The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)

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 Proverbs of Solomon, a wise son makes a glad father, but a foolish son is a sorrow to his mother. Treasures gained by wickedness do not profit, but righteousness delivers from death. The Lord does not let the righteous go hungry, but he thwarts the craving of the wicked. A slack hand causes poverty, but the hand of the diligent makes rich.

In the book of Proverbs chapter 9 verses 13 through 18. A foolish woman is noisy.

And so not only in the book of Proverbs do we have this sense of like, okay, Lord, you remind us that yet so many voices calling to us, so many voices saying, help over here, over here, over here, come over here. Give us your attention. Give us your heart. Give us your mind. Give us your life because everything that takes our attention is taking our life.

Everything that we give a minute of our attention to, we've given a minute of our lives to. A minute of our heart to. And so God, help us to be wise. Help us to not turn to every foolish voice, every foolish opportunity, but only help us only listen to those wise voices in our lives. Help us to only turn to the people that we know are wise, especially your word, Lord God, we thank you for your word because it's your word that gives life.

We're also reading from Proverbs chapter 8, finishing up that chapter with verses 22 through 36.

Proverbs is all about wisdom.

So as we continue to journey forward in the book of Proverbs, one of the things that we're going to keep coming back to is the wisdom of God and how not just I'm going to say how important wisdom is.

Yeah, that's kind of an understatement of the year, but how essentially connected to God is wisdom because those who are foolish are always disconnected from God and those who are wise.

The book of Proverbs chapter eight verse 22 through 36.

We're reading 2 Kings 22, 2 Chronicles 33, and we are reading now, not from Psalms, but from the book of Proverbs, one of the wisdom books.

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

And yes, so there's the imagery of even the imagery of sexual sin. Now, while that is real, obviously it's a real sin that can also be an imagery for all other sins.

But I think it's pretty common to the human race to know what it is to be tempted towards sexual sin.

And so while yes, they are specifically talking about that particular kind of sin here in Proverbs seven, it's also a metaphor for all sin that is seductive, like right? All sin that calls to our heart in particular in the Bible, adultery is often the image for idolatry.

Yeah, you know, we have the yeah, we have the proverbs and the wisdom of Solomon and Ecclesiastes and so many wonderful books that we're going to be going through.

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

The book of Proverbs chapter 27 verses 21 and 22. The crucible is for silver, and the furnace is for gold, and a man is judged by his praise. Crush a fool in a mortar with a pestle along with crushed grain, yet his folly will not depart from him.

Your friend and your father's friend do not forsake and do not go to your brother's house in the day of your calamity. Better is a neighbor who is near than a brother who is far away.

Be wise, my son, and make my heart glad that I may answer him who reproaches me.

A prudent man sees danger and hides himself, but the simple go on and suffer for it.

the book of Proverbs chapter 25 verses 1 through 3, further wise sayings of Solomon. These also are proverbs of Solomon which the men of Hezekiah king of Judah copied.

In the book of Proverbs chapter 9 verses 13 through 18. A foolish woman is noisy. She is wanton and she knows no shame. She sits at the door of her house. She takes a seat on the high places of the town, calling to those who pass by, who are going straight on their way. Whoever is simple, let him turn in here.

And so not only in the book of Proverbs do we have this sense of like, okay, Lord, you remind us that yet so many voices calling to us, so many voices saying, help over here, over here, over here, come over here.

The Book of Proverbs chapter 6, verses 23 through 35.

And I just want to highlight, you know, in chapter five, chapter six, as we heard, it, you know, chapter five is the subtitle warning against loose women. And chapter six is practical admonitions and warnings.

But it does have this in this last section on chapter six, it does have this word of caution and talks about the thief.

Proverbs chapter 1 verses 1 through 7. The Proverbs of Solomon, son of David, king of Israel.

That men may know wisdom and instruction, understand words of insight, receive instruction in wise dealing, righteousness, justice, and equity.

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge. Fools despise wisdom and instruction.

We're reading today Acts of the Apostles chapter 12, as well as St. Paul's first letter to the Corinthians chapter five and six and Proverbs chapter 28 verses one through three.

The book of Proverbs chapter 28 verses one through three, the wicked and the righteous contrasted.

We're also reading Proverbs chapter 26 verses 20 through 23.

The book of Proverbs chapter 26 verses 20 through 23 for lack of wood, the fire goes out and where there is no whisperer quarreling ceases as charcoal to hot embers and wood to fire.

But all of those prophets, all of those books of Moses, everything in the Old Testament you have already read.

The book of Proverbs chapter 26, verses 17 through 19. He who meddles in a quarrel, not his own is like one who takes a passing dog by the ears.

Like a madman who throws firebrands arrows and death is the man who deceives his neighbor and says, I'm only joking.

my son do not lead the life of a beggar it is better to die than to beg when a man looks to the table of another his existence cannot be considered as life he pollutes himself with another man's food but a man who is intelligent and well instructed guards against that in the mouth of the shameless begging is sweet but in his stomach a fire is kindled chapter 41

the book of proverbs chapter 24 verses 1 through 7 be not envious of evil men nor desire to be with them for their minds devise violence and their lips talk of mischief by wisdom a house is built and by understanding it is established by knowledge the rooms are filled with all precious and pleasant riches

father in heaven we give you praise and thank you uh you keep calling us gosh every day lord you keep calling us to wisdom you keep calling us to see things as clearly as possible and to choose them as firmly as possible help us to walk in your will and walk in the light of your truth help us to number our days are right that we may gain wisdom of heart

The book of Proverbs chapter 20, verse 20 through 22. If one curses his father or his mother, his lamp will be put out in utter darkness.

And inheritance gotten hastily in the beginning will in the end not be blessed.

Do not say I will repay evil. Wait for the Lord and he will help you.

And that's what the book of Proverbs, you know, that chapter 20, verse 22, do not say, I will repay evil, wait for the Lord and he will help you.

I'm also like this verse 21 of chapter 20 of Proverbs and inheritance gotten hastily in the beginning will in the end not be blessed.

chapter 16 verse 3 of proverbs is one of those that i have had on a like a bookmarker ever since i was a little kid 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 it's commit your work to the lord and your plans will be established

commit your works to the lord and your plans will be established um that sense of just being able to say god uh this is for you and everything i do i want to do it for you

The book of Proverbs chapter 11 verses 13 through 16.

He who goes about as a tailbearer reveals secrets but he who is trustworthy in spirit keeps a thing hidden. Where there is no guidance a people falls but in an abundance of counselors there is safety.

we are reading now not from Psalms but from the Book of Proverbs, one of the wisdom books.

we're praying, kinda, more getting some wisdom from Proverbs chapter 7.

But as you journey through Proverbs, a number of things, the author of Proverbs will often use imagery and the imagery is here of the adulteress or of the harlot, right?

And so while yes, they are specifically talking about that particular kind of sin here in Proverbs 7, it's also a metaphor for all sin that is seductive, like all sin that calls to our heart.

In the Bible, adultery is often the image for idolatry.

We know him for his wisdom. We have the Proverbs and the wisdom of Solomon and the Ecclesiastes and so many wonderful books that we're going to be going through but he disobeyed what was told earlier that a king should not do.

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

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

The Book of Proverbs chapter 20 verses 8 through 11.

Even a child makes himself known by his acts, whether what he does is pure and right.

The Jesus says from the fullness of the heart, the mouth speaks and also from the fullness of the heart, one acts and we realize that our actions are often this incredible reflection or revelation, really of what is in our hearts already.

But for Ezra today, we went through a couple chapters right? Five and six.

But we also have a Zechariah right, the prophet.

He who pursues righteousness and kindness will find life and honor

A wise man scales the city of the mighty and brings down the stronghold in which they trust

He who keeps his mouth and his tongue keeps himself out of trouble

The book of the prophet Isaiah chapter 11, the shoot from the stump of Jesse and the peaceful kingdom.

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

Overall, when you're looking at the book of the prophet Isaiah, it is both before the exile and during the exile, right? Now Isaiah is, he's primarily a prophet to the South, right? He's primarily a prophet to the kingdom of Judah.

Now remember back in second Kings and in second Chronicles, we had Isaiah. Isaiah was present and he was present there with King Hezekiah when Hezekiah had to face down the Assyrians.

As we might've noted is 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.

So the book of woe would be from chapters one to 39. So you guys, for the next number of days, we're gonna stay with that book of woe and it's gonna be that kind of stuff of just come back. Why aren't you repenting?

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.

In fact, chapter 11 begins with this incredible, chapter 11 and 12, but chapter 11 begins with this consolation. What's it say? There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse and a branch shall grow out of his roots.

And so even in the book of woe, we have this consolation and even more consolation because right after that, it says, 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.

Remember when Jesus goes into the synagogue in Nazareth, he enrolls the scroll and he teaches and he proclaims from Isaiah, but it's Isaiah chapter 61. So 50 chapters from here that Jesus quotes from where he says the spirit of the Lord is upon me.

And we realize that the spirit of the Lord here in chapter 11 is the same spirit of the Lord prophesied in chapter 61 and is the same spirit of the Lord that is upon Jesus as he is preaching and proclaiming the good news to the people in Nazareth.

And he stood up to read and there was given to him the book of the prophet Isaiah. He opened the book and found the place where it was written, The spirit of the Lord is upon me because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor.

For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah when he said, the voice of one crying in the wilderness, prepare the way of the Lord, make his path straight.

But here we get to see it in the context of, as you said, here is the king.

And it's just wow. So good. I mean, we recognize that God's justice and his mercy are not opposed to each other, that God's justice and his mercy are completely commensurate with each other.

It says here it says that you burn with lust among the oaks under every green tree.

It also goes on to say among the smooth stones of the valley is your portion they are your lot of to them you poured out a drink offering you have brought a cereal offering.

and that same remember all that stuff in Leviticus all that in Numbers and Deuteronomy about the the drink offering you know the drink libation that that cereal offering here's God saying you're still doing that but you're doing it to false gods.

It also goes on to say that you offered your sacrifice and you journeyed to Moloch with oil and multiplied your perfumes.

So Moloch remember that that false god we mentioned before they'd often have a metal statue of Moloch with arms outstretched in his hands or where his hands would be would be this receptacle area and people would hyper heat heat up the statue maybe put even embers or fire in the hands area and then place their own children their own infants babies into this place.

So we have some crossover but in 10 days we are going to come to a conclusion in some ways, not a conclusion, we're coming to a let's call it a marker and that marker is going to be taking a deep dive into the works and the words of the prophets. But today it is day 181 we're reading 2 Kings 15 all of the book of the prophet Jonah 1 through 4 and praying Psalm 138.

as it is written in Isaiah the prophet,

And behold, an Ethiopian, a eunuch, a minister of Candace, the queen of the Ethiopians, in charge of all her treasure, had come to Jerusalem to worship, and was returning. Seated in his chariot, he was reading the prophet Isaiah.

So Philip ran to him, and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet, and asked, Do you understand what you are reading?

Now the passage of the scripture which he was reading was this, As a sheep led to the slaughter, or a lamb before its shearer is silent, so he opens not his mouth. In his humiliation justice was denied him. Who can describe his generation? For his life is taken up from the earth.

Daniel has some incredible prophecies for Jesus just like Isaiah had prophecies of the anointed one who would come and Ezekiel talked about you know that the heart in us and same with with Jeremiah.

It is the Lord's suffering servant and if nothing else, it is one of the most clear proclamations and prophecies of Jesus Christ in his suffering for us, for our sins.

Gosh you guys how phenomenal is chapter 53 of Isaiah that is it is worth going back you know it's the very first thing we read today and so um it's one of those things where you could go back and just listen again and again or open up your bibles and just underline these things that the reality of here's Jesus Christ the Lord's suffering servant prophesied 600 years 700 years before he was made incarnate on this earth he was despised and rejected by men a man of sorrows acquainted with grief and he goes on talking about how he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows that he looked abandoned right struck down by God he looked afflicted but he was wounded for our transgressions he was bruised for our iniquities and it is just bonkers as i said at the beginning of this it is crazy to realize the goodness of God and and what he's done for us now that's that chapter 53 and chapter 54 mercy and comfort is offered and and that's this massive message here that you know so many of us experience shame right we experience the guilt of our sins and that's accurate that's what we should we should if i've done something wrong i should feel guilty if i don't feel guilty that means i am a sociopath right um but we also experience shame and one of the things that shame wants to do you know guilt is i know i've sinned against the standard shame is often i know that you know that i've sinned against the standard right when guilt is i know i i've failed uh shame is when i've failed in your eyes right that's one of the ways you can maybe define it and yet in chapter 54 God says to his people through Isaiah fear not you will not be ashamed be not confounded for you will not be put to shame you will forget the shame of your youth and the fact that you were abandoned at one point and i love this is God's word for your maker is your husband it's that sense of like here's your creator is your beloved and and just like here's a wife that was cast off you'll be gathered back by the one who loves you the one who knows you more than anyone else and it's just incredible God's offer of mercy his offer of compassion his offer of comfort remember this is the book of comfort the previous book 1 through 39 of Isaiah the book of woe and 40 through 66 this is the book of comfort and says God's promise we only have i think 11 chapters left in Isaiah but just what a gift to be able to to hear God's word that offers so much comfort because you know we jump over then to Ezekiel which is remember he is writing to people who are in Babylon they're already exiled and one of the things that he's letting them know again this is again and again remember he's had his visions in chapters 8 through 11 Ezekiel had his vision of being transported to Jerusalem and seeing that the people who still remained in Jerusalem had not turned back to God yet they had they had abandoned him and so here is God abandoning his presence leaving the temple and this is going to be very important one of the things that i did not highlight and i should have when it comes to chapter 11 again even in the midst of God's taking his spirit taking his his presence that glory cloud and leaving even in the midst of that is a promise and i didn't mention this promise i mean read it but i didn't point it out but it's chapter 11 verse 19 it says this it says i will give them one heart and put a new spirit within them i will take the stony heart out of their flesh and give them a heart of flesh that they may walk in my statutes and keep my ordinances and obey them and they shall be my people and i will be their God and that is so incredible you know if you haven't underlined that one that's a good good piece to underline is chapter 11 verse 19 and 20 and it just again why because God's people have been false to him and we have been false to him that's why the next couple chapters are all about judgment will not be delayed you keep thinking this is not going to come to you but it's going to come to you false prophets are condemned the ones who are just saying here's what i think as opposed to here's what God is saying and then we have today idolatry condemned and what what does it say it says that you've taken your idols and put them into your heart these things that are outside of you now we don't necessarily have idols in the sense that we have you know an image of a God or a goddess that we will give our hearts to but we do have idols in terms of the things that we love more than anything else in fact our relationship with God is meant to be such that he tolerates no rivals to his place in our heart now there's a lot of things in our lives that you can have rivals to it like you have more than one friend you can have more than one new child you know you can have more than one aunt or uncle or cousin you have more than one you know buddies whatever but you can't have more than one spouse and God has said like listen you can your maker will be your spouse and God is saying that you know just like any good spouse would say like no i don't tolerate any rivals to my spouse in this relationship and so whenever we allow something to be God's arrival in our lives God's arrival to our heart his place in our heart that's what he's talking about when taking his idol into his heart and putting the stumbling block of iniquity before his face and that's what the people of Israel are doing but they're actually doing it by turning away from God they're actually intentionally turning away from the Lord God to false gods we sometimes slip into this and we end up giving our lives and spending our lives for things that do not are not worthy of your life right there might be things you need to do maybe work might be family might be the things that just yeah they're important but they have taken the place of God in our lives and because of that our lives then end up becoming useless and this is what the message of chapter 15 is the useless vine the Lord God says speak to speak this what good is wood from vines you can't do anything with it you can't make anything with it you can't do anything with it now take that vine branch and put it in fire and the ends get burned the whole thing gets charred it is even more useless and what God is saying through Isaiah is that's what Jerusalem has become like that's what the inhabitants of Jerusalem have become like no they were chosen not because they were great not because they were they were wise or more beautiful or more powerful than all the nations God says so many times I chose you because I chose you I chose you because I wanted you I chose you because I can take how small you are and how ineffective on your own you are how weak you are and make you glorious because of my glory but now if you've turned away from me you're even more useless right yeah there's even less that someone can do with you and that is just so remarkable last little note here in chapter 14 God mentions through Isaiah three people Noah Daniel and Job now Daniel Ezekiel would have known Daniel remember Daniel was in the first exile first deportation from Jerusalem to Babylon and he was known as a righteous person right he was known as a Jew who remained faithful even in the midst of exile and so he's a good example Job again righteous man of God Noah obviously righteous man of God and one of the things God is saying through Ezekiel that even these three men who are incredibly righteous that when judgment comes even their righteousness won't even save their own kids even their righteousness won't even save their own kids it'll save their lives but it won't even save the lives of their children and one of the things that that highlights is yes we need to pursue righteousness we need to pursue right relationship with the Lord but also we need to just pray that the people around us you know we can't make anyone do anything we can only control ourselves but we also recognize that we just ask okay Lord you're drawing me closer and closer to yourself on these 216 days of reading your Bible reading your word listening to your word proclaimed God I want to intercede on behalf of my own kids and we're going to intercede on behalf of my parents my siblings my nieces nephews my cousins my aunts and uncles like all the people in my life my my co-workers because I want them to choose you the way that you've allowed me to choose you and that's the prayer we just got to pray for each other because yeah the people who are us who are journeying in this Bible and here this this community we're so grateful to the Lord but there's also people we know that um this would change their life this would change their life and so we're just praying for them that at one point God sparks that that desire that hunger for his word and they were able to just you know someday just press play so I'm praying for them let's pray for them please pray for me I'm praying for you my name is Father Mike and I cannot wait to see you tomorrow God bless

It is the Lord's suffering servant and if nothing else, it is one of the most clear proclamations and prophecies of Jesus Christ in his suffering for us, for our sins.

It is crazy to realize the goodness of God and and what he's done for us.

Gosh you guys how phenomenal is chapter 53 of Isaiah that is it is worth going back you know it's the very first thing we read today and so um it's one of those things where you could go back and just listen again and again or open up your bibles and just underline these things that the reality of here's Jesus Christ the Lord's suffering servant prophesied 600 years 700 years before he was made incarnate on this earth he was despised and rejected by men a man of sorrows acquainted with grief and he goes on talking about how he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows that he looked abandoned right struck down by God he looked afflicted but he was wounded for our transgressions he was bruised for our iniquities and it is just bonkers as i said at the beginning of this it is crazy to realize the goodness of God and and what he's done for us.

Remember this is the book of comfort the previous book 1 through 39 of Isaiah the book of woe and 40 through 66 this is the book of comfort.

Awake, awake, put on your strength, oh arm of the Lord, awake as in days of old, the generations of long ago.

Awake to good tidings of redemption.

Awake awake put on your strength O Zion put on your beautiful garments O Jerusalem the holy city for there shall no more come into you the uncircumcised and the unclean.

For thus says the Lord you were sold for nothing and you shall be redeemed without money.

My servant shall prosper he shall be exalted and lifted up shall be very high as many were astonished at him his appearance was so marred beyond human semblance and is formed beyond that of the sons of men so shall he startle many nations kings shall shut their mouths because of him for that which has not been told them they shall see and that which they have not heard they shall understand.

Isaiah is a book with 66 chapters, chapters 1 through 39, book of Woe, even though in the midst of the Woe, we had Consolation, 40 to 66, we have the book of Consolation.

And so it begins with what? The word Consolation, essentially, 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. They shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.

It is going to be incredibly important. So I was reading a commentary that said that chapter 18 of The Book of Isaiah is the most vague and obscure of all of the chapters.

And once again, there's always this call, get rid of your idols, because what's going to happen is the Lord says, I will stir up Egyptians against Egyptians. They'll fight, they'll fight against each other, city against city, kingdom against kingdom.

And they'll get rid of all of, I need to get rid of all of these idols. And in fact, those false gods of the Egyptians, they have to be defeated at some point, they have to be defeated.

It's almost, it's so powerful that it's confusing because the Lord says in that day, this is the end of chapter 19. The Lord says in that day, Israel will be the third with Egypt and Assyria, a blessing in the midst of the earth, whom the Lord of hosts has blessed.

blessed be Egypt, my people and Assyria, the work of my hands and Israel, my heritage.

we're going to go through all of Isaiah, all of Ezekiel, all of Jeremiah and all the minor prophets as well.

And Isaiah lived at that time.

And he actually speaks to Ahaz in Isaiah chapter seven, I believe it is.

And later on in Isaiah, we're going to hear about Uzziah again.

The beginning of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, as it is written in Isaiah the prophet, behold, I send my messenger before your face who shall prepare your way.

We just went from the book of Numbers and now we're moving into Joshua, the last period left off on the eastern side of the Jordan River looking westward across the Jordan.

Numbers is the narrative book, but Deuteronomy is a second law.

one of the things that we find out, it's like, as you noted, the narrative book being Numbers is typically I think for a lot of people, the one where we don't lose the story. We are traveling with the people of Israel and with the covenant people of God.

But at the same time, as you noted, the book of Deuteronomy has so many powerful words of encouragement, words of law, words of just direction from the Lord that can immediately be applied to our life, as well as the fact that Numbers can sometimes, well, even the fact that it's called the book of Numbers might mean that some sections might be a little bit hard to get through because they're not going to be so much narrative as much as it's going to be counting or giving off a list of names of people that we might not be familiar with.

But we pick up in the book of Numbers and it's important to realize that when Numbers starts, they are still at Mount Sinai.

So, yeah, that's where we're at with the book of Numbers. And the book of Numbers has an amazing chapter, chapter 33, that I would draw everyone's attention to and as you read it, it's going to be a really a cool reminder of everything that has happened. It's all the stages of Israel's journey from Egypt.

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

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.

So he numbered them in the wilderness of Sinai. The people of Reuben, Israel's firstborn, the generations by their families, by their fathers' houses according to the number of names, head by head, every male from twenty years old and upward, all who were able to go forth to war. The number of the tribe of Reuben was forty-six thousand five hundred.

But the Levites were not numbered by their ancestral tribe along with them. For the Lord said to Moses, Only the tribe of Levi you shall not number, and you shall not take a census of them among the sons of Israel, but appoint the Levites over the tabernacle of the covenant, and over all its furnishings, and over all that belongs to it.

So what did I tell you? I said that that first chapter of Numbers is going to be a doozy and it was. It was quite the doozy as they say. So but one important thing to understand, okay, this is the census. We're getting a very good sense, giving a good sense of how many people are in the wilderness. There's roughly 1.2 million men that were counted here in that numbering.

And so please, my invitation is as we continue to journey through Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, these are the critical books, critical, critical books that I'm going to invite you, even if I don't make the connection on a daily basis in this kind of guide portion of our reading the Bible, if you can strive to make that connection for yourself between what the people of Israel were commanded to do back then and what you and I as Catholic Christians are commanded to do right now.

as we continue to read Exodus and getting to Numbers and Deuteronomy, we're going to find in all of these books a gap between us and them.

Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy, every time it gets weird, every time it seems so strange and so foreign, realize, no, no, no, no. This is not strange.

Way back in the book of Numbers, Moses told the people that they should connect tassels to their garment as a reminder of the commandments.

We come to the end of Numbers chapter 36.

We just went from the book of Numbers, and now we're moving into Joshua, the last period left off on the eastern side of the Jordan River looking westward across the Jordan.

It's kind of that sense of, okay, you've been protected, isolated in many ways out in the wilderness, but you're going to have to go into this land where you can't forget me. You have to remember what I've done.

In fact, those were the last words in Deuteronomy from Moses in chapter 4 and chapter 6. He says basically that you have to live your life as though two things. One, there's only one God. Number two, you've got to teach your children.

Although we actually had seen a number of stories towards the end of the book of numbers where they weren't necessarily protected.

you know what's really happening here, Father, is they've been in boot camp for a year at Mount Sinai in Numbers and Exodus, and it's showtime.

This is another census of Israel, so just get your census caps on, get your names cap on and some numbers because we're going to go through the family of the house of Israel once again.

So we had the census at the very beginning of Numbers. Here we are with the census at the end of Numbers to kind of say, okay, after 40 years, what's going on? Who are the people?

Who are the people that are coming into the promised land who have made it through the wilderness? What are their names and how many are there?

The book of Numbers 26, another census of Israel.

The Lord said to Moses, To these, the land shall be divided for inheritance according to the number of names. To a large tribe you shall give a large inheritance, and to a small tribe you shall give a small inheritance.

We're going to look at Numbers as the primary narrative book for the Desert Wanderings.

And those 40 years are covered by the narrative book in Numbers, which is interesting because one of the things that we find out, it's like, as you noted, the narrative book being Numbers is typically, I think for a lot of people, the one where we don't lose the story.

But at the same time, as you noted, book of Deuteronomy has so many powerful words of encouragement, words of law, words of just direction from the Lord that can immediately be applied to our life as well as the fact that Numbers can sometimes, well, even the fact that it's called the book of Numbers might mean that some sections might be a little bit hard to get through because they're not going to be so much narrative as much as it's going to be counting or giving off a list of names of people that we might not be familiar with.

But we pick up in the book of Numbers and it's important to realize that when Numbers starts, they are still at Mount Sinai.

So, yeah, that's where we're at with the book of Numbers. And the book of Numbers has an amazing chapter, chapter 33, that I would draw everyone's attention to and as you read it, it's going to be a really a cool reminder of everything that has happened. It's all the stages of Israel's journey from Egypt.

And so please, my invitation is as we continue to journey through Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, these are the critical books, critical, critical books that I'm going to invite you, even if I don't make the connection on a daily basis in this kind of guide portion of our reading the Bible, if you can strive to make that connection for yourself between what the people of Israel were commanded to do back then and what you and I as Catholic Christians are commanded to do right now, it is the preparation of God's people to worship him as he has asked to be worshipped.

Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy. These are not ancient, not merely ancient books.

Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy.

Way back in the book of Numbers, Moses told the people that they should connect tassels to their garment as a reminder of the commandments.

We just went from the book of Numbers, and now we're moving into Joshua.

In fact, those were the last words in Deuteronomy from Moses in chapter 4 and chapter 6.

It's kind of that sense of, okay, you've been protected, isolated in many ways out in the wilderness, but you're going to have to go into this land where you can't forget me.

And those 40 years are covered by the narrative book in Numbers, which is interesting because one of the things that we find out, it's like, as you noted, the narrative book being Numbers is typically, I think for a lot of people, the one where we don't lose the story.

But at the same time, as you noted, book of Deuteronomy has so many powerful words of encouragement, words of law, words of just direction from the Lord that can immediately be applied to our life, as well as the fact that Numbers can sometimes, well, even the fact that it's called the book of Numbers might mean that some sections might be a little bit hard to get through because they're not going to be so much narrative as much as it's going to be counting or giving off a list of names of people that we might not be familiar with.

So if you want a a mini story of the of the story, you can go to chapter 33 and you get from Egypt all the way till till the present.

And just remember it, Numbers is the narrative book.

And in Numbers chapter 24, we have one of the greatest real prophecies of the coming of Jesus, which is Balaam's prophecy. And he says, 'I see him, but not now. I see him, but not now.'

One of the reasons one of the things we're going to see as they journey through the wilderness in the book of Numbers and Deuteronomy what we're going to see is here's God training his people to trust him that they're not in control just like you and I are not in control but God allows us he calls us and he calls us to walk in faith.

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. That's what we're looking at for Numbers.

Numbers chapter two, order of encampment and marching. The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, The sons of Israel shall encamp each by his own standard with the ensigns of their father's houses.

It's the same reading plan. It's the same great adventure Bible timeline. It's the same great adventure Bible, but everything's in Spanish, different narrator, which is great different insights, which is even better to be able to have the Bible in a year in Spanish is an incredible gift.

If you want to subscribe to that or you just find out more information about the great adventure Bible in Spanish, you can go to ascensionpress.com slash la biblia.

As always, 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.

I'm using the Great Adventure Bible from Ascension.

I did the Great Adventure Bible Timeline that you had created, and I'm so grateful for that.

When I went through your Great Adventure Bible Timeline, that was the one class, essentially like a class, where I finally was--I thought, oh my gosh, that makes sense now.

And so today when we're hitting the Gospel of Luke, this is the gospel that you use when it comes to the Great Adventure Bible Timeline.

And it's a great thing to do after Bible in a year. If people are looking to go deeper, then start a group.

It comes in an eight-part version and a 24-week version, which is the long kind of journey through the entire Bible.

In this app you get the entire text of the Great Adventure Bible. Just incredible.

So if you want to pick one of those up, they're really great, especially as I mentioned yesterday, when I'll be reading from Joshua 19, 20, 21.

They have maps or even just pull up on your phone or on whatever it is. If you're not driving somewhere, you can look to see what would that map possibly look like? That could be really helpful today for the reading today.

It gives some backstory, it gives a great summary at the beginning of every one of these time periods and kind of gives us an orientation of here's where we are, here's where we're going.

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.

I'm using the Great Adventure Bible from Ascension, which is phenomenal because it has all of the periods divided. It has some notes there that are incredibly helpful.

I'm using the Great Adventure Bible from Ascension, which is awesome.

And the person who created this is the renowned Catholic Bible teacher, Mr. Jeff Cavins, to give you an introduction to the early world.

And if you have the Great Adventure Bible, those time periods are identified by different colors and that would serve kind of like as chapters in salvation history.

And I'm using the Great Adventure Bible from Ascension because it has all those, the color coding, it has all the timeline in it. You can follow along super easily.

That's why I think it's so important to have a guide like the great adventure Bible study and the great adventure Bible timeline is so, so powerful.

And so what we did is we divided the Bible up, as you said, into 12 periods.

I did the Great Adventure Bible timeline that you had created, and I'm so grateful for that.

When I went through your Great Adventure Bible timeline, that was the one class, essentially like a class where I finally thought, oh my gosh, that makes sense now.

And so today when we're hitting the Gospel of Luke, this is the gospel that you use when it comes to the Great Adventure Bible timeline.

And it's a great thing to do after Bible in a year if people are looking to go deeper, then start a group, you know, start a group in your church, in your home and go deep into scripture.

And it comes in an eight-part version and a 24-week version, which is the long kind of journey through the entire Bible.

one of the reasons why and this is not a commercial but it is definitely a reason why the great adventure bible is so helpful because in the back there are these things called maps and those maps you can look and see okay this is my invitation

I love the fact that since I'm reading this out loud and you're listening to this you could go back to say for example page 1595 in your great adventure bible and you can actually follow with your eyes what you're hearing with your ears

it's not just kind of this okay here's some names and they're going southward toward the desert and over this to the river and over to this to this city instead you can see it with your eyes and see that oh no this is a real place it was in a real time divided among these real people

It has all of the periods divided. It has some notes there that are incredibly helpful.

I'm using the Great Adventure Bible from Ascension. It's awesome. It works really, really well at helping us with those notes.

the Great Adventure Bible from Ascension, which is so good, so helpful for us because it has the periods, it has like the extra details, we've got some notes, got some maps, got all good things in there

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

You can get that at AscensionPress.com or wherever fine books are sold.

I'm using the actual great adventure Bible from Ascension, which is super good.

Super handy to have because of all the notes, the maps, everything it's in there.

It's just fantastic. Well, all the notes especially as we journey through like the narrative books and like how everything fits together. There's some fantastic notes in the great adventure Bible from Ascension that that is just super helpful.

I'm reading from the Revised Standard Version, Catholic Edition, and I'm using the Great Adventure Bible from Ascension, which is awesome.

Now remember that this is in direct disobedience to Deuteronomy chapter 17 verse 16 where it said about the king of Israel he shall not multiply horses for himself nor cause the people to return to Egypt to multiply horses for the Lord has said to you you should not return that way again and yet here is Solomon who right after he has been prayed for the gift of wisdom and been given the gift of wisdom is not good.

If, you know, way back when you were reading in Deuteronomy chapter 17, it actually said, and you read this, it said that when you come into the land, which the Lord your God gives you and you possess it, you're going to say, I want a king to rule over us. And he says that a king should not have many horses. A king should not have many wives and a king should not multiply silver and gold.

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.

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.

So the first chapters of Deuteronomy are going to be kind of fun for us because it's going to be Moses recounting the entire story of numbers. So it's kind of like this. Numbers is stretched out over 36 chapters. We're going to get a summary of numbers in the first few chapters of the Book of Deuteronomy.

And then he's going to say, okay, here's a reminder of the law. That second law, Deuteronomy, because Moses is going to tell the people, okay, your parents, they were not faithful. He also is going to say this, you are not going to be faithful either, but this is the Lord's law and I need to give it to you so that you can know when you're not faithful and turn back to the Lord.

And so please, my invitation is as we continue to journey through Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, these are the critical books, critical, critical books that I'm going to invite you, even if I don't make the connection on a daily basis in this kind of guide portion of our reading the Bible, if you can strive to make that connection for yourself between what the people of Israel were commanded to do back then and what you and I as Catholic Christians are commanded to do right now.

as we continue to read Exodus and getting to Numbers and Deuteronomy, we're going to find in all of these books a gap between us and them.

Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy, every time it gets weird, every time it seems so strange and so foreign, realize, no, no, no, no. This is not strange.

So Deuteronomical, like remember Deuteronomy? So Deutero meaning second and nomos meaning word, right? Or law.

We are leaving Deuteronomy chapter 34.

And so please, my invitation is as we continue to journey through Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, these are the critical books, critical, critical books that I'm going to invite you, even if I don't make the connection on a daily basis in this kind of guide portion of our reading the Bible, if you can strive to make that connection for yourself between what the people of Israel were commanded to do back then and what you and I as Catholic Christians are commanded to do right now, it is the preparation of God's people to worship him as he has asked to be worshipped.

Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy. These are not ancient, not merely ancient books.

Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy.

He says basically that you have to live your life as though two things. One, there's only one God.

Number two, you've got to teach your children.

And in some ways, I think about it like as a retreat too, but maybe not. Maybe boot camp is a way better phrase, a better way to understand this.

It's a second set of laws that are given due to the hardness of Israel's heart at this particular time. But it has, it's chock filled with wonderful, wonderful guidance and wisdom for us and we can talk about that, particularly in the area of how do you live your life when you're going into a country where it is diametrically opposed to the message of God?

Then we have we have Moses last letter, his last speech, which is Deuteronomy, the second law. And this is an amazing book.

And it's been it's structured in such a way where the first part of it looks back as to where they came from. And it's kind of like, well, it looks back. It looks back at where they were. And the last part looks forward to where they're going. In the middle is where we're at right now.

And that is Deuteronomy 6, 4, and I'll give it to you in Hebrew, and it is Shema Israel Adonai Eloheinu Adonai Echad. Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God is one Lord and you shall love the Lord your God with all of your heart, with all of your soul, and with all of your might.

And so Moses said, So when we talk about you must teach your children, it's in the broader context of your home. And God says that you should even put the, write these words of mine on the doorposts of your house.

One of the reasons one of the things we're going to see as they journey through the wilderness in the book of Numbers and Deuteronomy what we're going to see is here's God training his people to trust him that they're not in control just like you and I are not in control but God allows us he calls us and he calls us to walk in faith.

But not only that you guys, when we get to Sirach, oh, it's going to blow your mind, book of wisdom, it's going to just, it's going to knock your socks off. It is, it's a gift.

Do not hate toilsome labor or farm work, which were created by the most high.

humble yourself greatly

Do not exchange a friend for money.

Do not exchange an old friend for a new one.

Do not go to meet a loose woman. Do not associate yourself with a woman singer. And a woman, not just women who sing, because there are a lot of great women who sing, but that kind of person, it was a technical kind of a situation, right? Do not look intently at a virgin. Do not give yourself to harlots. This is good. Do not look around in the streets of a city, nor wander about in its deserted sections. And you can even picture a person wandering about in the, like the, as you'd say, the seedy part of town. It's like, you're not going to find anything there but trouble. Turn your eyes away from a shapely woman. Do not look intently at beauty belonging to another.

there's that sense of like precepts for everyday life the first beginning of this is this reminder take care of the poor take care of those who beg I love this is just because this is this is what I need to hear that's why I say I love it in chapter four verse five it says do not avert your eye from the needy nor give a man occasion to curse you do not avert your eye from the needy gosh you guys how many times do we pull up to a stoplight and there's someone begging on the corner and I just like yep just look straight ahead look straight ahead look down at your on your knuckles on the on the steering wheel look anywhere except for into the eyes of this person who's begging but here's scripture do not avert your eye from the needy and I just I'm convicted by this that's so important

so my invitation for us is when we hear The Book Of Sirach and we hear the book of wisdom kind of like proverbs is to have your bible with you if you can because there's something so powerful about being able to follow along all this stringing together of pieces of wisdom is really really incredible

in chapter six talks about friendship my gosh this is incredible let those that are at peace with you be many like your acquaintances let your acquaintances be many but let your advisor advisors be one in a thousand how often golly how often are we in a position where I take advice from whoever yeah I know this person I'll trust them and I'll take their advice no scripture says yeah let your acquaintances many anybody can be your acquaintance anyone can be your pal but let your advisor be one in a thousand

when you gain a friend gain him through testing and do not trust him hastily sometimes we meet someone we have something in common with them they seem fun they seem charming they seem like we agree on a lot of stuff and we trust them before testing them here's scripture when you gain a friend gain him through testing do not trust him hastily

a faithful friend is a sturdy shelter he that has found one has found a treasure there is nothing so precious as a faithful friend and no scales can measure his excellence a faithful friend is an elixir of life those who fear the lord will find him whoever fears the lord directs his friendships are right for as he is so is his neighbor also

Oh my gosh, you guys, you're going to love the book of Sirach. I love it so much. It's incredible.

It's all about the fear of the Lord.

Now think about the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.

This is one of those things that, ah, the fear of the Lord is wisdom's full measure.

And it goes on to say, you know, the fear of the Lord is the crown of wisdom.

We have four books during this time period. We have not only 1 and 2 Maccabees, we also have Sirach and the Book of Wisdom that are going to be not necessarily familiar with everyone who's part of this community.

The first one of those is Sirach that we're going to be reading.

So Sirach, you might not have ever read Sirach. I've got to tell you, I have a sense and the sense is you're going to love it. So if you want, that'll be day 282. But today is day 281.

I'm so excited to read the books of Maccabees first and second Maccabees to read Sirach to read Wisdom so good and then we go to Luke and then we're all living in the New Testament so that's coming up really soon

But not only that you guys, when we get to Sirach, oh, it's going to blow your mind, book of wisdom, it's going to just, it's going to knock your socks off. It is, it's a gift.

The Book Of Sirach chapter 40 human wretchedness and joys of life much labor was created for every man and a heavy yoke is upon the sons of adam from the day they come forth from their mother's womb till the day they return to the mother of all their perplexities

children in the building of a city establish a man's name but a blameless wife is better than both so a lot of kids building a city a great name yeah but a good wife a blameless wife is better than both goes on to say a friend or companion never meets one to miss those are good things but a wife with her husband are better than both

life is sweet for the self-reliant and the worker yeah but he who finds a treasure is better off than both so basically lottery winners um wine and music gladden the heart but love of wisdom is better than both flute and harp pleasant melody pleasant voice is better than both like there's something so good about this recognition that in a world of a lot of goods our task is to choose the best that in a world of full of goods that we can't let the good get in the way of the best

oh death how bitter is the reminder of you to one who lives at peace among his possessions to man is without distractions who is prosperous and everything and still has vigor to enjoy his food and basically how bitter is the reminder of death to one who's at peace and one who has prosperity one who has health on the other hand oh death how welcome is your sentence to one who is in need and is failing in strength who's very old and distracted over everything to one who's contrary and has lost his patience

whether life is for 10 or 100 or a thousand years there is no inquiry about it in hades there is something about that that just is so important for us one of the things that i i reflect on so often is that every single day is a gift that whether a person lives for a day or for a hundred years as a thousand here it says in sirach every day of those is undeserved every one of those is a gift

Do not hate toilsome labor or farm work, which were created by the most high.

humble yourself greatly.

Do not exchange a friend for money.

Do not exchange an old friend for a new one.

Do not go to meet a loose woman. Do not associate yourself with a woman singer. And a woman, not just women who sing, because there are a lot of great women who sing, but that kind of person, it was a technical kind of a situation, right? Do not look intently at a virgin. Do not give yourself to harlots.

Do not look around in the streets of a city, nor wander about in its deserted sections. And you can even picture a person wandering about in the, like the, as you'd say, the seedy part of town. It's like, you're not going to find anything there but trouble. Turn your eyes away from a shapely woman. Do not look intently at beauty belonging to another.

Never dine with another man's wife, nor revel with her at wine. Lest your heart turn aside to her, and in blood you'd be plunged into destruction.

Forsake not an old friend, for a new one does not compare with him.

Oh my gosh, you guys, you're going to love the book of Sirach. I love it so much. It's incredible.

Now think about the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.

ah, the fear of the Lord is wisdom's full measure.

And it goes on to say, you know, the fear of the Lord is the crown of wisdom.

And this is something, the fear of the Lord is a root of wisdom.

We have not only 1 and 2 Maccabees, we also have Sirach and the Book of Wisdom that are going to be not necessarily familiar with everyone who's part of this community.

The first one of those is Sirach that we're going to be reading.

So Sirach, you might not have ever read Sirach. I've got to tell you, I have a sense and the sense is you're going to love it.

And I'm so excited to read the books of Maccabees first and second Maccabees to read Syrac, to read wisdom.

But not only that you guys, when we get to Sirach, oh, it's going to blow your mind, book of wisdom, it's going to just, it's going to knock your socks off. It is, it's a gift.

And in the last part of the royal kingdom, we see the decline of Solomon. And in 1 Kings chapter 10 and 11, we see that he had 700 wives and 300 concubines.

And you can read all about this in 1 Kings 12 where this whole mess begins.

And this verse is so critical because this begins a major division in the land of Canaan from Israel to two nations. And here's the verse. When all Israel saw that the king did not listen to them, the people answered the king, what portion have we in David?

We have no inheritance in the son of Jesse to your tents. Oh, Israel, look now to your own house, David. And that was the year 930 BC. And there was a divided kingdom.

And it says, the days are going to come when it goes on and says, where you'll say I have no pleasure in them, that before the sun and the light of the moon and the stars are darkened and the clouds return after the rain, that sense of like, yeah, the days where your eyes grow dim.

And the day when the keepers of the house tremble and the strong men are bent and the grinders cease because they're few and those that look through the windows are dimmed.

The author is highlighting just these small things that we don't think about that are signs of here's this age I'm getting closer and closer to death. And it's just really, really as beautiful. If you want to get a chance to pick up your Bible and actually not just listen to it, but read those words, there's something powerful.

Why did we read Ecclesiastes? Why did the preacher teach these things? Why did Coelath or Solomon? Why is this in the Bible? And part of it is because of the wisdom of this, because we don't always get what we want.

So the kind of the, one of the lessons is you can't always get, or you don't always get what you want, but still choose the good.

That is today, 1 Kings 9, Ecclesiastes 6 and 7, and then praying Psalm 7.

And we're going to hear about as well as diving more deeply into Ecclesiastes and this incredible, incredible wisdom book where Koaleth, the preacher examines what is the goodness of life and what should I set my heart on and what is it dangerous to set your heart on?

Two are better than one because they have a good reward for their toil for if they fall one will lift up his fellow but woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up.

If they fall, one will lift up his fellow, but woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up.

A threefold cord is not quickly broken.

And though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him.

For in a multitude of dreams, there is futility and ruin in a flood of words.

The words of the preacher, the son of David, King in Jerusalem, vanity of vanities says the preacher, vanity of vanities. All is vanity.

What does man gain by all the toil at which he toils under the sun?

A generation goes and a generation comes, but the earth remains forever.

The sun rises and the sun goes down and hastens to the place where it rises. The wind blows to the South and goes round to the North, round and round goes the wind and on its circuits, the wind returns.

All streams run to the sea, but the sea is not full to the place where the streams flow. There they flow again. All things are full of weariness. A man cannot utter it. The eye is not satisfied with seeing nor the ear filled with hearing.

Yeah, you know, we have the yeah, we have the proverbs and the wisdom of Solomon and Ecclesiastes and so many wonderful books that we're going to be going through.

And for all of you who are reading along with Father Mike, there's one verse that this all pivots on like a seesaw, the fulcrum, and that is 1 Kings 12 and verse 16.

And this verse is so critical because this begins a major division in the land of Canaan from Israel to two nations. And here's the verse.

When all Israel saw that the king did not listen to them, the people answered the king, what portion have we in David? We have no inheritance in the son of Jesse to your tents, oh Israel. Look now to your own house, David.

And this is where the whole mess begins, is that he goes to Rehoboam and said, your father Solomon was really rough on us. How are you going to lead?

So you are called on to pay attention. As you're reading this now, you're going to be reading a lot of this, King so-and-so of Israel, so-and-so King of Judah, and it goes up and down, down and up, up. It goes all over.

As we put out an episode every single day, as I said, we're in 1 Kings chapters 17 and 18, 2 Chronicles chapters 18 and 19 and Song of Solomon right smack dab in the middle with Song of Solomon chapter five.

we're reading 1 Kings chapter 17 and 18. We're getting introduced to our buddy, Elijah the prophet.

one of the things that first Kings is revealing is that Elijah is someone who listens to the Word of God and obeys the Word of God and this sets Elijah distinctly apart from some of the kings we've been hearing about some of the people we've been hearing about who might hear the Word of God but not act on the Word of God but Elijah does that.

we get introduced to Elijah and first Kings this time we also get introduced in a deeper way to Ahab no yesterday Ahab was mentioned Ahab one of the worst kings of Israel king of the north and Elijah right he prophesied a drought and what happens well there's a drought.

and so that's we have in store for us so you guys have been so faithful which is so good so keep it up I am praying for you please pray for me my name is Father Mike I cannot wait to see you tomorrow God bless

Remember, this is a wisdom book, wisdom literature. It's not straightforward wisdom in the sense that every single thing, you'd say, yeah, take that and run with it. It's the wise one, the preacher, right? Koaleth, who's working through some things.

And what he's working through is he's working through, okay, I find happiness in this particular thing. I find happiness in toil. I find happiness in pleasure. I find happiness in wisdom, all these different things. And then realizing, oh, but then I still die. Then I still lose. Then I still am, things are taken away from me.

I heard in chapter four, the value of friendship was just so, so good. Two are better than one because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow, but woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up.

Again, it goes on, a threefold cord is not quickly broken. I just think about how this is real in our lives, right? To have a true friend, to have a Jonathan to your David or David to your Jonathan, to have that person who can walk with you, but also not just one other, a threefold cord is not quickly broken.

He who loves money will not be satisfied with money, nor he who loves wealth with gain. This also is vanity.

This 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.

Everything is vanity. Well, one thing to keep in mind, that's kind of a strange translation. It's the Hebrew word Hevel, which is a word that means a vapor.

So just keep that in mind. The author of the book of Ecclesiastes is kind of, it's ascribed to someone like King Solomon, the wisest. It is unknown exactly who is the author of Ecclesiastes, but that isn't necessarily important.

What's important is the heart of the book of Ecclesiastes and the big question it asks, which is, isn't life in face of all these things, all the things you can do, all the ways a person can work to make a name for themselves, all the ways a person can simply strive to maximize pleasure in their life, is it all meaningless?

And so it's going to be a kind of a negative book, but it's going to be ultimately positive. And so I just invite you to hang with us for the next five days as we go through Ecclesiastes.

As we mentioned last couple days, at the end of 2 Samuel, we're getting to the end of David's life.

And so here we are starting in 1 Kings, which indicates a transition.

And so here we have David who is as old as he's going to get and he's unable to stay warm.

Now this is going to be really important for the rest of this book of Kings.

We're gonna hear stories of king after king and almost every one of them is going to be worse than the one who came before him.

We know him for his wisdom. We have the Proverbs and the wisdom of Solomon and the Ecclesiastes and so many wonderful books that we're going to be going through but he disobeyed what was told earlier that a king should not do.

They think about the wisdom that Tobit is giving to his son there in chapter four, just this so wise and so good.

But not only that you guys, when we get to Sirach, oh, it's going to blow your mind, book of wisdom, it's going to just, it's going to knock your socks off. It is, it's a gift.

And so many of our brothers and sisters who aren't Catholic, who aren't Orthodox have been denied this gift for their entire lives. Your parents have been denied this gift for their entire lives. Like imagine, imagine realizing you have seven siblings you had no idea about, you know, imagine you have these seven people in your life who were supposed to be in your life there for your entire life. You're just finding out about them now.

But thankfully in this Bible in the air, you're going to be exposed and introduced to these seven books, these seven siblings we'll call them, seven friends that I am telling you it's going to bless your life.

It's going to bless your life. The Septuagint, the Greek translation, that was the translation that Jesus used. It's the translation the apostles used. It's the translation the early church used. And so with all those seven books, those are the translations and those are the versions that the early church used.

We have Daniel, we have Ezekiel, Obadiah, Habakkuk, Judith, Zephaniah, Nahum, Jeremiah, Joel. We have all kinds of books that should be read in this particular context.

We have some ancillary stories. We have the story of Esther, which is just, I love the story of Esther. I mean, how could you not? I think it's pretty phenomenal.

As I said yesterday, today we're going to talk a little bit about, so where did this book of Tobit come from? Because I hear there's a rumor out there that you Catholics have maybe, I don't know, 73 books in your Bible, whereas non-Catholics have 66 books in their Bible.

Not only are there great stories, like we're in the midst of the book of Tobit, this incredible story, they think about the wisdom that Tobit is giving to his son there in chapter four, just this so wise and so good.

So Tobit is the first we're getting exposed to, and then we're going from all of them.

We have Daniel, we have Ezekiel, Obadiah, Habakkuk, Judith, Zephaniah, Nahum, Jeremiah, Joel, we have all kinds of books that should be read in this particular context.

And I've gotten messages from folks who have been journeying with us who are not Catholic. They've been saying like, I find Tobit to be so fascinating.

And in fact, there's another woman who has a very popular podcast and she had reached out and she said, this is incredible to be able to go through this story of the book of Tobit and getting so much out of these books that I'd never encountered before.

And so that's what all of us who are following the Lord, including Mary, the mother of God, Mary, the queen of heaven and earth, all of the glory and honor we give to any of God's children, including Judith, including ourselves, including Mary. It all goes, all goes to the father. It all goes to the son. It all goes to the Holy spirit.

When you and I get praised, we direct it to God because he is the one, the Holy one.

As I said yesterday, today we're going to talk a little bit about so where did this book of Tobit come from? Because I hear there's a rumor out there that you Catholics have maybe, I don't know, 73 books in your Bible, whereas non-Catholics have 66 books in your Bible.

They're incredible. Not only are there great stories, like we're in the midst of the book of Tobit, this incredible story, they think about the wisdom that Tobit is giving to his son there in chapter four, just this so wise and so good.

So Tobit is the first we're getting exposed to, and then we're going from all of them.

The Jews gathered in their cities throughout all the provinces of King Ahasuerus to lay hands on such as sought their hurt. And no one could make a stand against them for the fear of them had fallen upon all peoples.

The Jews who were in Susa gathered also on the 14th day of the month of Adar and they slew 300 men in Susa but they laid no hands on the plunder.

but they took no plunder... and I think that in a broken story in a broken world that shows a ray of hope right it shows a ray of justice it shows a ray of mercy even because they were given permission to plunder but they didn't and I think that's significant.

Therefore they called these days Purim after the term Pur and therefore because of all that was written in this letter and of what they had faced in this matter and of what had befallen them the Jews ordained and took it upon themselves and their descendants and all who joined them that without fail they would keep these two days according to what was written and at the time appointed every year that these days should be remembered and kept throughout every generation in every family province and city.

Then Esther spoke again to the king. She fell at his feet and besought him with tears to avert the evil design of Haman, the Agagite, and the plot which he had devised against the Jews.

Instead, he says, I decree that every one of the Jews will be able to rally together and fight off anyone who tries to kill them on that day.

It's the Feast of Purim. And what a great, complete festival of the Jews being saved by the intercession of this incredible woman, Esther, who, again, as we said yesterday, the day before, in the midst of her anguish, in the midst of her powerlessness, she allowed God to work because of her great courage, because of her great faith in the love of God, in the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

For if you keep silence at such a time as this, relief and deliverance will rise for the Jews from another quarter, but you and your father's house will perish.

And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?

Then I will go to the king though it is against the law and if I perish, I perish.

She took off her splendid apparel and put on the garments of distress and mourning. And instead of costly perfumes, she covered her head with ashes and dung and she utterly humbled her body.

And Cajetan says, well, what about 2 Maccabees 12 talks about praying for the dead and Martin Luther says, I don't accept 2 Maccabees chapter 12 because I don't accept 2 Maccabees and I don't accept those other seven books.

again we're throwing back we're gonna hear the story of judas all over again and the story of jason the story of antiochus epiphanies all over again so this intro is really interesting because the story's been written right basically the story's happened already and the author to second maccabees knowing how the story went down is kind of like introing the whole story by not only throwing back but throwing forward if that makes any sense

we know that when judas maccabeus and the bros his brothers they reclaimed the temple that they dedicated the temple and they lit the the oil lamps and what happened it burned for eight days and this is the beginning of hanukkah and so on the 25th day of chislev they celebrate the purification of the temple

this intro these letters that are beginning kind of initiating the whole book of second maccabees the author is saying by the way before we get into this any further you are invited welcomed slash maybe even commanded to keep the feast of booths in the month of chislev on the 25th day of chislev we celebrate the purification of the temple

We have four books during this time period. We have not only 1 and 2 Maccabees, we also have Sirach and the Book of Wisdom that are going to be not necessarily familiar with everyone who's part of this community.

And so, we have to ask ourselves the question which comes up so often, did we as Catholics add seven books or did Protestants take away seven books? And the answer is neither.

And so, I would encourage my Protestant friends not to get upset but to be open and say, well, you know what? If this helps me understand salvation history and the early church used this as the inspired Word of God, I'm at least open to what God wants to do to help me become more like Jesus.

And when you begin to listen to 1 and 2 Maccabees, you're going to be reading along with a type of history that is more familiar than say, Judith, or that type of history in that you're going to run into some famous events and some famous people that are in history as we know it.

And so I think one way to really help everybody to situate themselves in the Book of Maccabees is to go back and to remember all of the enemies of Israel, and we have that little pithy saying, eat a big purple grape, right?

and also not only the first book of Maccabees, but there are some wisdom books we're kicking off tomorrow.

I'm so excited to read the books of Maccabees first and second Maccabees to read Sirach to read Wisdom so good and then we go to Luke and then we're all living in the New Testament so that's coming up really soon

Now, some Bibles will have Maccabees as the last book in the Old Testament. We're going to be getting to that.

We have only 14 days or so with this return and then we're going to go on to the Maccabean revolt, which is going to be a whole other story and hopefully we'll have another introduction to that time period.

The second book of the Maccabees chapter 1, a letter to the Jews in Egypt, the Jewish brethren in Jerusalem and those in the land of Judea to their Jewish brethren in Egypt, greeting and good peace.

again we're throwing back we're gonna hear the story of judas all over again and the story of jason the story of antiochus epiphanies all over again so this intro is really interesting because the story's been written right basically the story's happened already and the author to second maccabees knowing how the story went down is kind of like introing the whole story by not only throwing back but throwing forward if that makes any sense

on the 25th day of chislev they celebrate the purification of the temple so that's coming in the second book maccabees we already read it in first maccabees but this intro these letters that are beginning kind of initiating the whole book of second maccabees the author is saying by the way before we get into this any further you are invited welcomed slash maybe even commanded to keep the feast of booths in the month of chislev on the 25th day of chislev we celebrate the purification of the temple

you know how so many books of the bible are historical books...virtually all of those tellings of the story the historical story has been different than first maccabees...those other stories things would happen there would be battles there'd be prayers there would be failure there'd be victory and all the while the author of the book would be saying here's what this means and here's where god was present and here's where god was absent and here's where they were unfaithful and that led to this...basically all of those other historical books they look through the lens of faith how is god present how is god active how are the people faithful or how are they unfaithful

the author of first maccabees is just telling us the story with very very little editorial comments...which is fascinating to us because we're so used to the editorial comments we're so used to well tell me what this means to the eyes of faith and yet as we're going through maccabees we have to realize this is a book of faith but the sermon is left out

we're getting the story of the rise and the fall of these dynasties and the rise and the fall of these kings...and basically as jeff said on the first day of this maccabean revolt time period and as he pointed this out he said this is still the story of the people of israel and this is not god being silent for 400 years this is god being very very present and very very active and engaged but we have to have the eyes to see it for ourselves because the author is not going to point it out

We have not only 1 and 2 Maccabees, we also have Sirach and the Book of Wisdom that are going to be not necessarily familiar with everyone who's part of this community.

And so for example, you have Alexander the Great, you have Antiochus Epiphanes, you have the Maccabean revolt. And even though the Jewish community doesn't consider first and second Maccabees to be inspired what is happening in first and second Maccabees, namely Hanukkah is quite at the center of Jewish celebration today.

And so I think one way to really help everybody to situate themselves in the book of Maccabees is to go back and to remember all of the enemies of Israel.

When you begin to listen to first and second Maccabees, you're going to, you're going to be reading along with a type of history that is more familiar than say Judith, you know, or that type of history in that you're going to run into some famous events and some famous people that are in history as we know it.

Are there any other things that you want people as they're listening to the Bible to be able to hone in on and not miss? Well, I think that in 2 Maccabees chapter 12 specifically verses 38 through 46, you do have an example of the faithful on earth praying, sacrificing, having a relationship with those who have gone before us.

And also not only the first book of Maccabees, but there are some wisdom books we're kicking off tomorrow.

And I'm so excited to read the books of Maccabees first and second Maccabees to read Syrac, to read wisdom.

And here's the husband who is so faithful.

And that's what really a takeaway, isn't it? Is a very powerful takeaway. And that is that for people who have felt like they have betrayed the Lord, they have been unfaithful to the Lord.

The Lord is not going to be unfaithful to you.

And as a husband, he is going to seek you out. He's going to give you that living water that you so desire. And so, if you identify with the North, there's good news.

Like he says through Hosea, I must bring you into exile into the wilderness so that I can bring you back to me.

Kind of like in Hosea, where he compares the people of Israel to an adulterous person, right? That turns away from the one who loves them, their husband.

The one prophet that speaks to the north that is a longer book is Hosea.

And so Hosea feels the pain of that infidelity and then prophesies to the northern 10 tribes.

God is your husband, north.

God is your husband.

You have been unfaithful.

You're going to go into exile.

I will not forget you.

I will come to you and I will give you living water.

And I don't want to tell the story, but I'll give you a little bit of a hint. John 4, Jesus meets a Samaritan woman, and we'll tie it together when we get to that.

God is your husband. You've been unfaithful. You're going into exile. God will not forget you.

He will come looking for you and he will give you living water.

That's the message of Hosea to the north.

And Amos has a similar message.

And what we're going to find out as you read through it is they never do come back to God.

And a lot of the names that you're going to be coming across, Jezebel and Ahab and others are going to be familiar. These are all in the north.

And Elijah comes and speaks in the north.

And he's got a real tough job in that he speaks the truth to the north and then he becomes scared and runs.

And that's why I think that not only for the sake of knowing the family story and knowing the great story of God's covenant with his people and of the Bible, but also knowing our own hearts, our own hearts get exposed in the course of this story because we realize how often in contentment and in times of blessings and abundance, we even thank the wrong source oftentimes as opposed to even acknowledging that, oh no, all these blessings, they ultimately come from the Lord and they're ultimately meant to go back to the Lord in some ways, in many ways.

Hosea and Amos were speaking to the north and we've got other prophets speaking to the south and they're not listening.

And here's the husband who is so faithful.

And so there's that sense that God even is saying almost in a certain sense, I must bring you into exile.

Like he says through Hosea, I must bring you into exile into the wilderness so that I can bring you back to me.

The one prophet that speaks to the north that is a longer book is Hosea.

And Hosea, it's really interesting because God told him to marry a harlot.

God is your husband, north. God is your husband. Number two, you have been unfaithful. And number three, you're going into exile.

I will not forget you. I will come to you and I will give you living water.

And that's why I think that not only for the sake of knowing the family story and knowing the great story of God's covenant with his people and of the Bible, but also knowing our own hearts, our own hearts get exposed in the course of this story, because we realize how often in contentment and in times of blessings and abundance, we even thank the wrong source oftentimes, as opposed to even acknowledging that, oh no, all these blessings, they ultimately come from the Lord and they're ultimately meant to go back to the Lord in some ways, in many ways.

Hosea and Amos were speaking to the north, and we've got other prophets speaking to the south, and they're not listening.

kind of like in Hosea, where He compares the people of Israel to an adulterous person, right?

Like he says through Hosea, I must bring you into exile into the wilderness so that I can bring you back to me.

And the same thing we heard with the book of the prophet Hosea, where he said that what's going to happen is unless you turn back to the Lord, you will not experience grace. You'll not experience mercy. In fact, you'll experience destruction.

And Hosea, it's really interesting because God told him to marry a harlot. You think, oh, there you go again. That's the crazy story, Jeff. No, no, there's meaning here.

And that is number one, uh, God is your husband, North. God is your husband. Number two, you have been unfaithful. And number three, you're going to go into exile. You're going to go into exile, which you alluded to that earlier.

God is your husband. You've been unfaithful. You're going into exile. God will not forget you. He will come looking for you and he will give you living water.

we're going to read the book of the prophet Hosea and one of the things that the Lord says through the prophet Hosea about this valley of Achor is he's going to say this because he references it in Hosea chapter 2 he says I will take your valley of Achor your valley of trouble your valley of shame and make it into a door of hope

And so the very first exile is the 10 northern tribes. They're going to be taken out by the Assyrians. And the Assyrians are really a tough group of people.

And that's what we typically think of, Father, when we talk about the exile. We typically think about the Babylonian exile.

And so the Babylonian exile happens in three phases. And the first phase is going to take place, and that is going to be in 605 BC.

And so when you're reading during this period, be aware of Daniel, of course, and we have a lot of other books that take place. We have Daniel, we have Ezekiel, Obadiah, Habakkuk, Judith, Zephaniah, Nahum, Jeremiah, Joel. We have all kinds of books that should be read in this particular context.

But as you mentioned, it really covers a lot of years here. And so the very first exile is the 10 northern tribes. They're going to be taken out by the Assyrians.

And as you are reading 2 Kings 17 through 25, is that the Babylonian exile happens in three phases.

And it's a relatively short period of Scripture, and that's 2 Kings 17-25.

But when we talk about the Babylonian exile, we're dealing with the south, Judah, with really the headquarters being Jerusalem, right? And the temple was built in Jerusalem. So there's a lot at stake here.

And all of a sudden you realize the last place we see Elijah was way back in 2 Kings 2, and it was right here.

But as you mentioned, it really covers a lot of years here. And so the very first exile is the 10 northern tribes. They're going to be taken out by the Assyrians.

And that's what we typically think of, Father, when we talk about the exile. We typically think about the Babylonian exile.

In what we see, and this is important to remember as you are reading 2 Kings 17 through 25, is that the Babylonian exile happens in three phases.

So all of that, I'll say it again, 1 Kings 12 all the way to 2 Kings 16, that is the narrative of this period.

We're reading 2 Kings chapter 22, 2 Chronicles chapter 33, and we are reading now not from Psalms but from the Book of Proverbs, one of the wisdom books.

We're also reading 2 Chronicles 33, and we are praying, kinda, more getting some wisdom from Proverbs chapter 7.

The second book of Kings chapter 22.

Well, a couple of quick notes about 2 Kings and about 2 Chronicles.

Manasseh was 12 years old when he began to reign and he reigned 55 years in Jerusalem.

he did what was evil in the sight of the Lord

he's literally one of the worst kings we had

hezekiah's dad was ahaz and ahaz was awful one of the worst hezekiah's son is manasseh and he's awful one of the worst

Manasseh rebuilt all of those idols he rebuilt those temples and he not only did that he brought really horrible things into the temple of the Lord

In 2 Kings for today, 2 Kings chapter 15, we have the king Azariah.

We ended at chapter 15 with King Ahaz and Ahaz is not a good king.

In second Kings chapter 14, Jonah is a prophet and he's a prophet to Jeroboam II.

The Second Book of Kings, Chapter 13. Jehoahaz reigns over Israel.

Now, the rest of the acts of Jehoahaz and all that he did and his might, are they not written in the book of Chronicles of the kings of Israel?

Now, the rest of the acts of Joash and all that he did and the might with which he fought against Amaziah, king of Judah, are they not written in the book of the Chronicles of the kings of Israel?

Now the rest of the acts of Jehoash, which he did and his might and how he fought with Amaziah king of Judah, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?

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.

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 translation that I am 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.

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.

I am using the Great Adventure Bible from Ascension.

I'm using the Great Adventure Bible from Ascension, which is color-coded and you can see all of the different time periods and all of the different also not only this as we enter into this particular season in our Bible in a year.

One of the things that's I mean we've kind of already been there for a little while, but we have the divided kingdom, right? Obviously. And we have prophets who are part of who are assigned to preach to the divided kingdom. Some prophets go to the north, some stay in the south and it's really helpful for us to have that Bible timeline because the timeline itself gives us a graphic, a visual of here's all we're talking about this person in the north. Okay, this person in the south and it's can be really helpful. So if you have that, that's phenomenal. If you don't, you can probably get it at AscensionPress.com.

One of the things you'll see if you have the Great Adventure Bible itself is that that double share the eldest son inherited a double share of the father's property and so Elisha regards him himself as the son so he asks for Elijah's spirit as his inheritance like I don't want anything else just I just want your spirit double portion of your spirit.

I'm using the Great Adventure Bible from Ascension.

If you want to download your own Bible in a Year reading plan, you can go to ascensionpress.com slash Bible in a year and if you've not yet subscribed to this podcast, I invite you to consider that.

And then after considering to actually do it, that'd be really good.

It really takes no time at all. You just click subscribe and then you're subscribed.

I'm using the Great Adventure Bible from Ascension.

It has the periods, it has extra details, we've got some notes, got some maps, got all good things in there.

Get your copy of The Great Adventure Catholic Bible (https://bit.ly/3mmal7w)!

for me, I've said this many times, I've told this to anyone who asks or anyone who will listen, that Great Adventure Bible Timeline was the most significant tool that I've ever encountered, that I've ever used, that has gotten me more--there's nothing has been better to get me more deeply into the Bible than the Great Adventure Bible Timeline.

I think it's gonna be so exciting because in the Great Adventure Bible timeline, it's basically taking the entire Bible, and my office is filled with Bibles. I've got the Great Adventure Bible here. But it's taking the Bible that is, some would argue, it's the most complex book in the world.

I had to get my great adventure Bible and start on that now as well.

I'm going to be reading from the Great Adventure Bible.

Well, Jeff Gabens created this thing called the Great Adventure Bible Timeline.

And so one of the things he did when he was a pastor, he was raised Catholic, left the Catholic Church for a while, became a pastor, and then he came back to the Catholic Church and brought this Great Adventure Bible Timeline with him.

How can we read the Bible so that we don't lose the narrative thread?

That's kind of the philosophy behind the Great Adventure Bible Timeline.

Speaking of the Great Adventure Bible timeline once again, we are blessed as we go into the next time period of the Great Adventure Bible timeline to have the Creator of the Great Adventure Bible timeline.

And that sends our singing, singing the blues in exile and just it's been so long. It was interesting for me at least to be able to journey according to the Bible timeline right in that chronological journey of here is the stories of the kings and chronicles that lead into exile.

And then to be able to hear the prophets talking about yes, here's what's coming. So to know the story and then to hear the prophets voices in the context of the story was it was fascinating for me, but to realize the story is not over right even though you have Jeremiah and those who are left behind over in Egypt and they're going to die there and you have the other Jews were brought up to Babylon and and they're not going to be left. They're not going to be abandoned. They're not exiled forever.

We have Daniel, we have Ezekiel, Obadiah, Habakkuk, Judith, Zephaniah, Nahum, Jeremiah, Joel. We have all kinds of books that should be read in this particular context.

I think it's--is it Jeremiah or is it--I think it's Jeremiah who he's talking, he's preaching to the people and he's telling them, you can't just keep saying this is the temple of the Lord. We have the temple of the Lord, we have the temple of the Lord, we have the temple of the Lord because yeah, you have the Lord's temple in your presence, but you're not living like you do.

And this whole land shall be a ruin and a waste. And these nations shall serve the king of Babylon 70 years.

But the central role of the prophets was to proclaim God's word, his will, and to woo the people, to encourage them to come back to God and walk according to his plan of sheer goodness.

And then there are minor prophets who their message isn't minor, but they are shorter. And they are to specific people.

It starts out by talking about the potter and the clay.

And right? So the word of the Lord comes to Jeremiah. Go down to the potter's house and what does the potter do? He's making a vessel out of clay and then he refashions it. Then he reworks it. He decides this is not how I want it. And so he fixes it.

And this is so good because obviously Jeremiah then makes the connection and the connection is hero Israel. This is what I can do. Can I not do this? Can I not take a nation, a kingdom? Can I not take a people that does not belong to me and make them mine? Can I also not take the people that's mine and say you're not living the way I've called you to and he's the potter. We're the clay.

So let's strike him let's not heed any of his words. Basically, we don't have to listen to Jeremiah because honestly, we still have got priests. We still have wise. We still have prophets. We'll listen to them instead but remember what they're doing. They are being false. They're only telling the people what they want to hear not what they need it to hear.

And so we have to recognize that that is that's the reality because there's a place in which you know even the holiest people that we know holiest people that are among us. There's still people right? They're still human beings and their love and their patience is finite as opposed to God whose whose love is infinite whose patience is infinite and yet there are consequences to our behavior.

Even though you have Jeremiah and those who were left behind over in Egypt and they're going to die there. And you have the other Jews who were brought up to Babylon and they're not going to be left.

We have Daniel, we have Ezekiel, Obadiah, Habakkuk, Judith, Zephaniah, Nahum, Jeremiah, Joel, we have all kinds of books that should be read in this particular context.

I think it's Jeremiah who he's talking, he's preaching to the people and he's telling them, you can't just keep saying this is the temple of the Lord.

Maybe that in Jeremiah 25 is a prediction of the future but the central role of the prophets was to proclaim God's word, his will and to woo the people, to encourage them to come back to God and walk according to his plan of sheer goodness.

like Isaiah and Jeremiah and then there are minor prophets their message isn't minor but they are shorter and they are to specific people.

or Ezekiel speaking to people of his day or Jeremiah.

But to realize the story's not over, right? Even though you have Jeremiah and those who were left behind over in Egypt, and they're going to die there, and you have the other Jews who were brought up to Babylon, and they're not going to be left. They're not going to be abandoned. They're not exiled forever, but there is the next step, and that's our step today.

As we go through these last chapters of Jeremiah, it's almost anticlimactic.

So we have the judgment against the Philistines, the judgment against Moab today.

jeremiah the weeping prophet is going to talk a lot about uh good shepherds and bad shepherds he's going to talk a lot about the true prophets and the lying prophets and he in today is no different like today is no exception

am i god at hand this is chapter 23 verse 23 am i a god at hand says the lord and not a god far off and this is so key can a man hide himself in secret places so that i cannot see him do i not fill heaven and earth and he says i have heard what the prophets have said who prophesied lies in my name saying i have dreamed i've dreamed

we were commanded in the commandments to not take the name of the lord in vain and i've heard people explain this not only means uttering the name of god without meaning or kind of carelessly but it also i've heard people describe it it also means to not to prohibit it to be a commandment against doing something in the name of the lord that the lord would never endorse right that the doing something in the name of god that actually is really truly actually only done in my own name or in the name of someone else in the name of a political thing or the name of a cultural thing the name of a any any other kind of preference

He says to God, he says, Lord, you have deceived me and I was deceived. You are stronger than I and you have prevailed. I have become a laughing stock all the day. Everyone mocks me for whenever I speak, I cry out and the word of the Lord has become for me a reproach and derision all the day long.

He goes on to say, if I say I will not mention him or speak any more in his name, there is in my heart as it were a burning fire shut up in my bones and I'm weary from holding it in.

And so here's Jeremiah today after being put, I'm so excited. I'm sorry, I need to slow down. After being put in the stocks, here's Jeremiah who's saying very, very clearly that God is going to, God is going to allow Jerusalem to fall.

This is Jeremiah's heartbreaking. We heard Jeremiah's heartbreaking and he uses it in the, says it in these terms. He says, cursed be the day on which I was born. Would have been better if I just would have died.

And that's where you're going to get to that when it comes to Lamentations.

The Book of Proverbs chapter 27 verses 7 through 9.

A foolish son is a grief to his father, and bitterness to her who bore him.

Even a fool who keeps silent is considered wise. When he closes his lips he is deemed intelligent.

There's that kind of secular proverb, I think, that says better to stay silent and be considered a fool than to speak and remove all doubt.

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.

The Book of Proverbs chapter 27 verses 15 through 17, a continual dripping on a rainy day and a contentious woman are alike to restrain her is to restrain the wind or to grasp oil in one's right hand. Iron sharpens iron and one man sharpens another.

We're reading the letters of St. Paul to the Romans chapter one, as well as Proverbs 26 verses 24 through 26.

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

The Book of Proverbs chapter 26 verses 24 through 26 He who hates dissembles with his lips and harbors deceit in his heart.

The Book of Proverbs chapter 26 verses 10 through 12. Like an archer who wounds everybody is he who hires a passing fool or drunkard. Like a dog that returns to his vomit is a fool who repeats his folly. Do you see a man who is wise in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him.

I did want to highlight the proverb chapter 26 verse 11, like a dog returning to his vomit is a fool returning to his folly.

or as The Book of Proverbs would say, foolish one.

The Book of Proverbs, chapter 25, verses 11 through 14.

And also there are certain additions to the book of Esther and Daniel.

And the first person in that group, one of the first persons is a young man by the name of Daniel, and he's going to be taken into Babylonian exile.

Daniel, of course, writes from the place of exile.

And that's important when people are listening to Daniel to know this is a young guy that really wants to serve the Lord. He's going to be tempted to become like the Babylonians, but he's not going to do it. He's actually going to become one of the real all-stars in salvation history.

And the first person in that group, one of the first persons is a young man by the name of Daniel. And he's going to be taken into Babylonian exile.

Daniel, of course, writes from the place of exile. And that's important when people are listening to Daniel to know this is a young guy that really wants to serve the Lord. He's going to be tempted to become like the Babylonians, but he's not going to do it.

like Daniel will follow his story, right? But others will kind of have just know here's the words of the prophet calling the people to repentance reminding them of God's future restoration.

We've talked about some of those other deuterocanonical books in the past when we read through Judith and we read through those parts of Esther and Daniel and Tobit and Baruch.

chapter four and five of daniel is all about uh king nebuchadnezzar being humbled this king nebuchadnezzar being humbled before the lord and king nebuchadnezzar uh not only being humbled before the lord but being humble before the lord and then being taught by god this is so critical that he's not simply humbled for humility's sake right he is humbled before the lord his power is taken away his majesty is taken away even his reason is taken away so that he can realize that the most high is truly God.

there's no one, I mean, I'm sure his entire life, Nebuchadnezzar was the number one person. He's the top dog his entire life. And God is making it known, actually, actually there are those above you. And he, God himself, the most high, is the highest. He's the most high.

And so this recognition that Nebuchadnezzar learned this is really remarkable and such a gift for all of us to note. Then, of course, in chapter five, we have the story of Belshazzar and the handwriting on the wall that is interpreted noting that he was gonna be taken down, right? He was gonna be surpassed by the Persians.

So we're reading today Jeremiah 20 and 21, Daniel chapters 1 and 2, as well as Proverbs chapter 15 verses 25 to 28.

As much as I love Daniel and we're going to get to Daniel in just a second, I just have to say Jeremiah, we get a sense now of how profoundly hurt Jeremiah was, like how profoundly rejected Jeremiah was here in chapter 20 where he's put in the stocks and we even can get the sense that Jeremiah, he says, what does he say to God? This is incredible.

And so they pray before the Lord and oh, it's so good. Here's Daniel who says, here's the dream. And I know the dream, not because of my wisdom, not because of me, but I know this dream because the God of heaven has revealed this to me.

So what this is an image of is as Daniel interprets, the head of gold is the kingdom of Babylon. Incredible, beautiful, powerful. The kingdom after Babylon is going to be Persia. Persia is going to come to power after Babylon and that's silver. Then you have a bronze and that is Greece. You know, Alexander the Great is going to conquer the Persians.

And all of it is overcome by the kingdom, the empire essentially that God himself establishes. The kingdom of God is the church and that goes throughout the entire world.

We're reading 2 Kings chapter 22, 2 Chronicles chapter 33, and we are reading now not from Psalms but from the Book of Proverbs, one of the wisdom books.

We're also reading 2 Chronicles 33, and we are praying, kinda, more getting some wisdom from Proverbs chapter 7.

The second book of Chronicles chapter 33 Manasseh's evil reign over Judah.

Well, a couple of quick notes about 2 Kings and about 2 Chronicles.

in second chronicles he's still alive

we get to go back and kind of recap here is hezekiah's life with a couple extra details

that that there was a great pride that was in his heart

Hezekiah had very great riches and honor and he made for himself treasuries for silver for gold for precious stones for spices for shields and for all kinds of costly vessels

And you're like, wait a second, I remember a guy in 2 Chronicles.

There was a young guy who became a king, but his name was Uzziah.

We're reading from 1 Kings chapter 12 and 2 Chronicles 10 and 11.

Remember that Chronicles, again going back to this, 1 Kings is telling the story kind of like in real time, right? It's written closer to the source, closer to the actual events happening. Chronicles is what happened after the exile of the people of Israel, at this point now the people of Judah, being exiled to the place of Babylon and returning.

Now in this 1 Kings 12 and 2 Chronicles 10 and 11, the story is, I mean it's the same. We get a little bit more of Rehoboam being smart and fortifying the cities in Judah and Benjamin, that's really good.

Now here we have Solomon in 1 Kings 1 and he's just beginning, he's just going to start in this whole thing but in 2 Chronicles chapter 1 we have this big moment we're not going to get to in 1 Kings until chapter 3 but here we have first 2 Chronicles chapter 1 where God asks Solomon what do you want me to do for you?

And Solomon asks for wisdom and God gives him wisdom.

What does he do immediately? In 2 Chronicles Solomon gets wisdom and then he begins to amass treasures.

Thus he's been blessed by the Lord with wisdom but he already shows a streak of disobedience and this is what's going to play out for the rest of his life.

Yes there are moments of wisdom that is a gift so good but also there is a streak of disobedience and a streak where Solomon does not do the right and so one of the things we always have to say is okay Lord we've all been given gifts we've all been given these opportunities to exercise the gifts that God has given to us and yet we all also have to recognize that in the midst of all the gifts you've given me Lord they don't mean anything unless I exercise them in accordance with your will.

We have Daniel, we have Ezekiel, Obadiah, Habakkuk, Judith, Zephaniah, Nahum, Jeremiah, Joel. We have all kinds of books that should be read in this particular context.

We also have four chapters of the prophet Malachi, who is the last prophet essentially when it comes to the return, when it comes to the people of Israel.

The book of Malachi chapter 1 Israel preferred to eat him the oracle of the word of the Lord to Israel by Malachi I have loved you says that the Lord but you say how have you loved us is not Esau Jacob's brother says the Lord yet I have loved Jacob but I hated Esau I have laid waste his hill country and left his heritage to jackals of the desert if Edom says we are shattered but we will rebuild my ruins the Lord of hosts says they may build but I will tear down till they are called the wicked country the people with whom the Lord is angry forever your own eyes shall see this and you shall say great is the Lord beyond the border of Israel

Malachi is just he makes it very very clear it's in chapter two that God says um for I hate divorce says the Lord the God of Israel yeah gosh because here are these people who are turning their back on the covenant and the covenant is ultimately marriage right the covenant is that I'm yours and you're mine that one flesh union between God and his people and it's the one flesh union between a man and a woman and so Malachi you might have caught this by this point in the four short chapters of the book of Malachi that he is writing and he's the messenger in fact his name Malachi means my messenger and it's around the context of Ezra in Nehemiah that's the the time period for Malachi and he is consistently calling out and he's doing what Nehemiah does at the end of this chapter or on the end of the book of Nehemiah where he's basically saying okay here are all the things you're doing and there's at least six points where Malachi with the voice of the Lord utters the words that people will say in rebellion against God for example the very very beginning the first couple words I have loved you says the Lord but you say how have you loved us is not Esau Jacob's brother it's basically God says I declare this I love you and the response is oh yeah how have you done that and God has to say uh maybe because I favored you among all the other nations maybe because others nations I have not blessed in the way I've blessed you maybe because I fought for you maybe because I have fed you maybe because I've led you all of these pieces all these things that the people of Israel would challenge God well how have you done this so example God says I'm a master where's my fear says the Lord of hosts to priests who despise my name and you say how have we despised your name okay well by offering polluted food upon my altar you say how have we polluted it okay maybe by thinking that the Lord's table may be despised you offer blind animals and sacrifice isn't that evil and that's the sense if it's just this this blindness is blindness that they need the corruption of the priesthood that this blindness to God's love for them this defilement of marriage all of these pieces and not only that but in our modern context there is this the word of God in verse chapter 2 verse 17 where God says you have wearied the Lord with your words yet you say how have we wearied him and here is the answer of God that sounds exactly like us in our modern context by saying everyone who does evil is good in the sight of the Lord and he delights in them you know this is a hard word for a lot of us hard word for a lot of us because gosh as Christians so often we emphasize the fact that God loves us 100 yes we so I think also as Christians we forget that God loves us I mean I think that we have this tightrope where we go to one extreme or the other where either we forget that God loves us like for the very first chapter I have loved you well how have you loved us well gosh all these favors but then also that sense of we also on the other hand say well then everyone's good everyone's fine there's nothing really evil in the sight of the Lord and everyone delights the Lord even in their evil I get by saying again everyone who does evil is good in the sight of the Lord and he delights in them or by asking where's the God of justice like he's not he hasn't shown up he hasn't brought justice he hasn't brought judgment and so we just have this what is commonly known as a moralistic therapeutic deism it's a term coined by Christian Smith who was a sociologist out of I think it was at the time he was working in North Carolina and UNC I think Chapel Hill and now he works at Notre Dame but this idea of moralistic therapeutic deism is he said what is the predominant religion of the majority of Americans that while we might say well I'm Jewish I'm Catholic I'm Protestant I'm Muslim whatever I'm atheist most Americans have this view of God that's moralistically therapeutically deistic so moralistic meaning just okay just don't be a jerk is the upshot of that therapeutic is God's there for you when you want him he doesn't really bother you when you don't and he's there to listen to your problems kind of thing and deistic so deism is kind of like they call it the clockmaker God where he's not really really involved in your life he just kind of wound up the world and let it go and so again he's there when you want him but he's not there when you don't want him so it's this God you can take off the shelf and put back on the shelf is basically the idea and and he likes all the things that you like and he hates all the things you hate and he thinks the way you think that's that's the idea behind moralistic therapeutic deism and here in chapter two of Malachi we see it on display and realize again once again the more things change the more things stay the same

Malachi applies to us because yes the day of the Lord came Jesus incarnate here on the earth in the flesh 400 plus years after Malachi wrote these words but he is going to come again and so we ask the Lord to help us be ready um not only hope to celebrate commemorate his first coming to recognize his present coming as he comes into our lives and his holy spirit and power and truth but also his great final coming the last judgment where Jesus will come to judge the living and the dead we ask God to help us be ready for that great day of the Lord

You've got three more prophets and we'll be done with them. But the prophets are very important during not only the exile, but the return. Prophets will speak to you as you go into exile, but they'll also speak to you as you make your return. And so in this period, we have Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi.

Like for example, in Haggai, read Haggai in light of they have come back to rebuild the temple and to focus on the work of God, but their own selfishness gets in the way. Okay? So if you read Haggai, listen to it in light of that, it's going to speak to you pretty powerfully.

We have Daniel, we have Ezekiel, Obadiah, Habakkuk, Judith, Zephaniah, Nahum, Jeremiah, Joel, we have all kinds of books that should be read in this particular context.

The book of Zechariah chapter 12, Jerusalem's victory, an oracle.

It says, and the Lord will give victory to the tents of Judah first, that the glory of the house of David and the glory of the inhabitants of Jerusalem may not be exalted over that of Judah.

We also have this, gosh, in the end of chapter 12, mourning for the pierced one. We have it also quoted in the book of, sorry, the gospel of John chapter 19. It says they will look on him whom they have pierced.

Okay, who are we talking about? Well, I think we're talking about the Lord Jesus, the only child, right? The only son of God, the firstborn of all ages, of all creation.

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 we know is one thing to hear these and think, wow, that's amazing. Here is Zechariah writing hundreds and hundreds of years before Jesus. And he's saying this, that's fascinating.

But one of the most interesting things, Father, that I see about this period is how it fits into our own lives.

I really enjoy Father Malachi because Malachi really sets the stage for the Messiah to come when in Malachi chapter three, Malachi says, I'm going to send my messenger to prepare the way before me. And then he says in chapter five, I will send you Elijah the prophet.

Now we know because we've read the rest of the story that in Matthew chapter 11 and verse 13 for all the prophets in the law prophesied until John and if Jesus says, if you're willing to accept it, he is Elijah who was to come.

And he also talks about it more in Matthew 17, nine through 13.

It says in chapter four, verse one, for behold, the day comes burning like an oven when all the arrogant and all the evil doers will be stubble. The day that comes shall burn them, says the Lord of hosts, so that it will leave them neither root nor branch. But for you who fear my name, the sun of righteousness shall rise with healing in its wings. You shall go forth leaping like calves from the stall and you shall tread down the wicked, for they will be ashes under the soles of your feet on the day when I act, says the Lord of hosts.

We have Daniel, we have Ezekiel, Obadiah, Habakkuk, Judith, Zephaniah, Nahum, Jeremiah, Joel. We have all kinds of books that should be read in this particular context.

We have Daniel, we have Ezekiel, Obadiah, Habakkuk, Judith, Zephaniah, Nahum, Jeremiah, Joel, we have all kinds of books that should be read in this particular context.

So you got to pay attention. Yeah, and that's so critical. Also, the names. There are a number of times where the Kingdom of Israel has a king that has the same name as a King of Judah. And it's like, okay, wait, oh, this is Jehoram, King of Judah, Jehoram, King of Israel. Joash is, okay, he's in Judah.

And as you said, Jonah goes off to the Ninevites, but the others are really trying to speak into the lives of the people and the lives of these kingdoms and saying, just come back.

Now we are heard about Jonah one other place.

God says, go to Nineveh and be a prophet to them, call them to repentance.

And he demonstrates that he is not a good prophet.

Jonah even says after they repent, Jonah says, this is why I didn't want to come here because I know who you are.

And should I not pity Nineveh, that great city in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand persons who do not know their right hand from their left, and also much cattle?

Jonah speaks to the Ninevites outside of the North and South, so you got to pay attention.

And Amos has a similar message.

And then Amos, we are heard this a couple days ago.

This is what I was thinking of a couple days ago in Amos chapter six.

Amos is the true prophet speaking words against Jeroboam.

Hopefully we're prophets like Amos.

Again, that contrasting when they're talking to Jeroboam, Jonah tells Jeroboam what he wants to hear and Amos tells Jeroboam what he needs to hear.

And we're also praying Psalm 124.

So we've concluded the book of the prophet Amos.

Remember Amos is preaching to all the nations, he goes that whole circle around Israel, around Judah.

He preaches against Judah and tells them where they need to come back to the Lord. But here he is speaking specifically to Israel, the Northern nation of Israel.

We're also diving from Hosea into Amos, the new prophet Amos. Well, not new now, but new to us today. Amos chapters 1, 2 and 3.

If you want to download your own Bible in a Year reading plan, that way you would have known that Amos was sneaking up on us today on day 178.

The Book of Amos chapter 1 Judgment on Israel's Neighbors The words of Amos, who was among the shepherds of Tekoa, which he saw concerning Israel in the days of Uzziah king of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam, the son of Joash king of Israel, two years before the earthquake.

And he said, The Lord roars from Zion and utters his voice from Jerusalem. The pastors of the shepherds mourn and the top of Carmel withers.

So I will send a fire upon Judah, and it shall devour the strongholds of Jerusalem. Thus says the Lord, For three transgressions of Israel and for four I will not revoke the punishment, because they sell the righteous for silver, and the needy for a pair of shoes.

And Amos has a similar, a similar message.