Read To Me Daily Semester 4Sample

HABAKKUK 1-2:
The book of Nahum ended with these words about Nineveh:

Nam. 3:19 NLT There is no healing for your wound;
your injury is fatal.
All who hear of your destruction
will clap their hands for joy.
Where can anyone be found
who has not suffered from your continual cruelty?

And now we turn to the book of Habakkuk. Habakkuk preached at the time when it was already clear— through both prophecy and conquest— that Babylon would defeat Judah. This was between 627 and 605 BC, which would have been at the same time as Jeremiah, Nahum, and Zephaniah were living, and Daniel may have been a young boy. 

We often hear people questioning how God could be good and loving and allow various disasters or evil things to happen. And Habakkuk asks that question, and another: “Why do You, God, use a nation that is more sinful than we are to punish us?”

Henrietta Mears gives this neat outline of the three chapters of Habakkuk: 

1. Watch and see
2. Stand and see
3. Kneel and see

ISAIAH 55:
Perhaps you noticed that Isaiah 54:1 was quoted by Paul in Gal. 4:27.

And did verses 11-12 in chapter 54 cause you to think of Revelation? In just a few days in our reading of Revelation we will hear about precious gems used in building the New Jerusalem. 

REVELATION 8:
Remember that in Revelation chapter 7 we saw first the 144,000 from the tribes of Israel. 144,000 = 12 x 12,000. Remember, numbers in Revelation have symbolic meanings! Now the question is whether the next group that John sees is the same group or a different one. He says that they were “a vast crowd, too great to count, from every nation and tribe and people and language.” 

Look closer at God’s Word and you will always see that it is very deep. Look closely at the names of the 12 tribes! Notice that the list has been altered from the normal list repeated in the Old Testament. Which tribes are missing? Which tribe is doubled up? Note that the answers to this may hold a clue as to whether the 144,000 is made up only of ethnic Jews. There is gold to dig for here!

Let’s pray.
Lord Jesus, we praise You as the victorious Lamb of God. We praise You that one day we will be in that numberless throng of people praising You. And we look forward to the new Jerusalem that Isaiah spoke about. You will have expanded Jerusalem’s borders on all sides, and the city will be like your bride. The city will have foundation stones adorned with precious gems. And as John saw in Revelation, we will come from every race, tribe, nation, and language. We will rejoice in being able to serve you day and night. You will be our shepherd, and you will guide us to springs of life-giving water. You will protect us with your presence forever. And how precious it is that You will wipe every tear from our eyes. Our robes will be washed and made white in the blood of the Lamb— your own blood, dear Jesus. So Lord, give us the desire to keep our robes as white as possible now, while we are still on this earth. May we carry this vision with us today in all we do.