The First Pentecost after the Ascension

Sunday 2021.07.25

This morning I begin reading the Acts of the Apostles in the NT using the King James Version. Chapters one and two gives an account of the Ascension of our Lord, followed by the outpouring of the Holy Spirit from Heaven at the Feast of Shavuot (Feast of Weeks, or Pentecost), fifty days after the Feast of ULB.

In the OT, I read the final five chapters of the book of Judges, while in the LXX Apocrypha I finished the last two chapters of 4th Maccabees. This brings me to the end of my First Cycle of reading the Apocrypha using the Septuagint, a cycle which began in May last year and took me fifteen months to complete.

Tomorrow, I will embark on the book of 1st Samuel in the Former Prophets section of the Neviim. (See the organisation of the Hebrew scriptures here: Torah, Neviim, and Khetuvim.)

Today's Passages:
Judges 17:1 - 21:25 TEV --> 1Samuel NIV
Acts 1:1 - 2:47 KJV
4 Maccabees 17:1 - 18:24 LXX --> Daniel (Gr) LXX

The Legendary Samson

Saturday 2021.07.24

Today I read chapters nine through sixteen of the book of Judges, covering the legendary and incredible life of Samson.

In the NT, I finished the remaining eight chapters of the Gospel according to John, recording the account of the Trial, Crucifixion, and Resurrection of the Lord Iesus. Tomorrow I will begin reading the Acts of the Apostles using the King James Version.

For my LXX Apocryphal reading, I finished reading chapter sixteen of 4th Maccabees, leaving me with only two chapters to the end of this book. I may finish reading chapters seventeen and eighteen tomorrow.

Today's Passages:
Judges 9:1 - 16:31 TEV
John 14:1 - 21:25 NKJV --> Acts KJV
4 Maccabees 16:1 - 25 LXX

Gideon ben Joash

Friday 2021.07.23

Today's OT passage is from the book of Joshua chapters six through eight, an account of the calling, the conquests, and the eventual corruption of Gideon, a renowned judge of Israel.

In the NT, I read another three chapters of the Gospel according to John, while in the LXX Apocrypha I read chapter fifteen of 4th Maccabees.

Today's Passages:
Judges 6:1 - 8:35 TEV
John 12:1 - 13:38 NKJV
4 Maccabees 15:1 - 32 LXX

The Three "I Am"s

Thursday 2021.07.22

My NT reading today covers John chapters ten and eleven. This passage includes an account of our Lord telling his audience three "I Am"s about himself.

Firstly, he told the Pharisees in 10:7 that he is the Door by which anyone who enters will be saved.

John 10:7 - 9 KJV
7 Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep.
8 All that ever came before me are thieves and robbers: but the sheep did not hear them.
9 I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.

Secondly, in 10:11 that he told them that he is the Good Shepherd who gives his life for the sheep.

John 10:11 - 16 KJV
11 I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.
12 But he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth: and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep.
13 The hireling fleeth, because he is an hireling, and careth not for the sheep.
14 I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine.
15 As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep.
16 And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd.

And thirdly, in 11:25 the Lord told Martha whose brother Lazarus had died and was buried four days earlier, "I am the Resurrection and the Life".

John 11:25 - 26 KJV
25 Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:
26 And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?

Having finished reading all the five books of the "Torah" (Genesis - Deuteronomy), I had started reading the "Neviim", beginning with the "Former Prophets" section which comprises six books, namely Joshua, Judges, 1 and 2 Samuel, 1 and 2 Kings six days ago.

By yesterday, I had finished reading Joshua. Today, I proceeded with the book of Judges, covering the first five chapters using Today's English Version.

See the organisation of OT books into Torah, Neviim, and Khetuvim in the Jewish Scriptures here.

And from the LXX Apocrypha I read chapter fourteen of 4th Maccabees.

Today's Passages:
Judges 1:1 - 5:31 TEV
John 10:1 - 11:57 NKJV
4 Maccabees 14:1 - 20 LXX

Covenant renewed at Shechem

Wednesday 2021.07.21

This afternoon I read the final three chapters of the book of Joshua, containing the account of the return of Reuben, Gad and half tribe of Manasseh from Shiloh on the west of the Jordan to Gilead and Bashan on the east.

Joshua 22:7 - 9 NIV
7 (To the half-tribe of Manasseh Moses had given land in Bashan, and to the other half of the tribe Joshua gave land on the west side of the Jordan along with their fellow Israelites.) When Joshua sent them home, he blessed them,
8 saying, “Return to your homes with your great wealth—with large herds of livestock, with silver, gold, bronze and iron, and a great quantity of clothing—and divide the plunder from your enemies with your fellow Israelites.”
9 So the Reubenites, the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh left the Israelites at Shiloh in Canaan to return to Gilead, their own land, which they had acquired in accordance with the command of the Lord through Moses.

The last two chapters also contain an account of Joshua giving his final instructions, reminders, and warnings to the children of Israel to hold fast to worshipping Yehovah, to obey all His commandments, and not to turn to idolatry.

Before he died at the age of 110 years, Joshua led the Israelites to renew their covenant with Yehovah at Shechem (Joshua 24:25 - 27), a covenant which was first given through Moses at Sinai in the land of Horeb (Exodus 19 - 24), then renewed in the land of Moab (Deuteronomy 28 - 31) before Moses passed away.

Joshua 24:25 - 27 NIV
25 On that day Joshua made a covenant for the people, and there at Shechem he reaffirmed for them decrees and laws.
26 And Joshua recorded these things in the Book of the Law of God. Then he took a large stone and set it up there under the oak near the holy place of the Lord.
27 “See!” he said to all the people. “This stone will be a witness against us. It has heard all the words the Lord has said to us. It will be a witness against you if you are untrue to your God.”

I have finished reading the book of Joshua today, in this second cycle of my OT readings which began about a month ago. Tomorrow, I shall begin reading the book of Judges using Today's English Version.

My NT reading today continued with the Gospel according to John chapters eight and nine, while the LXX Apocrypha reading is from chapter thirteen of 4th Maccabees.

Today's Passages:
Joshua 22:1 - 24:33 NIV --> Judges TEV
John 8:1 - 9:41 NKJV
4 Maccabees 13:1 - 27 LXX

Cities of Refuge and Cities for Levites

Tuesday 2021.07.20

Today I read from Joshua chapters twenty and twenty-one about the designation of six cities of refuge for those who have unintentionally taken the life of a neighbour to hide from the "avenger of death".

Three cities were chosen from the west side of R.Jordan
• Kadesh, Napthali
• Shechem, Ephraim
• Kiriath Arba, Judah

And three cities from the east side
• Bezer, Reuben
• Ramoth Gilead, Gad
• Golan Bashan, half tribe of Manasseh

Joshua 20:7 - 8 NIV
7 So they set apart Kedesh in Galilee in the hill country of Naphtali, Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim, and Kiriath Arba (that is, Hebron) in the hill country of Judah.
8 East of the Jordan (on the other side from Jericho) they designated Bezer in the wilderness on the plateau in the tribe of Reuben, Ramoth in Gilead in the tribe of Gad, and Golan in Bashan in the tribe of Manasseh.

In chapter twenty-one, an account is also given of forty-eight cities being set aside for the tribe of Levi to cultivate crops and raise livestock:

• Kohathite descendants of Aaron: 13 towns (from Judah, Simeon, Benjamin)
• Kohathite not descendants of Aaron: 10 towns (from Ephraim, Dan, half Manasseh)
• Gershonites: 13 towns (from Issachar, Asher, Naphtali, half Manasseh in Bashan)
• Merarites: 12 towns (from Reuben, Gad, Zebulun)

Joshua 21
4 The first lot came out for the Kohathites, according to their clans. The Levites who were descendants of Aaron the priest were allotted thirteen towns from the tribes of Judah, Simeon and Benjamin.
5 The rest of Kohath’s descendants were allotted ten towns from the clans of the tribes of Ephraim, Dan and half of Manasseh.
6 The descendants of Gershon were allotted thirteen towns from the clans of the tribes of Issachar, Asher, Naphtali and the half-tribe of Manasseh in Bashan.
7 The descendants of Merari, according to their clans, received twelve towns from the tribes of Reuben, Gad and Zebulun.

For my NT reading today, I read John chapters six and seven, while in the LXX Apocrypha, I continued with 4th Maccabees chapter twelve.

Today's Passages:
Joshua 20:1 - 21:45 NIV
John 6:1 - 7:53 NKJV
4 Maccabees 12:1 - 20 LXX

Dividing the Promised Land

Monday 2021.07.19

My OT reading for today covers Joshua chapters twelve through nineteen, recording the account of Joshua allocating to each of the twelve tribes (excluding the Levites, with Joseph having two tribes through his descendants Ephraim and Manasseh) a clearly demarcated portion of the Promised Land, with two and a half tribes remaining on the east side of River Jordan, while the majority nine and a half tribes on the west.

By the time we reach the account in Joshua chapter eighteen, we read that only five tribes had successfully conquered and settled in the land alloted to them.

They were:
• Reuben (east of R.Jordan)
• Gad (east of R.Jordan)
• Half tribe Manasseh (east of R.Jordan)
• The other half of Manasseh (west of R.Jordan)
• Ephraim (west of R.Jordan) and
• Judah (west of R.Jordan)

There remaining seven tribes had not conquered any land on the west side of River Jordan, and Joshua was not happy with the situation.

These seven tribes were:
• Benjamin
• Simeon
• Zebulun
• Issachar
• Asher
• Naphthali and
• Dan

In Joshua 18:3 - 5, Joshua reproved these seven tribes for their slackness in possessing the land and ordered each tribe to appoint three representatives to survey the unconquered land and to divide it into seven portions.

Joshua 18:3 - 5 ASV
3 And Joshua said unto the children of Israel, How long are ye slack to go in to possess the land, which Jehovah, the God of your fathers, hath given you?
4 Appoint for you three men of each tribe: and I will send them, and they shall arise, and walk through the land, and describe it according to their inheritance; and they shall come unto me.
5 And they shall divide it into seven portions: Judah shall abide in his border on the south, and the house of Joseph shall abide in their border on the north.
6 And ye shall describe the land into seven portions, and bring the description hither to me; and I will cast lots for you here before Jehovah our God.

For my NT reading today I covered another two chapters of the Gospel according to John, while in the LXX Apocrypha I read 4th Maccabees chapter eleven.

Today's Passages:
Joshua 12:1 - 19:51 NIV
John 3:1 - 5:47 NKJV
4 Maccabees 11:1 - 27 LXX

Joshua's Conquests

Sunday 2021.07.18

Today I read from Joshua chapters eight through eleven the conquests of Joshua over various tribes and cities in the Promised Land. He did not make peace with any of them except the Hivites in Gibeon who had earlier hoodwinked Joshua into making a peace treaty with them, who were subequently made slaves to the Israelites because of their trickery.

Joshua 11:19,20 NIV
19 Except for the Hivites living in Gibeon, not one city made a treaty of peace with the Israelites, who took them all in battle.
20 For it was the Lord himself who hardened their hearts to wage war against Israel, so that he might destroy them totally, exterminating them without mercy, as the Lord had commanded Moses.

In the NT today I begin reading the Gospel according to John using the New King James Version, while in the LXX Apocrypha I continued with chapter ten of 4th Maccabees.

Today's Passages:
Joshua 8:1 - 11:23 NIV
John 1:1 - 2:25 NKJV
4 Maccabees 10:1 - 21 LXX

Crossed the Jordan, Conquered Jericho

Saturday 2021.07.17

Shabbat Shalom. Today is the Seventh Day of the Biblical Week. Let us remember the Sabbath to keep it holy by resting from all our work.

This morning I begin reading the book of Joshua using the NIV, covering the first seven chapters. In this passage I read about how Joshua took over the command of the children of Israel and led them across the Jordan followed by conquering the city of Jericho according to the commands of the LORD.

In the NT, I finished reading the last five chapters of the Gospel according to Luke. Tomorrow, I will begin reading the Gospel according to John using the NKJV.

My LXX Apocryphal reading continued with chapter nine of 4th Maccabees.

Today's Passages:
Joshua 1:1 - 7:26 NIV
Luke 20:1 - 24:53 KJV --> John NKJV
4 Maccabees 9:1 - 32 LXX

Last words of Moses

Friday 2021.07.16

Today is the sixth day of the biblical week again. It is Preparation Day in anticipation of the Seventh Day Sabbath which will begin at sunset this evening. It's time to finish all my tasks for the week and to tie up loose ends.

This morning, I finished reading the last four chapters of Deuteronomy, containing an account of Moses' final instructions to the children of Israel in preparation for their entry into the Promised Land under the command of Joshua. Tomorrow, I will begin reading the book of Joshua using the New International Version.

For my NT reading, I read Luke chapters sixteen through nineteen, leaving me with five chapters to the end of the Gospel, while in the LXX Apocrypha I read chapter eight of 4th Maccabees.

Today's Passages:
Deuteronomy 31:1 - 34:12 TEV --> Joshua NIV
Luke 16:1 - 19:48 KJV
4 Maccabees 8:1 - 27 LXX

The covenant made in the land of Moab

Thursday 2021.07.15

Today I read about Moses leading the children of Israel to renew their covenant with the LORD in the land of Moab, in the passage from Deuteronomy 27 through 30.

This renewal of covenant is referred to as the "covenant made in the land of Moab" and it was made in addition to the earlier "covenant made in the land of Horeb" (or at Mount Sinai). (See Deuteronomy 29:1 TEV, or Deuteronomy 28:69 LXX).

Towards the end of this renewal account, in Deuteronomy 31:9 TEV, it is written that

"Moses wrote down God's Law and gave it to the levitical priests who were in charge of the LORD's Covenant Box . . .".

We can also read further in Deuteronomy 31:26 TEV that Moses told the levitical priests to put the scroll of the Law that he had written beside the Covenant Box

"so that it will remain there as a witness against his people."

About six months ago, I wrote a short post on this passage in my devotional blog, entitled, The Book of the Law that Moses wrote.

From the NT, I read chapters thirteen through fifteen of the Gospel according to Luke, while in the LXX Apocrypha I continued with chapter seven of 4th Maccabees.

Today's Passages:
Deuteronomy 27:1 - 30:20 TEV
Luke 13:1 - 15:32 KJV
4 Maccabees 7:1 - 25 LXX

Moses' Second Discourse

Wednesday 2021.07.14

This morning I read from the OT, Deuteronomy chapters nineteen through twenty-six, finishing the second discourse of Moses to the children of Israel (5:1 - 26:19).

In the NT, I continued with another three chapters of the Gospel according to Luke, while in the LXX Apocrypha I read chapter six of 4th Maccabees.

Today's Passages:
Deuteronomy 19:1 - 26:19 TEV
Luke 10:1 - 12:59 KJV
4 Maccabees 6:1 - 35 LXX

When you enter the Promised Land

Tuesday 2021.07.13

Today I continued reading Moses' second discourse in the book of Deuteronomy where he reminded the children of Israel to keep the commandments of Yehovah as written in the Torah when they enter the Promised Land. A noteworthy passage I came across is the instruction in Deuteronomy 17:18 - 20 where Moses commanded that anyone who is chosen to be king over Israel is to keep a copy of the Torah with him and to read it "all his life".

Deuteronomy 17:18 - 20 TEV
When he becomes king,he is to have a copy of the book of God's Laws and teachings made from the original copy kept by the levitical priests. He is to keep this book near him and read from it all his life, so that he will learn to honour the LORD and to obey faithfully everything that is commanded in it. This will keep him from thinking that he is better than his fellow-Israelites and from disobeying the LORD's commands in any way. Then he will reign for many years, and his descendants will rule Israel for many generations.

My NT reading today is from Luke chapters seven through nine, while my LXX Apocryphal reading continues with chapter five of 4th Maccabees.

Today's Passages:
Deuteronomy 11:1 - 18:22 TEV
Luke 7:1 - 9:62 KJV
4 Maccabees 5:1 - 38 LXX

The Ten Commandments

Monday 2021.07.12

Today I read from Deuteronomy chapters five through ten, Moses reminding the children of Israel about the Ten Commandments all over again, in his second discourse in this book of "Second Giving of the Law".

In the NT, I read another four chapters from the Gospel according to Luke using the King James Version, while in the LXX Apocrypha I read chapter four of 4th Maccabees.

Today's Passages:
Deuteronomy 5:1 - 10:22 TEV
Luke 3:1 - 6:49 KJV
4 Maccabees 4:1 - 26 LXX

First discourse of Moses

Sunday 2021.07.11

As I begin this first day of a new week today, I read the first four chapters of Deuteronomy (literally "the second law"), recording the first discourse of Moses to the children of Israel in the desert of Arabah on the "far side" of the Jordan, about eleven days from Horeb by way of Mt Seir to Kadesh Barnea. It was on the 1st day of the 11th month of the 40th year, the final two months of their wandering in the wilderness before they cross the River Jordan to conquer the city of Jericho.

In the NT, I read the first two chapters of the Gospel of Luke, giving an account of the events surrounding the Advent of Our Lord Iesous Christos.

And in the Septuagint Apocrypha, I continued with 4th Maccabees chapter three.

Today's Passages:
Deuteronomy 1:1 - 4:49 TEV
Luke 1:1 - 2:52 KJV
4 Maccabees 3:1 - 21 LXX

Daily, Weekly, Monthly, Yearly Sacrifices

Saturday 2021.07.10

In the OT today, I finished reading the book of Numbers, from chapter eighteen all the way to the final chapter thirty-six. From chapters twenty-eight and twenty-nine, I read about the range of sacrifices commanded by the LORD to Moses: from the twice daily sacrifices, the weekly Sabbath sacrifice, the monthly New Moon sacrifice to the yearly sacrifices as follows:

• 14d 1m: Passover sacrifice
• 15d 1m to 21d 1m: the Feast of Unleavened Bread (ULB)
• Then counting 50 days from the day after the Sabbath of ULB, the day after the seventh sabbath, sometime in the 3rd month: the Feast of Weeks (Shavuot) or Feast of First Fruits
• 1d 7m: Yom Teruah (Feast of Trumpets), a day of rejoicing
• 10d 7m: Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement), a day of fasting
• 15d 7m to 22d 7m: Sukkot (Feast of Tabernacles)

In the NT, I finished read the Gospel according to Mark, from chapter eight through sixteen.

Tomorrow, I will begin reading the book of Deuteronomy in the OT, and the Gospel according to Luke in the NT.

Meanwhile, in the LXX Apocrypha, I continued with chapter two of 4th Maccabees.

Today's Passages:
Numbers 18:1 - 36:13 NIV --> Deuteronomy TEV
Mark 8:1 - 16:20 NKJV --> Luke KJV
4 Maccabees 2:1 - 24 LXX

Korah's rebellion

Friday 2021.07.09

Today, the Sixth Day of the Biblical Week, is Preparation Day. It is a day to finish our weekly tasks and to tie up loose ends in preparation for the Seventh Day Sabbath which will begin at sundown this evening.

This morning I read Numbers chapters eight through seventeen. In chapter sixteen, I read about the rebellion of Korah, a Levite from the clan of Kohath, who along with some Reubenites led by Dathan and Abiram, challenged Moses and Aaron for the leadership of the Israelites and for the position of priests.

In the NT, I read Mark chapters five through seven, while in the LXX Apocrypha I began reading the first chapter of 4th Maccabees.

Today's Passages:
Numbers 8:1 - 17:13 NIV
Mark 5:1 - 7:37 NKJV
4 Maccabees 1:1 - 35 LXX