Dave Miller's 2025 Bible Reading Challenge

  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 13-17 In Bible Gateway, we will link to the NIV this year, though you can choose any version you prefer.  Background:     Jeremiah's greatest battles were not with the sinful people of Judah but with complacent people who had been lulled by false prophets into an assurance that God would never judge them. In today's reading, he targets these false prophets. Daily Devotional:   False Prophets Preaching Comfort In the Garden, Satan challenged the Word of God and claimed that God was not speaking the truth. God had said that on the day that they ate the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of ...

  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 7-12 In Bible Gateway, we will link to the NIV this year, though you can choose any version you prefer.  Background:     Jeremiah began his prophecies during the reign of Josiah and continued even after the fall of Jerusalem. He suffered many hardships and great resistance, but God continued to give him greater and more difficult messages to preach. He is called the weeping prophet because he preached judgment with sadness. Daily Devotional:  Seduced These early chapters of Jeremiah's prophecy reveal a series of key, repeated themes - messages that God gave to the prophet. We will examine...

  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 1-6 In Bible Gateway, we will link to the NIV this year, though you can choose any version you prefer.  Background:     Jeremiah was a reluctant prophet, but faithful. In today’s readings, we are introduced to the man. Daily Devotional:   Presumptuous Folly "I can't believe you did that." I've heard that phrase more than once, especially in my earlier years when I tended to do crazy things for attention and fun. In Jeremiah 3, he expresses his utter amazement at the foolish behavior of his chosen people. Israel was in sin. Deep sin. Abiding sin. Idolatrous sin. Year after year they drifte...

  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 :   Zephaniah 1-3 In Bible Gateway, we will link to the NIV this year, though you can choose any version you prefer.  Background:     Zephaniah prophesied in the days of Josiah, the great king who was the great-grandson of Hezekiah, who led Israel back to God after his father Amon's brief but evil reign. He is described as the son of Cushi, which could mean "Cushite" - Ethiopian - and could indicate that he was a Black Jew. It could also just be a personal name. Zephaniah's great-grandfather was Hezekiah, but it is unclear whether that is the king or just someone else of that name. Zephaniah focuses on the...

  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 20-21, 2 Chronicles 33-35 In Bible Gateway, we will link to the NIV this year, though you can choose any version you prefer.  Background:     Manasseh was the king that broke the camel's back. He was so evil, even participating in child sacrifice, that God stopped warning Judah of its possible impending doom and said that it was coming. Even good king Josiah was not able to turn back the clock. Daily Devotional:   It Is Never Too Late There is an interesting dynamic in the progression of these kings. The great king Hezekiah fell into sin late in life, and his son Manasseh was born and beca...

  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 :   Isaiah 60-66 In Bible Gateway, we will link to the NIV this year, though you can choose any version you prefer.  Background:     Isaiah ends on a note of glory and victory, as the millennial reign of Christ is examined and God's ultimate victory is exalted. Daily Devotional:   God Wins! History is a tragic story. God created this world as a paradise. It was filled with beauty and natural wonders we cannot even imagine. It was a place of true joy and pleasure, meant for a man and woman to enjoy each other and to raise a family in peace. And best of all, God was there. He walked and talked with Adam...

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 :   Isaiah 54-59 In Bible Gateway, we will link to the NIV this year, though you can choose any version you prefer.  Background:     The entire prophecy of Isaiah is filled with messianic prophecies, verses that are familiar because they are applied to our Lord and Savior in the New Testament. Isaiah 7's "Immanuel" prophecy. Isaiah 9 and the names of Jesus. Dozens of others. The pinnacle, perhaps, is reached in chapters 52 and 53, which give a remarkable prophecy of the death of Christ by crucifixion. Chapters 55-56, our readings for today, continue this theme by emphasizing, in a prophetic way, some of the eleme...

  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 :   Isaiah 49-53 In Bible Gateway, we will link to the NIV this year, though you can choose any version you prefer.  Background:     This passage introduces us to the obedient, suffering servant, who in our New Testament-exposed eyes is clearly Jesus Christ. Daily Devotional:   Our Suffering Servant In Isaiah 52-53 we have one of the great passages of the Old Testament, a prophetic tour of the Cross of Christ. It is hard to imagine that a passage written hundreds of years before Christ was born could so accurately describe the sufferings of Jesus as he bore our sins so that by his stripes our sins cou...

  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 :   Isaiah 45-48 In Bible Gateway, we will link to the NIV this year, though you can choose any version you prefer.  Background:     This passage is a watershed in our theology. It is the reason that many do not believe that Isaiah wrote the latter chapters of the book. Isaiah wrote in the 8th Century BC, before the fall of Israel in 722 BC. But here we see the name of Cyrus, the Persian king who decreed, sometime after 538 BC, the return of Israel to Jerusalem. If you believe in a God who can give an 8th-century prophet accurate predictions of the name of the Persian king who would grant the people the ri...

  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 :   Isaiah 40-44 In Bible Gateway, we will link to the NIV this year, though you can choose any version you prefer.  Background:     Isaiah  40 begins the second major section of the book. The theme changes so dramatically that many (more liberal) scholars assume that there are two different authors. The first 39 chapters deal with judgment for Israel's sin, and now God asserts his intention to restore Israel and comfort. Daily Devotional:   Grace Greater than Our Sin Marvelous grace of our loving Lord, grace that exceeds our sin and our guilt, yonder on Calvary's mount out-poured, there where th...

  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 :   Isaiah 37-39, Psalm 76 In Bible Gateway, we will link to the NIV this year, though you can choose any version you prefer.  Background:     Yesterday we spoke of the downfall of Hezekiah, and today we read it (again - as recorded in both 2 Kings and 2 Chronicles) and see how pride destroyed this once-great king. As we close chapter 39, we finish the first and longest section of the book in which the judgment of God is pronounced. Now, starting in verse 40, we read of the comfort God will bring to his people when he restores them. The difference in tone is so stark that less conservative scholars be...

  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 :   Isaiah 33-36 In Bible Gateway, we will link to the NIV this year, though you can choose any version you prefer.  Background:     The oracles of Isaiah scan the globe and announce God's judgment all around. But now God is turning to the sins of his own people, primarily of the soon-to-be destroyed Israel and the idolatrous Judah. Daily Devotional:   Misplaced Confidence "God himself couldn't sink the Titanic."  The story has been passed down since that fateful moment in April of 1912 when the Titanic hit an iceberg, began to fill with water, and within hours was at the bottom of the ...

  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 :   Isaiah 28-32 In Bible Gateway, we will link to the NIV this year, though you can choose any version you prefer.  Background:     The oracles of Isaiah scan the globe and announce God's judgment all around. But now God is turning to the sins of his own people, primarily of the soon-to-be destroyed Israel and the idolatrous Judah. Daily Devotional:   A Faithful, Frustrated Father If God had demonstrated anything to Israel throughout the years, it was that he always had a plan and could be counted on when things got rough. When the Hebrews were in bondage in Egypt, God had a plan. It was an odd one. ...

  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 :   Hosea 8-14 In Bible Gateway, we will link to the NIV this year, though you can choose any version you prefer.  Background:     Hosea is largely written against the Israelite Tribe of Ephraim. Today's reading contains a series of oracles - prophetic words - against Israel/Ephraim, ending in a word of hope. Hosea's prophecy is the first to compare marriage to the human relationship with God. Daily Devotional:   A God Who Judges "It isn't my fault." "It was just bad luck." "They did it first." "I'm only human." We are so often people of excuses, rationalizations, and justifications. ...