Day 260 Bible Readings – Galatians 3: 13-14 (ESV)

Isaiah 41-42, Galatians 3: 1-25, Psalm 137

Galatians 3: 13-14 (ESV)

“Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree”— so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith.”

Verses 13 and 14 from Galatians 3 shows Paul reminding the churches in Galatia that Christ was crucified for our sins so that the whole world (the Gentiles) could receive the blessings of Abraham through faith.  According to several Bible commentaries, the tree is a reference to verses 22 and 23 from Deuteronomy 21 – “And if a man has committed a crime punishable by death and he is put to death, and you hang him on a tree, his body shall not remain all night on the tree, but you shall bury him the same day, for a hanged man is cursed by God. You shall not defile your land that the Lord your God is giving you for an inheritance.” Jesus received our curses when he was crucified on a cross, which is the same as hanging him on a tree.

God’s original covenant with Abraham in the Old Testament was only for the offspring of Abraham but with Christ’s hanging on the cross, the covenant is renewed and now applies to everyone who believes in Christ. God will save us not because we live in obedience to his laws, but because we believe in Christ. I don’t think this means we should not follow God’s laws, because Christ did not say to not follow the laws. We still need to follow God’s laws because they show us the standards of behavior that God expects in his people. But with Christ, we are saved by God’s grace and not by strict obedience to God’s laws. We will never be perfect in our behavior, but with God’s grace, we do not need to fear that our human imperfections will prevent us from being saved.

Day 259 Bible Readings – Isaiah 40: 3 (ESV)

Isaiah 38-40, Galatians 2: 11-21, Psalm 136: 13-26

Isaiah 40: 3 (ESV)

“A voice cries: “In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God.”

When I read verse 3 from Isaiah 40 I immediately thought of John the Baptist preaching in the desert. The prophet Isaiah predicted the life of John as he did the birth and life of Christ. John the Baptist has always been one of my favorite characters in the Bible. John had a miraculous birth, and his life was so focused and one-pointed on preparing the way for the arrival of Christ. I also find it interesting the John the Baptist and Jesus both had miraculous births, were cousins, and therefore peers. Christ also came to earth with a mission, so his life was also focused and one-pointed.

I believe if you are a person of faith, God has a mission for all of us. Our lives might not be as focused as Jesus or John the Baptist, but we have a mission from God nonetheless to fulfill his plan on earth for all of humanity.

Day 258 Bible Readings – Psalm 136: 1 (ESV)

Isaiah 36-37, Galatians 2: 1-10, Psalm 136: 1-12

Psalm 136: 1 (ESV)

“Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever.”

When I first read Psalm 136 and I knew I had heard it before as a song, which makes total sense because the Psalms were song as songs. I listened to several song versions of Psalm 136, and this is the one I really like. I hope you like it too.

Enjoy.

Day 257 Bible Readings – Psalm 135: 15-18 (ESV)

Isaiah 33-35, Galatians 1: Psalm 135: 13-21

Psalm 135: 15-18 (ESV)

“The idols of the nations are silver and gold, the work of human hands. They have mouths, but do not speak; they have eyes, but do not see; they have ears, but do not hear, nor is there any breath in their mouths. Those who make them become like them, so do all who trust in them.”

Verses 15 through 18 from Psalm 135 makes so much sense to me that if you worship an idol that is not God, you will become like the idol. These verses talk about idols made of silver and gold, which people used to worship when this Psalm was being written. These idols have eyes and ears, but they do not see or hear because they are not alive. But I think “idols” can also apply to more modern idols that are worshipped like money, prestige, or fame. If we worship idols other than God, we will become like these “idols”. We will not see, hear, and become dead inside like our “idols”.

Worshipping money makes our life easier and can answer material prayers, but the idol of money doesn’t care about us. The idol of money is not moved by our prayers and is an indifferent God. For people who belief in God, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit, we worship a living God. Our God has eyes to see our lives, ears to hear our prayers, and is alive and has powers to answer our prayers and shower us in miracles in our life if we need them. I am glad I worship a God who cares about me and only wants to the best for me in my life.