READ THROUGH THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR
DAYS 61-90
Our resource is Eugene Peterson’s
THE MESSAGE//REMIX:PAUSE
DAY 61
Numbers 35-36: “I, God, live in the same neighborhood with the People of Israel” (35:34). Using this verse, think about God’s reason for giving Israel the Law. How would your behavior change if you were constantly aware of God’s presence around you?
Romans 9: Are you convinced that God is fair? How do you reconcile God’s grace and God’s right to do whatever God wants? Why do people get so caught up in God-projects that they miss God? What can prevent this from happening to you?
DAY 62
Deuteronomy 1-2: Moses begins his final message to the Israelites by reminding them why it took thirty-eight years to make an eleven-day trip. Why would he use the present tense, making it sound like they were the ones who failed, when in fact it was their parents? How do reminders of past failures prepare you for God’s future plans?
Romans 10: God made salvation so simple. Why don’t people get it? Do you struggle with giving up trying to prove yourself to God and accepting God’s grace? When and why? How do you feel about doing things God’s way?
DAY 63
Your reading of Romans last week reinforced the heart of God’s Message to the human race, “Say the welcoming word to God—‘Jesus is my Master’—embracing, body and soul, God’s work of doing in us what God did in raising Jesus from the dead. That’s it. You’re not ‘doing’ anything; you’re simply calling out to God, trusting God to do it for you. That’s ‘salvation’, (Romans 10:9). God longs to set things right with everyone, but God won’t have anything to do with I-can-do-it-myself religion. Everything comes down to what God does, not what we do. Grasping this basic truth is key to understanding what the Bible is all about.
Does your approach to the God-life reflect I-can-do-it-myself religion or dependence on God’s grace? What is the difference? How can you know if you function by one or the other? Why is this basic truth so important? In what way does it open your eyes to understanding the message of the Bible as a whole?
Relying on what God does—rather than on what we do—to make us right with God does not mean our lives won’t change. They most definitely will. Over the next six days you will explore the changes God wants to make in you. Both Romans and Deuteronomy show how building your life on God transforms every part of your life.
DAY 64
Deuteronomy 3-4: Why does God make such a big deal about the idols and other gods? Does God still feel the same way today? Why? God declares God is the only God there is. What makes this truth essential to human existence? To your own life?
Romans 11: Why won’t God ever give up on the physical descendants of Abraham, even those who reject God’s Son? How does knowing “everything comes down to God” shed light on life’s hard questions?
DAY 65
Deuteronomy 5-7: Deuteronomy 6:4-5 is the heart of the Law. Why is this command the first and greatest commandment? Let its words burrow into your life until they are at the heart of who you are.
Romans 12: How does placing your ordinary life before God as an offering express wholehearted, all-that-is-in-you love to God? How do loving God and loving people go together? Why does God tell you to do so much for others?
DAY 66
Deuteronomy 8-10: See Deuteronomy 10:12. How does Moses’ answer compare to what’s in Romans? What other parallels do you notice between these two books? Hint: Look for the phrase “It’s not because of any good that you’ve done” (9:16). What do you learn from these parallels about God’s character and what God wants from us?
Romans 13: What does showing respect to authority and being a good citizen have to do with following Jesus? In what way does obeying earthly authorities relate to the truth: “Everything you see is God’s” (Deuteronomy 10:14)?
DAY 67
Deuteronomy 11-13: Why did God command the Israelites to get rid of every trace of idol worship? What was wrong with leaving shrines if they didn’t worship the idols? What do these verses have to do with the urge to conform to the people around you?
Romans 14: In Paul’s day, food was a major concern. What causes disagreement among the believers you hang around? What’s your attitude toward people you disagree with? How does this subject relate to staying away from idols and false gods?
DAY 68
Deuteronomy 14-16: How do you feel about giving away chunks of your hard-earned cash? In what way would obeying the command to tithe and to forgive debts every seven years change one’s relationship with God? (Remember, obedience doesn’t buy God’s favor.)
Romans 15: Why is helping others such an integral part of following Jesus? How does serving others reflect the character of God in us? What message do we send about God when we don’t want to be bothered by the people around us?
DAY 69
Deuteronomy 17-19: Why were matters of justice to be taken before God at the central place of worship? Why does upholding justice please God? What role do you think God wants to play in all the details of your life?
Romans 16: What motivates people to twist parts of the Bible? What tells you the difference between a true messenger of God and a phony? What does enjoying the best of Jesus mean, and how can this protect you from “smooth-talking evil” (16:19)?
DAY 70
The long lists of rules and regulations that make up the Law can be overwhelming. It’s enough to make us thankful we live here and now rather than in Israel back then. Yet the heart of the Law rings through the entire Bible. God has always wanted people to love God and to trust God. God always intended for human beings to rely on what God does rather than on what they can do. Most people assume a huge gulf lies between the Old and New Testaments. But Romans and Deuteronomy help show that God hasn’t changed and that the path to God hasn’t changed. Did similarities surprise you? Why or why not?
According to Jesus, the first and greatest commandment is “LOVE GOD, YOUR GOD, WITH ALL YOUR HEART: LOVE GOD WITH ALL THAT’S IN YOU, LOVE GOD WITH ALL YOU’VE GOT!” (Deuteronomy 6:5, Matthew 22:37-38). In what way does using this command as your filter change the way you understand the Law? The second great commandment is “Love your neighbor as yourself” (Leviticus 19:18, Matthew 22:39). In what way does the Law reflect his command? In what way did you see your neighbor as yourself mirrored in last week’s readings in Romans? These questions lead to the heart of being a follower of Jesus.
Over the next six days you will continue exploring the relationship between law and grace, between the work God does and the response God expects from those who claim to love God. You will dive into the book of Galatians, a letter written to people who were more than a little confused about these fundamental subjects.
DAY 71
Deuteronomy 20-22: Read Deuteronomy 10:12-13 again. What is God really asking for here—rule-keeping or faith? Let this question turn over in your head as you read the New Testament selection for today.
Galatians 1: Why would anyone turn from freedom in Christ to go back into the corral of religious rules and regulations? Why did Paul become so angry when the Galatians did this? What do you really need to do to please God?
DAY 72
Deuteronomy 23-25: Why are upholding justice, providing for the poor, and caring for widows and orphans important to God? If a nation acted out these values, what would look different about it? What if you acted out these values?
Galatians 2: What’s the difference between living by faith and trying to impress God? What is the difference between living by the rules and having Christ live in you? Which way of living most characterizes your life? In what way? Why?
DAY 73
Deuteronomy 26-28: God offers two paths to God’s people. One leads to blessings, the other to curses. Why does the path of blessings bring God pleasure? Why does the path of curses bring God pain? Do you feel that God likes to zap people? Why or why not?
Galatians 3:1–3:27: Despite what Paul says, the people have always made religious regulations they say all “good Christians” should follow. Why do rules flourish? If no one could be saved by keeping rules, why did God give the ultimate rule book, the Law?
DAY 74
Deuteronomy 29-31: How do the curses show God’s mercy? Since God knew God’s people would turn to idols in the not-too-distant future, why did God bother giving them God’s Law? How does this subject compare to what you read yesterday in Galatians 3?
Galatians 3:28-4:31: You’ve read the Law. What motivates someone to choose it over freedom in Jesus? More to the point, what could drive someone to say they are teaching truth when in fact they are contriving lies? How will you tell the difference?
DAY 75
Deuteronomy 32-34: Put yourself in Moses’ place. What would you feel as you stood on the mountain looking out on the land you dreamed about but would never enter? What would you say to God as God reminded you once again that you wouldn’t get in? Compare this to Moses’ reaction. His faithfulness and his lack of complaints speak volumes. What do you hear Moses’ life saying about living by faith?
Galatians 5: If you are free from religious rules, what keeps you from sinning to your heart’s content? Why can’t legalism produce the fruit of the Spirit? Which is easier for you, living by rules or living the life of the Spirit? Why?
DAY 76
Joshua 1-2: Would you have shown Rahab the harlot the same mercy God did? Why or why not? If everyone in Canaan had responded to God the way Rahab did, would God still have destroyed the people and given their land to Israel? Why or why not?
Galatians 6: What does it mean to live creatively? How can sharing one another’s burdens fulfill Christ’s law? What is the “serious living of this faith” (6:17)? How does it show itself in your life? Are you a rule-keeper or a faith liver?
DAY 77
The first five books of the Bible are known as the books of the Law. How does reading them expand your understanding of God’s character? What did you discover about God that you’d never thought about before? How is your relationship with God different today than when you started this journey?
Think about the Law itself. Was it what you expected? Why or why not? Which part made the greatest impression on you? Which part made you glad you live in the twenty-first century rather than fifteen hundred years before Christ? How did reading the Law in conjunction with John, Hebrews, Romans and Galatians change your understanding of the Cross? How did the Law impact your appreciation of grace? How did your understanding of what it means to live for God on a daily basis change?
The first five books of the Bible set the stage for all that follows. In Joshua you will watch as God’s children, the Israelites, take the Law and put it into practice as they build a nation. You will also begin the second of the four gospels, the gospel according to Mark. Through these accounts, God wants to dialogue with you, wants you to interact with God’s story. God doesn’t want reading to be a religious duty that you check off your to-do list each day. If you are struggling with this, talk to God about it. Tell God how you are feeling and ask God to help you read and absorb, sink into God’s world and taste and see God’s good work.
DAY 78
Joshua 3-5: How did God confirm God’s plan to give the land of Canaan to the Israelites? What kept God from keeping this promise forty years earlier? Do you believe God is able to make good on God’s promises to you? What stands in God’s way?
Mark 1:1-1:20: If you had been in Simon, Andrew, James or John’s sandals, how would you have responded to Jesus’ offer? What enabled them to leave everything without seeing even one miracle? What does that say about the way God works?
DAY 79
Joshua 6-8: How do you feel about God’s punishing all the Israelites because of Achan’s disobedience? When in your life has one person’s disobedience complicated the lives of others? Why does your obedience mean so much to God?
Mark 1:21-1:45: Why did the crowd flock after Jesus? Why did he keep to out-of-the-way places instead of embracing popularity? Examine both your motives for following Jesus and the path he has in store for you. What do you want from Jesus?
DAY 80
Joshua 9-12: Back in Numbers, the spies thought Israel would be slaughtered if they crossed the Jordan River. How do those expectations compare to the outcome of these battles? What does this say about the power of God and living by faith?
Mark 2: Were the religious scholars correct? Can anyone other than God forgive sins? So who is Jesus, really? And why would he hang out with the riffraff? How can you feel about this name of Jesus’ followers, both then and now?
DAY 81
Joshua 13-15: Why would God have Joshua hand out land before the Israelites controlled all of it? How do Caleb’s actions reveal the answer to the previous question? In what ways does his character reflect the kind of life God chooses to bless?
Mark 3: Why was healing on the Sabbath so controversial? Why would anyone think Satan enabled Jesus to heal people and deliver them from demons? What keeps someone from being able to recognize God at work? Why does this matter?
DAY 82
Joshua 16-18: Why didn’t God drive out the Canaanites all at once? Why did individual tribes have to take possession of their own inheritance? What does God’s method show you about how God works today?
Mark 4: Which soil best represents you? Why? Why did Jesus’ stopping the storm scare the disciples? What does Jesus’ authority over nature say about his true identity? Do his works still evoke fear? When? Why?
DAY 83
Joshua 19-21: Learning how Naphtali received the city of Zer may not be exciting to you, but how would you react if you had been wandering in the wilderness, living in tents, for forty years? Does God’s gift of the land increase your belief that God is faithful to God’s promises? Why or why not?
Mark 5: Why would a demon-possessed man bow down to worship Jesus? What do you think Jesus is capable of doing in your own life when you witness him setting people free from demons, sickness, and death?
DAY 84
What makes the battle of Joshua difficult to reconcile with the loving God revealed in Jesus? The Canaanite culture of Joshua’s time exploited the most vulnerable members of society through its snake pit of child sacrifice and sacred prostitution. The “holy curse”—the act by which Joshua and the Israelites killed everyone in the conquered cities and totally destroyed all survivors—is an act of God’s justice whereby God used the Israelites as an instrument to give people what they deserve for their sin. How do God’s justice and love go together? What makes both necessary? How did God show mercy and an eagerness to forgive even in the midst of judgment?
Reading Joshua and Mark together will give you a unique opportunity to see God’s justice and mercy side by side. How did the people who followed Jesus compare to the people who occupied Canaan during Joshua’s time? More to the point, compare Rahab the harlot with the people who flocked to Jesus. What similarities do you see? If the Pharisees and religious experts had responded to Jesus like Rahab did to the two spies, how might their story have changed?
Justice means God gives us exactly what we deserve. Mercy means God forgives and gives us what we do not deserve. What determines who receives one and who receives the other? How should this change the way you relate to God on a daily basis? The marriage of God’s mercy and justice will flare even brighter as you read Judges and continue through Mark.
DAY 85
Joshua 22-24: Why did God tell the Israelites to set up altars and large stones as visible reminders of the covenant between them? Why must people choose one God or another—the god of Abraham or some other “God” that claims their affection?
Mark 6:1-6:29: Why did the people’s stubbornness keep Jesus from performing miracles? Do you think faithfully serving God, both then and now, is worth a fate like John the Baptizer’s? Why or why not?
DAY 86
Judges 1-3: Why did people forget all about God in the space of one generation? Why does God put tests into the daily paths of God’s children? Do you believe God’s punishment shows God’s love? Why or why not?
Mark 6:30-6:56: Why did Jesus tell his disciples to feed the crowd themselves? How would you have reacted to seeing Jesus walk on the dark, storming sea? What did he want his disciples, then and now, to understand from these events?
DAY 87
Judges 4-6: What makes Deborah and Gideon unlikely saviors of Israel? Why didn’t God take Gideon’s request for a sign as a lack of faith? When taking a life-changing course of action, why is it necessary to be sure God is directing your path?
Mark 7: What were the Pharisees trying to wash off their hands with their ritual washings? Contrast the Pharisees with the woman from Tyre. Does your life reflect religious show or real faith?
DAY 88
Judges 7-9: Why would God use Gideon when he was so inconsistent in his faith? Why did the Israelites spend so much time and energy fighting one another? What does sin do to a community of God’s people?
Mark 8:1-9:1: Put yourself in Peter’s sandals. The man you thought was the Messiah, the man you left everything to follow, tells you he will soon suffer and die. What would you be thinking? What would you say to Jesus?
DAY 89
Judges 10-12: Why did God keep taking the Israelites back? What would you call this aspect of God’s character? Did God want Jephthah to make his vow before he would answer his prayer? Why didn’t God stop Jephthah from sacrificing his daughter? What do you learn about the way God deals with you when you do something stupid?
Mark 9:2-9:50: Jesus told his disciples, “The Son of Man is about to be betrayed to some people who want nothing to do with God. They will murder him” (9:31). Jesus, God in flesh, is about to become God dying on a cross. What joins these two images?
DAY 90
Judges 13-14: After reading the instructions from the angel of God to Samson’s parents, what kind of character do you expect him to have? How close does Samson come to these expectations in the wedding episode? Why does character matter?
Mark 10:1-10:34: What does “accept God’s kingdom in the simplicity of a child” (10:15) mean? Compare the rich guy’s behavior with the way the children came to Jesus. What kept the rich guy from following Jesus? Can you swallow this? Why or why not?