Read The Bible

Dec 03 2024 37 ep. 3 mins 347

Read The Bible Podcast artwork

Read the Bible features devotional commentaries from D.A. Carson’s book For the Love of God (vol. 1) that follow the M’Cheyne Bible reading plan. This podcast is designed to be used alongside TGC's Read The Bible initiative (TGC.org/readthebible).

Religion & Spirituality

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2 Chronicles 2; 1 John 2; Nahum 1; Luke 17

Dec 03 2024 3 mins

One might well wonder why God should be praised for loving the world (John 3:16) when Christians are forbidden to love it (1 John 2:15–17). The world, as is habitually the case in John and 1 John, is the moral order in rebellion against God. When we are told that God loves the world, his love is to be admired because the world is so bad. God’s love is the origin of his redempti

2 Chronicles 1; 1 John 1; Micah 7; Luke 16

Dec 02 2024 3 mins

The opening paragraph of 1 John 1 boasts many treasures. I want to focus on verse 3, with a sidelong glance at verse 4. Assuming that the author is the apostle John, the “we” that is doing the proclaiming is most likely an editorial we, or a we that is self-consciously speaking from the circle of apostolic witnesses. Thus in this context it is distinguished from the “we” of

1 Chronicles 29; 2 Peter 3; Micah 6; Luke 15

Dec 01 2024 3 mins

The chronicler’s account of David’s death is preceded by the story of the wealthy gifts that would finance temple construction after David’s demise and the prayer David offered in this connection (1 Chron. 29). It is not so much the quantity of money given by David and the others that is striking, as the theology of David’s prayer. The highlights include the following point

1 Chronicles 28; 2 Peter 2; Micah 5; Luke 14

Nov 30 2024 3 mins

We have already observed that 1 and 2 Chronicles differ from the books of Samuel and Kings (though the Chronicles cover roughly the same period of history as Samuel and Kings) in placing much more emphasis on the southern kingdom of Judah, after the monarchy divides. Even at this juncture, however, during the period of the united monarchy, 1 and 2 Chronicles greatly expand on anyth

1 Chronicles 26–27; 2 Peter 1; Micah 4; Luke 13

Second Peter 1:5–9 provides us with a remarkable sequence of steps. Peter knows his readers are believers. Now he exhorts them to add some things to their faith. (1) Add goodness to faith (2 Pet. 1:5): Probably the kind of faith Peter does not want to see is the kind of faith that James 2 dismisses: faith that is merely intellectual, merely affirming, but devoid of transparent tr

1 Chronicles 24–25; 1 Peter 5; Micah 3; Luke 12

First Peter 5:1–4 provides as compelling a glimpse of Christian ministry as any passage in the New Testament. The apostle Peter addresses elders, whom he also calls “overseers” and “shepherds,” i.e., pastors (see meditation for November 2). Indeed, he addresses them as fellow elders, rather than speaking to them as an apostle to elders. This does not prevent him from allu

1 Chronicles 23; 1 Peter 4; Micah 2; Luke 11

In certain respects the structure of Israelite life, including some facets of its religious life, changed when the people entered the Promised Land and were no longer nomadic. The first changes were obvious. The Lord stopped the daily supply of manna: the people had to gather food for themselves and grow things. Urbanization began. The Sabbath laws were increasingly applied to trad

1 Chronicles 22; 1 Peter 3; Micah 1; Luke 10

The transition between the account of David’s numbering of the people (1 Chron. 21) and the account of David’s formidable preparations for the construction of the temple that his son Solomon would build (1 Chron. 22) is one verse, the first verse of chapter 22, with no parallel in 2 Samuel: “Then David said, ‘The house of the LORD God is to be here, and also the altar of bu

1 Chronicles 21; 1 Peter 2; Jonah 4; Luke 9

Second Samuel 24, which roughly parallels 1 Chronicles 21, says that the anger of the LORD burned against Israel, so he incited David to number the people, which act was strictly forbidden—and then that act brought down the wrath of God on the nation (1 Chron. 24:1). The passage before us says that “Satan rose up against Israel and incited David to take a census of Israel” (1

1 Chronicles 19–20; 1 Peter 1; Jonah 3; Luke 8

One of the great pretensions of human existence is that this mortal life lasts forever. Though young people theoretically know there is an end to each human life, they act as if death will never catch them. Decades later, they know better, but even then most act as if their families will inevitably continue, or at least their culture or their nation will survive. The most farsighte