The Daily Bible Readings for Wednesday, January 5, 2022

 

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

The Daily Bible Readings
Wednesday, January 5, 2022
Psalm 72; Jeremiah 31:7-14; John 1:[1-9] 10-18
with commentaries from Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on the Bible

Introduction & Summary

In today’s lectionary readings, our psalm is a glimpse of prophecy, Solomon praying for the Royal Son of God, the one who lives forever and the one to whom all kings will bow—the Messiah, King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

The beautiful mélange of promise oracles in our reading in Jeremiah asserts the power of the Lord to gather those Judeans who have experienced forced migration and captivity. God leads the faithful back home, and the Lord’s power to redeem is mighty. God can bring back even those who had been exiled to “the farthest parts of the earth” (Jeremiah 31:8); the Holy One can sustain even those whose resilience for the journey homeward might be impaired (“the blind and the lame, those with child and those in labor”).

The majestic opening of John’s Gospel shows us the limitless scope of the Word’s work. He is the definitive self-expression of God, the one through whom God created all things in the beginning. He stretches out the cosmos as the canvas for the expression of God’s glory.

In our verse of the day, God calls those who would repent and worship Him rightly. We must be doing, not standing idle. We must be doing the good the Lord our God requires. It is plain that the sacrifices of the law could not atone, even for outward national crimes.

Today’s Verse of the Day:
Isaiah 1:16-17

Wash and make yourselves clean. Take your evil deeds out of my sight; stop doing wrong. Learn to do right; seek justice. Defend the oppressed. Take up the cause of the fatherless; plead the case of the widow.

Repeatedly in Scripture, the Lord tells us that He has no desire for half-hearted religious ritual (1 Sam. 15:22; Ps. 40:6; 51:16, 17; Is. 1:11–20; Jer. 7:22, 23; Joel 2:12, 13; Mark 12:33). Instead, He greatly desires for our hearts to be on fire for Him—for us to joyfully love Him and love others in His name (John 13:34, 35; 15:10–14; 1 John 3:23, 24).

Today’s Lectionary Readings:
From the Psalter
Psalm 72
Prayers for the King

1 Endow the king with your justice, O God,
     the royal son with your righteousness.
2 May he judge your people in righteousness,
     your afflicted ones with justice.

3 May the mountains bring prosperity to the people,
     the hills the fruit of righteousness.
4 May he defend the afflicted among the people
     and save the children of the needy;
     may he crush the oppressor.
5 May he endure as long as the sun,
     as long as the moon, through all generations.
6 May he be like rain falling on a mown field,
     like showers watering the earth.
7 In his days may the righteous flourish
     and prosperity abound till the moon is no more.

8 May he rule from sea to sea
     and from the River to the ends of the earth.
9 May the desert tribes bow before him
     and his enemies lick the dust.
10 May the kings of Tarshish and of distant shores
      bring tribute to him.
   May the kings of Sheba and Seba
      present him gifts.
11 May all kings bow down to him
      and all nations serve him.

12 For he will deliver the needy who cry out,
      the afflicted who have no one to help.
13 He will take pity on the weak and the needy
      and save the needy from death.
14 He will rescue them from oppression and violence,
      for precious is their blood in his sight.

15 Long may he live!
      May gold from Sheba be given him.
   May people ever pray for him
      and bless him all day long.
16 May grain abound throughout the land;
      on the tops of the hills may it sway.
   May the crops flourish like Lebanon
      and thrive like the grass of the field.
17 May his name endure forever;
      may it continue as long as the sun.

   Then all nations will be blessed through him,
      and they will call him blessed.

18 Praise be to the Lord God, the God of Israel,
      who alone does marvelous deeds.
19 Praise be to his glorious name forever;
      may the whole earth be filled with his glory.
   Amen and Amen.

20 This concludes the prayers of David son of Jesse.

Commentary

Summary: David begins with a prayer for Solomon (v. 1). He passes into a prophecy of the glories of his reign, and of Christ's kingdom (vv. 2-17). Praise to God (vv.18-20).

Verse 1: This psalm belongs to Solomon in part, but to Christ more fully and clearly. Solomon was both the king and the king's son, and his pious father desired that the wisdom of God might be in him, that his reign might be a remembrance of the kingdom of the Messiah. It is the prayer of a father for his child; a dying blessing. The best we can ask of God for our children is, that God would give them wisdom and grace to know and to do their duty.

Verses 2-17: This is a prophecy of the kingdom of Christ; many passages in it cannot be applied to the reign of Solomon. There were righteousness and peace at first in the administration of his government; but, before the end of his reign, there were troubles and unrighteousness. The kingdom here spoken of is to last as long as the sun, but Solomon's was soon at an end. Even the Jewish expositors understood it of the kingdom of the Messiah. Observe many great and precious promises here made, which were to have full accomplishment only in the kingdom of Christ. As far as his kingdom is set up, discord and contentions cease, in families, churches, and nations. The law of Christ, written in the heart, disposes men to be honest and just, and to render to all their due; it likewise disposes men to live in love, and so produces abundance of peace. Holiness and love shall be lasting in Christ's kingdom. Through all the changes of the world, and all the changes of life, Christ's kingdom will support itself. And he shall, by the graces and comforts of his Spirit, come down like rain upon the mown grass; not on that cut down, but that which is left growing, that it may spring again. His gospel has been, or shall be, preached to all nations. Though he needs not the services of any, yet he must be served with the best. Those that have the wealth of this world, must serve Christ with it, do good with it. Prayer shall be made through him, or for his sake; whatever we ask of the Father, should be in his name. Praises shall be offered to him: we are under the highest obligations to him. Christ only shall be feared throughout all generations. To the end of time, and to eternity, his name shall be praised. All nations shall call HIM blessed.

Verses 18-20: We are taught to bless God in Christ, for all he has done for us by him. David is earnest in prayer for the fulfillment of this prophecy and promise. It is sad to think how empty the earth is of the glory of God, how little service and honor he has from a world to which he is so bountiful. May we, like David, submit to Christ's authority, and partake of his righteousness and peace. May we bless him for the wonders of redeeming love. May we spend our days, and end our lives, praying for the spread of his gospel.

From the Prophetic Books of Major prophets
Jeremiah 31:7-14
Joy as God’s Scattered Flock Gathers

7 This is what the Lord says:

  “Sing with joy for Jacob;
     shout for the foremost of the nations.
  Make your praises heard, and say,
     ‘Lord, save your people,
     the remnant of Israel.’
8 See, I will bring them from the land of the north
     and gather them from the ends of the earth.
  Among them will be the blind and the lame,
     expectant mothers and women in labor;
     a great throng will return.
9 They will come with weeping;
     they will pray as I bring them back.
  I will lead them beside streams of water
     on a level path where they will not stumble,
  because I am Israel’s father,
     and Ephraim is my firstborn son.

10 “Hear the word of the Lord, you nations;
      proclaim it in distant coastlands:
   ‘He who scattered Israel will gather them
      and will watch over his flock like a shepherd.’
11 For the Lord will deliver Jacob
      and redeem them from the hand of those stronger than they.
12 They will come and shout for joy on the heights of Zion;
      they will rejoice in the bounty of the Lord—
   the grain, the new wine and the olive oil,
      the young of the flocks and herds.
   They will be like a well-watered garden,
      and they will sorrow no more.
13 Then young women will dance and be glad,
      young men and old as well.
   I will turn their mourning into gladness;
      I will give them comfort and joy instead of sorrow.
14 I will satisfy the priests with abundance,
      and my people will be filled with my bounty,”
   declares the Lord.

Commentary

Summary: The joyful restoration of Israel (vv. 7-9). Gathering the scattered flock (vv. 10-12). The joyful response (vv. 13-14).

Verses 7-9: When praising God for what he has done, we must call upon him for the favors his church needs and expects. When the Lord calls, we must not plead that we cannot come; for he that calls us, will help us, will strengthen us. The goodness of God shall lead them to repentance. And they shall weep for sin with more bitterness, and more tenderness, when delivered out of their captivity, than when groaning under it. If we take God for our Father, and join the church of the first-born, we shall want nothing that is good for us. These predictions doubtless refer also to a future gathering of the Israelites from all quarters of the globe. And they figuratively describe the conversion of sinners to Christ, and the plain and safe way in which they are led.

Verses 10-14: He that scattered Israel, knows where to find them. It is comfortable to observe the goodness of the Lord in the gifts of providence. But our souls are never valuable as gardens, unless watered with the dews of God's Spirit and grace. A precious promise follows, which will not have full accomplishment except in the heavenly Zion. Let them be satisfied of God's loving-kindness, and they will be satisfied with it, and desire no more to make them happy.

From the Gospels
John 1:[1-9] 10-18
God With Us

1:[1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4 In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

6 There was a man sent from God whose name was John. 7 He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe. 8 He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light.

9 The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world.] 10 He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. 11 He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. 12 Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— 13 children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.

14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

15 (John testified concerning him. He cried out, saying, “This is the one I spoke about when I said, ‘He who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’”) 16 Out of his fullness we have all received grace in place of grace already given. 17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 18 No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known.

Commentary

Summary: The pre-existence of the Word (Logos) vv. 1-2). The work and nature of the Word (vv. 3-5). The forerunner of the Word (vv. 6-8). The rejection of the Word (vv. 9-11). The receiving of the Word (vv. 12-13). The Word became flesh (v 14). Bearing witness to God’s new order (vv. 15-18).

Verses 1-5: The plainest reason why the Son of God is called the Word, seems to be, that as our words explain our minds to others, so was the Son of God sent in order to reveal his Father's mind to the world. What the evangelist says of Christ proves that he is God. He asserts, His existence in the beginning; His coexistence with the Father. The Word was with God. All things were made by him, and not as an instrument. Without him was not any thing made that was made, from the highest angel to the meanest worm. This shows how well qualified he was for the work of our redemption and salvation. The light of reason, as well as the life of sense, is derived from him, and depends upon him. This eternal Word, this true Light shines, but the darkness comprehends it not. Let us pray without ceasing, that our eyes may be opened to behold this Light, that we may walk in it; and thus be made wise unto salvation, by faith in Jesus Christ.

Verses 6-14: John the Baptist came to bear witness concerning Jesus. Nothing more fully shows the darkness of men's minds, than that when the Light had appeared, there needed a witness to call attention to it. Christ was the true Light; that great Light which deserves to be called so. By his Spirit and grace he enlightens all that are enlightened to salvation; and those that are not enlightened by him, perish in darkness. Christ was in the world when he took our nature upon him, and dwelt among us. The Son of the Highest was here in this lower world. He was in the world, but not of it. He came to save a lost world, because it was a world of his own making. Yet the world knew him not. When he comes as a Judge, the world shall know him. Many say that they are Christ's own, yet do not receive him, because they will not part with their sins, nor have him to reign over them. All the children of God are born again. This new birth is through the word of God as the means, 1 Peter 1:23, and by the Spirit of God as the Author. By his Divine presence Christ always was in the world. But now that the fullness of time was come, he was, after another manner, God manifested in the flesh. But observe the beams of his Divine glory, which darted through this veil of flesh. Men discover their weaknesses to those most familiar with them, but it was not so with Christ; those most intimate with him saw most of his glory. Although he was in the form of a servant, as to outward circumstances, yet, in respect of graces, his form was like the Son of God His Divine glory appeared in the holiness of his doctrine, and in his miracles. He was full of grace, fully acceptable to his Father, therefore qualified to plead for us; and full of truth, fully aware of the things he was to reveal.

Verses 15-18: As to the order of time and entrance on his work, Christ came after John, but in every other way he was before him. The expression clearly shows that Jesus had existence before he appeared on earth as man. All fullness dwells in him, from which alone fallen sinners have, and shall receive, by faith, all that renders them wise, strong, holy, useful, and happy. Our receivings by Christ are all summed up in this one word, grace; we have received "even grace," a gift so great, so rich, so invaluable; the good will of God towards us, and the good work of God in us. The law of God is holy, just, and good; and we should make the proper use of it. But we cannot derive from it pardon, righteousness, or strength. It teaches us to adorn the doctrine of God our Savior, but it cannot supply the place of that doctrine. As no mercy comes from God to sinners but through Jesus Christ, no man can come to the Father but by him; no man can know God, except as he is made known in the only begotten and beloved Son.

Optional parts of the readings are set off in [square brackets].

Today’s Lectionary Readings are selected from the Revised Common Lectionary Daily Readings, a three-year cyclical lectionary. We are currently in Year C. Beginning with the first Sunday of Advent in 2022, we will be in Year A. The year which ended at Advent 2021 was Year B. These readings complement the Sunday and festival readings: Thursday through Saturday readings help prepare the reader for the Sunday ahead; Monday through Wednesday readings help the reader reflect and digest what they heard in worship. Revised Common Lectionary Daily Readings, copyright © 2005 Consultation on Common Texts. www.commontexts.org. The Bible texts of the Old Testament, Epistle, and Gospel lessons are from The Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. Commentaries from Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on the Bible.