For a description of the (Y2) reading plan, see the “About” page.
Rev. 22
Compare paradise lost in Genesis 1-3 with paradise restored here. What promise is repeated 3 times in this chapter? How does this affect you? I agree with The Bible Project. The value of the book of Revelation is not that it is some kind of timeline for futuristic events. Though it does tell us of some things to come, I think a lot of it tells us of things that have always been and will continue to be until the end comes. To me, the primary purpose of the book lies in Jesus’ statement in verse 16 and in His repeated promise. “I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this testimony for the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, and the bright Morning Star.” (Rev. 22: 16). And, “Yes, I am coming soon.” (Rev. 22:20).
As we saw in the first few chapters of Revelation, the early Church was struggling with persecution, false teachings, and complacency. I have read that one of the main false teachings of the day was that Jesus was inhabited by God at His baptism, but was not really God. Thus, He was a mere mortal when He died on the cross. So Jesus gave this prophecy to John as testimony that He was and is and always will be the Christ. By naming Himself the Root of David and the bright Morning Star, He confirmed that He is indeed the Messiah, the promise of God prophesied throughout the Old Testament. Having confirmed that truth, He then encouraged His Church – that means us – to hold fast to the faith because all that God said would be will be. And yes, He is coming soon.
Job 11-12
Summarize Zophar’s argument and Job’s response. Why do you think Job has become sarcastic and snarky? I’ve noticed an interesting thing about human beings. When we are faced with the possibility of being wrong, it stirs up our pride; that part of us that does not want to admit fault in ourselves. If that pride goes unchecked, it grows. As pride struggles with truth, it begins to turn the mirror in front of our face just enough that we no longer see our own reflection. Instead, we see anyone who comes close to the truth we don’t want to accept. That’s the point at which we begin to project our faults onto others. We see them in the mirror of our own truth and mistakenly think the truth is theirs.
This is what I see going on with Zophar. As he sat listening to the back and forth between Job and the other two men, he was fighting against the possibility that his beliefs about God might be flawed. His pride then turned that mirror of truth facing him. Thus he said to Job, “You say to God, ‘My beliefs are flawless and I am pure in your sight.’” (Job 11:4). Projection!! He goes on to accuse Job of thinking he holds the keys to wisdom. Again, projection. Job, of course, sees the irony in this. Job’s so-called friends are clearly the ones who think they have a handle on all wisdom!
Ps. 93
“The Lord reigns.” What does that mean to you in your daily life? God has given us glimpses of His might. hey are all around us. This Psalm mentions two of them. One is the ocean, or the seas. Their vastness alone is cause for awe. And when the seas get in an uproar, it’s a fearsome thing indeed. The other is the steadfastness of the earth. Lives come and go. Generations pass. Yet the earth still stands.
These real, tangible things give us a glimpse into who God is. They offer us bite-sized chunks of His nature. Many are so awed by the things they see that they look no further. Awesome as they are, however, they are still just a glimpse; a bare fraction of the Creator behind them. God is so much more than what we see. As fearsome and mighty as the oceans are, God can calm them with a word or turn them into dry land in the blink of an eye. They are nothing before Him. And as steadfast as the world is, it exists in only a blink of our eternal God. So let’s look beyond the creation that we see and get lost in the awe of our unfathomable God.