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.]