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"The Yoke of Sin" June 9 Readings: Lamentations 1-5

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  Reading the Bible Chronologically in 2026 This year, we will read the Bible chronologically, as it happened, instead of simply reading from Genesis to Revelation. The Old Testament is approximately 3/4 of the Bible, but we will give more emphasis to the New Testament, spending half the year in the Old Testament and half in the New.  Bible Readings :   Lamentations 1-5 In Bible Gateway, we will link to the NIV this year, though you can choose any version you prefer.  Background:     The nation was defeated, destroyed. The Temple of God was in ruins. People wondered how the great God of heaven could have let something like this happen. They should have understood and should have listened to the prophets, but they didn’t. So Jeremiah wrote a series of five laments which spelled out exactly what God was doing. Each of the five chapters of Lamentations is a separate lament, carefully crafted to explore the judgment and the goodness of God. Four of the five are...
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"God's Word Is True" June 8 Readings: Jeremiah 47-52

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  Reading the Bible Chronologically in 2026 This year, we will read the Bible chronologically, as it happened, instead of simply reading from Genesis to Revelation. The Old Testament is approximately 3/4 of the Bible, but we will give more emphasis to the New Testament, spending half the year in the Old Testament and half in the New.  Bible Readings :   Jeremiah 47-52 In Bible Gateway, we will link to the NIV this year, though you can choose any version you prefer.  Background:     Jeremiah ends with a series of prophecies against nations and what is clearly a historical addendum to the book. After recounting the fall of Jerusalem in chapter 52, the book records the release by one of the subsequent emperors of Babylon of the last king of Judah. This preserves the line of David and gives hope. Daily Devotional:  God's Word Is True Jerusalem lay in ruins, and its best and brightest had been carried off to Babylon to serve the king there. The defeat of Ju...
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"A Happy Ending?" June 7 Readings: Jeremiah 41-46

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  Reading the Bible Chronologically in 2026 This year, we will read the Bible chronologically, as it happened, instead of simply reading from Genesis to Revelation. The Old Testament is approximately 3/4 of the Bible, but we will give more emphasis to the New Testament, spending half the year in the Old Testament and half in the New.  Bible Readings :   Jeremiah 41-46 In Bible Gateway, we will link to the NIV this year, though you can choose any version you prefer.  Background:     Today's reading covers the end of Jeremiah's life and is chronologically the last of his writings. Though there are still prophecies to be presented in chapters 46-52, they come from earlier times in his life. Gedaliah is murdered and replaced by Johanan, and against Jeremiah's strong advice (a prophetic word from God), the people go to Egypt for protection from Babylon. They take Jeremiah with them, and though there is no record of his death, it is assumed that Jeremiah died dur...
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"Like a Deer on the Heights" June 6 Readings: Habakkuk 1-3

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  Reading the Bible Chronologically in 2026 This year, we will read the Bible chronologically, as it happened, instead of simply reading from Genesis to Revelation. The Old Testament is approximately 3/4 of the Bible, but we will give more emphasis to the New Testament, spending half the year in the Old Testament and half in the New.  Bible Readings :   Habakkuk 1-3 In Bible Gateway, we will link to the NIV this year, though you can choose any version you prefer.  Background:     Habakkuk is a powerful book, a conversation between God and the prophet. In 1:1-4, the prophet questions God, asking why he is not dealing with the sin among his chosen people. God answers in 1:5-11, but in a way totally different than Habakkuk had expected. God was raising up the evil Babylonians to punish his wayward people. This time, Habakkuk reacts in horror and even outrage at what God is doing, in 1:12-2:1. How could God use this wicked nation to do his work? In chapter 2 (s...
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"Why, O Lord?" June 5 Readings: 2 Kings 24-25, 2 Chronicles 36, Psalm 74, 79

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  Reading the Bible Chronologically in 2026 This year, we will read the Bible chronologically, as it happened, instead of simply reading from Genesis to Revelation. The Old Testament is approximately 3/4 of the Bible, but we will give more emphasis to the New Testament, spending half the year in the Old Testament and half in the New.  Bible Readings :   2 Kings 24-25, 2 Chronicles 36, Psalm 74, 79 In Bible Gateway, we will link to the NIV this year, though you can choose any version you prefer.  Background:     With a few exceptions (such as Psalm 51), we read the Psalms divorced from their background. Often, we do not know the Psalm's experiential basis, but sometimes we do. Psalm 74 (and 79) is believed to be related to the downfall of Judah that is described in our readings today. Daily Devotional:   Why, O Lord? Israel never seemed to put two and two together. They never added their sin to God's holiness to explain their sufferings. Granted, the fa...
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"Prophet in the Pit" June 4 Readings: Jeremiah 35-40

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  Reading the Bible Chronologically in 2026 This year, we will read the Bible chronologically, as it happened, instead of simply reading from Genesis to Revelation. The Old Testament is approximately 3/4 of the Bible, but we will give more emphasis to the New Testament, spending half the year in the Old Testament and half in the New.  Bible Readings :   Jeremiah 35-40 In Bible Gateway, we will link to the NIV this year, though you can choose any version you prefer.  Background:     Jeremiah here presents a narrative of the end of the Kingdom of Judah and its wicked kings. The chilling story of King Jehoiakim cutting the scroll bit by bit and burning it is a reminder of the dangers of abandoning God's word. Later, Jeremiah was imprisoned and even thrown in a cistern - all because of his fidelity to God. Daily Devotional:   Prophet in the Pit Jeremiah sat in the mire and muck, his life ebbing away as he sank into the mud. Jeremiah 38 tells the story of w...
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"God's Impossible Grace" June 3 Readings: Jeremiah 29-34

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  Reading the Bible Chronologically in 2026 This year, we will read the Bible chronologically, as it happened, instead of simply reading from Genesis to Revelation.  The Old Testament is approximately 3/4 of the Bible, but we will give more emphasis to the New Testament, spending half the year in the Old Testament and half in the New.  Bible Readings :   Jeremiah 29-34 In Bible Gateway, we will link to the NIV this year, though you can choose any version you prefer.  Background:     Today's reading deals with the promised restoration of Israel, and it combines prophecies of the historic return after the Babylonian Captivity and the millennial return when Israel will not only be physically restored but also spiritually restored and fully devoted to God and to the Messiah God sent. There are two familiar passages in this reading, one of which is among the most misread passages in the Bible. Jeremiah 29:11 says, " For I know the plans I have for you” —thi...
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