Read To Me Daily Semester 4Sample

ZECHARIAH 1-2:
Yesterday we read both chapters of the little book of Haggai, and heard how Haggai motivated his discouraged audience to return to the task of rebuilding the temple. Haggai certainly must have known and worked with our next author— Zechariah.

There are at least 27 men named Zechariah in the Old Testament. The name means ‘Yahweh remembers’. This book— remarkable for its surrealistic visions and vivid poetic images— is sometimes called the ‘Apocalypse of the Old Testament’. Since we are also reading Revelation, now we’ll get a double dose of this genre.

Henrietta Mears gives this interesting comment, and this is something I suggest we watch for as we read this book:

“Someone has said that to correctly read the visions of this book, you must shine two lights on them— the light of the cross and the light of the crown. Otherwise, you will find that you don’t have the proper perspective or background to understand Zechariah’s visions. The prophet, looking far into the future, saw two aspects of the future Messiah— one Person, but two appearances. First, he saw Him in humiliation and suffering; then he saw Him in majesty and great glory. Jewish people who do not believe that Jesus is the Messiah ignore the Christ of the cross. Christians too often ignore the Christ of the crown. Both are wrong.”

ISAIAH 59:
Although Isaiah chapter 58 didn’t use the word ‘hypocrisy’, that is what God was preaching against. After telling us the kind of fasting that God desires most, God gave beautiful promises to those who live as He teaches.

REVELATION 13:
Following the 7th trumpet blast in Revelation chapter 11, the vision we read in chapter 12 is an overview. The woman who gives birth to ‘he who will rule the nations with a rod of iron’ is not a picture of Mary. Again, this is an overview. I encourage you to dig deeper to find out more about the symbolism of that glorious woman. I will give you my take about the dragon’s seven heads and seven crowns. The dragon— as we will see, will do his best to masquerade as God. He is doing that right now in our day! Look out, and don’t be fooled! An important foundational teaching in that chapter is to explain about the source of the spiritual battle we now see being played out in the world.

Let’s pray.
Dear Lord Jesus, certainly Satan is filled with rage. He is powerless to do anything to You directly, so he seeks to destroy us who are loved by You. So we are living now in a war zone. Therefore, today, help us to take up all the armor that You give us. Our true armor will not be put on by outward religious practices, like what the Israelites were doing in Isaiah’s day. Instead, may our devotion to You be shown by removing chains of oppression, by providing for the needs of the poor, and by sharing the light of the Gospel. How wonderful your promises: That your favor would shine on us like the morning sun, that our wounds would quickly heal, and that your presence would always protect us on every side. When we pray, You will answer. When we call, You will respond. In the midst of the spiritual battle, help us today to keep our gaze on You, Lord Jesus. May we live in full belief and confidence in You alone, because that is the shield which will quench Satan’s fiery arrows.