Reading for Today:
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2 Samuel 11:1
Chapter 11 1 And it came to pass, at the return of the year, at the time when kings go out `to battle', that David sent Joab, and his servants with him, and all Israel; and they destroyed the children of Ammon, and besieged Rabbah. But David tarried at Jerusalem.
–12:31
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Psalms 65:9-13
9 Thou visitest the earth, and waterest it, Thou greatly enrichest it; The river of God is full of water: Thou providest them grain, when thou hast so prepared the earth. 10 Thou waterest its furrows abundantly; Thou settlest the ridges thereof: Thou makest it soft with showers; Thou blessest the springing thereof. 11 Thou crownest the year with thy goodness; And thy paths drop fatness. 12 They drop upon the pastures of the wilderness; And the hills are girded with joy. 13 The pastures are clothed with flocks; The valleys also are covered over with grain; They shout for joy, they also sing. Psalm 66 For the Chief Musician. A song, a Psalm.
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Proverbs 16:22-24
22 Understanding is a well-spring of life unto him that hath it; But the correction of fools is `their' folly. 23 The heart of the wise instructeth his mouth, And addeth learning to his lips. 24 Pleasant words are `as' a honeycomb, Sweet to the soul, and health to the bones.
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John 6:22-51
22 On the morrow the multitude that stood on the other side of the sea saw that there was no other boat there, save one, and that Jesus entered not with his disciples into the boat, but `that' his disciples went away alone 23 (howbeit there came boats from Tiberias nigh unto the place where they ate the bread after the Lord had given thanks): 24 when the multitude therefore saw that Jesus was not there, neither his disciples, they themselves got into the boats, and came to Capernaum, seeking Jesus. 25 And when they found him on the other side of the sea, they said unto him, Rabbi, when camest thou hither? 26 Jesus answered them and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Ye seek me, not because ye saw signs, but because ye ate of the loaves, and were filled. 27 Work not for the food which perisheth, but for the food which abideth unto eternal life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him the Father, even God, hath sealed. 28 They said therefore unto him, What must we do, that we may work the works of God? 29 Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent. 30 They said therefore unto him, What then doest thou for a sign, that we may see, and believe thee? what workest thou? 31 Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, He gave them bread out of heaven to eat. 32 Jesus therefore said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, It was not Moses that gave you the bread out of heaven; but my Father giveth you the true bread out of heaven. 33 For the bread of God is that which cometh down out of heaven, and giveth life unto the world. 34 They said therefore unto him, Lord, evermore give us this bread. 35 Jesus said unto them. I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall not hunger, and he that believeth on me shall never thirst. 36 But I said unto you, that ye have seen me, and yet believe not. 37 All that which the Father giveth me shall come unto me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out. 38 For I am come down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me. 39 And this is the will of him that sent me, that of all that which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day. 40 For this is the will of my Father, that every one that beholdeth the Son, and believeth on him, should have eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day. 41 The Jews therefore murmured concerning him, because he said, I am the bread which came down out of heaven. 42 And they said, Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? how doth he now say, I am come down out of heaven? 43 Jesus answered and said unto them, Murmur not among yourselves. 44 No man can come to me, except the Father that sent me draw him: and I will raise him up in the last day. 45 It is written in the prophets, And they shall all be taught of God. Every one that hath heard from the Father, and hath learned, cometh unto me. 46 Not that any man hath seen the Father, save he that is from God, he hath seen the Father. 47 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth hath eternal life. 48 I am the bread of life. 49 Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. 50 This is the bread which cometh down out of heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die. 51 I am the living bread which came down out of heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: yea and the bread which I will give is my flesh, for the life of the world.
Notes:
2 Samuel 11:3 Bathsheba. Not until 12:24 is her name used again. Rather, to intensify the sin of adultery, it is emphasized that she was the wife of Uriah (vv. 3,26; 12:10,15). Even the New Testament says “her of Uriah”(Matt. 1:6). Eliam. The father of Bathsheba was one of David’s mighty men (23:34). Since Eliam was the son of Ahithophel, Bathsheba was Ahithophel’s granddaughter (15:12; 16:15). This could explain why Ahithophel, one of David’s counselors (15:12), later gave his allegiance to Absalom in his revolt against David. Uriah. Also one of David’s mighty men (23:39). Although a Hittite (see Gen. 15:20; Ex. 3:8,17,23), Uriah bore a Hebrew name meaning “the LORD is my light,” indicating he was a worshiper of the one true God.
2 Samuel 11:15 he may…die. Failing twice to cover up his sin with Bathsheba, the frustrated and panicked David plotted the murder of Uriah by taking advantage of Uriah’s unswerving loyalty to him as king, even having Uriah deliver his own death warrant. Thus David engaged in another crime deserving of capital punishment (Lev. 24:17). This is graphic proof of the extremes people go to in pursuit of sin and in the absence of restraining grace.
John 6:40
40 For this is the will of my Father, that every one that beholdeth the Son, and believeth on him, should have eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day.
everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him. This verse emphasizes human responsibility in salvation. Although God is sovereign, He works through faith, so that a man must believe in Jesus as the Messiah and Son of God who alone offers the only way of salvation (14:6). However, even faith is a gift of God (Rom. 12:3; Eph. 2:8,9). Intellectually harmonizing the sovereignty of God and the responsibility of man is impossible humanly, but perfectly resolved in the infinite mind of God.
John 6:51
51 I am the living bread which came down out of heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: yea and the bread which I will give is my flesh, for the life of the world.
This pronouncement exactly reiterates vv. 33,35,47,48. My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world. Jesus refers here prophetically to His impending sacrifice upon the cross (2 Cor. 5:21; 1 Pet. 2:24). Jesus voluntarily laid down His life for evil, sinful mankind (10:18;
1 John 2:2
2 and he is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for the whole world.
).
DAY 20: How do Jesus’ “I am” statements in the Book of John express His saving relationship toward the world?
After the miraculous feeding of the 5,000, Jesus was challenged by the crowd to perform an even greater miracle in
John 6:30
30 They said therefore unto him, What then doest thou for a sign, that we may see, and believe thee? what workest thou?
.“Our fathers ate the manna,” they said (v. 31), implying that Jesus’ miraculous feeding was a small miracle compared to what Moses did. In order for them to believe in Him, they would need to see Him feed the nation of Israel on the same scale that God did when He sent manna and fed the entire nation of Israel during their wilderness wanderings for 40 years (Ex. 16:11–36).They were demanding that Jesus outdo Moses if they were to believe in Him.
Jesus responded that the manna God gave was temporary and perished and was only a meager shadow of what God offered them in the true bread, Himself, who gives spiritual and eternal life to mankind (“world”). He is the “true bread from heaven,” and in case that wasn’t understood, He added, “I am the bread of life” (v. 35).
Twenty-three times in all we find our Lord’s meaningful “I AM” in the Greek text of this Gospel (4:26; 6:20, 35, 41, 48, 51; 8:12,18,24,28,58; 10:7,9,11,14; 11:25; 13:19; 14:6; 15:1,5; 18:5,6,8). In several of these, He joins His “I AM” with seven tremendous metaphors which are expressive of His saving relationship toward the world.
“I AM the Bread of life” (6:35, 41, 48, 51).“I AM the Light of the world” (8:12).“I AM the Door of the sheep” (10:7, 9).“I AM the Good Shepherd” (10:11, 14).“I AM the Resurrection and the Life” (11:25).“I AM the Way, the Truth, and the Life” (14:6).“I AM the true Vine” (15:1, 5).
From The MacArthur Daily Bible Copyright © 2003. Used by permission of Thomas Nelson Bibles, a division of Thomas Nelson, Inc, Nashville, TN 37214, www.thomasnelson.com.
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