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

And so we still do, of course, we still see David because David has to bestow the kingdom upon his son Solomon.

But we recognize here this is the end, more or less, of David's life. And even at the end of his life, he's still open to being converted.

Lastly, we have the last chapter of First Chronicles. That's First Chronicles chapter 29. And what do we see here? Well, gosh, we have David saying, my son Solomon, he's young and inexperienced.

And so we've gotten all these things. What are they? They're gold for gold things, silver for silver things, iron for iron things. And what it says is David gives freely and wholeheartedly.

But then also he's collected a bunch of things for himself that he basically had won in battle, that he took in battle. They were his own property and he freely and wholeheartedly is giving. And then what happens is all the other people in the nation, the kingdom of Israel, they're also giving willingly. They're also giving wholeheartedly.

We can read that in 1 Chronicles at least one of David's mighty men at the middle of 1 Chronicles is a Gibeonite.

The Son of--he's the Son of Man, which basically just means he's a human being. That's going to change in Daniel chapter 7. But for now, whenever the Lord God calls Ezekiel, Son of Man, he's just talking like, hey bro, you're a human being.

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.

We have Daniel, we have Ezekiel, Obadiah, Habakkuk, Judith, Zephaniah, Nahum, Jeremiah, Joel.

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

Daniel in 605, and we can get into that a little bit. Daniel, of course, writes from the place of exile.

Some of them will have stories, like Daniel will follow his story, but others will kind of have just, no, here's the words of the prophet calling the people to repentance, reminding them of God's future restoration.

Lamentations 4 and 5, the conclusion of basically of Lamentations as Jeremiah observes the pain and the suffering of the people of Jerusalem as he walks through the city under siege.

if you want proof about how bad babylon was well we got to the conclusion of The Book of Lamentations chapters four and five and i mean gosh i think you imagine the ways in which this description in chapter four it's here's one chapter four verse four the tongue of the infant clings to the roof of its mouth for thirst the children beg for food but no one gives to them and this is just horrible and goes on to talk about those who used to be wealthy they're they've fallen people used to be important they are not recognized because of the reality that everyone in jerusalem is in the midst of suffering and this is what suffering does to us

it goes on even even changes hearts i mean suffering has the ability to reform us right suffering has the ability to purify us and and make us better but also has the ability to reveal the darkness the brokenness of our own hearts in chapter 4 verse 10 it's one of the worst verses that you could really come across in the entire bible in chapter 4 of lamentations verse 10 it says the hands of compassionate women have boiled their own children they became their food in the destruction of the daughter of my people

that even good women here's good people the hands of compassionate women have boiled their own children in fact i think it's the the historian josephus who writes about this not only here in lamentations the siege of jerusalem by the babylonians but but later on um the siege of jerusalem by the romans that something similar happened there this this way in which again sometimes suffering sometimes desperation can lead us to do things we never would imagine we'd ever possibly do

that's one of the reasons why we continue to pray not only for strength but also that we might be spared that we might be spared those kinds of times those kinds of seasons that kind of age where we realize that okay god i have the potential to do the unimaginable so please spare me spare me from that not because that means i'm stronger but because i don't ever ever want to do something so horrible

But here's a sad thing. Some of the people in exile kind of liked it.

while they were far away from the temple and the writer of Lamentations is lamenting that they're not around the temple anymore, lamenting that they're not in Jerusalem anymore.

keeping in mind what St. Paul said in Corinthians about these things were written for you and your encouragement, what can we take away from the return if we feel like we've been in exile?

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.

St. Paul's First Letter to the Corinthians Chapter 5 Sexual Immorality Defiles the Church

I mentioned yesterday how to live like a Corinthian was basically to say that someone was living a broken life.

Chapter 6 Lawsuits Among Believers

The first letter of Paul to the Corinthians chapter one salutation. Paul called by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus and our brother Sosthenes to the church of God, which is at Corinth to those sanctified in Christ Jesus called to be saints together with all those who in every place call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

I mean, I think most people who go to church would have a familiarity with them, maybe more they would with, you know, the book of Esther or The Book of Judith.

Holofernes is, he is willing to do exactly what Nebuchadnezzar has asked him to do.

We have Daniel, we have Ezekiel, Obadiah, Habakkuk, Judith, Zephaniah, Nahum, Jeremiah, Joel.

And he says in Moses and all the prophets and all the Psalms, all the places that talked about him.

And that everything written about me in the law of Moses and the prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.

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

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.

Now, this is one of the issues that's happening in Rome, is that there is a Christian community made up of both of Jewish Christians and of Gentile Christians.

And so that's what Paul is going to be. Some of the things Paul is going to be addressing as he unpacks the heart of the gospel throughout the course of this letter to the Romans.

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.

But here we are on the final gospel before we launch into the acts of the apostles and Romans tomorrow, the greatest letter of St. Paul, maybe one of the greatest works in the new Testament.

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.

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 he said to them, how can they say that the Christ is David's son? For David himself says in the book of Psalms, the Lord said to my Lord, sit at my right till I make your enemies a stool for your feet.

But he said to them, how can they say that the Christ is David's son? For David himself says in the book of Psalms, the Lord said to my Lord, sit at my right till I make your enemies a stool for your feet.

And John has an entire book called the Book of Revelation.

In the book series, the Lord of the Rings, J.R.R. Tolkien, he has a number of figures of Christ, Christ figures.

So one of them is Gandalf, right? He's the wizard. He's a Christ figure in the sense that he has wisdom and power and those kinds of things.

And at one point he dies and comes back, comes back transformed from Gandalf the gray to Gandalf the white. He's an image of Christ, the priest.

You also have Frodo who's the Hobbit who carries the ring. And in Tolkien's work, he said that he actually Tolkien said about the Lord of the Rings, he said that it's a religious and it's specifically Catholic work.

So Frodo is the ring bearer and ring in middle earth and in the whole book series, the ring symbolizes the corruptive power of sin. And so here's the one who's carrying the corruptive power of sin, carrying the ring in order to destroy it.

In the book series, The Lord of the Rings, J.R.R. Tolkien, he has a number of figures of Christ, Christ figures.

One of them is Gandalf. He's the wizard. He's a Christ figure in the sense that he has wisdom and power and those kind of things. At one point he dies and comes back, comes back transformed from Gandalf the gray to Gandalf the white.

You have Aragorn who is the king and he's going to take his throne at some point. He's exiled in many ways, but at some point he's going to take his throne. So here's an image of Jesus Christ, the king.

You also have Frodo who's the hobbit who carries the ring and in Tolkien's work, he said that he actually, Tolkien said about The Lord of the Rings, he said that it's a religious and it's specifically Catholic work.

So Frodo is the ring bearer and ring in Middle Earth and in the whole book series, the ring symbolizes the corruptive power of sin. And so here's the one who's carrying the corruptive power of sin, carrying the ring in order to destroy it. In the process, it costs him something.

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 cutting locust left the swarming locust has eaten...the hopping locust left the destroying locust has eaten and basically everything is gone

here's what's coming...what's coming is even worse than a plague of locusts...that's going to be the day of the lord

the lord utters his voice before his army...for the day of the lord is great and very awesome who can endure it

whenever god allows tragedy to befall his people it is always oriented not toward their destruction but to their education...it's to their repentance and that's always the goal

i will restore to you the years which the swarming locust has eaten...i'm even going to restore the years that you lost the time that you lost

We are reading from the letter of Jude.

We're reading the letter of Jude.

It was of these also that Enoch in the seventh generation from Adam prophesied saying, behold, the Lord came with myriads of his holy ones to execute judgment on all and to convict all the ungodly of all their deeds of ungodliness, which they have committed in such an ungodly way and of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against him.

We have the letter of Jude today. It's really brief. Jude is known as one of the relatives of Jesus. Adelphoi is the proper term. Jude is the brother of James.

And so one of the things we know about Jude is Jude knows the Old Testament pretty well, and he knows the Jewish writings really well because he gives examples that we are familiar with.

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

As always, I am reading from the Revised Standard Version, the Second Catholic Edition.

And later at the end of the New Testament with 1 John, John, he kind of bookends the Bible by mentioning these three things again and says, these aren't of God. The lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life.

In Hebrew, they'd say, that ain't God. That's not God. That isn't God.

And the rest of the acts of Abisham and all that he did, are they not written in the book of The Chronicles of the Kings of Judah?

Now the rest of all the acts of Asa, all his might, and all that he did, and the cities which he built, are they not written in the book of The Chronicles of the Kings of Judah?

Now the rest of all the acts of Asa, all his might, and all that he did, and the cities which he built, are they not written in the book of The Chronicles of the Kings of Judah?

And there was war between Abizim and Jeroboam. And Abizim slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the city of David.

The acts of Asa, from first to last, are written in the book of the kings of Judah and Israel.

Now the rest of the acts of Nadab and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?

Now the rest of the acts of Baasha, and what he did, and his might, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?

Now the rest of the acts of Elah and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?

Now the rest of the acts of Zimri and the conspiracy which he made, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?

Now the rest of the acts of Omri which he did, and the might that he showed, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?

Now the rest of the acts of Nadab and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?

Now the rest of the acts of Baasha, and what he did, and his might, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?

Now the rest of the acts of Elah and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?

Now the rest of the acts of Zimri and the conspiracy which he made, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?

Now the rest of the acts of Omri which he did, and the might that he showed, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?

Father in heaven, yes, all creation, all of creation praises your name.

The father, the fact that we can look around at this world that you have made with all of its danger and with all of its distress, but with all of its power and beauty and even mere existence, it all gives praise to you.

And so we give you thanks just like the psalmist, just like David who wrote this Psalm 65.

And we actually also ask you to give us wisdom like you gave wisdom to Solomon to be able to know how to live in this world, how to live in this earth, how to not only give thanks to you for creation, but also how to use this creation in a way that honors you, that honors the gift and that helps our neighbor, not just our neighbor that exists, but our neighbor in the future.

God, you've made all creation for us, for our ancestors and also for our descendants.

giving thanks to God for his creation. We give God thanks and I give God thanks for you.

We give you thanks just like the Psalmist, just like David who wrote the Psalm 65. We give you thanks. Thanks for earth's bounty.

And so God, we give you thanks. And we actually also ask you to give us wisdom. Like you gave wisdom to Solomon, to be able to know how to live in this world, how to live in this earth, how to not only give thanks to you for creation, but also how to use this creation in a way that honors you, that honors the gift and that helps our neighbor.

So many people throughout the year have been so blessed. And one of the comments is, man, I wish I had all of that in one place.

The Bible in a Year companion is a book, and it has wonderful descriptions of every day, kind of the essence of that day from your teaching. And it has frequently asked questions.

And we, as you know, we have been on Thursdays at 2 o'clock Eastern on Facebook, Ascension's Bible Study Facebook page, answering a lot of these questions that people are coming up with. And so we thought, well, we'll just put those in this companion so that they can not only find the answers to these difficult questions, but they can pass it on to other people.

So it's going to be in three volumes, and the first volume is available. And we encourage people to get that, and it's going to be a wonderful gift, I think, to people.

So many people throughout the year have been so blessed. And one of the comments is, man, I wish I had all of that in one place.

The Bible in a Year companion is a book, and it has wonderful descriptions of every day, kind of the essence of that day from your teaching.

And it has frequently asked questions. And we, as you know, we have been on Thursdays at 2 o'clock Eastern on Facebook, Ascension's Bible Study Facebook page, answering a lot of these questions that people are coming up with.

And so we thought, well, we'll just put those in this companion so that they can not only find the answers to these difficult questions, but they can pass it on to other people.

So it's going to be in three volumes, and the first volume is available.