosea we heard from amos we heard from jonah we heard from micah now all four of those prophets well three of those prophets were sent to israel remember the northern kingdom of israel um except for jonah who was sent to assyria where where tobit happens to be right now he was sent to nineveh in assyria but those other three prophets were specifically sent to israel even though they might have had some words for judah as well

Isaiah is going to specifically and in fact most of the rest of the prophets are going to specifically be oriented towards preaching to the southern kingdom of judah keep this in mind they will say things about israel but pretty soon we're going to get past where there's no longer in israel in the north when isaiah begins his ministry it's roughly 740 or so 744 maybe bc and then we know that the northern kingdom is destroyed in 722 and so yep israel is around but then it's not going to be around for the rest of his ministry so he has a ministry that lasts 50 to 60 years as we can see this because when he begins this writing of the book of the prophet isaiah it says the vision of isaiah the son of amaz which he saw concerning judah and jerusalem right so it's southern kingdom in the days of who who ziah jotham ahaz and hezekiah kings of judah so his ministry spans four different kings in fact there's thought that his ministry in fact spans five kings because after hezekiah

What to me is the multitude of your sacrifices? I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams and the fat of fed beasts. I do not delight in the blood of bulls or of lambs or of he goats. When you come to appear before me who requires of you this trampling of my courts?

The last book written, it's this word. Yes. The people of Judah are brought into exile. Yes. They're made into servants to the King of Babylon and to his sons until the establishment of the kingdom of Persia.

Jeremiah had noted that the land's going to recover its lost Sabbaths.

he's going to exile you away from the land. The land will have to rest because very few people will be living there. You will not be living there and therefore the land will recover its lost Sabbaths, but not forever.

God is going to bring you back.

And whoever is among you of all his people, may the Lord, his God be with him. Let him go up.

The Bible translation that I'm reading from is the Revised Standard Version, Second Catholic Edition, and I'm using the Great Adventure Bible from Ascension.

And so we're not taking a break from that, but what we're doing is we want to situate these prophetic books and other books in the timeline.

We're also going to see the beginning of the exile where here's Nebuchadnezzar who comes in to the land of Judah, Benjamin, Jerusalem and he's going to bring into exile the servants of the king.

And so that's going to come up very very soon so we are done with this narrative book tomorrow the narrative books of second kings and second chronicles and we're launching into the prophets the day after tomorrow.

Hopefully up to this point you get what's going on in the northern kingdom of Israel the southern kingdom of Judah and the fact that they're so so unfaithful even though God continues to be faithful.

There is no faithfulness or kindness and no knowledge of God in the land.

My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.

Knowledge in this sense is intimate knowledge...this intimate knowledge of God.

I desire mercy and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.

Our goal for these 365 days is to have a deeper and deeper knowledge of the one who created us, the one who redeemed us, and the one who loves us.

Hosea is one of those prophets who's called the witness to God by his actions and his words.

Gomer is going to be like my people, that I give them everything they possibly could want and they're going to chase after other lovers. They're going to give their hearts to others.

It goes on to say that I will strip her naked and I'll make her as the day she was born in this chapter two and make her like a wilderness and slay her with thirst.

It was I who gave her the bread and the water, the wool and the flax, the oil and the drink.

And oftentimes he leads us into the wilderness so that he can speak to us clearly.

The Bible translation that I'm reading from is the Revised Standard Version, the Second Catholic Edition.

I'm using the Great Adventure Bible from Ascension.

If you want to download your own Bible in a Year reading plan, you can visit ascensionpress.com slash Bible in a Year.

As I said, chapter 11 of First Kings...This is where we finally hear what we know was coming.

And so pay attention to Solomon in First Kings 11 as well as listen to the wisdom of Solomon or of the author of Ecclesiastes 10, 11 and 12. And we then also get to pray with King David in Psalm 9.

It's just and not only is it a review because you know remember when we were back way back when in Deuteronomy and the book of numbers that was some review stuff right there was kind of retelling the story but it's so accurate here in terms of when I say accurate what I mean is and virtually word for word.

It's just great review for all of us as well as Ecclesiastes 8 and 9.

God's ways are inscrutable we don't we don't know what happens that here's a sinner who gets ahead and here's a righteous person who doesn't get ahead and yet the same fate happens to them all we all end up just dying.

If all there is is this world if all there is is this life it's meaningless if all there that if all there is is this life then this life is meaningless because it all ends in death if all there is in this world is this world this world is meaningless because it just ends in death basically.

The day will come when no one knows your name the day will come when you're completely forgotten.

If you're interested, the Bible translation that I'm reading from is the Revised Standard Version, the Second Catholic Edition. I'm using the Great Adventure Bible from Ascension.

Also, you can download your own Bible in a Year reading plan by visiting ascensionpress.com slash Bible in a Year.

The book of Ecclesiastes, this book of the Song of Solomon is basically a wise person who's looking at the world and looking at how people are living, looking at how he himself has lived and is saying, this is all vanity.

The first book of Kings chapter 7, Solomon's house and other buildings.

The Book of Ecclesiastes, chapter 1. All is Vanity The words of the preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem. Vanity of vanities, says the preacher, vanity of vanities, all is vanity.

The wise man has his eyes in his head but the fool walks in darkness. And yet, so wise man has eyes, he can see, but the fool walks in darkness and yet I perceive that one fate comes to all of them because what befalls the fool will befall me also.

If all there is is this life, then everything in this life will pass away. If all there is is this world, everything in this world will pass away.

Solomon finished praying and fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offerings and the sacrifices and the glory of the Lord filled the temple.

This demonstrates the power of God's presence and the temple is essential because God's presence would abide there.

But it's also essential because that is where the people would offer their worship and this is just so critical for us.

If my people who are called by my name, humble themselves and seek my face, then I will hear from heaven. I'll forgive their sins. I'll heal their land.

But if you turn aside and forsake my commandments and statutes and go and serve other gods and worship them, then I will pluck you from the land.

When David's time to die drew near, he charged Solomon his son saying, 'I am about to go the way of all the earth. Be strong and show yourself a man and keep the charge of the Lord your God walking in his ways and keeping his statutes, his commandments, his ordinances, and his testimonies as it is written in the law of Moses that you may prosper and all that you do and wherever you turn that the Lord may establish his word, which he spoke concerning me saying, if your sons shall heed to their way to walk before me in faithfulness with all their heart and with all their soul, there shall not fail you a man on the throne of Israel.'

That children pay more attention to the example that we set rather than the advice that we offer.

Love the Lord your God with your whole heart, with your whole soul... be strong and courageous. Prove yourself a man.

He did not necessarily witness to that to his family. He didn't, what do you say, like he didn't mentor his children. He didn't disciple his children. Another way to say it is he didn't father his children. He was pretty distant as we noted.

In the new kingdom, who is the king? The king is Jesus Christ himself for all eternity, right? He is the fulfillment. That's why Chronicles keeps pointing to David as the prototype and Solomon as a prototype who's building the temple.

The Bible in a Year podcast is brought to you by Ascension. Using the Great Adventure Bible timeline, we'll read all the way from Genesis to Revelation.

As always, the Bible translation that I am reading from is the Revised Standard Version, Second Catholic Edition. I am using the Great Adventure Bible from Ascension.

It says, David came to his house in Jerusalem and the king, King David, took the 10 concubines whom he left to care for the house. Remember those 10 concubines.

And while he was gone, what did Absalom do? Absalom had sexual relations with them in the sight of all the people. And so he dishonored his father in sight of the people. He raped these women in the sight of all the people.

violence begets violence and evil doesn't stop with us.

Using the Great Adventure Bible Timeline, we will read all the way from Genesis to Revelation, discovering how the story of salvation unfolds and how we fit into that story today.

As always, the Bible translation that I'm using is the Revised Standard Version, the Second Catholic Edition, and I'm reading from the Great Adventure Bible from Ascension.

And we're reading 2 Samuel chapter 17, 1 Chronicles 22, and Psalm 36.

Remember, this is like intrigue. This is all about, yeah, the stuff that goes on when there's civil war, when there's war going on.

And here's David collecting all these materials and instructing his son add to these because you need to create a temple that is worthy of the Lord God.

Today's readings are 2 Samuel 13, 1 Chronicles 17, and Psalm 35.

We are reading not from that psalm, but from 2 Samuel Chapter 13, also 1 Chronicles Chapter 17. And the psalm today that we're praying is Psalm 35.

As I said, it is Day 131. We are reading from 2 Samuel Chapter 13, 1 Chronicles Chapter 17 and praying Psalm 35.

First book of Chronicles chapter 17 God's covenant with David.

We let's start with the first Chronicles because it's a little bit easier. We have the, it's not a redo, right? You know, redux of second Samuel where David says, Hey, I hear I'm living in a house of cedar and God's living in a tent.

The translation of the Bible that we are reading from is the Revised Standard Version, Second Catholic Edition.

I am using the Great Adventure Bible from Ascension.

today is day 129, reading 2 Samuel chapter 7, 1 Chronicles, both chapters 14 and 15. And we are praying Psalm 32.

2 Samuel chapter 11, David commits adultery with Bathsheba.

The first book of Chronicles chapter 14, David established in Jerusalem...

One of the reasons it's unique is because typically it would be the last book in the Hebrew canon, right? So it'd be the last book in the Jewish canon of Scripture.

1 Chronicles and 2 Chronicles, it is going to be focused on a couple of things. One is the temple and worship. The other is the kingdom and the Messiah.

So while we are going to go through 2 Samuel and hear all of the stories of not just David the great and not just David the wise, but also David the sinner, 1 and 2 Chronicles are not going to really emphasize David's sin.

Now they're not trying to obfuscate that, right? They're not trying to, they're not ignoring that because they know you can just read 2 Samuel and you can read the rest of the Bible, right?

So what the chronicle or chronicler, we'll call him the chronicler, is doing when it comes to writing about David is emphasizing David's strengths. In particular, not just to glorify David, but to highlight this is what the Messiah will be like.

I don't know if I've ever said this before, but 1 Samuel chapter 17 is literally one of my favorite chapters in the entire Bible.

I love the story of David and Goliath and for so many reasons.

David is a man after God's own heart in this battle.

He does not say, I want to fight because I want to win all the prizes that Saul had promised.

It was defending the Lord's honor. It was his love for God that brought him to the battle line.

As always, the Bible translation that I am using is the revised standard version, second Catholic edition.

The Bible in a Year podcast is brought to you by Ascension.

As always, the Bible translation that I am reading from is the Revised Standard Version, Second Catholic Edition.

I'm using the Great Adventure Bible from Ascension.

We're reading from the Gospel of John chapter 13, 14, and 15, Proverbs chapter 6,

verses 6 through 11.

The Bible contains adult themes that may not be suitable for children - parental discretion is advised.

Jesus wept is the shortest verse in the entire Bible, right? Two words in John chapter 11.

Lazarus has been dead four days and make this very clear at least twice that Lazarus has been dead four days.

This is not a near-death experience, this is a fully death experience. This is all the way their death experience.

He is either God or a bad man. He is either God himself who deserves our heart, or he is one who deserves to be put to death because that's the choice.

Jesus, if you are who you say you are, then I am who you say I am. And you say that I am yours. So let me be yours.

Gideon made an ephod of it and put it in his city in Uphrah, and all Israel played the harlot after it there, and it became a snare to Gideon and to his family.

As soon as Gideon died, the sons of Israel turned again and played harlot after the Baals, and they made Baal-Barit their god.

And Baal-Barit means the Baal of the covenant.

We came across this when we read through Leviticus and Numbers and even Deuteronomy.

What has Jesus done? He's made us his brother. He's made us his brother in all things, and he's forfeited his life to redeem us.

Now therefore fear the Lord and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness and put away the gods which your fathers served beyond the rivers and in Egypt and serve the Lord

and if you be unwilling to serve the Lord choose this day whom you will serve

as for me and my house we will serve the Lord

It has been a gift so far it is day 88 and now tomorrow day 89 which means 10 days away from our first crack at the gospel of John which is just talk about gifts man oh man

I cannot wait to see you tomorrow God bless

And they think, okay, so how is this possible?

And in fact, I think it's a little less accurate than it is completely accurate.

That's a whole other story. The ego of Galileo and the ego of the Pope at the time, but it wasn't a battle of science versus faith because what we had before was a Copernicus.

What we know is that truth can never contradict truth.

God can do those kinds of things and has done those kinds of things so Joshua chapter 10 should not bother us because good faith and good science never ever contradict.

I said before you life and death, choose life that you and your descendants may live because when you come back to me, I will love you and I will bless you and I will prosper you.

We can never just take a moment out, a text out of context. We have to read scripture in its entirety and what God reveals is that no, I'm the God of the living. I'm the God who loves everyone.

I do not rejoice in the destruction of the living. He said he will say this. I did not make death and he does not rejoice in the destruction of the living regardless of who they are, regardless of how unfaithful they are.

It is only because of the weakness of the people of Israel that Moses commands that all of the people of Midian be destroyed. It's a hard word for us. It's not necessarily a good word, but it is the word that is needed.

It's not that complete destruction of another people is good. That is not good, but it was commanded out of concern for the people of Israel's weakness for us who share the same weakness.

The Bible translation that I'm using today and pretty much every day is the Revised Standard Version, the Second Catholic Edition.

I'm using the Great Adventure Bible from Ascension.

Today we are reading from Numbers 26, Deuteronomy 27, and we are praying Psalm 111.

The book of Deuteronomy chapter 27.

...they're numbering the tribes of Israel...

As we continue to try to be faithful, as we continue to rely upon the Lord when it comes to our prayer, when it comes to letting his word change our minds, change our hearts, shape our lens,

We are reading today from Numbers Chapter 23 and Deuteronomy Chapter 24 and 25.

We're also praying from Psalm 106.

The book of Deuteronomy chapters 24 and 25.

The Lord is the giver of these laws. He's the giver of this wisdom.

As I said, we are reading from Numbers Chapter 14, Deuteronomy Chapter 12, and we are praying Psalm 95.

the book of Numbers Chapter 14, The People Rebel.

This Deuteronomy is Moses's last speech. It's his last preaching, teaching to the people of God.

And Numbers is telling us the story.

One last note when it comes to Deuteronomy chapter 12, the Lord God through Moses commands that the pagan shrines be destroyed, which makes complete sense.

So Numbers, this is happening right after they're free from slavery in Egypt. So this is maybe two years out at this point where they're at the place where Miriam and Aaron speak against Moses and where spies are sent to Canaan.

They're mad because he married a Cushite woman.

And even in marrying a Cushite woman, he hasn't done anything wrong or else the Lord God would have said something about him.

And then after that, we have the story of the spies that sent it to Canaan. And this becomes a critical moment. This is chapter 13 of the book of numbers, critical moment because those 12 spies are sent into Canaan to scout it out and they're promised.

And even in spite of the fact that God had just two years before this, a year and two years before this, God had just set them free from the most powerful nation in the world, the Egyptians. They still said, no, we can't do it.

So Numbers, this is happening right after they're free from slavery in Egypt.

So they've only been free between one and two years here.

And then in Deuteronomy, this is Moses speaking back and saying, here's what happened back in the day, 40 years before this.

It's going to be a land of milk and honey. It's going to be an incredible land.

And so I need you to remember my word, remember what I've done for you.

This is Day 59 and so we will be reading two chapters from Numbers.

Numbers 8 and 9 as well as Deuteronomy 8, just the one in Deuteronomy. And we'll be praying through Psalm 93.

Just a quick reminder, ah, book of numbers and the book of Deuteronomy, just our contexts here.

So when we're reading from numbers and what we hear in numbers is about the gold lamp stand being made. We hear about the law of the Passover and Levite's consecration and service. And we hear about the cloud and the fire.

So Deuteronomy is going to be like, okay, after all of this, here's what we got before you go into the place of freedom, you go into the promised land.

In Numbers chapter 5, what do we have? We have the occasion, the subtitle of after we talked about confession restitution, after we talked about leprosy, and we talked about an unfaithful wife or jealous husband.

Remember the plus one theory of education is that sense of God is starting from a certain place with this culture and he's moving them along.

And so consider this in the ancient world, a woman was considered to be under full authority of her husband. So if he even accused her, he could do whatever he wanted to do with his wife.

And here comes the law. Here comes the law of Moses. Here in Numbers chapter 5 and the law of Moses says you don't actually get to do that.

Remember back in Genesis chapter 3 where one of the consequences of the fall is this tension and this, I mean the horrible tension between men and women, between wives and husbands, where men will are tempted to so often to dominate, to use women. And this is part of the remedy of this.

The Bible translation that I'm using is the Revised Standard Version, 2nd Catholic Edition and I'm using the Great Adventure Bible from Ascension.

To download your Bible in a Year reading plan so you can know what Day 54 was and what Day 56 is going to be, you can go to ascensionpress.com/Bible in a Year and download that for free.

And now, O Israel, give heed to the statutes and the ordinances which I teach you and do them, that you may live, and go in and take possession of the land which the Lord, the God of your fathers, gives you.

You shall not add to the word which I command you, nor take from it, that you may keep the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you.

But the Lord has taken you and brought you forth out of the iron furnace, out of Egypt to be a people of his own possession as at this day.

One is in Numbers chapter 3. What do we have? We have the tribe of Levi.

All priests are from the tribe of Levi, not all Levites are priests.

The next thing to kind of highlight is Deuteronomy chapter 3.

And he says, the Lord was angry with me because in Numbers 21, Moses is going to strike a rock twice when God did not tell him to do that.

James chapter three, verse one says that. Not many of you should aspire to be teachers because you'll be held to a more strict judgment.

As I mentioned yesterday, one of the things that happens at the very beginning of Numbers is kind of a lot of numbers and a lot of details.

So what we have is in Numbers, we're having the setup. We have the scene. We have all the tribes of Israel, right? There's the 12 tribes of Israel that are gathered around the tabernacle.

And then in Deuteronomy, it is the story of numbers, but just kind of retold because Deuteronomy is the end of the wilderness journeys and it begins with Moses.

So that's what we're reading today. Again, Numbers chapter 1, Deuteronomy chapter 2, and then we're praying Psalm 85.

And we're going to encounter battles. We're going to encounter violence. And that can really disturb us because we're not necessarily accustomed to associating violence with God.

The Lord spoke to Moses in the wilderness of Sinai in the tent of meeting on the first day of the second month in the second year after they had come out of the land of Egypt, saying take a census of all the congregation of the sons of Israel by families, by father's houses, according to the number of names, every male head by head from 20 years old and upward, all in Israel who are able to go forth to war.

The fourth book of Moses commonly called Numbers chapter one, the first census of Israel.

The fifth book of Moses, commonly called Deuteronomy. Chapter 1. Events at Horeb recalled.

These are the words that Moses spoke to all Israel beyond the Jordan in the wilderness in the Erebah over against Suph, between Paran and Tophel, Laban, Hazeroth, and Izahab.

It is eleven days' journey from Horeb by the way of Mount Sinai to Kadesh-Barnea.

The Bible translation that I'm reading from is the Revised Standard Version, Second Catholic Edition. I'm using the Great Adventure Bible from Ascension.

And so, and also the feast of Yom Kippur, the feast of the Day of Atonement, which we already talked about before.

And that's gonna do a lot, obviously, to shape the future of the people of Israel. And it's also gonna do a lot to reveal to us now in the new covenant what it is to be a priest as well.

And so we pray for each other so that we have freedom and we have trust that even in the midst of uncertainty in our world, in our lives, in our hearts, that we have the confidence to follow after the Lord God as he truly has revealed himself.

So that's the first thing to understand. The second thing is, I think very, very important, is that when Aaron makes the golden calf, how do the people respond? They are not acting as if they are turning away from the God who led them out of Egypt to a different God.

Today we're going to be reading from the book of Exodus chapter 8, the book of Leviticus chapter 6, and the book of Psalms chapter 48.

I am reading from the revised standard version, the Catholic edition.

In fact, I'm reading the Great Adventure Bible from Ascension.

If you go to ascensionpress.com/Bible in a Year, you can get that for free.

As I mentioned today, we're going to be reading from Exodus Chapter 8, the book of Exodus Chapter 8.

The Bible translation that I'm using is the Revised Standard Version, the Second Catholic Edition and I'm using the Great Adventure Bible from Ascension.

And I might add that in Jesus day, all of the children who started their biblical studies in Israel started with Leviticus of all the books, not Genesis, not Exodus, not Numbers or Deuteronomy, but Leviticus.

And the reason was that Leviticus talks about holiness. It talks about kadosh holiness to be totally distinct, to be totally separate, to be holy.

And I think that the thing that I would add to the reading when people are listening to you during Leviticus is this, God brought Israel out into the desert to do something. And he said in Leviticus, he said six different times. He said, 'be holy as I am holy, be holy as I'm holy.' And four more times he said that.

And then he went on to say, he said, 'you need to learn to discern between the good and the bad, that which is clean, that which is not unclean.' And, and then he also said, 'do not obey the laws of the place you came from nor the place you are going, but obey my word.'

One of the words in the Old Testament in the book of Genesis is go to Joseph.

The one who took care of the food, the bread from heaven. The one who guarded the bread from heaven to be able to be distributed to people who were dying of hunger.

We talked about these yesterday, but how Joseph, God was with him. But also Joseph fought for God to be with him.

Like Joseph could have, he had opportunities, Old Testament Joseph had opportunities to rebel, he had opportunities to sin, but he fought to stay faithful to the Lord and he was faithful to the Lord.

We're almost to the end of Genesis and we're almost at the end of the book of Job, but we have just started.

Today we're reading actually only one chapter of Genesis, Genesis chapter 37.

It is the beginning of the story of our friend, Job. Our friend, Job is there. Our friend, Joseph.

If you're interested in getting this Bible into your reading plan that we are going through, you can just go to ascensionpress.com slash Bible in a Year and you can download that.

I am reading from the revised standard version, Catholic edition of the Bible right now, and I'm using actually the Great Adventure Bible from Ascension.

This Great Adventure Bible is really, really helpful.

The Bible translation that I'm using and use every day is Revised Standard Version, Catholic Edition. It's the RSV-CE.

I'm using the Great Adventure Bible from Ascension and also following the reading plan that you can also download if you go to ascensionpress.com BibleInAYear.

You can get your own Catholic Bible in a Year reading plan by going to ascensionpress.com BibleInAYear.

If you have not yet downloaded your Catholic Bible in a year reading plan, please visit ascensionpress.com slash Bible in a year.

I just, I remember reading this book, the book of Job for the first time, maybe in high school or college and thinking, okay, this is going to be the answer to the problem of evil.

The Bible is not only a document, the Bible is a living, a living thing and it's God's living voice continuing to speak to us.

The catechism reveals this to us that, um, throughout all the words of sacred scripture, God speaks only one single word, his one utterance in whom he expresses himself completely.

In order to reveal himself to men in the condescension of his goodness, God speaks to them in human words.

indeed the words of God expressed in the words of men are in every way like human language, just as the word of the eternal father, when he took on himself the flesh of human weakness became like men.

The Holy Spirit is the interpreter of scripture, but there are four kind of ways in which to interpret, interpret scripture correctly.

We're reading Revelations chapter 15, 16, as well as Hebrews chapter 5, 6, 7, and 8.

We're reading Revelation, not revelations.

The Revelation to John chapter 15, the angels with the seven last plagues.

The letter to the Hebrews chapter five for every high priest chosen from among men is appointed to act on behalf of men in relation to God to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins.

The book of Proverbs chapter 31 verses 23 through 25. Her husband is known in the gates when he sits among the elders of the land.

But what I found was that there were times when I would listen to some of these people who, again, I'm grateful for, but I wasn't thinking with the mind of Christ. And so then what I would do is I would listen to Scripture because I love audiobooks, and so one of the audiobooks I have is the Bible.

I was reading the book of Judges, and that sense of the last line of, in those days there was no king in Israel, and everyone did what was right in their own eyes.

Just literally walking into my living room and seeing my Bible on the counter or on the coffee table, it just brings hope to me knowing there's someone who doesn't change. There's someone I can build my life on, that is Jesus Christ.

I had to ask my parents for Christmas for a Bible of my own, like an adult Bible.

I remember just how many times going to confession, even in high school and having the priest say, okay, go home and read Psalm 51.

The Bible translation I'm reading from is the Revised Standard Version, 2nd Catholic edition. I'm using the Great Adventure Bible from Ascension.

all scripture is inspired by god and profitable for teaching for reproof for correction and for training in righteousness that the man of god may be complete equipped for every good work

we also recognize that we pray that god helps us not just to start well but he has helped us to finish well saint paul in chapter four verse seven he says i have fought the good fight i have finished the race i have kept the faith

it is about strengthening the church through the worship that happens in the mass that's what the book of revelation is all about or a largely about

i just think that next time you go to adoration next time i could go to adoration just realize here's the truth next time you go to mass and see that the eucharist elevated that's jesus

We are reading from the letter of Jude. We're reading also the beginning of the second letter of Saint Paul to Timothy, chapters one and two. And we're also reading Proverbs chapter 31, verses one through seven.

The Bible translation I'm reading from is the Revised Standard Version, Second Catholic Edition. I'm using the Great Adventure Bible from Ascension.

It's always the Bible translation I'm reading from is the Revised Standard Version, Second Catholic Edition. I'm using the Great Adventure Bible from Ascension.

We're reading James 3, 4, and 5, Colossians, letter of St. Paul to the Colossians, chapters 1 and 2, as well as the book of Proverbs, chapters 30, verses 7 through 9.

The letter of James, chapter 3, taming the tongue.

The letter of Paul to the Colossians, chapter 1, salutation.

The book of Proverbs chapter 30 verses seven through nine.

As always, the Bible translation I'm reading from is the Revised Standard Version, Second Catholic Edition.

Today is day 349. We're reading Acts of the Apostles, chapter 28, the final chapter, as well as Philippians chapters 1 and 2, Proverbs chapter 29, verses 25 through 27.

The letter of Paul to the Philippians, chapter 1, salutation.

The Book of Proverbs chapter 29 verses 25 through 27

It is day 345. We're reading Acts of the Apostles chapter 24, St. Paul's letter to the Galatians chapters 1, 2, and 3, as well as Proverbs chapter 29 verses 12 through 14.

As always, the Bible translation I'm reading from is the Revised Standard Version, the Second Catholic Edition.

It is day 345. We are reading Acts of the Apostles chapter 24, St. Paul's letter to the Galatians chapters 1, 2, and 3, and Proverbs chapter 29 verses 12 through 14.

We have 20 days left of listening to your word, 20 days left of being able to just be penetrated by your word, we soak in your word to be able to be transformed by your word.

Help us to not simply be informed by your word but be transformed by your word, help us not just learn about you but to become like you.

St. Paul in his letter to the Romans chapter 13, he talks about obeying those who are set over you.

And so St. Paul is demonstrating not only that he has manners, I guess, but St. Paul is also demonstrating that he knows the law and he's before the council, which is going to be very preoccupied with the law.

I know a man in Christ who 14 years ago was caught up to the third heaven, whether in the body or out of the body, I do not know. God knows.

and to keep me from being too elated by the abundance of revelations, a thorn was given to me in the flesh.

God's response. Jesus said to him, my grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.

He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.

Each one must do as he has made up his mind, not reluctantly or under compulsion for God loves the cheerful giver.

The weapons of our warfare are not worldly but have divine power to destroy strongholds.

We destroy arguments and every proud obstacle to the knowledge of God and take every thought captive to obey Christ.

The only credential I need to rely upon is that the grace of God in the grace of God Jesus Christ has called me to be an apostle that's it.

I love this section where he says in chapter 6 he says we commit ourselves in every way through great endurance and afflictions and hardships calamities all these things also positive things by purity knowledge forbearance kindness the Holy Spirit even more he says with weapons of righteousness in honor and dishonor in ill repute and good repute.

In chapter 7 he he says that ah chapter 7 verse 8 he says for even if I made you sorry with my letter I do not regret it and then he puts in parentheses though I did regret it for I see that the letter grieved you though only for a while.

I rejoice not because you were grieved but because you were grieved into repenting for you felt a godly grief so that you suffered no loss through us.

for godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation and brings no regret but worldly grief produces death.

you know the grace of our lord Jesus Christ that though he was rich yet for your sake he became poor so that by his poverty you might become rich.

The Bible in a Year podcast is brought to you by Ascension. Using the Great Adventure Bible timeline, we'll read all the way from Genesis to Revelation, discovering how the story of salvation unfolds and how we fit into that story today.

As always, the Bible translation I'm reading from is the Revised Standard Version, 2nd Catholic Edition.

The Bible in a Year podcast is brought to you by Ascension.

We're reading on day 332, Acts of the Apostles chapter 11, 1 Corinthians chapters 3 and 4, as well as Proverbs chapter 27 verses 23 through 27.

As always, the Bible translation I'm reading from is the Revised Standard Version, the Second Catholic Edition.

You can also subscribe to this podcast by clicking on subscribe and receiving daily episodes and daily updates.

We're reading Acts of the Apostles chapter 11, St. Paul's letter to the Corinthians, his first one, chapters 3 and 4, and Proverbs chapter 27, verses 23 through 27.

The Bible translation I'm reading from is the revised standard version, second Catholic edition.

If there's another chapter that I love is chapter 12, chapter 12 of the letter of St. Paul's letter to the Romans.

It's often read at weddings. I don't know if you ever, have you ever realized this? A lot of weddings that I'll do when they choose the New Testament reading, they'll choose Romans chapter 12, verses nine through 21, where it says, love be genuine, hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good.

Romans chapter 11 talks about God's plan, his love, his call, the gifts are irrevocable.

we have been grafted onto the tree of Israel. So it's not like, oh, there's a whole new tree here. This Christian tree that's next to the Jewish tree. Nope. Um, as St. Paul says, it is that root. The root is the story that Stephen told today. The root is all the way back to Abraham.

As always, the Bible translation I'm reading from is the Revised Standard Version, Second Catholic Edition. I'm using the Great Adventure Bible from Ascension.

If you want to download your own Bible in a Year reading plan, you can visit ascensionpress.com/Bible in a Year because then you would know that today is day 322 and we're reading Acts 1, Romans 1, Proverbs 26.

On day 322, reading Acts 1, Romans 1, Proverbs 26, verses 24 through 26.

In the first book, O Theophilus, I have dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach until the day when he was taken up, after he had given commandment through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen.

The letter of Paul to the Romans, chapter 1, Salutation Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures.

we just went through four gospels right over the course of this last 300 plus days.

here we are at the end of Luke's gospel, at the end of Christ's life, and we have had this up close and personal experience of walking with Jesus

Luke reveals Jesus praying so often. It's one of the things that he reveals Jesus doing, I don't want to say more than anything else or more than anyone else, but it is very, very clear that Luke is revealing a Jesus who prays regularly.

And he says in Moses and all the prophets and all the Psalms, all the places that talked about him. And here you are, having gone through every single word you've read, other than Proverbs, because we're still on that slow drip on that one right now.

But all of those prophets, all of those books of Moses, everything in the Old Testament you have already read. Imagine Jesus opening up your mind to understand every single piece in the Old Testament that referred to him.

As always, the Bible translation I'm reading from is the Revised Tentative Version, Second Catholic Edition. I'm using the Great Adventure Bible from Ascension.

We're reading Luke chapter 6, 7, and 8. We're also reading Proverbs chapter 26, verses 1-3.

the book of proverbs chapter 26 verses 1 through 3 like snow in summer or rain in harvest so honor is not fitting for a fool like a sparrow in its flitting like a swallow in its flying a curse that is causeless does not alight a whip for the horse a bridle for the donkey and a rod for the back of fools

The Bible in a Year podcast is brought to you by Ascension.

The Bible contains adult themes that may not be suitable for children - parental discretion is advised.

As always, the Bible translation I'm reading from is the Revised Standard Version, Second Catholic Edition.

Luke's gospel stands in a unique spot. They're all unique because they are written from four different perspectives. But Luke's gospel, as he begins the entire thing, he says, many people have undertaken to compile a history of the events.

We know that Luke was a physician. He was one of Paul's traveling companions.

Luke being a Greek, right? Luke wasn't Jewish. He was a Greek physician who became a Christian, whereas the other gospels were written by people who have a Jewish origin.

In the book of Revelation chapter 11 and 12, what you have is you have John the beloved. He's looking into heaven and he sees the ark. And the very next verses, as John is looking into heaven and he sees the ark of the covenant, he says, then I saw a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon at the stars of her feet and around her head, a crown of 12 stars. And she gave birth to a son.

It says in those days, Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country to a city of Judah and she went to the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth.

Their concern for wives and children and also for brethren and relatives lay upon them less heavily. Their greatest and first fear was for the consecrated sanctuary.

The thing was to defend the temple. The thing was to be able to keep that place of worship of God pure.

If your enemy is hungry, give him bread to eat, and if he is thirsty, give him water to drink. For you will heap coals of fire on his head, and the Lord will reward you.

For in everything, O Lord, you have exalted and glorified your people and you have not neglected to help them at all times and in all places.

And yet we can still affirm you did not neglect to help them at all times and in all places, even if there was trouble, even if there was suffering, even when there was death, you did not neglect to help them at all times in all places.

In the eyes of the foolish they seem to have died, and their departure was thought to be an affliction, and their going from us to be their destruction.

But they are at peace. For though in the sight of men they were punished, their hope is full of immortality.

Having been disciplined a little, they will receive great good because God tested them and found them worthy of Himself like gold in the furnace.

Blessed is the barren woman who is undefiled, who has not entered into a sinful union.

Blessed also is the eunuch whose hands have done no lawless deed, who has not devised wicked things against the Lord for special favor will be shown him for his faithfulness and a place of great delight in the temple of the Lord.

God did not make death and he does not delight in the destruction of the living.

God didn't make death. Does he delight when people are destroyed? No, next line. He does not delight in the death of the living for he created all things that they might exist.

but ungodly men with their words and deeds summoned death, considered him a friend, they pined away and they made a covenant with him.

God doesn't want us to choose evil. He doesn't want us to choose death, but we choose evil and we choose death.

we are wise when we walk in the truth and we are foolish when we walk in evil.

Hopefully that your first journey through the book of Sirach was filled with enlightenment.

And that thing is the pursuit of wisdom.

the pursuit of wisdom being the way, the way that we're called to live, the way that we're called to belong to him is just the echo of the entire book of Sirach as well as the next book we're going to talk about, the book of wisdom

Do not rejoice when your enemy falls and let not your heart be glad when he stumbles.

It's a German word called schadenfreude, right? That pleasure we take in seeing other people get hurt, go in disgrace.

Using the Great Adventure Bible Timeline, we'll read all the way from Genesis to Revelation, discovering how the story of salvation unfolds and how we fit into that story today.

As always, the Bible translation I'm reading from is the Revised Standard Version, Second Catholic Edition. I'm using the Great Adventure Bible from Ascension.

If you want to download your own Bible in a Year reading plan, you can visit ascensionpress.com/Bible in a Year.

We're reading 1 Maccabees 15, also Sirach 36-37, as well as Proverbs 23-26-28.

Gosh, you guys, you're going to love it. I'm telling you right now.

If they make you master of the feast, do not exalt yourself. Be among them as one of them.

Take good care of them, and then be seated. When you have fulfilled your duties, take your place, that you may be merry on their account and receive a wreath for your excellent leadership.

Speak, you who are older, for it is fitting that you should, but with accurate knowledge, and do not interrupt the music.

When there is entertainment, do not pour out talk, do not display your cleverness out of season.

Speak, young man, if there is need of you, but no more than twice, and only if asked. Speak concisely, say much in few words, be as one who knows and yet holds his tongue.

Today's readings are 1 Maccabees 8, Sirach 22-23, and Proverbs 22:26-29.

It is day 289 and we're reading 1 Maccabees chapter 8, Sirach chapters 22 and 23, Proverbs chapter 22, verses 26 through 29.

As always, the Bible translation I'm reading from is the Revised Standard Version, Second Catholic Edition. I'm using the Great Adventure Bible from Ascension.

Day 289, 1 Maccabees chapter 8, Sirach 22 and 23, Proverbs chapter 22 verses 26 through 29.

It's better to live in a corner of the housetop than in a house shared with a contentious woman.

The soul of the wicked desires evil; his neighbor finds no mercy in his eyes.

When a scoffer is punished, the simple becomes wise; when a wise man is instructed, he gains knowledge.

The righteous observes the house of the wicked; the wicked are cast down to ruin.

...you know oh Lord that I would have been willing to kiss the soles of Haman's feet to save Israel...but I did not do this lest I set the glory of man above the glory of God...I will not bow down to anyone but you oh Lord my God.

Ezra was reading the law of God which was what? Well A, it was wise. So it had reflected a depth of justice to it.

It not only was committed to justice and also had it reflected a degree of mercy to it.

For example, what are the people commanded to do? It says go your way eat the fat and drink sweet wine which is great. Yeah go celebrate this day is holy to the Lord.

And it says and send portions to him for whom nothing is prepared. Basically, not only yeah celebrate today but also as you celebrate send portions to those who don't have anything.

And this is the justice, the right, the law of God but also the mercy of God.

We are reading Nehemiah chapter 6 and 7, Esther chapter 1 and 2, after we read chapters 11 and 12 yesterday, as well as Proverbs chapter 21 verses 1 through 4.

Ezra opens the book of the law.

Every way of a man is right in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the heart.

I am doing a great work and I cannot come down.

They don't have permission. Why? Because we turn to the Lord and say, no Lord God, give us our strength, be our strength.

Using the Great Adventure Bible Timeline, we'll read all the way from Genesis to Revelation, discovering how the story of salvation unfolds and how we fit into that story today.

Also we're beginning the book of Esther and we begin the book of Esther here in the Revised Standard Version. I'll get to that in just a second. So we're also reading Esther 11 and 12.

As always, as I said, the Bible translation I'm reading from is the Revised Standard Version, Second Catholic Edition. I'm using the Great Adventure Bible from Ascension.

In the old Vulgate, remember the Vulgate that was translated by St. Jerome from Hebrew and Greek into Latin. In the old Vulgate, these portions were placed by Jerome immediately after the Hebrew text of Esther, regardless of their logical position, because he himself did not regard them as canonical.

And so they were included and this is great to his credit, to his eternal credit, St. Jerome listened to Pope Damasus and included them. He said, here's my scholarly opinion. The Pope said, great, here is the historical and saintly tradition of the church. And so keep them in. St. Jerome kept them in.

The book of Nehemiah is going to be really, really important.

I love this story of the call of Nehemiah. It's incredible what happens.

It says, Nehemiah asks the question. Now he'd already visited Jerusalem maybe 15 years before this. And he asks, hey, you were in Jerusalem. How is it?

And he gets informed that the walls have not been rebuilt, that the city basically is open to attack. It's incredibly vulnerable.

And Nehemiah's response is amazing. In verse four of chapter one, he says, when I heard these words, I sat down and wept and mourned for days. And I continued fasting and praying before the God of heaven.

Our iniquities have risen higher than our heads.

Rejoice, O daughter Zion, shout aloud, daughter of Jerusalem. Behold, your king comes to you triumphant and victorious as he humble and riding on a donkey on a colt, the foal of a donkey.

Remember Jesus riding in to Jerusalem on Palm Sunday.

We also have in chapter 11, we have the 30 pieces of silver, the price for which Jesus Christ was betrayed by Judas Iscariot. And also he throws it into the treasury.

leaders eat last

We're reading Ezra chapter 5 and 6, also three chapters from Zechariah, chapters 4, 5, and 6.

The book of Ezra chapter 5. Restoration of the Temple Resumed.

We're pretty deep in the middle of these eight visions.

And in this, the branch is a code. The branch is meant to signify or indicate this guy named Zerubbabel.

And it's an invitation for all of us to not despise the day of small things, to not despise the fact that most of our lives are made up of small things.

That's the yellow period on the Bible Timeline chart, and it is. It's a new beginning, and I'm looking forward to going through it with you.

So to know the story and then to hear the prophets' voices in the context of the story, it was fascinating for me.

And so when they leave exile, it should remind us of something, and that is coming out of Egypt, because this whole pattern of exile and return, exile and return, is really, really important.

It's different than Shakespeare. It's different than Tolstoy. It's different than, you know, Chaucer. It is God's word. It is powerful and it can work in your heart in ways that you never thought possible.

And one of the things that happens is with the entire Bible is that we can stop up our ears, right? We can say I'm not listening or we can say okay, that's challenging and maybe uncomfortable. But God wants me to hear this and for in whatever reason this is this is for me.

Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God even if you're not completely understanding everything that you are hearing faith comes by hearing and in God's word is powerful.

So as you are reading remember this is not just an academic exercise. It's not just a marathon to get through it. You are encountering the heart of your father and you're encountering his plan so that you have a foundation on which you can trust in the future.

And so that sense of just showing up press play let the Lord's word penetrate your mind and heart and and not not to give up again.

The book of Jeremiah chapter 47. Judgment against the Philistines.

Chapter 48. Judgment against Moab.

The Lamentations of Jeremiah, chapter 2.

The book of Proverbs chapter 18 verses 1 through 4.

The book of Jeremiah chapter 43, Jeremiah warns of judgment.

The book of Judith chapter 15, the Assyrian army flees.

The Book of Proverbs Chapter 17 verses 17 through 20.

In some Protestant Bibles it is not.

But at the beginning of Judith, we say, okay, in the 12th year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar, who ruled over the Assyrians in the great city of Nineveh--like, wait a second, wait a second. We're hearing about Nebuchadnezzar. Nebuchadnezzar wasn't the king of the Assyrians and he didn't live in Nineveh.

And so the book of Judith might be something similar to the Song of Solomon, which is not necessarily historical, or the book of Job, which might or might not be historical, but it does convey a truth to us.

So teach you the truth through this story, the truth of God, the truth of who we are, the truth of how God fights for us, and the truth of just some really incredible things.

Basically you can subscribe to the idea that while the book of Judith is true, 100% true, it might not be historically literally true, right? But it's telling us the truth, just like Job told us the truth, just like the Song of Songs tells us the truth.

The readings are phenomenal. They're incredible.

God heard her cry.

The Lord heard her cry.

God hears your prayers.

I love Susanna's prayer...she says in verse 42: 'Oh eternal God who discern what is secret who are aware of all things before they come to be, you know that these men have borne a false witness against me and now I'm to die yet I have done none of the things that they have wickedly invented against me.'

If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O King.

But if not, be it known to you, O King, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image which you have set up.

I love this, he goes, when you hear the sound, you better bow down and worship. If you do not worship, you shall immediately be cast into a burning fiery furnace.

And he asked the question, and who is the God that will deliver you out of my hands?

It's so good. Oh, Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter.

The book of the prophet Jeremiah chapter 18, the potter and the clay.

The book of the prophet Ezekiel chapter 47 water flowing from the temple.

Chapter 48 The Tribal Portions

The book of Proverbs chapter 15, verses 21 to 24.

I think Jeremiah 12 is beautiful. Jeremiah 13 gets weird, but we're going to get to that in a second.

And there's that sense of the people around me, here's Jeremiah talking, right? Here's Jeremiah saying, pull those false people here in Jerusalem, those false people in Judah, pull them out like sheep for the slaughter.

If you've raced with men on foot and they have wearied you, how will you compete with horses?

I will again have compassion on them and I'll bring them again, each to his heritage and each to his land.

And that's just this drop, right? In the midst of all this chaos that Jeremiah has to experience, there's this drop of hope where God is saying, yes, this is what's going to happen.

The old testament is revealed in the new and the new testament is hidden in the old.

We must observe that in the spiritual building one entrance lies open to the east another to the north and another to the south just as the cold of the north denotes sinners so the southern way stands for the fervent in spirit who kindled by the heat of the holy spirit grow up in virtues as in the noonday light then let the gate lie open to the east so that those who after the beginning of heat and light have relapsed in the coldness and darkness of their sins may through the work of penitence return to pardon and recognize what is the true rejoicing on inward recompense let the gate lie open to the south so that those who burn in virtues with holy desires may daily penetrate the mysteries of inward joy with spiritual understanding.

always in light of jesus you know it ultimately makes sense

The Bible translation that I'm reading from is the Revised Standard Version, the Second Catholic Edition. I'm using the Great Adventure Bible from Ascension.

The book of the prophet Jeremiah chapter 5, the godlessness of Jerusalem.

The Book of the Prophet Ezekiel, Chapter 33, The Watchman's Duty

The book of Proverbs chapter 14, verses 21 through 24.

In the book of the prophet Ezekiel chapter 31, the towering cedar.

Thus says the Lord God, this is chapter 31 verse 15. When it goes down to Sheol, I will make the deep mourn for it and all the other trees of the field shall faint because of it.

And that's what we go into chapter 32. It's the lamentation over Pharaoh.

And that's why it says, here's the little history lesson. Assyria is there. Elam is there. Meshech and Tubal are there. Edom is there. We have the princes of the north are there. We have Sidon is there.

Oh Jerusalem, wash your hearts from wickedness that you may be saved.

There is a way which seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death.

It's the last one that I just had read. It's there is a way which seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death.

God scorns the wicked, but the upright enjoy his favor.

The heart knows its own bitterness, and no stranger shares its joy.

The house of the wicked will be destroyed, but the tent of the upright will flourish.

I know that the book of the prophet Isaiah can be so intimidating.

The book of any of the major prophets can be so intimidating.

as often as your word is confusing, as often as your word, we only understand it like through as through a veil darkly.

Help me to love the things you love and hate the things you hate.

God give us a heart like yours.

He who walks with wise men becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm.

He who walks with wise men becomes wise but the companion of fools will suffer harm there's there's something so powerful about this that we can easily forget that we can they can be kind of indiscriminate when it comes to choosing those that we spend time with.

If i surround myself with people who are are striving after the lord then i can be taken up with them right i can start matching pace with them as they race after the lord in his will and if i surround myself intentionally with people who are indifferent to god and people who are indifferent to um the plight of the people around us around me then that's gonna have an effect on me.

Those who walk with the wise become wise and those who walk with the holy become holy those who walk with who love god become lovers of god because that changes our hearts it changes our minds it changes our goals.

And i sought for a man among them who should build up the wall and stand in the breach before me for the land that i should not destroy it but i found none.

The Bible translation I'm reading from is the revised, segue here, the revised standard version, Second Catholic Vision. I'm using the Great Adventure Bible from Ascension.

It's gosh every time we come back to the book of Proverbs there's these little javelins right? These little arrows or spears of truth that can really just if we meditate on them and put them into practice they will make a huge difference in our lives.

wealth hastily gotten will dwindle, but he who gathers little by little will increase it.

I just I won big, I scored big versus little by little. Someone who gathers little by little will increase it because you learn how to live with little as opposed to someone who thinks oh my gosh I have this abundance and now I but I've never learned how to live with abundance.

We grope for the wall like the blind we grope like those who have no eyes because the Lord has taken away the light and yet and yet says that light will shine this is chapter 60.

I love this in chapter 6 verse 17, for just as one's dish is useless when it is broken, so are the gods of the heathen that have been set up in the temples, that their eyes are full of dust. People have to wipe them off.

They're evidently not gods. So do not fear them.

So do not fear them is do not be superstitious of them, right?

All three of those temptations tempted to turn away from the worship God has asked from us. And number two, it's attempted to worship false idols or number three, even just be tempted to give false idols power by being afraid of them, by being afraid of superstition, by being afraid of something that has no power to rule us, has no power that we don't give to it.

So do not be afraid of anything or anyone else.

Baruch is also one of those seven Deuteronomical books that if you have only read Protestant Bibles where Martin Luther had taken out those seven extra, well, they're extra to you. For us as Catholics, they are part of the canon.

So we're going to read and hear from the prophet Baruch chapter 1 and 2, as well as Proverbs 11 verses 17 through 20.

Baruch was a contemporary of Jeremiah in fact he would be a I don't know I don't want to just say a traveling companion with with Jeremiah he might have been Jeremiah's scribe he might have been a co-prophet with Jeremiah and so he is writing after the Babylonian exile that's what he's saying he's actually writing to the people of the exile so that's why he's in the baby blue right Jeff has the the color-coded nest that we're in baby blue because they're singing the blues in exile and what happens is here is Baruch who's ministering to the people who are in Babylon and a number of the things that he he's doing is he's writing a letter to Jerusalem basically saying we're taking up a collection and we're asking you because here we are in Babylon we're exiled we're not in the temple we're not in Jerusalem that's the only place worship can happen so we're taking a collection and we're sending it to you please pray for us offer worship on our behalf but also this is crazy offer worship on behalf of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and for Belshazzar his son and that's just it's remarkable but you know Saint Paul is going to repeat this in Romans chapter 13 talking about praying for the rulers even unjust rulers because at the time of Paul there was pretty unjust rulers and Nebuchadnezzar is the one who brought them all into exile in the first place and so it's remarkable that here in even in the Old Testament they're saying pray for the rulers but then they go on to have a confession of their sins and talk about how yeah we disobeyed the Lord we knew his law we didn't lack anything the only thing we lacked were hearts that were willing to be changed ears that were willing to listen eyes that were willing to truly see and you know lives are willing to truly be who God had called us to be and so this lengthy confession because righteousness belongs to God but know what we chose we chose something other than righteousness and then he leads them into this prayer for deliverance basically saying Lord God bring us back bring us back and even Baruch even includes the words of God himself saying well don't worry I'm going to bring you home I am going to bring you out of this land of exile because why because I have established my covenant and I will bring you back and this is the beginning of the book of the prophet Baruch we're going to continue journeying with him for a couple days and just three days total and it's just it's remarkable to be able to not only be with Isaiah as he's with you know these kings Ahaz and Uzziah and Hezekiah before the Babylonian exile but also to hear the words of Baruch during the Babylonian exile where here is a people that have been humbled they were a mass of people that had been become a small remnant and yet that remnant is saying God don't forget God in the declaration of faith God you won't forget and you will bring us home.

I will make an everlasting covenant with them to be their God and they shall be my people I will never again remove my people Israel from the land which I have given them.

The book of the prophet Isaiah is hit after hit. I mean, it's so good.

The book of condemnation, you might call it the book of woe, yeah, book of woe, we'll call it book of woe and the book of consolation.

The book of woe would be from chapters one to 39.

And then after that, from chapter 40 to chapter 66 to the end of the book of prophet Isaiah, we're having the book of consolation where there's so much consolation going on of like, yes. So God has not abandoned you.

There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse and a branch shall grow out of his roots. What is that? Well, Jesse, remember Jesse is the father of David, the king and the promise of God was that the kingdom, the dynasty of David would not fail, that the Messiah ultimately would come from the line of David that that kingdom would endure forever.

What to me is the multitude of your sacrifices? I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams and the fat of fed beasts.

Your new moons and your appointed feasts my soul hates. They have become a burden to me. I am weary of bearing them.

Yes, this is the worship that I asked for. But you are not the worshippers that I asked for.

Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow. Though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool.

The mountain of the house of the Lord shall be established as the highest of the mountains and shall be raised above the hills. All nations shall flow to it.

I have a lot of favorites, I guess. But we also are introduced to the prophet Micah, which is pretty phenomenal.

As always, the Bible translation that I am reading from is the Revised Standard Version, the Second Catholic Edition.

I love this title of this Psalm, the inescapable God.

You are the inescapable God because you formed us in the depths of our being. You formed us and we were hidden in our mother's wombs.

And why would we, Lord God? Help us to let you find us. Help us to seek after you and not run from you, not race to the ends of the sea or to fly to earth.

There is no faithfulness or kindness and no knowledge of God in the land.

My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.

I desire mercy and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.

And that's what we're praying for. That's our goal for these 365 days is to have a deeper and deeper knowledge of the one who created us, the one who redeemed us, and the one who loves us.

He loves you so much.

The Bible in a Year podcast is brought to you by Ascension. Using the Great Adventure Bible Timeline, we'll read all the way from Genesis to Revelation, discovering how the story of salvation unfolds and how we fit into that story today.

As always, the Bible translation that I am reading from is the Revised Standard Version, 2nd Catholic Edition.

The Bible translation that I'm reading from is the Revised Standard Version, the Second Catholic Edition.

I'm using the Great Adventure Bible from Ascension.

As I said, chapter 11 of First Kings.

pay attention to Solomon in First Kings 11 as well as listen to the wisdom of Solomon or of the author of Ecclesiastes 10, 11 and 12.

And we then also get to pray with King David in Psalm 9.

God's ways are inscrutable we don't we don't know what happens that here's a sinner who gets ahead and here's a righteous person who doesn't get ahead and yet the same fate happens to them all we all end up just dying.

Remember one of the big big takeaways one of the big lessons for the book of Ecclesiastes is this if all there is is this world if all there is is this life it's meaningless if all there that if all there is is this life then this life is meaningless because it all ends in death if all there is in this world is this world this world is meaningless because it just ends in death basically.

the day will come when no one knows your name the day will come when you're completely forgotten in fact that's the the last story that the wise one tells in chapter nine he says here's an example of wisdom under the sun great city few men in it great king came against it besiege it it was going to destroy the city but this poor wise man his wisdom delivered the city and yet i don't even know his name nobody knows this person's name.

you know you're gonna be forgotten really soon

one last note in chapter 9 verse 11 just so powerful again i saw that under the sun the race is not to the swift nor the battle to the strong nor bread to the wise nor riches to the intelligent nor favor to the men of skill but time and chance happen to them all

Ecclesiastes can be a very troubling, very confusing book but also can be very inspiring if we just receive it the right way.

the day of your death is better than the day of your birth like what better to go to the house of mourning than the house of feasting

we recognize that all things are going to have an end we recognize that all things are going to have an end then we live with clarity we can we can then live with purpose but if i'm just focusing on the beginning if i'm just focusing on the start without focusing on the ending then i will probably live incredibly foolishly i will live a life of folly

was it um Stephen Covey who had said begin with the end in mind as a way to live wisely because i know what's coming or i have an idea of what i where i want to end up therefore i'm going to live in a way that's intentional trying to get towards that place

Say not why were the former days better than these for it is not from wisdom that you ask this

As always, the Bible translation that I am reading from is the Revised Standard Version, the Second Catholic Edition. I am using the Great Adventure Bible from Ascension.

If you want to download your own Bible in a Year reading plan, you can visit ascensionpress.com slash Bible in a Year.

The Bible in a Year podcast is brought to you by Ascension. Using the Great Adventure Bible timeline, we'll read all the way from Genesis to Revelation, discovering how the story of salvation unfolds and how we fit into that story today.

As always, the Bible translation that I am reading from is the Revised Standard Version, Second Catholic Edition, and I'm using the Great Adventure Bible from Ascension.

We're getting to the end of these books. In fact, we only have, I think, two days left after this with 1 Chronicles and 2 Samuel before we go into 1 Kings and 2 Chronicles.

The second book of Samuel chapter 22, David's song of thanksgiving.

The first book of Chronicles chapter 27, the military divisions.

Inside the Ark of God are the Ten Commandments. Inside the Ark of God is the staff of Aaron and inside the Ark of God is a container with the manna, the bread from heaven that's there.

Mary, the mother of God, is often referred to in Catholic circles as the new ark of the covenant.

In the ark were what? Was the Ten Commandments, was the staff of Aaron and were the manna from heaven. Well, in the new ark of the covenant, Mary herself, what was present in Mary's womb in Luke chapter one? Well, in Luke chapter one, you have Jesus himself who is what? The word made flesh, the word of God, the word made flesh, the great high priest, and who is, he says in John chapter six, I am the true bread that came down from heaven.

When David is here at the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite, where is that? That's in the hill country of Judea, you guys. This is amazing. What does David say? Who am I that the ark of my Lord should come to me?

This is one of the reasons why the Catholic church declares, yeah, Mary's the new ark of the new covenant because Jesus is this fulfillment of everything in the old Testament.

If it was included in that, it would be because what's happening is 1 Chronicles and 2 Chronicles, it is going to be focused on a couple of things. One is the temple and worship. The other is the kingdom and the Messiah.

And it uses King David as the prototype for the Messiah.

So while we are going to go through 2 Samuel and hear all of the stories of not just David the great and not just David the wise, but also David the sinner, 1 and 2 Chronicles are not going to really emphasize David's sin.

In particular, not just to glorify David, but to highlight this is what the Messiah will be like. The Messiah will have all the virtues of David plus whatever more, right?

I'm reading from the Revised Standard Version, Second Catholic Edition. I'm using Great Adventure Bible from Ascension.

he brought me forth into a broad place he delivered me because he delighted in me

he saved me because he loved me

I think a lot of us hold on to this idea that I have to perform in order to please the Lord that you have to perform in order to please the Lord that you have to do something in order to be delighted in

he saved you because he delighted in you he saved David because he delighted in David and he saves you because he loves you

Now we're entering into the period of the royal kingdom.

We're going to be introduced to Saul today in 1 Samuel chapter 9 and 10. We're also reading from the book of Proverbs like we did the last couple of days. Proverbs chapter 6 verses 23-35.

So it can be sometimes difficult for us to hear, okay, so loose women, what about the men?

But he says, those who commit adultery, it's something different, right? A person does need to eat in order to live, but a person does not need to commit adultery in order to do anything.

And so we ask the Lord not only for His mercy, for His forgiveness for those times, but also for healing, reconciliation and restoration so we can avoid them in the future.

The Gospel according to John chapter 4.

Book of Proverbs chapter 5, verses 7 through 14.

Remember the manna that came out from heaven in book of Exodus and numbers yeah that that's awesome but jesus is saying i'm the true bread living bread that came out from heaven and he goes on if anyone eats of this bread he will live forever and the bread which i shall give for the life of the world is my flesh

it is written in the prophets and they shall all be taught by God everyone who has heard and learned from the father comes to me

the words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life

As always, the Bible translation that I am reading from is the Revised Standard Version, Second Catholic Edition. I'm using the Great Adventure Bible from Ascension.

The Bible in a Year podcast is brought to you by Ascension.

The darkest day that we've read so far has been Genesis chapter three, right? Genesis chapter three, where Adam and Eve are first parents, where they rebel against the Lord, they disobey against God.

In Genesis chapter three, verse 15, God says to the serpent, 'I will put enmity between you and the woman, between your seed and her seed. He shall bruise your head and you shall bruise his heel.'

And we know that the head of the enemy is crushed by the offspring of the woman. Ultimately, that crushing is done by Jesus Christ, who is the ultimate Redeemer, the ultimate judge, the ultimate warrior who's fighting for his people.

And so let's not jump to the idea that here is this easy life for Ruth. This is maybe the first day where there's been hope in Ruth's life in a really long time.

But remember that it takes sometimes a long time. We're going to hear that a thousand years to God, a thousand years are like a single day and a single day are like a thousand years. But there are glimmers of hope in every one of our lives if we're willing to look for it.

The book of Judges begins in the dark and ends even darker.

The book of Judges is phenomenal and it is phenomenal not because it's a great story.

It's this constant hamster wheel that we're gonna see throughout the entire book of Judges, and it could become a source of frustration for a lot of people because it is this complete, you see it coming.

There's disobedience which leads to distress. Israel falls away. They are not faithful. They turn to other gods and then God gives the power of the Philistines or the Amorites or the Amalekites or the Moabites into their hand. They call out, they repent.

We only have four chapters in the book of Ruth. That's today and then the following three days we have one chapter each day for the next three days of the book of Ruth.

I am reading from the Revised Standard Version, Second Catholic Edition, and I'm using the Great Adventure Bible from Ascension.

Using the Great Adventure Bible timeline, we'll read all the way from Genesis to Revelation, discovering how the story of salvation unfolds and how we fit into that story today.

It is day 88. It is the last day that we are reading from the book of Joshua.

We're reading Joshua chapter 22, 23, and 24. We're also praying Psalm 132.

If you want to download your own Bible in a Year reading plan to follow along with us, prepare your day to know what you're going to be reading or hearing from, you can visit ascensionpress.com slash Bible in a Year.

And they think, okay, so how is this possible? It seems like people were pointing to, Christians or Christian Catholic scholars were pointing to Joshua chapter 10 as an argument against Galileo, which may or may not be accurate.

So whether someone reads it poetically and says kind of like when we read Genesis 1 through 11 in a poetic way that's great or we say yeah God can perform miracles, he has done it even more recently where there has been even I guess we say for lack of better term photographic evidence or evidence of people who were skeptics and atheists and there to disprove the miracle who experienced the miracle.

God can do those kinds of things and has done those kinds of things so Joshua chapter 10 should not bother us because good faith and good science never ever contradict.

God's original plan is not death, is not destruction, is not violence. It is only a result of our broken humanity and our brokenness that God allows in his plan what we just read and what we're going to read in the next couple days because the book of Joshua is a book of violence and it's a book of violence in which God is somehow mysteriously but actually involved.

And that is what God wants for us in our hearts, in our countries, in our world to finally at some point have rest from war.

The Bible in a Year podcast is brought to you by Ascension. Using the Great Adventure Bible timeline, we'll read all the way from Genesis to Revelation, discovering how the story of salvation unfolds and how we fit into that story today.

As I said today, we are reading from Joshua chapter 5 through chapter 7 and praying Psalm 125.

We have only two days left, including today, until we're completed with the book of Numbers and the book of Deuteronomy and moving on to the next time period, the conquest and judges.

So we are reading today from Numbers chapter 34, Deuteronomy chapter 33. We'll also be praying Psalm 120 as always.

Now I don't often talk about the Psalms as we're praying through these, but we just prayed Psalm 120. And Psalm 120 marks the beginning of what is called the Psalms of Ascent.

The Psalms of Ascent are from Psalm 120 to 134.

So from here on day 79 and we're beginning with Psalm 120, we'll continue praying until day 90 with Psalm 134.

And when all these things come upon you, the blessing and the curse, which I have set before you and you call them to mind among all the nations where the Lord your God has driven you and return to the Lord your God, you and your children and obey his voice in all that I command you this day with all your heart and with all your soul.

Then the Lord your God will restore your fortunes and have compassion upon you and he will gather you again from all the peoples where the Lord your God has scattered you.

See, I have set before you this day life and good, death and evil.

For this commandment which I command you this day is not too hard for you, neither is it far off.

I call heaven and earth to witness against you this day that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Therefore, choose life that you and your descendants may live, loving the Lord your God, obeying his voice and clinging to him.

In Numbers chapter 31, what does the Lord command? Through Moses, what does Moses command?

We forgot that way back in chapter 25, the people of Israel had been false, right? They had worshiped the Baal of Peor.

And remember there was even that couple, Zimri son of Salu and the woman, the Midianite woman was named Cosby and they were killed by Phineas in the very threshold of the holiest place on the planet because they were engaged in, we'll call it fertility rituals in the presence of the Lord.

So you have this, we can never read scripture isolated. We can never just take a moment out, a text out of context. We have to read scripture in its entirety and what God reveals is that no, I'm the God of the living. I'm the God who loves everyone and when we get to the book of wisdom, what we're gonna hear the Lord God say is I do not rejoice in the destruction of the living.

It is only because of the weakness of the people of Israel that Moses commands that all of the people of Midian be destroyed. It's a hard word for us. It's not necessarily a good word but it is the word that is needed.

The Bible translation we are reading from is the revised standard version, second Catholic edition.

We are reading today from Numbers chapter 29 and 30 Deuteronomy chapter 29.

The Book of Deuteronomy chapter 29.

And Moses told the sons of Israel everything, just as the Lord had commanded Moses. Chapter 30, The Keeping of Vows.

We heard all about the sacrifices for those three different feasts, trumpets, Day of Atonement, Feast of Booths.

The Book of Numbers chapter 27. The Daughters of Zelophehad.

The Lord said to Moses, Go up into this mountain of Abirim, and see the land which I have given to the sons of Israel.

The Lord said to Moses, Take Joshua, the son of Nun, a man in whom is the spirit, and lay your hand upon him.

And if you obey the voice of the Lord your God, being careful to do all His commandments which I command you this day, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth.

But if you will not obey the voice of the Lord your God or be careful to do all His commandments and His statutes which I command you this day, then all these curses shall come upon you and overtake you.

The Bible translation that I'm using today and pretty much every day is the Revised Standard Version, the Second Catholic Edition.

I'm using the Great Adventure Bible from Ascension.

Today's readings are Numbers 26, Deuteronomy 27, and Psalm 111.

The book of Numbers 26, another census of Israel.

In the book of Deuteronomy chapter 27.

As always, I am reading from the Great Adventure Bible from Ascension. The translation it is is the Revised Standard Version, Second Catholic Edition.

So there's this connection between the Passover and this, but also with this ceremony of the red heifer that you see the hyssop once again.

And later on, it kind of gives us a foreshadowing or as a connection with what Jesus talked about when it comes to things on the outside might seem clean, but if interiorly they are not clean, then they're not clean, right? In the heart.

And the rock was Christ, the rock in the wilderness was Christ.

And he says, Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us. And then he quotes Deuteronomy 21. He says, 'for it is written, cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree.'

Using the Great Adventure Bible Timeline, we'll read all the way from Genesis to Revelation, discovering how the story of salvation unfolds and how we fit into that story today.

As always, I am reading from the Bible translation of the called Revised Standard Version, the Second Catholic Edition. As always, I'm using the Great Adventure Bible from Ascension.

Today, once again, it's day 58. We're reading Numbers chapter 7, Deuteronomy chapter 7 and Psalm 92.

So as we're praying through Numbers chapter 7 one of the things that strikes us is the repetitive nature of Numbers chapter 7. Like oh my goodness we had to go through all those? Yes we did because it is the word of God and it is a gift to all of us.

Now one thing to be able to draw our attention to when it comes to Numbers chapter 7 with the offerings of the leaders, one is that every single tribe contributed to the worship of the tabernacle. Every single tribe brought the same thing.

Just a quick reminder, the Bible translation that I'm using is the Revised Standard Version, 2nd Catholic Edition and I'm using the Great Adventure Bible from Ascension.

To download your Bible in a Year reading plan so you can know what Day 54 was and what Day 56 is going to be, you can go to ascensionpress.com slash Bible in a Year and download that for free.

It is Day 55 and we'll be reading from Numbers chapter 4, Deuteronomy chapter 4, we'll be praying Psalm 88.

Today, Numbers chapter 4, Deuteronomy chapter 4, Psalm 88.

You know, Psalm 88, the one Psalm ends in darkness. Every other Psalm has a line of hope, even in the midst of pain, even in the midst of discouragement and distraction and defeat.

Actually it tells us a ton. Not only does it tell us that God is a God of order, right? That these are people that he's bringing together.

Remember that God is making them into a people, a people who have the strength to be free.

In fact, you might have even recognized the name of the leader of the tribe of Judah. He was Nashon, the son of Amminadab.

The opening of Matthew's gospel, Matthew gives a genealogy and the genealogy is from Abraham all the way down to Joseph, all the way down to Jesus essentially and we go through a list of names of the tribe of Judah.

Judah goes up first and so Judah goes up first.

The Lord spoke to Moses in the wilderness of Sinai in the tent of meeting on the first day of the second month in the second year after they had come out of the land of Egypt saying take a census of all the congregation of the sons of Israel by families, by father's houses according to the number of names every male head by head from 20 years old and upward all in Israel who are able to go forth to war.

The Fifth Book of Moses, commonly called Deuteronomy. Chapter 1. Events at Horeb recalled.

These are the words that Moses spoke to all Israel beyond the Jordan in the wilderness in the Erebah over against Suph, between Paran and Tophel, Laban, Hazeroth, and Izahab.

And in the fortieth year, on the first day of the eleventh month, Moses spoke to the sons of Israel according to all that the Lord had given him in commandment to them. Hever he had defeated Sihon the king of the Amorites, who lived in Heshbon, and Og the king of Bashan, who lived in Ashteroth and in Adri. Beyond the Jordan, in the land of Moab, Moses undertook to explain this law, saying, The Lord our God said to us in Horeb, You have stayed long enough at this mountain.

How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord of hosts! My soul longs, yes, faints for the courts of the Lord. My heart and my flesh sing for joy to the living God.

As always, I'm reading from the Revised Standard Version, Second Catholic Edition, actually from the Great Adventure Bible from Ascension.

You can get that at ascensionpress.com or wherever you buy your Bibles.

So Exodus chapter 24 on the mountain of God and the blood of the covenant.

And in Leviticus chapter 18, we have laws regarding sexual morality.

But in Leviticus chapter 18, one of the things that the Lord God says in verse 24, he says, do not defile yourselves by any of these things.

Today, as I said, we're going through Exodus chapter 9.

We're going to continue by reading more of the plagues.

The book of Leviticus chapter 7.

We're fully into uh the second month of a journey through the bible this bible in a year podcast

one of the questions is so why is god hardening pharaoh's heart what does it mean that it says that god hardens pharaoh's heart

I'm reading from the Revised Standard Version 2nd Catholic Edition. I'm using the Great Adventure Bible from ascension.

You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored?

You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden.

Do not think that I have come to abolish the law and the prophets. I have come not to abolish them, but to fulfill them.

For truly I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the law until all is accomplished.

The Bible translation that I am reading from is the revised standard version Catholic edition. And I'm using the Great Adventure Bible from Ascension.

we are reading today. Day 16 from chapter 31 and 32, Job 21 in 22 and Proverbs 39 through 12.

Job chapter 21 and 22.

Proverbs chapter 3 verses 9 through 12.

The Bible translation that I'm using and use every day is revised standard version, Catholic edition.

I'm using the Great Adventure Bible from Ascension and also following the reading plan that you can also download.

Remember Ezra was one book, Ezra and Niemaihe were originally one book.

In this second Catholic edition I'm using the great adventure Bible from Ascension.

Do not say, I will repay evil, wait for the Lord and he will help you.

And inheritance gotten hastily in the beginning will in the end not be blessed

And they shall devour to the right and to the left all the peoples round about, while Jerusalem shall still be inhabited in its place in Jerusalem.

Oh my God, I am ashamed and blush to lift my face to you, my God for our iniquities have risen higher than our heads.

our iniquities have risen higher than our heads

Rejoice greatly O'Dodder of Zion, shout aloud O'Dodder of Jerusalem. Behold, your King comes to you, triumphant and victorious is he humble and riding on a donkey on a cult the full of a donkey.

I hate divorce

cast them into the treasury in the house of the Lord

Today's readings are Ezra 7-8, Zechariah 7-8, and Proverbs 20:12-15.

So it's the same story, it's part one and part two. It was originally as I said written on the same scroll and somewhere in the Middle Ages. It was divided up into two different books and so just FYI.

The Bible translation that I'm reading from is the Revised Standard Version, Second Catholic Edition. I'm using the Great Adventure Bible from Ascension.

What Bible translation is the best? The one that you are willing to read.

The Bible. Oh, that's in bestsellers right next to Twilight.

Well, first and foremost is the one that I always promote, and that's God's Word, the Bible. So, I would keep that at the top of the list.

The Bible all right

I'm trying to say that the Bible is underrated

Really all religious texts are underrated and I can't blame anyone for underrating religion since religion is a lot of speculative crap

I would love to read the book of Job and actually be able to read more than two paragraphs without Sitting there going what the fuck are they talking about?

Job Rich reads as a tale of cruelty because God and the devil got together to put Job through the ringer

Why don't you go after the book? What's the book? The Bible?

I pull out a spec book and I'll throw it in front of them... That is the Bible for what we design and what we got to do.

Hey Bible readers, I'm Tara-Leigh Cobble and I'm your host for the Bible Recap. If you're doing our New Testament plan, today we finished our 7th and 8th books. If you're doing the whole Bible, we finished our 46th and 47th books.

If you have time, go back and slow down and look for all the things God is doing here.

It takes about 40 hours to read from cover to cover. Why don't you just do it as fast as you can so that you have the whole Scriptures inside your brain.

The scriptures themselves, it's a book of books. It's a library in and to itself. And for me, reading at that clip, I mean, it was kind of like mental CrossFit to some degree.

Honestly, the biggest benefit to me in that first run all the way through was so many of my doubts completely perished in my first reading through the Bible.

Reading through the whole Bible keeps you from going to unnecessary extremes. The Bible is a book full of some pretty amazing paradoxes because it is not a human invention; it is the very word of God.

The Bible is its own best commentary. It answers most of its own questions.

I used the ESV translation, and I walked you through my reasons for choosing that particular translation.

If you don't have any idea which translation you want to read, you can use the Bible app to compare and contrast readability. Then, once you've decided on a translation, I strongly encourage you to get a print Bible. It's easy to forget the Bible exists if you don't see it.

He said, read it. Read the whole thing. Let your eyes fall on every word. Don't skip anything, not even the genealogies or the laws.

I set out to read it for the first time all the way through. And I'll be honest, it was hard.

On that second trip through his word, when I was looking for him, I found him. And I fell in love with him. I began to see not just what he was doing, but why he was doing it, what his heart was behind it.

Because as someone who has felt alienated by it and stuck in it, as someone who has felt frustrated and confused and who really wanted to disengage because I was starting to not like God, hang in there. Because the good stuff is on the other side of that struggle.

If you've been trying to piece this thing together, if you've wanted this or even just wanted to want it, if you feel the desire on some level but don't know if you have the tools, I'm here to help you with that, to walk through this with you, to hand you those tools along the way.

Every day that you open up your Bible and put your eyes on who God says He is, you're displaying the kind of wisdom this verse calls us to.

Because remember, this book reminds us over and over again about humility and about holding our tongues.

Hey Bible readers! I'm Tara-Leigh Cobble, and I'm your host for The Bible Recap.

We recently finished our 12th book of the Bible, and we're currently working our way through three others.

If you're looking for a book to tell you how great and worthy and deserving you are, the Bible is not that book.

The Bible refuses to let us wear rosecoloured glasses when we look at any of the people we've grown up admiring.

Hey Bible readers, I'm Tara-Leigh Cobble and I'm your host for The Bible Recap. Today we finished our 12th book of the Bible.

We finish today with Psalm 127, one of the Psalms of Ascent. And this is one of the two that were written by Solomon.

Thanks to you, so many people who never would have read through the Bible have joined us and are loving it.

Hey Bible readers, I'm Tara-Leigh Cobble and I'm your host for The Bible Recap.

but one thing I love about the Bible is that it doesn't let Chronicles off the hook.

If you read a story in 2 Samuel one day and then 1 Chronicles the next day, sometimes there will be new details that jump off the page at you that weren't in the other account.

We first read about Nimrod in Genesis 10, which mentions that he was a mighty hunter before the Lord.

We first met Peleg briefly back in Genesis 1025, which was right before the Tower of Babel, the incident where God created multiple language which served to separate the people.

Hey Bible readers, I'm Tara-Leigh Cobble and I'm your host for The Bible Recap. Today we finished our ninth book of the Bible and we're rapidly closing in on 100 days in the Word.

It takes place during the time of the Judges when all kinds of wickedness is filling the land of Israel. The book opens with a married couple, Elimelech and Naomi, leaving their hometown, Bethlehem of Judah, to escape a famine.

Hey Bible readers, I'm Tara-Leigh Cobble and I'm your host for the Bible Recap.

If you're in a dark place, this book is probably serving as a comfort to you.

Let this book help you strengthen your patience and compassion muscles.

this book is not an easy read. It isn't exactly a bright and shiny way to start out the new year, but it's real life.

Hey Bible readers, I'm TaraLeigh Cobble and I'm your host for the Bible Recap. We continued to read Job's story today.

There are lots of stories in these 66 books of the Bible, but they all work together to tell one big story. That's the metanarrative.

Genesis has historically been regarded as a book of the law. It's not a science book or even a history book, though it does tell us a lot about history. This book is 100% true, but it isn't always 100% literal.

If you struggle with that, I suggest getting a study Bible so you can dig into those things a bit more.

We just finished our 66th book of the Bible and the 27th book of the New Testament, which means you've either finished reading the whole Bible or the whole New Testament.

The Bible is one unified story.

We recently finished our 16th book of the Bible and are currently working our way through two others, so let's get the 30,000foot view on where we are in the chronological timeline of the Bible's overall metanarrative.

The Bible is one unified story.

places like Leviticus and numbers and genealogies.

the prophet in second Chronicles 15. And he said, if you seek him, he will be found by you.

This is in the good book. The book of John I believe

This is in the good book. The book of John I believe um and in now it gets like lumped into scientific term it's called um Lazarus taxon when something disappears from the archaeological record.