Read To Me Daily Semester 4Sample

ZECHARIAH 12-13:
Several times I have mentioned how Zechariah and other prophets use the figure of shepherding a flock— picturing God’s people. In chapter 11, there were puzzling verses where Zechariah evidently performed an outward demonstration involving two staffs. Other prophets did such demonstrations. In this one, evidently Zechariah stood in for the Messiah. The two staffs were named Favor and Union. Our Messiah, Jesus, came to restore us to God’s favor and give us unity as God’s people— no matter what our race. The 30 pieces of silver is spoken of with irony, “this magnificent sum at which they valued me.” Remember this shepherd picture!

ISAIAH 64:
Yesterday in chapter 63 of Isaiah, we heard the people of Israel ask a whole series of questions about the Lord, like:

Is. 63:11b NLT “Where is the one who brought Israel through the sea, with Moses as their shepherd?

And here is another verse:

Is. 63:15 NLT LORD, look down from heaven;
look from your holy, glorious home, and see us.
Where is the passion and the might
you used to show on our behalf?
Where are your mercy and compassion now?

The chapter ended with deep pathos:

Is. 63:18 NLT How briefly your holy people possessed your holy place,
and now our enemies have destroyed it.

19 Sometimes it seems as though we never belonged to you,
as though we had never been known as your people.

However, don’t forget how the chapter started, with the Lord wearing blood-stained robes from trampling out the grapes (yes, ‘grapes of wrath’)— the nations who oppressed his people. This is a picture of the grape harvest that we saw so recently in Revelation 14. Note that in Isaiah the Lord does the trampling alone. And so we see also in Revelation, the final battle is won by the Lord acting alone.

REVELATION 18:

The part that puzzles me most in Revelation chapter 17 is this:

Rev. 17:8 GNT That beast was once alive, but lives no longer; it is about to come up from the abyss and will go off to be destroyed. The people living on earth whose names have not been written before the creation of the world in the book of the living, will all be amazed as they look at the beast. It was once alive; now it no longer lives, but it will reappear.

While that is confusing, the important thing is clear: Satan is the sponsor of the beast.

Let’s pray.
Lord Jesus, we praise You as the Cornerstone rejected by the builders, and the Good Shepherd rejected by the leaders of the people. Thirty pieces of silver was the magnificent sum that they paid for you, and it was thrown into the Temple. How amazing is your Word, Lord! But how we are saddened, because we live in a world where increasingly both Favor and Unity have been destroyed. We cry out to you like Isaiah and say, “Lord, look upon us from heaven, where you live in your holiness and glory. Where is your great concern for us now? Where is your power like You showed through Moses? Where is your love and compassion?”
But don’t let us miss what you are doing in our time!
Because we look forward to the time when you alone will trample the grapes in the winepress of your anger. You alone will win the victory. You will indeed show your awesome power. So while we wait and live in Babylon, give us the wisdom and righteousness of Daniel. Give us the power to be your witnesses like Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, to not bow before the emperor’s statue when the music of the world plays.