Dave Miller's 2024 Bible Reading Challenge

Today's Reading -  2 Kings 1-5 Background Originally, 1 and 2 Kings (the same is true of 1 and 2 Chronicles) were one book, but they were separated to keep the scrolls from becoming too big. At the beginning of 2 Kings we see the transition from Elijah to Elisha. Elijah is taken up into heaven and Elisha receives a double portion of his power. Devotional - It Is about Him Sometimes, we forget what it is all about - no, WHO it is all about. Elijah was a great man of God, one of the greatest found in the pages of the Bible. He was a man of uncompromising conviction who stood up to Ahab and Jezebel and proclaimed God's truth. His confrontation with the false prophets on Mt. Carmel was one of those truly inspiring moments. But now he was gone. In 2 Kings 2:11, Elijah was taken up into heaven in a whirlwind, carried by chariots and horses of fire. It must have seemed to many that the glory was gone, the power was gone, even the hope was gone from Israel. But it was not. When he lef

Today's Reading - Obadiah 1, Psalm 82-83 Background Obadiah is the shortest book of the Old Testament, expressing the judgment of God on Edom, descendant nations of Esau. The Psalms we read today are pleas for God's judgment against sinful nations. Devotional - That They Might See God It is not uncommon for us to see things in this world that make us angry, that horrify us, that set our teeth on edge. When those despicable Planned Parenthood videos came out showing them selling organs and body parts of aborted babies, we were sick. We hear of tragedies, horrors, evils, and injustices every day.  It makes us want to lash out against the evil of the world. The psalmists knew that feeling. The Psalms are full of prayers that pour out anger over the sin of the world - often called imprecatory prayers. Psalm 109 is among the most extreme of these, but Psalm 83 is definitely in the category. In it, Asaph calls on God to destroy the enemies of Israel and invokes previous instances in

Today's Reading - 2 Chronicles 18-23 Background Jehoshaphat was a good king who compromised by his involvement with Ahab, the evil king of Israel. These chapters tell of Jehoshaphat's reign and of Micaiah's prophecies. The effect of Jehoshaphat's compromise is seen in the life of Jehoram, his son, who followed him to the throne. Today's devotional explores his wasted life. Devotional - A Wasted Life  Have you ever thought about what you want on your tombstone? Is there some brief, pithy statement that encapsulates your life? Most reference Ecclesiastes tells us that God has put eternity in our hearts. We have a deep, inborn, innate desire for our lives to matter, to do something that is significant, so that when we are gone we will be remembered and that the impact and effect our lives will continue. But all too often our desire for eternal significance is squandered by our devotion to the things of this world - materialism, self-centeredness, lust, devotion to ple

Today's Reading - 1 Kings 17-22 Background This reading details the battle between Elijah and evil king Ahab, and later the story of Micaiah and Ahab. Ahab is the worst of Israel's kings, embracing idolatry at the insistence of his wife Jezebel and Ahab and Micaiah are both men who stood for God against him. Devotional - Kill the Messenger "Don't kill the messenger." That is exactly what Ahab wanted to do. The phrase is meant to show the absurdity of attacking the bearer of bad news. It was not uncommon in the days when kings had absolute and sometimes capricious power that they would take unjust vengeance on the person who delivered an unwanted message. Elijah was just such a messenger. In 1 Kings 17 he delivered the message of God's judgment on sinful Israel. The blessings of heaven would be cut off as long as Ahab and his people continued 18in their sin. Look at verse 1. “As the Lord, the God of Israel, lives, before whom I stand, there shall be neither de

Today's Reading - 1 Kings 15:25-16:24, 2 Chronicles 17 Background Our readings today bounce between the kings of Israel and Judah. In 2 Chronicles we see Jehoshaphat, one of the second tier kings - good but not great. The 1 Kings readings focus on Israel's increasingly evil kings. Devotional - The Heavenly View My college was not exactly a fundamentalist stronghold! Professors regularly taught us that the Bible's teachings were inaccurate, biased or historically faulty. I recall my Old Testament professor waxing eloquent (and skeptical) about the Bible's view of Omri and Ahab, two of the kings of Israel. In the text of 1 Kings, there is little good that is said of them. Omri bought a hill from Shemer and built the capital city of Israel there, called Samaria. Ahab, his son, continued after him and is best known for marrying Jezebel, the daughter of the king of Sidon, and a passionate worshiper of Baal. The professor told us about the exploits of these kings, their impre

Today's Reading -  1 Kings 15:1-24, 2 Chronicles 13-16   Background We begin to work through the kings of Israel and Judah. In Kings, we see both nations' kings while Chronicles only looks at Judah. All of the kings of Israel are condemned because they continued the sin of Jeroboam, idolatry. But the kings of Judah are essentially graded in four different ways. The top grade goes to the good kings who obeyed God and also got rid of idols and high places.  The second tier was the good kings who obeyed God but were not willing to cleanse the nation of idols or shut down the high places.  The third tier was bad kings who disobeyed God.  The lowest level was those bad kings who not only disobeyed God but also engaged in the heinous practice of child sacrifice.  Devotional - Trusting Aram Asa started out so well as the king of Judah. His fathers had strayed from the path set by King David and had led Judah towards compromise and idolatry. Asa came along and led the nation in a spiri

Today's Reading - 1 Kings 12-14, 2 Chronicles 10-12 Background Devotional - Choices Have Consequences  The Bible makes it clear that each of us stands before God and accounts for our own sin, that we are not given grace because our parents are Christians nor are we held liable for our parent's sins. On the other hand, God revealed to Moses as he gave the Ten Commandments that the sins of the fathers would be visited on the children for generations to come. That is not a contradiction. We are not guilty for our parent's sins but we are affected by them. That is precisely what happened to Rehoboam. Remember that the entire book of Proverbs was written to Solomon's sons to teach how to live and especially how to rule Israel. When Solomon said "my sons" over and over again, he had Rehoboam in mind. But the Solomon fell into sin and the example that he set negated the wisdom that he taught. Our children learn much more from our example than they do from our instru

Today's Reading - 1 Kings 10-11, 2 Chronicles 9 Background Solomon's descent into sin, alluded to in our examination of Ecclesiastes, is our focus today. Devotional - The Wise and Fool of Solomon Solomon is one of the tragic stories in the Bible. In many ways, he was a great success, and by worldly terms, the glory of his kingdom surpassed even that of his father's, King David. The borders of Israel were expanded, buildings were built, including the Temple, and the wealth and fame of Solomon spread throughout the world. Of course, his wisdom was the thing that gave him his greatest fame. He had a grasp and understanding of the principles of wisdom, of how to make a wise decision and walk the right path in life, like no one else ever. And yet he became a fool. 1 Kings 11 tells how a man of great wisdom made some very foolish choices. In Proverbs, there are stern warnings against the wrong kinds of women and the importance of godly relationships. But as Solomon grew older, h

Today's Reading - Ecclesiastes 7-12 Background A brief overview of Ecclesiastes Introduction: (1:1-11) "Everything is meaningless Investigating the Meaninglessness of life (1:12-6:9) Conclusions about the Meaninglessness of life (6:10-11:6) Introduction (6:10-12) Man cannot discover what is good for him to do. (7:1-8:17)  Man has no idea what comes after him. (9:1-11:6) Concluding poem (11:7-12:8) Epilogue (12:9-14) Devotional - Bad Stuff Happens What is Solomon's problem? In Proverbs, Solomon sets forth clear teachings of wisdom, explaining that life is choices and choices have consequences and that the path to wise living is to make wise choices that bring God's blessing. Proverbs has its dark moments, but it is encouraging and positive about what happens to the man or woman who walks in God's will. It is strange, then, to see pessimism and even cynicism in the book of Ecclesiastes. Solomon now catalogs the things that he has observed going wrong in the world. I

Today's Reading - Ecclesiastes 1-6 Background Ecclesiastes is a mysterious book, written from an earthly and even somewhat cynical viewpoint. It says some strange and confusing things, mixed in with some powerful wisdom. It is generally believed that Solomon was the author, but he is not identified by some. Some believe that the "son of David" (which can also mean descendent) might have been Hezekiah. Both ideas had support in Rabbinical traditions. It is most likely that Solomon was the author. We know of three periods in Solomon's life, the third only known because of this book. In his youth, Solomon was a man of God and a man of wisdom  - the greatest man in the world. But then he turned to sin, something we will read about in a later reading, embracing the folly he warned his sons against in the Book of Proverbs. Here, in Ecclesiastes, we have a restored but wounded Solomon. He has returned to God but bears the scars of his sinful days. Even when we repent of sin

Today's Reading - Proverbs 25-31 Background Today we complete the book of Proverbs, reading various collections of wisdom from different authors. Devotional - The Power of Words No, that is not a sidewalk. It is a trail worn in the rock of the Tsankawi Ruins near Santa Fe, New Mexico. Over the centuries the feet of the people living on that hill cut deep paths into the solid rock. Amazing. Had Solomon known about the Tsankawi, he might have worded Proverbs 25:15 a little differently. Proverbs are inspired observations about life which reveal God's truth. Some are simple statements of wisdom and others are vivid illustrations, like the one we focus on today. A ruler can be persuaded through patience, and a gentle tongue can break a bone. What on earth can that second line mean? There is no tongue that is strong enough or hard enough to shatter a bone. It's impossible. But the figure of speech tells a story. Words have a powerful effect. One who patiently speaks what is right

Today's Reading - 1 Kings 9, 2 Chronicles 8 Background In today's readings, we see the finishing of the Temple and the rest of Solomon's amazing and extensive building projects. Though David was a man after God's own heart, Solomon was the man who built Israel into a regional powerhouse. He was a man to be reckoned with. Unfortunately, as we will see in future readings, his life would become a model of the proverb that says, "Pride goes before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall." Devotional - Fallen Stones On my second trip to Israel, we were escorted through a tunnel that connects the Ancient City of David to the Temple Mount. Along the way, we had to duck because of huge rectangular boulders - the size of busses - that protruded from the ceiling of the tunnel. Our guide told us that these were stones from the Temple that Nebuchadnezzar's men threw off when they destroyed God's house of worship. This is a direct fulfillment of the warning

Today's Reading -  Psalm 134, 146-150 Background Today we wrap up the book of Psalms, though there are random Psalms from later times that will appear in subsequent readings. There will be no more days in which the Psalms are the primary focus of readings. The last few Psalms are "Hallelujah Psalms" which focus on reasons and methods of praising the Lord. Devotional - The Lord's Delight What makes God happy? Obviously, God's emotions are not like ours, so a question such as that are not easily answered, but the Bible does speak anthropomorphically of God's pleasure and happiness and the things that cause it. In Psalm 149:4 we read of one of those things. For the  Lord  takes pleasure in his people; he adorns the humble with salvation. The Lord takes pleasure in his people! I am a sinner and so are you, and when we come into the presence of God we are often made deeply aware of that sin. It is a good thing to repent and to humble ourselves before God, to face o

Today's Reading - 2 Chronicles 6-7, Psalm 136 Background The fire of God falls on the Temple as God's powerful presence fills the place after it is constructed. Devotional - Forever Faithful Don't you hate those "7-11" choruses with all their repetition? Evidently, the Psalmist didn't get the memo that repetition was bad. The 26 verses of this hymn contain the same two-word Hebrew phrase - leolam chesdu. Literally, that is, "to forever (is) his steadfast love." The faithful love of God is a faithful and eternal constant in the life of his people. The Psalm begins with God's sovereign power in Creation, then reminds the reader how God saved Israel from Egypt and gave them the Promised Land by acts of power. His faithfulness even in the light of Israel's sin is constant. That is seen in the repetition of "leolam chesdu" in verse after verse. There are two realities in your life as a believer. First, you have not always been faithful

Today's Reading - 1 Kings 7-8, 2 Chronicles 4-5 Background The readings today examine the finishing of the Temple and its dedication to the glory of God. Devotional - The Presence of God  Solomon built a magnificent structure. The temple in Jerusalem was by all accounts among the more impressive buildings of the time. And Solomon was clearly among the most impressive people. His fame spread far and wide. He was rich, powerful, honored, the wisest man on earth. And this magnificent temple was his creation. His people did the work. What part had God played in it all? Scripture records no miracles during the building. It did not spring suddenly from the earth. There was no divinely empowered reversal of Jericho - where the walls came a tumbling UP! No, it was hard work - the blood, sweat, and tears of thousands of nameless men who produced this house of worship. And yet, as it was being completed, Solomon prayed a prayer in which he sought God's blessing and gave God credit. In 1

Today's Reading - 1 Kings 5-6, 2 Chronicles 2-3 Background Today's readings in 1 Kings and 2 Chronicles tell of the building of the Temple by Solomon. Devotional - Excellence  It is an argument that has been had often in choirs and music programs around the country, especially back when "special music" was more a part of worship than it is in many churches today. There are many who over-evaluate their own musical talents. I have heard many a solo sung in church by folks who should be reluctant to sing anywhere but the shower. "Sing a joyful noise to the Lord," someone will respond. It's more about your heart for worship than the quality with which you worship. It is more about the beauty of our praise than the beauty of our buildings that ought to matter. It is more about enthusiasm than excellence, right? There is certainly truth there. If our hearts are not right then all the production value, grandiose beauty, or musical excellence will not suffice.

Today's Reading - Proverbs 20-24 Background Devotional - The Key to Everything How is that title for a little bit of hyperbole? But when you read Proverbs, it actually isn't. In fact, the point I will make today is one of the clear teachings in all of Scripture. What is the root of all sin? The Bible makes that pretty clear. We read stories of what caused the greatest of the angelic beings to rebel against God and become Satan, the accuser, the enemy of God. We then see that same creature, in the form of a serpent, speaking to Adam and Eve and appealing to them on the same basis. The sin was pride. Rather than serving God, Adam and Eve could "become like gods" instead, if they only sinned. Pride is an insult to God - when we lift ourselves up to a standing we do not deserve we automatically demean God. Pride is rebellion, the failure to recognize God for who he is and see ourselves in the light of his glory and greatness. And pride is self-destructive. The proud cann

Today's Reading - Proverbs 15-19 Background Today's reading ends the first section of 184 contrasts between wisdom and folly, which ends at the end of chapter 15, and begins the 191 proverbs (going through 22:16) that apply wisdom to life. Devotional - A Healthy Diet "You are what you eat." "Garbage in; garbage out." These are modern-day proverbs that draw life principles from our observation of everyday life. We see that people who eat well tend to feel good and be healthy, while those who gorge on the wrong foods tend to feel those effects. If the data we feed into a computer is garbage, the results we get from that computation will also be garbage. What we feed our bodies or our computers has consequences. But what we feed our minds and our hearts is just as consequential. Solomon knew that nearly 3000 years ago and reminded us of the principle in Proverbs 15:14. The heart of him who has understanding seeks knowledge,     but the mouths of fools feed on

Today's Reading - Proverbs 10-14 Background In our readings today we move into the more random section of Proverbs, though things are still not as random as they seem. Proverbs 10:1-15:33 contain 184 couplets - two line proverbs - that are contrasts between wisdom and folly. "The wise man does this but the fool does that." From Proverbs 16:1-22:16 we have 191 proverbs on applying wisdom to life. A few are also contrasts, but most are applications of wisdom to life. The rest of the book is six different collections of wisdom-sayings by various authors. Devotional - Venting Folly  We call it "honesty." We call it "venting." We use all sorts of positive and euphemistic terms to describe the unhindered and unfiltered flow of words that come from our mouths, trying to turn into a virtue what God's Word clearly labels folly and sin. Look at Proverbs 10:19. When words are many, transgression is not lacking,     but whoever restrains his lips is prudent. T

Today's Reading - Proverbs 5-9 Background Proverbs 5-7 gives us a series of four sermons on the consequences of folly will lead us. Three of these sermons have to do with the devastating consequences of sexual immorality, of adultery. Since Solomon was writing to his sons who would rule Israel, he presented adultery in a female form. That is in no way intended to put the burden of the sin on the woman. His whole point was that his sons were responsible for their choices. The other sermon deals with financial issues. Money and morality - the two areas where foolish choices have the most visible consequences. Chapters 8 and 9 reiterate the calls of wisdom and folly and are essentially a marriage proposal from wisdom. "Walk with me down the path of life," she says. Devotional - How to Be Dumb and Mess Up Your Life Proverbs 7 demonstrates how Solomon gathered the principles of wisdom he recorded in the book. It was a simple process - observation, evaluation, expression. He w

Today's Reading -  Proverbs 1-4 Background It is often mistakenly assumed that Proverbs is a book without structure. That is largely true from chapter 10 on, but Proverbs 1-9 is organized and detailed - highly structured. After Proverbs 1:1-7, the introduction to the book, there is a series of 10 exhortations, or sermons, on wisdom and folly. The first sermon, in chapter 1, introduces us to the path of wisdom and the path of folly. Then, sermons 2-4, chapters 2-4, are the call of wisdom, telling us why wisdom is better than folly. Chapter 5-7, which contain sermons 5-8 (chapter 6 has two sermons) examines the terrible consequences of folly and tells us what we should avoid that path. Chapters 8 and 9, sermons 9 and 10, are the final appeals to walk in wisdom instead of folly. Today's reading, after the seven-verse introduction, presents the calls of wisdom and folly and tells us why we should listen to wisdom - why the life of wisdom is so much superior. Devotional - Life is C

Today's Reading - Song of Songs 1-8  Background The Song of Solomon, also known as the Song of Songs, or the Canticles, is one of the harder books of the Bible to interpret and understand. Frankly, I'm not sure how to do a devotional from the book, other than to say that it teaches us something pretty important about the marital relationship - that it is holy to God who created it.  The fact is that the wording of the Song is so vivid, so sensual, that many through the years have taken to interpreting the Song as an allegory. For many of the rabbinic Jewish interpreters, the song was an illustration of the love between Israel and God. Many Christian interpreters have allegorized this Song to make it speak of Christ and the church.  That is simply not what the text says and is an unfortunate misreading of the intent of the book. If we fail to understand the important message of the book, and the approach of the church toward sexual and moral matters is skewed. Too often, evange

Today's Reading - 1 Kings 3-4, 2 Chronicles 1, Psalm 72 Background Today's reading is the famous story of Gods gift of wisdom to Solomon to establish his throne and to guide him in ruling God's people. Devotional - The Greatest Treasure It wasn't a fictional genie in a bottle, but it was the real, living God from heaven. It wasn't three wishes to be spent frivolously, but one wish to be granted by God. Solomon received one of the greatest blessings a man has ever received from God. Ask what I shall give you. 1 Kings 3:5 There were many options. Solomon could have asked for wealth beyond measure, for a life of ease and pleasure, for victory over his foes and a peace that comes through conquering all. Anything he wanted. But Solomon made the right choice. He asked for discernment. “ Lord  my God, you have now made your servant king in my father David’s place.  Yet I am just a youth with no experience in leadership.   Your servant is among your people you have chosen,