March 30 Readings

You can also check out all these Reading Plans Blogs to go through the Bible in a year from Back to the Bible Reading Lists:the Chronological Reading Plan blog; OT and NT Together blog; Historical Readings blog; Blended Readings blog and Beginning to End blog In addition, there is the Theophilus1 blog in the One Year Bible format and The Daily Bible in Chronological Order

The Back to the Bible OT and NT Together Reading Plan

Index of OT + NT Together

Judges 7-8; Luke 5.1-16a
King James Version with Web Encyclopedia links: Judges 9; Judges 10; Luke 5


Apostasy and the Judges
Today's reading from Judges 9-10

Gideon and His Son

Judges 9
God called Gideon as a leader. Abimelech appointed himself as leader and murdered his brothers to make sure that he was the leaders. Jothan gave a parable (7-13) of the olive tree, the fig tree and the vine. The parable showed that there is a price to pay for true leadership. True leaders have to sacrifice many things to serve the people. Ahimelech was only interested in himself. If good leaders will not sacrifice their somforts and lead them the people would have to settle for brambles. Abimelch reap what he sowed, his sins caught up with him, his family and people suffered for his selfishness.

Judges 10 deals with the story of Jephthah and Five Other Judges. Tola was a judge who led Israel for twenty three years (v. 1-2). Jair was another judge who had thirty sons who rode thirty donkeys. Between both of them they had forty five yers of peace.

The Story of Jephthah centers around Judges 10.6-18; 11; 12.1-7.
Because of peace, the people forgot God. In Judges 10.6-18 The Israelites sinned by worshiping Baals, Ashtoreths and other gods. God gave them over to the Philistines and the Ammonites. There are two types of confession given in Judges 11. The first confession in 10 is not genuine, originating from the people suffering. God refused to forgive them (v. 11-14). The second confession of sin is genuine, it was a 180 degree turn, they got rid of the foreign gods among them and serve the Lord..

Link on Gideon
More on Gideon
More on Gideon

Division of the Land
Tribal Lands
Judges 9, with Commentaries, verse by verse
Judges 10, with Commentaries, verse by verse

Division of the Land
Tribal Lands

Other Links
OT Gateway Links on Judges
Introduction to Judges by Malik
Malik Argument of Judges
Israel's Dark Age by Deffinbaugh
Dr. Thomas Constable Study Notes is a PDF file, open with Adobe Acrobatic Reader
Zeisler on Judges, scroll down
Spurgeon on Judges
Biblebb.com Website
Ritchie on Judges - 9 sermons

With the Word Commentary-Warren Wiersbe
Wycliffe Bible Commentary
Keil & Delitzsch Commentaries on the Old Testament
Expositor's Bible Commentary
Pulpit Bible Commentary
J. Vernon McGee Commentaries
Evangelical Commentary on the Old Testament
The Commentary Page


Luke 5.17-39 with Commentaries, verse by verse

Another day, some men brought a paralytic into the house where Jesus was at (Luke 5.18-26; Matthew 9.2-8; Mark 2.3-12). Since they could not find a way to get into the house, they went on the roof and lowered him on his mat through the roof. Jesus said something radical, he said in verse 20, Friend your sins are forgiven. The Pharisees amd the teachers of the law were thinking that Jesus was blaspheming. jesus said that he He had the authority to forgive sins (v.24). No one can forgive sins except God alone (v.21). He then healed the paralytic man. Which did the man need at that moment for his sins to be forgiven or to be healed. Jesus is the great Physician and knew what the man needed. What about us? What do we need Jesus to do for us at this moment. He has the authority from God to heal us or forgive us of our sins.
After that, Jesus was walking, and saw at the tax boot, a tax colletor by the name of Levi. He said to him to follow him. Levi got up, left everything and followed Jesus. When Jesus tells us to follow Him, He wants us to leave everything and follow Him.

Continuing from last time about the calling of Levi (Luke 5.27-32; Matthew 9.9-13; Mark 2.14-17) After Levi had left everything, he had a feast for his tax-collector colleagues and other friends including sinners. To the Jews, the tax collector was considered among the worst people to associate with. They collected taxes for Rome, their enemy, and some even collected more than they should. They even use extortion against their own people.Ancient tax collector Sinners according to the NIV Study Bible include 'Notoriously evil people as well as those who refused to follow the Mosaic laws...This term includes tax collectors, adulterers, robbers and the like. To eat with them was a sign of friendship. Jesus was not ashamed to be seen with them. It would be interesting to know what was going through the minds of the disciples. Jesus answered them 31 'And Jesus answered and said to them, "It is not those who are well who need a physician, but those who are sick. 32"I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance." We need to realize that Christ came to save sinners! Even though some of us have been Christians for a while we have become religious and sanctimonious and do not want to associate with the world. May God open our eyes to that.

Jesus was questioned about fasting (Luke 5.33-39; Matthew 9:14-17; Mark 2.18-22) and He told them that his disciples do not need to fast now, but when He goes away then they will fast. He gave a parable of old wine in new wineskin and a patch from a new garment place on an old garment. It does not work. Either they follow Jesus 100% or follow the Law 100%.


More Links in Luke
IVP Commentary on Luke
Introduction to Luke-Malik
Argument for the Gospel of Luke-Malik
Deffinbaugh on Luke
Lightfoot on Luke
Ritchie on Luke
Dr. Thomas Constable Study Notes is a PDF file, open with Adobe Acrobatic Reader
Sermons on Luke by Ryle, Spurgeon, and Whitefield
John Piper Sermons on Luke

More Commentary Links for the New Testamant
Expositor's Bible Commentary
Pulpit Bible Commentary on the New Testament
With the Word Commentary NT-Warren Wiersbe
The New Commentary
Through the Bible-Matt-Acts-J. Vernon McGee
Benson's Commentary on the NT-Matt-Acts
Evangelical Commentary on the New Testament

Jesus Saves
This Posting is NOT a commentary of the passages read today but it is a devotional. Please send a comment if something spoke to you today from the passages, links or thoughts that I have shared with you.