This is the journal for folk in Wonersh and Blackheath who are reading through the Bible in a Year using M'Cheyne's scheme.  Vicar Ian Scott-Thompson will post some thoughts on the passages; but others are welcome to comment also, whether or not you have a LiveJournal account.  Oldest dates at the bottom, most recent at the top; or click on a calendar date (see right).  Click here for links to today's readings; or Bible passages may be found manually at Bible Gateway.  Enjoy!

Numbers

24.1    Interesting: apparently Balaam consulted the Lord by “sorcery”, which was forbidden to the people of Israel.

24.3    This introduces the impressive formula opening Balaam’s prophecies (also v15).

24.15         Balaam’s Fourth Oracle

24.17  This looks like a Messianic prophecy.

Psalms

Psalm 66

Psalm 67

67.1    This is reminiscent of the Aaronic Blessing in Numbers 6.24.

Isaiah

14.12  This section is often taken as a prophecy telling about the original rebellion of Lucifer, the Devil.

14.24         A Prophecy Against Assyria

14.28         A Prophecy Against the Philistines

1 Peter

2.4    The Living Stone and a Chosen People

2.13  Submission to Rulers and Masters

2.18    At this point Peter seems to be following in the tradition of Ephesians 5 and Colossians 3, addressing each group in turn.

Numbers

23.1  Balaam’s First Oracle

23.13         Balaam’s Second Oracle

23.27         Balaam’s Third Oracle

Psalms

Psalm 64

Psalm 65

65.9    This is the text for SS Wesley’s anthem “Thou visitest the earth.”

Isaiah

13.1  A Prophecy Against Babylon

13.22  Indeed Babylon lies now beneath the sands of Iraq.

1 Peter

1.3    Praise to God for a Living Hope

1.12    What a privilege we enjoy!

1.13  Be Holy

Numbers

22.1  Balak Summons Balaam

22.9    Balaam seems somewhat like Melchizedek, appearing out of the blue with a fully-developed faith in the Lord.

22.19  Although God’s word was clear (v12), the temptation in reply (v17) was equally clear.  Balaam’s initial response is excellent (v18), but then he spoils it by questioning God (v19).  God seems to give in (v20).

22.21         Balaam’s Donkey

22.22  Had God changed his mind from v20?  Or was there perhaps some rebellion by Balaam, something in the manner of his going which angered God?

22.29  Remarkable enough that the donkey speaks; yet more remarkable that Balaam simply converses with his donkey, apparently considering this normal.

22.35  As with v22, has God changed his mind?  Or is God reluctantly letting Balaam go?

22.38  I love this grumpy response!

Psalms

Psalm 62

62.1    I love this verse!  “For God alone my soul in silence waits.”

62.12  Perhaps the most concise statement of the problem of suffering: God is strong and loving.

Psalm 63

63.1    Thirst for God is such an excellent virtue.

Isaiah

11.1  The Branch From Jesse

11.6    I love this image!

12.1  Song of Praise

James

5.1    Warning to Rich Oppressors

5.1       James is not a man to pull his punches!

5.7    Patience in Suffering

5.9       As in Moses’ day, grumbling is a sin.

5.13  The Prayer of Faith

Numbers

21.1  Arad Destroyed

21.4  The Bronze Snake

21.9    Certainly taken as a symbol of the Cross by Jesus in John 3.14.  In a lesser way, symbolic of vaccination: the dead version cures you from the live one.

21.10         The Journey to Moab

21.21         Defeat of Sihon and Og

21.35  This is a long list of defeated kings: Edom, Arad, Sihon, and Og.  The claim is that Israel asked nicely to pass, but then the kings attacked Israel, who acted purely in defence.  See Psalm 60.6-8.

Psalms

Psalm 60

60.8    Verses 6-8 are often quoted: an image of the nations as God’s private possessions.

Psalm 61

Isaiah

10.5  God’s Judgment on Assyria

10.12  This is a paradox concerning the nations God uses for judgement: they serve him unknowingly to punish his people Israel, and then they themselves are judged by God for what they have done.  They are merely tools (v15).

10.20         The Remnant of Israel

10.21  This was the name Isaiah gave to his second child.  His son is named in 8.3.

James

4.1    Submit Yourselves to God

4.13  Boasting About Tomorrow

Numbers

20.1  Water From the Rock

20.12  Moses was meant to speak to the rock, and instead he struck it with the staff.  His anger was seen by God as disobedience.

20.14         Edom Denies Israel Passage

20.14  Edom is the alternative name for Esau, from whom they are descended; and Israel is the alternative name for Jacob, from whom they are descended.  Hence “your brother Israel”.

20.17  The king’s highway is still known and used in Jordan today.

20.22         The Death of Aaron

Psalms

Psalm 58

58.1    Psalms 57-59 all have the same tune.

58.8    I’d never thought of a slug as melting away; but it shrinks as it dehydrates, so it looks very like it’s melting away in the heat!

Psalm 59

Isaiah

9.8    The Lord’s Anger Against Israel

9.12    A wonderfully proverbial poetic phrase!  “There’s more to come!”  See also v 17, 21, and 10.4.

James

3.1    Taming the Tongue

3.13  Two Kinds of Wisdom

Numbers

19.1  The Water of Cleansing

Psalms

Psalm 56

56.1    What a tune that must be!

56.11  Very similar to Psalm 118.6-7, which is quoted in Hebrews 13.6.  See also 56.3-4.

Psalm 57

57.1    Surely he’s not sitting there in the cave writing Psalms?  Perhaps a later meditation on this incident.

57.8    A lark not an owl, then?  Alcoholics Anonymous say that the most sober person is the one who got up earliest this morning.

57.11  I love this cosmic view.

Isaiah

8.1    Assyria, the Lord’s Instrument

8.3       What an earthy Biblical phrase!  Not just to her tent, but to her.

8.11  Fear God

8.19    A powerful call to turn to God rather than mediums.

9.1    To Us a Child Is Born

James

2.1    Favouritism Forbidden

2.3       Although favour to the rich man is more common, favour to the poor man is equally wrong.

2.14  Faith and Deeds

Numbers

17.1  The Budding of Aaron’s Staff

17.8    This is a nature miracle like those of Jesus, and fitting the description of C.S. Lewis: that the nature miracles are God’s usual natural process and produce, but focussed and concentrated into a moment.

17.12  What a panic!  They could have realised this before.

18.1  Duties of Priests and Levites

18.8  Offerings for Priests and Levites

Psalms

Psalm 55

55.1    So many Psalms start from a point of need – what Alcoholics Anonymous call the G.O.D.: the Gift Of Desperation.

55.13  Judas!

55.17  What, only three times a day?  This is a low-commitment monastic rule!

Isaiah

7.1    The Sign of Immanuel

7.1       Even a prophet is concerned to get the history correct.

7.14    The immediate fulfilment of this is 8.3.

7.18    Compare 5.26.

James

1.2    Trial and Temptations

1.19  Listening and Doing

1.24    Presumably he needed to give his appearance some attention.

1.26    Funny how some consider that thoughts and words don’t count: that only actions are sinful.  Despite his focus on deeds, James is stern about the tongue also.

Numbers

16.1  Korah, Dathan and Abiram

16.3    Many people behave like this: under criticism, they justify themselves against their leaders.

16.14  What a rebellion against Moses’ leadership!

16.30  Spot-on prophecy!

16.35  “Fire came out from the Lord”?  From the Tabernacle?

16.41  Goodness me: that’s a bit brave, isn’t it?

16.49  How many?

Psalms

Psalm 52

52.1    Again, a helpful historical note.

Psalm 53

53.1    Classic text!  Except for minor changes, almost identical to Psalm 14.

Psalm 54

Isaiah

6.1    Isaiah’s Commission

6.7       How appropriate for a prophet that the coal cleansed his lips.

6.8       It would be lovely if this indicated the Trinity in the Godhead, but it’s more likely it is plural for emphasis, similar to the Royal “we” in English.

6.10    Curiously, the Prophet’s task is to close down understanding: he has done God’s will if he is rejected.

6.13    There is always hope: in this case, a prophecy of Messiah.

Hebrews

13.1  Concluding Exhortations

13.2    Presumably a reference to Abraham?

13.5    OK, Hebrews has a different style to Paul, but phrases like this echoes 1 Timothy 6.8 and 10.  Verses 22-25 also sound Pauline.

13.24  Unusual to refer to Italy.

Numbers

15.1  Supplementary Offerings

15.7    This phrase occurs regularly in these sacrificial texts, but Psalm 50 makes clear that God has no simple desires like us.  What pleases him is not so much the aroma itself, but the worship.  See also v24.

15.22         Offerings for Unintentional Sins

15.30  A clear distinction: unintentional sins have consequences, but defiance is punishable for its intention.

15.32         The Sabbath-Breaker Put to Death

15.35  This seems like the community testing God, to ask if he really means it.  Only one answer is really possible, if this new law is to retain credibility.

15.37         Tassels on Garments

Psalms

Psalm 51

15.1    I love the historical setting.

15.10  Notice how true guilt, conviction of sin from the Holy Spirit, leads us towards God and greater purity.

15.16  Compare Numbers 15.7 and comment.  God is not interested in the sacrifices themselves, but in the attitude of worship which they represent.  Hence the ideal (v19) is a sacrifice which represents true thankfulness to God.

Isaiah

5.1    The Song of the Vineyard

5.1       This is framed as a love song, so like the Song of Songs: yet this clearly has symbolic meaning about God and his people (v7), hence all Jesus’ parables about vineyards.

5.8    Woes and Judgments

5.8       This is property takeovers, greed killing relationships.

5.12    How modern!

5.22    What a lovely phrase: “Heroes at drinking wine”!

5.26    God whistling up his troops.

Hebrews

12.1  God Disciplines His Sons

12.4    This is the nearest the writer gets to encouragement: “It’s not as bad as it could be!”  He’s knows they haven’t shed their blood yet, because they’re reading his letter…

12.14         Warning Against Refusing God

Numbers

14.1  The People Rebel

14.11  Moses must feel that he’s caught in the middle, between the people’s criticism and the Lord’s.

Psalms

Psalm 50

50.12  This is the classic statement of God’s self-sufficiency, that he does not need our offerings for his own use; but he seeks our worship for the sake of the relationship (v14-15).

Isaiah

3.1    Judgment on Jerusalem and Judah

3.23    What a wonderful description of the details of female couture!

4.2    The Branch of the Lord

Hebrews

11.1  By Faith

11.1    The classic definition!

11.3    Creatio ex nihilo, which fits so remarkably well with the discoveries of modern cosmology.

Numbers

12.1  Miriam and Aaron Oppose Moses

12.3    Again, a proverbial saying.

12.6    Exactly how did the Lord speak so clearly, in poetic form?

13.1  Exploring Canaan

13.16  It would seem that 13.8 is a genealogical source text, so gives his birth name; but this verse and 11.28 use his common name.

13.26         Report on the Exploration

13.30  Brave words from Caleb, to silence the majority.  Joshua stood with him (14.6, 30, 38).

Psalms

Psalm 49

49.10  Compare Ecclesiastes 2.16.

49.20  Today there are many like this.

Isaiah

2.1    The Mountain of the Lord

2.6    The Day of the Lord

Hebrews

10.1  Christ’s Sacrifice Once for All

10.19         A Call to Persevere

10.22  Together with 4.14, this verse makes a fine exhortation to Confession: Seeing we have a great high priest
who has passed into the heavens,
Jesus the Son of God,
let us draw near with a true heart, in full assurance of faith,
and make our confession to our heavenly Father.

10.29  Roman Catholics may take this as referring to communion bread, but I think it is merely a metaphor for disrespect.

10.35  It seems that they were once persecuted, but now times are easier.  Although we live in comfort, for us persecution is perhaps getting harder with each passing year.

Numbers

11.1  Fire From the Lord

11.3    Grumbling and complaining seemed to be their main failing.  Is this anger a failing in God (did He lose it?), or is it simply justice?

11.4  Quail From the Lord

11.15  This sounds a bit like Genesis 3.12ff: the people wail at Moses, and Moses wails at God.

11.27  Clearly, prophesying was obvious and unusual.

11.29  It looks as if this was quoted because the saying became proverbial.

11.31  Quail are small birds: a day’s walk was 20-30 miles.  I don’t dare try to calculate how many birds this means.  2.2 cubic metres means 6ft x 4ft x 3ft.

Psalms

Psalm 48

Isaiah

1.2    A Rebellious Nation

1.3       When I first read this, I thought it was powerfully prophetic of Jesus’ birth.  Unfortunately, Luke 2.7 says very little about animals: all the traditional details are speculation.

1.16    This is the classical role of the prophet – to call the people back to the Lord.

1.18    Excellent text for confession of sin.

Hebrews

9.1    Worship in the Earthly Tabernacle

9.5       Presumably because they were long gone.

9.10    Hebrews is so clear that the old covenant is ineffective, external, a visual aid.  It is the new covenant which achieves our salvation.

9.11  The Blood of Christ

9.18    So many people struggle to understand why animal sacrifice was necessary.  Hebrews implies here that they were a substitute for human beings, and ultimately for Christ.

Numbers

10.1  The Silver Trumpets

10.11         The Israelites Leave Sinai

Psalms

Psalm 46

46.1    “Alamoth”?  Is that the Hebrew for “Dam Busters March”?

46.2    This is an extreme image of the collapse of Creation.  See Matthew 24, Revelation 6.12-17 etc.

Psalm 47

47.1    Is “a psalm” different from “a song” (Psalm 46.1)?

Song of Songs

8.1       Presumably they despise her for showing public affection?

8.3       They liked this position!  See 2.6 and comment.

8.6       This popular wedding reading can be interpreted sensually, or more formally as describing the power of love, or more spiritually of the Lord, as in the song “My first love,” SoF 930.

Hebrews

8.1    The High Priest of a New Covenant

8.1       Do I ever stray from the point by an interesting digression, and need to remind myself to get back to it?  Nice one!

8.7       For me, this is the biggest argument of all for why the Law does not suffice: why would the Father allow the Son to suffer so, if there had been no need?  Also, the quote from Jeremiah 31.31-34 is clear as a bell and spot on the point!

8.13    “Soon” here is in the sense of “Jesus will come again soon.”

Numbers

9.1    The Passover

9.15  The Cloud Above the Tabernacle

9.23    What a fine image of waiting on God!

Psalms

Psalm 45

45.6    The king is the representative of God himself.

Song of Songs

7.13    See Genesis 30.14 and comment.

Hebrews

7.1    Melchizedek the Priest

7.2       Clearly, the principle of a tenth as tribute was understood even before this event in Genesis 14.20, and long before any law about what was due to priests (v5-10).

7.7       In the sense of formal blessing, yes.  However, there are many places in Scripture where we are encouraged to bless the Lord.

7.11  Jesus Like Melchizedek

7.25    This chapter is not very tactful if one is in dialogue with Jews – it seems very clear that Jesus alone saves us.

Numbers

8.1    Setting Up the Lamps

8.3       Spots?  Directional floodlighting?  I’m impressed with their lighting technology!

8.5    The Setting Apart of the Levites

8.7       Shaving the whole body must have been a dramatic thing to do – presumably intimate areas in particular.

8.11    Most of the various offerings are detailed in the early chapters of Leviticus; but for the wave offering, see Exodus 29.24 and comment.

Psalms

Psalm 44

44.9    What a change of mood!  Is this another psalm from exile?

44.22  Quoted by Paul.

Song of Songs

6.6       I imagine there must have been many women whose teeth were not always twinned – some solo, with a gap opposite!

6.9       How remarkable, for women to praise a rival!  Or was Solomon a little deceived?

6.13    The dance of Mahanaim is a bit obscure, but Wikipedia’s article has quite a bit about the place.

Hebrews

6.2       This is a basic syllabus for religious instruction.

6.6       This is a stern warning to backsliders, because their decision is made

6.13  The Certainty of God’s Promise

6.20    And that sets him off on another train of thought!

Numbers

7.1    Offerings at the Dedication of the Tabernacle

7.12    Each leader brings the standard list of offerings.

7.88    The accountants must have loved this listing!

7.89    When the accountants are satisfied, then God is present: a general principle?

Psalms

Psalm 42

42.4    Is this Psalm written in Babylon, but longing for Jerusalem?

42.8    I love the sense that God is there 24/7.  There is also something profound about the phrase “the God of my life”.

42.11  We should speak to our souls more often…

Psalm 43

Song of Songs

5.2       This is such an intimate story that one is tempted to read all sorts of private metaphors into it.

Hebrews

5.9       See 2.10 and comment.  The perfection of divinity was already his, but the perfection of humanity needed to be worked out.

5.11  Warning Against Falling Away

5.11    Not shy of saying it straight, is he?

Numbers

6.1    The Nazirite

6.2       Separation is usually from something, but here it is separation to the Lord, holiness.

6.18    Is this the background to the vows and head-shaving mentioned in Acts 21.23?

6.22  The Priestly Blessing

6.24    Also known as the Aaronic Blessing.

Psalms

Psalm 40

40.6    Quoted in Hebrews 10.

40.16  Is this prophetic of Christ?

Psalm 41

41.9    This certainly is prophetic of Christ and Judas.

Song of Songs

4.6       This phrase has been used on gravestones as looking forward to eternity.

Hebrews

4.1    A Sabbath-rest for the People of God

4.12    Such a famous and powerful text!

4.14  Jesus the Great High Priest

4.15    Compare 2.14-18.

Numbers

5.1    The Purity of the Camp

5.5    Restitution for Wrongs

5.6       A clear connection between wrong done to a person and sin against the Lord.

5.11  The Test for an Unfaithful Wife

Psalms

Psalm 39

39.1    Who the heck was Jeduthun?  No, don’t tell me…

39.3    This sounds like the prophet Jeremiah, feeling the burden of a strong message within.  His complaint is similar to Ecclesiastes – man’s life has no eternal significance.  Did David talk about this to Solomon?

39.11  v5 and v11 both end with “each man is but a breath – Selah.”

39.12  An alien dwells not by right but by gracious permission.

Song of Songs

Hebrews

3.1    Jesus Greater Than Moses

3.6       God’s house, his dwelling-place, is not heaven and certainly not a church building, but his people.

3.7    Warning Against Unbelief

Numbers

4.1    The Kohathites

4.3       Only between thirty and fifty?  Before and after that age, presumably you were only in training or an assistant; unless this refers to counting, not to duty.  See also v23 and v30.

4.15    Similar today to workers for the National Electricity Grid – some things should not be touched!  Or even look (v20).

4.21  The Gershonites

4.29  The Merarites

4.34  The Numbering of the Levite Clans

4.48    This is quite a short verse!  Perhaps not shorter than “Jesus wept”, if the number is in text.  A lot of people to move the Tent of Meeting.

Psalms

Psalm 38

38.1    He is not asking relief from discipline itself, only from anger and wrath.

38.22  Many Psalms have a section with joy at the end – not this one, which is penitent and contrite throughout.

Song of Songs

2.6       Commentators vary between interpreting all this in a pure way as spiritual love of the believer for the Lord, and lascivious views seeing “embraces me” here, for example, as an intimate caress.

2.7       A plea not to arouse sexuality too early in a girl’s development.

2.15    What on earth does this mean?  Another lascivious metaphor?

Hebrews

2.1    Warning to Pay Attention

2.2       This makes a lot of sense while reading Numbers.

2.5    Jesus Made Like His Brothers

2.6       It is unthinkable that the writer was unaware that it was Psalm 8, but of course they had no chapters and verses.

2.10    He was of course perfectly sinless, but suffering extends that perfection through human experience; breadth as well as depth.

2.17    A fine rationale for the human nature of Christ: he cannot connect with us unless he shares our humanity in every way (except sin; but especially temptation and suffering).