Oct 7, 2022
2CHRONICLES 33:
The
account in 2 Chronicles of Hezekiah’s victory through prayer over
the vast Assyrian army is summarized. It is much more dramatically
related in 2nd Kings. Hezekiah’s experience with the envoys from
Babylon can also be used as a spiritual parable for us. We need to
be careful what we just accept as fate, without asking God for
something better.
ECCLESIASTES 9:
A
nugget of exceptional wisdom from Solomon was in yesterday’s
reading, and it brings with it a problem in translation. I like how
GNT made the overall pessimistic meaning clear by including quote
marks in 12-13. NLT does not interpret that part as an
argumentative quote and casts the meaning in an optimistic
light.
Ecc.
8:11 GNT Why do people commit crimes so readily? Because crime is
not punished quickly enough.
12 A
sinner may commit a hundred crimes and still live. Oh yes, I
know what they say: “If you obey God, everything will be all
right,
13
but it will not go well for the wicked. Their life is like a shadow
and they will die young, because they do not obey
God.”
14
But this is nonsense. Look at what happens in the
world: sometimes the righteous get the punishment of the wicked,
and the wicked get the reward of the righteous. I say it is
useless.
MATTHEW 21b:
In
yesterday’s reading in chapter 21, we heard of the triumphant
entry, Jesus cleansing the Temple and cursing the fig tree, and the
question about what right he had to do such a thing like cleansing
the Temple.
NLT/GNT Translation
note:
Mat. 21:32
[NLT For John the Baptist came and showed you the right way to
live, but you didn’t believe him, while tax collectors and
prostitutes did. And even when you saw [that miraculous
thing//this] happening, you refused to believe him and repent of
your sins.//GNT For John the Baptist came to you showing you the
right [way to live//path to take], and you would not believe him;
but the tax collectors and the prostitutes believed him. Even when
you saw [that miraculous thing//this], you [refused to believe him
and repent did not later change your minds and believe
him.]
Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.